Fissioning minimizes ranging costs in spider monkeys: a multiple-level approach

The adjustment to deal with intragroup food competition is probably the most plausible explanation of high levels of fission–fusion dynamics. However, studies did not always support expected relations between food availability, ranging costs, and subgroup size. We used several levels of analysis differing in the time and spatial scale in order to investigate this explanation in spider monkeys. In our study, subgroups were larger when food availability was higher across most levels of analyses used. We also found a fine-scale adjustment: compared to the food patch previously visited, spider monkeys traveled to larger patches just after fusions. This was not without an immediate travel cost: the interpatch distance and travel time after a fusion were longer than that before the fusion. This rapid adjustment shows the flexibility that fission–fusion dynamics can offer. Spider monkeys are in large subgroups only when food conditions are favorable, as evidenced by the fact that at all the other time-scale levels larger subgroups did not experience greater ranging costs than smaller subgroups. Our results indicate that on the whole spider monkeys successfully minimize ranging costs by fission and fusion of subgroups.     

Willingness to pay for clean air in China

We use a residential sorting model incorporating migration disutility to recover the implicit value of clean air in China. The model is estimated using China Population Census Data along with PM2.5 satellite data. Our study provides new evidence on the willingness to pay for air quality improvements in developing countries and is the first application of an equilibrium sorting model to the valuation of non-market amenities in China. We employ two instrumental variables based on coal-fired electricity generation and wind direction to address the endogeneity of local air pollution. Results suggest important differences between the residential sorting model and a conventional hedonic model, highlighting the role of moving costs and the discreteness of the choice set. Our sorting results indicate that the economic value of air quality improvement associated with a one-unit decline in PM2.5 concentration is up to $8.83 billion for all Chinese households in 2005.     

火灾预防与控制技术实施中成本与效益的研究

用经济学的基本理论与方法分析了方法技术实施中成本与效益的关系,重点研究了合理投资及最佳投资的确定原理与方法,为人们综合考虑的防火投资的经济效益和系统的安全性提供了一个理论指导。     

RURAL HOUSEHOLD RESPONSE TO WATER CONTAMINATION IN WEST VIRGINIA1

ABSTRACT: About one-third of all West Virginians obtain domestic water from private water wells. In this research, mail and telephone surveys were used to investigate household responses to bacteria, mineral, and organic chemical contamination of domestic water supplies. Of households who were informed of contamination and acknowledged the problem, over 85 percent took action to avoid exposure to water contamination problems. The most common action was to clean and/or repair the water system (55.9 percent of valid surveys). Approximately 45 percent of households made investments of either a water treatment system, a new water source, or correction of contamination source. The average, annual economic cost of rural household actions was $320 for bacteria, $357 for minerals, and $1,090 for organic contamination. These economic costs represent a lower bound estimate for rural household willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a reduction in domestic water contamination from government action. On average, investment actions had lower annual economic costs than noninvestment actions of boiling and hauling water so that households who undertook investment actions in response to water contamination would have a lower WTP for government action to reduce water contamination. When effectiveness of water treatment systems was evaluated, treatment systems which require minimal household maintenance were found to reduce exposure to water contamination to safe levels as households intended when they installed the system. Treatment systems which were commonly ineffective included those which required continual maintenance (e.g., chiorinators) or were not designed to solve the contaminant problem for which they were purchased (e.g., filter systems for bacteria).     

绿色经济视角下环渤海经济圈经济效率的再评价——基于熵权法和DEA—Malmquist方法

长期以传统GDP作为衡量经济发展的单一评价指标,造成了一系列环境问题,已不能满足科学发展观的要求。以绿色经济为视角,通过计量方法重新计算包含环境成本的相对绿色GDP,发现环渤海地区除北京市以外,在经济总量扩张的同时环境压力不断增加。将计算得到的相对绿色GDP作为DEA—Malmquist模型的产出指标,重新评价环渤海地区的经济效率,发现新的效率值明显低于传统GDP下的经济效率,并有不断下降的趋势。     

中国二氧化碳的边际减排成本与区域差异研究

测算二氧化碳的边际减排成本有利于评估区域碳减排潜力与成本,也是落实区域碳交易政策的重要依据。在多投入-多产出的生产效率模型框架下,本文采用二次型方向距离函数,研究了全国30个省份2000—2012年期间的碳边际减排成本及其差异的时空演化特征。二次型方向距离函数通过引用时间变量,反应环境治理的中性技术进步,因此研究方法能充分利用参数估计的灵活性。研究结果显示:1二氧化碳的边际减排成本平均约为1 519元/吨,远高于我国碳市场的交易价格,表明当前试点的自愿性碳交易政策是无效的;2区域碳边际减排成本的泰尔指数分解表明,东中西部地区的减排成本存在明显的地区性差异性,且随着时间的推进,碳减排空间逐渐变小。减排成本的地区性差异表明环境规制政策并不能保证各地区碳治理成本的边际均等原则,而利用政策工具,促使碳排放权从治理成本较高的地区转移至成本较低的地区,可以减少总治理成本,实现总量控制目标。本文建议:一方面,为实现国家碳减排的总体宏观目标,各区域要加强合作,相互借鉴成功的碳减排技术与经验等,在执行政策上,应尝试执行区域协同治理机制,努力降低总减排成本;另一方面,各区域在推进产业结构调整、城镇化及能源消费结构替代过程中要遵从循序渐进原则,避免碳减排成本过度波动,增加减排难度。     

MISSOURI RIVER DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT1

ABSTRACT: Federal planners, in proposing the massive main stem Missouri River water developments in Montana and North Dakota, promised economic and social benefits to the local residents. Five main stem dams, Fort Peck, Garrison, Oahe, Big Bend and Fort Randall, were evaluated for community and rural development effectiveness. Thirty-seven development factors were examined and improvements noted. Only small differences were noted between areas with water developments and the control area. Further analysis revealed that water development benefits moved downstream and to existing urban areas. The Missouri River's rural areas and small communities were not developed significantly by the water projects. Several problems associated with water development policy were illustrated by the study. Cultural differences between planners and the population impacted were ignored. Second, the allocation of social costs was not considered and related to this, serious geographic maldistribution of benefits and costs resulted. The differences between pre-development promises and development performance was dramatic. While the large dams remain as landmarks to engineering prowess, the projects need to be evaluated for their success in meeting humanistic development objectives. Major redevelopment may be warranted by such an ex-post evaluation.     

THE PRODUCTION OF WATER FROM GEOTHERMAL RESERVOIRS: SOME ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Liquid dominated geothermal systems are expected to account for most of the growth in geothermal energy production in the coming decades. Production of water from such systems could significantly augment fresh water supplies. The feasibility of water exploitation is clouded by potential problems related to seismic impacts, land subsidence and the composition of geothermal brines. If these problems can be overcome at little cost, desalination of brines may be feasible. Estimates of water production costs are presented for a variety of desalination technologies, plant sizes and brine water compositions. These estimates show that production costs will range from $139.10/A.F. to $436.00/A.F. at the plant boundary. Economies of scale and brine composition are important determinants of cost. Production costs are substantially in excess of the value of water in alternative uses. However, in certain unique situations, it may be efficient to desalt brines for use in upgrading the quality of municipal water, industrial process water and irrigation water. Unique situations aside, geothermal brines are not likely to provide an economical source of fresh water in the absence of striking changes in the patterns of supply and demand for water.     

THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF TIME AND AVERTING EXPENDITURES FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER1

ABSTRACT: A survey of individuals during a Giardia contamination incident provided data to calculate the cost of boiling, hauling, or purchasing water to avoid infection. Three different approaches to the valuation of time were used to assess the implications of the opportunity cost of time for the measurement of averting costs. Mean monthly household averting costs were $33.47 using family income to value time, $13.07 using the minimum wage to value time, and $5.60 using zero opportunity cost of time. Comparisons of the mean costs for different sources and household characteristics indicated the value of time from family income was too high and that the other methods of valuing time were superior.     

The Social Costs of Climate Change: The IPCC Second Assessment Report and Beyond

Climate change is expected to have far-reaching impacts. Earlier studies have estimated an aggregated monetised damage equivalent to 1.5 to 2.0 % of World GDP (for 2 × CO₂). According to these estimates, the OECD would face losses equivalent to 1.0 to 1.5 % of GDP, and developing countries 2.0 to 9.0 %. While these figures are preliminary and highly uncertain, recent findings have not, as yet, changed the general picture. As is shown in this paper, estimates that are fully corrected for differences in purchasing power parity do not significantly differ from the initial figures. Newer studies increasingly emphasise adaptation, variability, extreme events, other (non-climate change) stress factors, and the need for integrated assessment of damages. Incorporating these factors has lead to increased differences in estimated impacts between different regions and sectors. Estimates of market impacts in developed countries tended to fall, while non-market impacts have become more important. Marginal damages are more interesting from a policy point of view. Earlier estimates range from about $5 to $125 per tonne of carbon, with most estimates at the lower end of this range. These figures are based on power functions in the level of climate change. The rate of change may be equally important, as are the speed of adaptation, restoration and value adjustment. Furthermore, future vulnerability to climate change will differ from current vulnerability: market impacts could fall (relatively) with economic growth while non-market impacts may rise. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.