Freedom is not enough: Haiti's sustainability in peril

The following article examines Haiti's past, present and future sustainability based on a thorough cause and effect analysis of the country's current situation, research on relevant social and economic factors, years of field experience, as well as training and consulting for businesses, political parties and non-profit organisations. In addition to identifying the current major core conflicts of Haiti, the article also suggests solutions to various social, economical and environmental issues.     

A CFD based explosion risk analysis methodology using time varying release rates in dispersion simulations

A full probabilistic Explosion Risk Analysis (ERA) is commonly used to establish overpressure exceedance curves for offshore facilities. This involves modelling a large number of gas dispersion and explosion scenarios. Capturing the time dependant build up and decay of a flammable gas cloud size along with its shape and location are important parameters that can govern the results of an ERA. Dispersion simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are generally carried out in detailed ERA studies to obtain these pieces of information. However, these dispersion simulations are typically modelled with constant release rates leading to steady state results. The basic assumption used here is that the flammable gas cloud build up rate from these constant release rate dispersion simulations would mimic the actual transient cloud build up rate from a time varying release rate. This assumption does not correctly capture the physical phenomena of transient gas releases and their subsequent dispersion and may lead to very conservative results. This in turn results in potential over design of facilities with implications on time, materials and cost of a project.In the current work, an ERA methodology is proposed that uses time varying release rates as an input in the CFD dispersion simulations to obtain the fully transient flammable gas cloud build-up and decay, while ensuring the total time required to perform the ERA study is also reduced. It was found that the proposed ERA methodology leads to improved accuracy in dispersion results, steeper overpressure exceedance curves and a significant reduction in the Design Accidental Load (DAL) values whilst still maintaining some conservatism and also reducing the total time required to perform an ERA study.     

工程环境监理与工程监理的比较及发展建议

工程环境监理工作在我国刚刚起步,是一种新型的环境管理方式。随着环境问题的日益突出,工程环境监理在环境保护、环境管理中将发挥重大的作用。文章从法律地位、内容、范围、任务、目的、作用等多方面对工程环境监理与工程监理进行对比分析,便于理顺工程环境监理与工程监理的关系,并结合我国工程环境监理试点存在的问题和发展趋势提出了建议,为工程环境监理的发展提供参考。     

云南省“十二五”期间重点建设项目环境影响评价相关问题及对策研究

在分析“十二五”期间云南省重点建设项目工程特点及环境影响特征的基础上,从建设单位、环评文件编制单位、环评文件审批部门、工程可研编制单位等层面,系统分析了在推进建设项目环评文件编制与审批方面存在的问题,并从认识提高、政策制定、环评文件质量提高、环评管理制度健全、环评审批长效机制建立等方面提出了相应的对策。     

系统推进自然生态保护和治理能力建设——《全国重要生态系统保护和修复重大工程总体规划（2021—2035年）》专家笔谈

《全国重要生态系统保护和修复重大工程总体规划（2021—2035年）》是党的十九大后生态保护和修复领域第一个综合性规划,是多部门跨学科全区域统筹推进山水林田湖草一体化保护和修复的范式。针对规划贯彻实施面临的机遇和挑战,来自自然资源部咨询研究中心的7位专家进行了研讨。贯彻落实好《规划》,应准确把握规划的4个主要特点：布局上突出系统性和继承性;政策上突出战略性和协调性;实施上突出目标性和问题导向性;手段方法上突出科学性和针对性。处理好三大关系,即：生态系统保护与开发利用的关系,生态系统修复与生态补偿的关系,生态系统保护与用途管制的关系。解决八个关键问题：一是建设多元投融资机制;二是明晰主体责任;三是建立统一的综合性调查评价制度;四是构建适应生态系统修复的技术标准体系;五是建设生态系统保护数据库和综合信息查询平台;六是探索因地制宜的生态补偿模式;七是统筹自然资源开发利用与生态保护修复的关系;八是开展《规划》实施的跟踪监测评估。     

流域水生态系统的生境安全识别理论和方法研究——以太子河次流域本溪段为案例

流域水生态系统具有物质循环、能量流动、群落代谢等服务功能,由于人类活动干扰等因素,水生态系统受到破坏,服务功能的发挥受到抑制。太子河作为中国七大水系之一的辽河支流,其水生态系统健康状况同样由于社会、自然等胁迫驱动力原因受到影响。提出了一套流域水生态系统生境安全识别方法,并以太子河次流域本溪段为案例对方法的可行性进行研讨。采用水文、河道、河岸带和水质4个生境安全指标,分别对研究区的5个评价单元水生态系统生境进行安全评估,做出问题识别,找出水生态系统处于不同健康状态的原因,并确定优先修复项目,便于流域管理。通过研究得到观音阁水库坝区没有优先修复项目,小夹河区、老官砬子-观音阁水库坝区、大峪沟入河口-老官砬子区、兴安市界-大峪沟入河口区优先修复项目分别为河道、河道和河岸带、河道、水质,生境安全识别方法具有一定的可行性。     

建设项目环境监理的地位和作用初议

本文对环境监理的现状、存在的问题等进行了论述分析,提出了环境监理应具有作为建设项目环境管理重要制度之一的法律地位的论点,并对建立环境监理制度提出了建议。