Prospects for Reconciling the Conflict between Economic Growth and Biodiversity Conservation with Technological Progress

Abstract: The conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation is understood in portions of academia and sometimes acknowledged in political circles. Nevertheless, there is not a unified response. In political and policy circles, the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is posited to solve the conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. In academia, however, the EKC has been deemed fallacious in macroeconomic scenarios and largely irrelevant to biodiversity. A more compelling response to the conflict is that it may be resolved with technological progress. Herein I review the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation in the absence of technological progress, explore the prospects for technological progress to reconcile that conflict, and provide linguistic suggestions for describing the relationships among economic growth, technological progress, and biodiversity conservation. The conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation is based on the first two laws of thermodynamics and principles of ecology such as trophic levels and competitive exclusion. In this biophysical context, the human economy grows at the competitive exclusion of nonhuman species in the aggregate. Reconciling the conflict via technological progress has not occurred and is infeasible because of the tight linkage between technological progress and economic growth at current levels of technology. Surplus production in existing economic sectors is required for conducting the research and development necessary for bringing new technologies to market. Technological regimes also reflect macroeconomic goals, and if the goal is economic growth, reconciliatory technologies are less likely to be developed. As the economy grows, the loss of biodiversity may be partly mitigated with end‐use innovation that increases technical efficiency, but this type of technological progress requires policies that are unlikely if the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation (and other aspects of environmental protection) is not acknowledged.     

Deflagration to detonation transition in a vapour cloud explosion in open but congested space: Large scale test

The paper reviews large scale experiments with various fuels in air where successful deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) took place. This includes a recent experiment disclosed in the Buncefield R&D program, where DDT developed in the propane/air mixture. The DDT occurred in branches of deciduous trees in a premixed stagnant mixture. An internal R&D investigation programme was initiated to better understand the phenomena. A large scale experiment in an open space with ethane air mixture is presented in the paper. The premixed mixture was ignited at the edge of the congested three-dimensional rigs which consisted of vertical and horizontal pipes. After ignition, the flame accelerated in the congestion and transitioned to detonation at the end of congestion. Stable detonation propagated through the remaining open and uncongested space.The flame acceleration process leading to DDT is scale dependent. It also depends on many parameters leading to a large investigation array and, significant cost. However, such R&D efforts aimed toward a safer plant design, i.e. the prevention of occurrence of a major accident, are a small fraction of a real accident cost.     

Impact of leakage location and downwind storage tank on the gas dispersion in a typical chemical tank storage area

Toxic gas leakage in a tank area can have catastrophic consequences. Storage tank leakage location (particularly for high leakage) and downwind storage tanks potentially influence gas diffusion in tank areas. In this study, we developed a numerical and experimental method to investigate the impact of a high leakage location and downwind storage tank on gas diffusion based on three (1.05H, 0.90H, and 0.77H, H was the tank height, 22m) leakage field experiments on the leeward side of storage tank, which have been not conducted before. The experiments revealed an unexpected phenomenon: the maximum ground concentration first decreased and then increased with increasing leakage height. The simulations illustrated that the differences in micrometeorological conditions caused the maximum ground concentration of gas emitted from the roof to be higher than that emitted from the tank wall near the storage tank height. The downwind storage tank 1) had little influence on the entire diffusion direction but altered the local diffusion pattern; 2) reduced the maximum ground concentration (∼18.7%) and the distance from the emission source (approximately a storage tank diameter); and 3) had strong influences on the concentration, velocity, turbulence, and pressure on the leeward side. The concentration negatively correlated with the velocity, pressure, and turbulence in the middle of the two storage tanks on wind centerline. Our results can improve understanding of gas dispersion in tank areas and provide references for mitigating loss and protecting lives during emergency response processes.     

The integrated project AquaTerra of the EU sixth framework lays foundations for better understanding of river-sediment-soil-groundwater systems

The integrated project "AquaTerra" with the full title "integrated modeling of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system; advanced tools for the management of catchment areas and river basins in the context of global change" is among the first environmental projects within the sixth Framework Program of the European Union. Commencing in June 2004, it brought together a multidisciplinary team of 45 partner organizations from 12 EU countries, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro. AquaTerra is an ambitious project with the primary objective of laying the foundations for a better understanding of the behavior of environmental pollutants and their fluxes in the soil-sediment-water system with respect to climate and land use changes. The project performs research as well as modeling on river-sediment-soil-groundwater systems through quantification of deposition, sorption and turnover rates and the development of numerical models to reveal fluxes and trends in soil and sediment functioning. Scales ranging from the laboratory to river basins are addressed with the potential to provide improved river basin management, enhanced soil and groundwater monitoring as well as the early identification and forecasting of impacts on water quantity and quality. Study areas are the catchments of the Ebro, Meuse, Elbe and Danube Rivers and the Brévilles Spring. Here we outline the general structure of the project and the activities conducted within eleven existing sub-projects of AquaTerra.     

作物种植专业化与化肥减量来源——兼顾经营规模的影响

以作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化为切入点,运用中国13个粮食主产省份1980—2018年的面板数据,考察了作物种植专业化对农业化肥减量的影响及其作用机制。研究主要发现：（1）基础回归分析表明,作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化均对化肥施用强度具有显著的削减效应,对化肥的利用效率有显著的增效作用。且作物种植纵向专业化或社会化服务卷入程度加深,能够增强横向专业化对化肥的减量增效作用。（2）影响路径分析表明,作物种植横向专业化通过扩大农地经营规模,进而增强了作物种植纵向专业化对化肥施用强度的削减效应和利用效率的增效作用。但也应警惕,通过扩大农地经营规模以增强作物种植纵向专业化的减量效应可能存在临界水平。此外,当作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化积极配合时,可能推移临界点的到来。据此,通过发展作物种植横向专业化,鼓励农户通过服务外包卷入农业的纵向专业化分工以及发展农业适度规模经营,进而实现农业领域化肥的减量增效。     

长三角重点生态功能县域生态资产损益核算

限制开发的重点生态功能县域承担着生态保护与经济发展双重使命,如何实现生态与发展互促共进及生态产品价值化是当前面临的极大难点,生态资产损益核算为量化区域资源有偿使用、生态保护修复、生态文明绩效评价等提供了有效途径。以浙江省嵊州市作为长三角地区重点生态功能区的典型县域,基于栅格尺度评估了近20年生态资产存量与流量时空动态变化,并利用地理探测器结合人类活动类型监测分析了生态资产损益的驱动因素。结果表明：2000—2018年,由于森林生态资产质量降低及面积减少,嵊州市近60%区域的生态资产存量呈减少趋势,而生态资产流量总价值与单位面积价值均增益10%以上。相对于自然因素,社会经济因素对嵊州市生态资产损益平均贡献度更大,为17%。县域城镇化导致粮食供给轻微减损,70%以上乡镇生态资产增益,特别是石璜镇生态保护成效较突出。     

基于多元随机效应Wiener过程的某弹用弹簧可靠性评估

目的 解决某弹用弹簧可靠性评估中存在的不确定性问题。方法 对某弹用弹簧进行加速退化试验,试验过程中发现其具有多个性能退化参数,并且其退化过程具有非线性、随机性及样本差异性的特征。为了对其退化过程进行数学表征,提出一种基于多元随机效应Wiener过程的退化模型。采用基于时间尺度变换的非线性Wiener过程,描述弹簧退化过程中的非线性与随机性。基于随机效应模型,对样本的差异性进行表征,利用Copula函数描述多元性能参数之间的相互作用关系。最后推导弹簧失效寿命的概率密度函数、可靠度函数。结果 在贮存条件为25 ℃、可靠度为0.9时,基于构建的多元随机效应Wiener过程模型,当考虑性能间的相关性时,得到某弹用弹簧的贮存寿命为12 a;不考虑性能间的相关性时,得到其贮存寿命为11.5 a。结论 构建的多元随机退化模型为该弹药健康状态管理提供了相应的理论依据。     

基于空间尺度效应的西南地区植被NPP影响因子探测

植被净初级生产力(NPP)是评价陆地生态系统质量的重要参数,研究植被NPP时空演变特征及其驱动力对区域生态环境保护和可持续发展具有重大意义.基于MODIS NPP数据、气象数据、 DEM数据、人口密度数据、 GDP数据和土地利用类型数据,采用一元线性回归分析、 R/S分析和地理探测器模型,分析西南地区及其六大地貌单元植被NPP时空演变特征及未来变化趋势,探究植被NPP空间分异的影响因子.结果表明,2000～2020年西南地区植被NPP整体呈极显著上升趋势.地貌单元中,除青藏高原南部外,其余地貌单元植被NPP均表现为改善态势,其中四川盆地和云贵高原表现为极显著改善.西南地区的植被NPP变化斜率整体呈现“东高西低”的分布格局.西南地区及各地貌单元植被NPP呈上升趋势的区域面积均大于呈下降趋势的区域面积,但未来植被NPP变化趋势均以下降为主.地理探测器结果表明,除云贵高原植被NPP空间分异主要受气温影响外,海拔是西南地区及各地貌单元植被NPP空间分异的主导因子.交互探测结果表明,影响因子之间的交互作用均表现为双因子增强或非线性增强,其中,海拔∩温度对西南地区植被NPP空间分异的解释力最大.地...     

基于环境一号卫星的四川盆地气溶胶光学厚度精细化反演

四川盆地为中国灰霾形势较为严重的区域之一,对四川盆地大气灰霾的监测具有十分重要的意义。利用环境一号卫星数据,对能表征大气污染程度的气溶胶光学厚度进行了反演。提出了用EVI植被指数判定暗像元精细化反演气溶胶光学厚度的方法,该方法能较好地去除部分大气影响,气溶胶光学厚度反演结果与CE318的气溶胶光学厚度结果相关性较高,误差较小,具有较高的精度,反演结果满足精细化要求。反演结果表明,四川盆地内有德阳、成都、眉山和乐山4个气溶胶光学厚度高值区,该高值区呈带状分布且与四川盆地的地形密切相关。