Religion and environmental politics in the US House of Representatives

Does religion affect legislators’ behavior on environmental policy in the US? Studies of environmental policy making have not examined this question, although the literature suggests that religion might affect legislative behavior on environmental policy. This study examines the relationship between US House members’ religion and roll-call voting on environmental legislation from 1973 to 2009. It finds significant differences across religious traditions. Legislators’ party and characteristics of constituencies relevant to environmental politics increasingly, but not entirely, mediate these differences.     

基于LCA的废旧资源循环利用节能减排效果评估模式与方法研究——以吉林省某钢铁企业为例

促进废旧资源循环利用是加快推进我国生态文明建设,完成节能减排目标的必然选择。本文基于生命周期评价模式,从微观企业层面入手,构建产品全生命周期基准流程,引入能量输入与环境输出参数,建立废旧资源循环利用节能减排效果量化核算模型,评估再生产品的节能减排经济成效,并以吉林省某钢铁企业为例,评估"废钢-电炉"短流程和"铁矿石-高炉-转炉"长流程的能源、环境、成本差异,辨识影响废钢再循环节能减排效果的主要因素和重要环节。结果显示,再生钢铁全生命周期与原生钢铁全生命周期相比,节能588.48kgce/t,节能率为84%;主要污染物中SO2减排率最高,达92%;CO2总减排1 180.92 kg/t,减排率为67%;总成本却高出198元/t。其中,炼铁工序的节能量和减碳量最大,烧结工序SO2、NOx和烟(粉)尘减排量最大,焦化工序COD和氨氮减排量最大,回收、加工处理、炼钢环节节能量和减碳量以及SO2、NOx和烟(粉)尘减排量均为负。成本方面,再生钢铁生产成本高于原生钢铁308元/t,虽然再生钢铁由于污染减排可节省56元/t的排污费并获取54元/t的碳交易收益,但都不足以扭转电炉炼钢费用较高的现状。因此,国家应在电炉炼钢方面给予钢企及相关企业适当的财税扶持政策,在电价方面给予钢企一定的优惠或补贴,并完善废钢回收加工体系等,以促进废钢循环利用。基于LCA的废旧资源循环利用节能减排效果评估可以实现对产品生命周期全过程的资源、环境、成本的优化管理。     

三峡库区重庆段土壤保持服务时空分布格局研究

土壤保持是生态系统服务与功能的重要组成,在防止土壤侵蚀、减少径流泥沙与农业面源污染等方面具有至关重要的作用。以对国家生态安全具有重要作用的土壤保持生态功能区——三峡库区重庆段为研究区域,研究得到了2000~2013年时间序列区域土壤保持服务"流量"结果,结果表明:(1)三峡库区重庆段多年平均土壤保持量为604.39 t/hm~2·a,沿长江干流自西向东逐渐增强,区域差异显著;(2)三峡库区的土壤保持服务存在明显的垂直分异特征,随着高程的增加,以300 m与900 m为节点,出现递减-递增-递减的分段规律,与人类活动存在明显的相关关系;(3)增加森林覆被面积是改善区域土壤保持、减少水土流失的重要举措。同时,在三峡库区开展坡改梯工程,减少坡耕地的数量能够有效控制区域水土流失;     

Approximating the distribution of recreational visits from on-site survey data

While convenient and often used, on-site surveys are biased by the fact that users who visit the site more often are proportionately more likely to be sampled. This so-called avidity or size biased sampling results in over-estimating the visitation patterns of the average user. This analysis develops a rule of thumb method that may easily be applied by recreation site managers to visitation data collected on-site in order to infer behavior of the average user of the site. The key assumption that drives the derivation is that the visitation data of users is logarithmically distributed. To evaluate the methodology, we analyze several data sets of recreational users assuming that they reflect the populations of users and from these construct hypothetical on-site samples.     

Effects of Fireplace Use on Forest Vegetation and Amount of Woody Debris in Suburban Forests in Northwestern Switzerland

Urban forests are popular recreation areas in Europe. Several of these temperate broad-leaved forests also have a high conservation value due to sustainable management over many centuries. Recreational activities, particularly the use of fireplaces, can cause extensive damage to soil, ground vegetation, shrubs, and trees. Firewood collection depletes woody debris, leading to a loss of habitat for specialized organisms. We examined the effects of fireplace use on forest vegetation and the amount of woody debris by comparing disturbed and control plots in suburban forests in northwestern Switzerland. At frequently used fireplaces, we found reduced species densities in the ground vegetation and shrub layer and changes in plant species composition due to human trampling within an area of 150–200 m². Picnicking and grilling also reduced the height and changed the age structure of shrubs and young trees. The amount of woody debris was lower in disturbed plots than in control plots. Pieces of wood with a diameter of 0.6–7.6 cm were preferentially collected by fireplace users. The reduction in woody debris volume extended up to a distance of 16 m from the fire ring, covering an area of 800 m² at each picnic site. In order to preserve the ecological integrity of urban forests and to maintain their attractiveness as important recreation areas, we suggest depositing logging residues to be used as firewood and to restrict visitor movements near picnic sites.     

浅谈新疆风电场水土保持措施配置——以新疆华电小草湖风电场二场一期工程为例

风能作为一种清洁无污染的可再生能源,已经被广泛运用到电力事业的发展中来。近年来,新疆的风力发电发展迅速,风电场建设过程中不可避免地会对土壤及植被造成一定的破坏,人为地加剧了水土流失。概述了风电项目水土流失特点,以新疆华电小草湖风电场工程为例,结合项目区具体特点,分区设置防治措施。通过工程措施、植物措施与临时措施的有机结合,有效地防止水土流失。     

青藏公路路堤边坡水土保持措施及效益分析

公路建设加速了区域的原有侵蚀,为了摸清公路边坡的侵蚀特征,寻找有效的防治措施,在青藏公路边坡布设不同水土保持措施的径流观测小区,进行了两年的观测（2003年和2004年）,结果表明：（1）工程措施具有较好的水土保持效益,其减流（减沙）效益在第一年和第二年分别达到3883％（8189％）和48.72％（9581％）,其中截排水措施的水土保持效益一方面说明公路路面来水也是边坡侵蚀的重要动力,有效拦截路面来水将会极大地减少径流和泥沙,另一方面也说明要提高公路边坡土壤侵蚀的预测能力,应该将路面来水作为重要的驱动力之一;（2）植被措施可以起到一定的减流减沙效果,其中人工植被措施有很大的潜力,其减蚀效益都在50％以上;（3）综合措施表现出了极好的水土保持效益（减流在40％以上,减沙在97％以上）,尤其土工格室+植被措施,兼具水土保持与景观双重效益。该研究可以为青藏高原地区的水土保持设计和生态环境保护规划提供数据支持。〖     

A Note on the Use of Conservation Practices in U.S. Agriculture

This article measures the effect of an increase in productivityattributable to an increase in soil organic carbon associated with theincrease in the use of conservation practices in agriculture in theUnited States. Both the direct and indirect effects are calibrated. Theanalytical approach used consists of a dynamic computable generalequilibrium model composed of 14 producing sectors, 10 consumingsectors, seven household categories classified by income, and agovernment. The results suggest that the impact of a change inproductivity is an increase in output over a six year period starting in1998 in field crops. The most significant impact is felt in thelivestock sector. This is because field crops are a major input in theproduction of livestock. The food processing sector also exhibits arelatively large increase because of the increase in inputs of both fieldcrops and livestock. Manufacturing output increases primarily becauseoverall investment rises and most investment utilizes manufacturinggoods. The other producing sectors are generally unaffected by theincrease in agricultural production due to an increase in soil organiccarbon. Coincident with the increase in the production of field cropsis a relatively large decrease in the price of field crops. Othernoticeable price reductions occur in the livestock sector and the foodprocessing sector. For the consuming sectors, the consumption offood and alcohol and tobacco increase but consumption in all of theother sectors remains basically unchanged. Prices in the food andalcohol and tobacco sectors decline by about 1% while theprices in the other sectors remain static. Household welfare increasesin the aggregate by only 0.1% with this increase occurringuniformly across all household categories. Revenue received by thegovernment increases a modest 2% in response to an increase inoutput and, hence, an increase in taxes paid. The results indicate thatthere are significant production benefits for several sectors that can berealized by an increase in the use of conservation practices inagricultural production which, in turn, enhances soil organic carbon.There are a number of policy options available to promote the use ofconservation practices. These include education and technicalassistance, financial assistance, research and development, landretirement, and regulation and taxes.     

A process integration approach to industrial water conservation: a case study for a Chinese steel plant

A systematic approach to optimizing water network has traditionally been utilized to exam and plan water conservation in industrial processes. In the present case study, water-pinch technology was used to analyze and optimize the water network of a steel plant near China's Zhangjiakou city. A system design was developed and a limiting constraint (Cl(-) concentration) was identified based on investigations of water quality then the minimum freshwater and wastewater targets were determined without considering water losses. The analysis was then extended by calculating the additional input of freshwater required to balance the actual water losses. A nearest-neighbor algorithm (NNA) was used to distribute the freshwater and recycled water among each of the plant's operations. The results showed that with some reconstruction of the water network, the flow rates of freshwater and wastewater could be decreased by 57.5% and 81.9%, respectively.     

空间分辨率与精度协同改进的卫星AOD产品降尺度模型

针对现有卫星气溶胶光学厚度(AOD)产品空间分辨率和精度往往难以满足大气污染精细治理实际需求,提出了一种耦合偏差校正的统计降尺度改进模型(SDBC).该模型基于“空间尺度不变性假设”引入相关驱动因子的额外空间信息实现AOD降尺度,并在此基础上通过偏差校正进一步提升降尺度产品的精度.以1km分辨率MAIAC AOD产品为例,在北京、大湾区、台湾岛3个典型地区开展模型验证.结果表明:(1)DEM、NDVI、人口数量和土地覆盖是影响AOD变化的细节因子,在SDBC空间降尺度过程中引入可将AOD产品的空间分辨率有效提升至500m,且降尺度产品验证R2最高可达0.88;(2)顾及卫星观测几何、质量标识、大气水蒸气柱、气溶胶模式等因子的偏差校正则可进一步提升降尺度AOD产品的精度,3个地区的验证R2均在0.85以上,最高可达0.93;(3)信息熵评估结果显示SDBC模型生成的500m AOD产品提高了原始MAIAC AOD产品的空间信息量.在保留了公里级产品AOD的空间分布格局的基础上,SDBC产品也增强了细节和纹理特征、改善了边界现象和马赛克效应.研究结果证实SDBC模型能有效协同改进现有卫星A...