Retrofitting residential building envelopes for energy efficiency: motivations of individual homeowners in Israel

The willingness of private individuals in Israel to invest in energy-saving retrofit of the envelope of residential buildings was studied by means of a survey. Responses show that awareness of the need to conserve energy is high, but that willingness to participate in a retrofit project is modest and is limited to relatively small outlays. The decision on whether to retrofit at all, and then how much to invest in the project, is characterized as a two-stage process in which different factors may affect the outcome of each of the two stages. The major barrier to building retrofit is the perception (justified, in most cases) that the direct economic benefit to the homeowner from the resulting energy saving is small, and that given Israel's relatively mild climate, the payback period is very long. The stamp of approval provided by a government subsidy of 25% would have a large non-proportional effect on willingness to undertake building retrofit. Funding for the subsidy could be obtained from a Pigovian levy on electricity, applied for a limited period, and its environmental benefits outweigh the cost of the subsidy itself.     

Climate change collaboration among natural resource management agencies: lessons learned from two US regions

It has been argued that regional collaboration can facilitate adaptation to climate change impacts through integrated planning and management. In an attempt to understand the underlying institutional factors that either support or contest this assumption, this paper explores the institutional factors influencing adaptation to climate change at the regional scale, where multiple public land and natural resource management jurisdictions are involved. Insights from two mid-western US case studies reveal that several challenges to collaboration persist and prevent fully integrative multi-jurisdictional adaptation planning at a regional scale. We propose that some of these challenges, such as lack of adequate time, funding and communication channels, be reframed as opportunities to build interdependence, identify issue-linkages and collaboratively explore the nature and extent of organisational trade-offs with respect to regional climate change adaptation efforts. Such a reframing can better facilitate multi-jurisdictional adaptation planning and management of shared biophysical resources generally while simultaneously enhancing organisational capacity to mitigate negative effects and take advantage of potentially favourable future conditions in an era characterised by rapid climate change.     

国内外低碳物流研究评析

随着全球化的气候问题日益严重和“低碳革命”的兴起,低碳物流已成为现代物流业发展的必然趋势.结合国内外学者对低碳物流的研究文献,从物流过程的碳排放测量、物流环节的低碳控制、物流系统的低碳设计方面系统回顾了国内外学者在低碳物流领域的研究成果,梳理了低碳物流的发展历程,并对现有的研究成果进行了分析,以期为相关学者的后续研究提供思路.     

喷射火对输油管道热影响实验平台设计与验证*

为研究油气并行管道中,天然气管道喷射火对相邻输油管道内流体与管壁的热影响,设计并搭建天然气喷射火对输油管道热影响实验平台。实验平台由环道及冷却系统、火焰系统、控制及数据采集系统3个部分组成。完成平台搭建并验证环道系统气密性后,以0#柴油为介质,开展验证实验。研究结果表明:火焰系统工作可靠且可控,冷却系统能够将柴油温度控制在初馏点以下,数据采集系统能够正常采集油品压力、温度、流量、管壁温度、火焰温度等预定数据,实验平台具备一定可行性与安全性。实验平台可进行在不同管道规格及材质、火灾形式、油品介质及流速条件下的热影响实验。实验平台结合材料性能进行测试,可研究喷射火对管材性能的影响,为油气并行管道的安全运行提供相关实验依据。     

区域土地利用变化对生态环境影响定量评估——以铜川市城郊区为例

区域土地利用变化对生态环境的影响,是地理学全球变化研究的重要内容,而生态服务价值则是目前生态学、生态经济学研究的热点问题。研究利用研究区地形、土壤、植被数据和近10年来每年的气候、土地利用数据,运用生态服务价值测算模型,计算了1994~2003年铜川市城郊区历年的生态服务价值,并模拟了无土地利用变化情景下的生态服务价值,提出了土地利用变化环境效应指数,并尝试性地运用该指数定量评价了城郊区土地利用变化对生态环境的影响。结果表明:①由于气候变化、人类活动尤其是土地利用变化等原因的影响,城郊区生态服务价值年际间变化很大,1994~2003年期间,在不考虑水域生态服务功能情况下（基于水域面积年际变化极小考虑）,城郊区生态服务价值在4.77×108~1.56×10⁹元间波动;②模拟了无土地利用变化情景下的生态服务价值,结果表明每年基于无土地利用变化情景下的生态服务价值明显低于基于土地利用变化情景下的生态服务价值;③运用土地利用变化环境效应指数计算模型计算了土地利用变化环境效应指数,结果表明都大于1,从1994年到2003年期间,土地利用变化环境效应指数除个别年份略有波动外,整体呈增加趋势,反映了土地利用变化对城郊区生态环境的影响是积极的。     

On reducing the windfall profits in environmental subsidy programs

Investment subsidies are widely used to induce adoption of new technologies that can lower the (marginal) cost of reducing emissions. To economize on these subsidies, governments would like to distinguish between firms that need to receive a subsidy to adopt a new technology, and firms that would adopt that technology even without subsidies. We show that policies consisting of a menu of emission taxes and investment subsidies can potentially induce firms to self-select.     

试论应收账款的管理

应收账款是单位一项重要的流动资产,如何对应收账款进行有效的控制,不仅关系到单位的营运资金,更关系到单住的经济效益．笔者首先论述了对应收账款的基本认识,在对应收账款特性认识的基础上,分析了应收账款形成的各种原因,并对形成原因进行了总结和分类,针对应收账款的形成原因,提出了如何加强单位应收账款管理的一些思考与对策．参5．     

雾灵山典型林分枯落物和土壤水文效应

通过标准地调查、枯落物持水能力测定、土壤物理性质及持水能力测定和入渗实验对雾灵山5种林分类型枯落物和土壤水文效应做了初步研究,结果表明:1)华北落叶松林(Larix principic-rupprechtii)枯落物储量最大,为45.73 t·hm~(-2);核桃楸林(Juglans mandshurica)最大持水量最高,为118.73 t·hm~(-2),相当于11.87 mm的水深;华北落叶松林有效持水量最大,为112.68t·hm~(-2),相当于11.27 mm的水深.2)5种不同林分类型土壤层持水能力相差很大,山杨林(Populus davidiana)的有效持水量最大,为122.80t·hm~(-2),相当于12.28 mm的水深,利用幂函数对土壤入渗速率与入渗时间进行拟合,结果显示相关系数都在0.94以上.     

A study on the obstacle-induced variation of the gas explosion characteristics

A study on the variation of the gas explosion characteristics caused by the built-in obstacles was conducted in enclosed/vented gas explosion vessels. It has been well known that the obstacles in pipes and long ducts would accelerate the flame propagation, and cause the transition from deflagration to detonation. In this study, the explosion characteristics and the flame behavior of vented explosions and constant-volume explosions were investigated. Experiments were carried out in a 270-liter and 36-liter hexahedron vessels filled with LPG–air mixture. The explosion characteristics of the gas mixture were determined by using a strain-responding pressure transducer. The flame behavior was recorded by using a high-speed video camera. The shape and the size of the obstacle, and the gas concentration, were adjusted in the experiments.

It can be seen from the experimental results that, instead of being accelerated, the flame propagation inside the explosion vessel is decelerated by the plate obstacles fixed at the bottom of the vessel. Also, the characteristics of the enclosed explosion are not so affected by the built-in obstacles as those of the vented explosion are. It is believed that the eddy-induced turbulence behind the obstacle decelerates the flame propagation.     

USING CLIMATE FORECASTS FOR WATER MANAGEMENT: ARIZONA AND THE 1997–1998 EL NIÑO1

ABSTRACT: Unrelenting pressure on limited surface water supplies requires increasingly sophisticated water management approaches. Climate forecasts of seasonal precipitation and temperature are potentially useful, but the operational water management community currently underutilizes them. However, some agencies in Arizona took unprecedented advantage of forecasts for a potentially wet winter during the 1997–1998 El Niño event. This study investigates use of this information through a series of semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with key personnel from agencies responsible for emergency management and water supply; their jurisdictions ranged from urban to rural and local to regional. Interviews investigated information acquisition, interpretation, and incorporation into specific decisions and actions. While unprecedented actions were taken by some water management agencies and no agencies implemented inappropriate measures, some missed opportunities for more effective response, primarily through inaction. This study reveals a variety of technical factors and institutional characteristics affecting forecast use. Study findings emphasize the need for: (a) closer ongoing relationships between forecast producers and users, (b) increased institutional flexibility to exploit the increasing skill of seasonal climate forecasts, (c) demonstration projects of effective forecast use, and (d) a regional forum to facilitate information transfer between the hydro‐climatic research community and operational water managers.