Towards Rio + 10 – Trend of Environmentalism and Implications for Sustainable Livelihoods in the 21st Century, The Context of Southern African Region

Since the Rio conference, many countries and organisations, including the environmental movement, bilateral and multilateral institutions have endeavoured to carry out activities related to the implementation of Agenda 21. These have mostly been done with or without other outcomes of the conference. Several environmental management and sustainable development agenda have been pursued to halt the continually degrading environment. Other programmes have concentrated on outburst of economic development at the expense of the environment and the worsening poverty especially in the South. This paper therefore seeks to examine a paradigmatic shift in environmentalism, emphasising the link between agenda 21 and sustainable livelihoods. It seems though the history of the environmental movement has been forgotten after the Rio conference by the whole world. This might probably be due to complacency with the results of the UNCED conference. However, it is now obvious that clear objectives to implement the results of UNCED are almost lacking with little or no proper supervision, and further threatening the existence of mankind. The environmental movement and associated milestones have had significant impacts on the current status of the global commons. Regionally in most of southern Africa, livelihood issues are in the forefront of efforts to sustain environmental resources, and minimising proximate causes of global environmental change.     

WTO规则对西部开发的影响、风险及机遇浅析

随着中国加入WTO和西部大开发战略的实施 ,依法治国无疑是改善投资环境、促进西部开发的最有效手段之一。本文根据WTO基本原则与法制经济的相互关系和影响深入浅出地论述了WTO对西部开发的影响、风险及机遇 ,并提出了针对性的策略     

中国农业可持续发展的策略措施

中国农业经历了多种策略阶段,可持续发展策略是新近出现的最先进、最适合现在和将来农业发展的策略。新策略带有系统性原理,其实质是发展与生态环境保护协调的农业。因此,可持续发展措施应同时重视解决农业经济发展与生态环境保护两方面的问题。据此,本文提出了六项措施。     

南方丘陵山地带土壤保持功能及其经济价值时空变化特征

土壤保持是生态系统提供的重要调节服务之一,在区域侵蚀控制以及生态安全的维持方面具有不可替代的作用。以全国主体生态功能区划中"两屏三带"的南方丘陵山地带为研究对象,在遥感和地理信息系统的支持下,以2000、2005和2010年3期生态系统类型数据为主要数据源,运用通用土壤流失方程(Universal Soil Loss Equation, USLE)分析了南方丘陵山地带生态系统土壤保持功能,并对其经济价值进行动态核算。结果表明:10 a间,南方丘陵山地带土壤保持总量呈上升趋势,土壤保持总量上升了76.79×10⁷ t,森林、灌丛和农田生态系统是研究区土壤保持功能的主要贡献者,总贡献率3个年份分别为82.29%、82.59%和80.58%,不同生态系统土壤保持总量排序为森林> 灌丛> 农田> 草地> 湿地> 人工表面> 稀疏地,土壤保持能力排序为湿地> 草地> 灌丛> 森林> 农田> 人工表面> 稀疏地;10 a间,研究区土壤保持功能总经济价值增加了270.34×10⁸元,总经济价值中以保持土壤肥力价值为主;土壤保持功能经济价值的变化以轻微增加为主,其呈现增加的区域面积和价值增幅大于经济价值减少的区域面积和价值减幅。在对该区域生态系统进行保护的基础上,因地制宜地合理增加植被盖度对防治土壤侵蚀、保持土壤养分可以起到良好效果。     

环境约束下长江经济带全要素能源效率的时空分异研究——基于超效率DEA模型和ML指数法

基于超效率DEA模型和ML指数法,考察长江经济带1999~2013年全要素能源效率。实证研究结果显示:研究期内,环境约束下的长江经济带全要素能源效率年均下降2.9%,而不考虑环境因素的全要素能源效率年均下降幅度仅为0.4%,污染是导致能源效率损失的重要因素;长江经济带整体层面全要素能源效率的发展演变基本呈"双峰一谷"的"M"形分布,表现为两个"上升—下降"周期,而省际和上中下游全要素能源效率的演变特征迥异;从空间差异看,省际全要素能源效率差异远远大于上中下游差异,但近年来这种差异均有不同程度的缩小。未来长江经济带发展必须践行生态文明发展战略,保证发展的可持续性,同时加强能源、环保等领域的合作,促进长江经济带全要素能源效率发展的协同进步。     

长江流域水环境的主要问题,原因及对策探讨

从几个触目惊心的实例出发，分析出长江流域水环境存在的主要问题是水污染、泥沙淤积、对洪涝的环境容量不高和未能充分发挥水环境的多功能特别是生态功能的作用。其原因主要是工业、农业、城市和流动源排污，土壤侵蚀和人类活动不遵守持续发展原则，管理不善。作者在本文末尾提出了对策。     

塔里木河流域生态系统特征及其管理面临的问题分析

基于塔里木河流域生态系统特征,分析塔里木河流域生态系统管理面临的主要问题.①农业开发大量挤占生态用水,威胁流域生态系统安全;②流域农药使用量增长1.78倍,化肥使用量增长2.06倍,工业SO2排放量增长5.93倍,城镇污水量增长0.23倍,下游水质严重超标;③水资源利用效率仅为6.79元/m3,远低于新疆平均水平;④人口和种植规模年均增长11％以上,突破流域水资源承载力.从综合生态管理体制、生态资源市场交易机制、生态立法三方面提出塔里木河流域生态系统管理新方向.     

山东省自然保护区建设与管理发展的新态势

通过对山东省自然保护区进行研究发现,山东省自然保护区建设与管理虽然在自然保护区建设规模、类型、管护能力和主要保护对象等方面取得了新的成绩,但同时也存在自然保护区多区交叉重叠、资源本底不清、管护压力大与能力不足等新问题。随着国家公园、主体功能区和生态补偿制度的实施,山东省自然保护区建设与管理应深化自然保护区管理体制改革,提升自然保护区建设质量,加强自然保护区基础设施规范化建设。     

Activity-Based Patterns of Everyday Mobility: The Potential for Long-Term Behaviour Change Across Five Groups of Travellers

Abstract

Significant differences in our mobility patterns can be found in relation to both range/distance and form. While some people travel on multiple occasions to global destinations over the course of a year, others travel mainly locally, that is, by bicycle or on foot. Policymakers and planners need to have a clear conception of the different mobility patterns if they are to develop valid and precise measures promoting more sustainable forms of mobility. This paper points to five key mobility types based on an exploratory cluster analysis of approximately 20,000 Norwegian travel diaries. Three of the defined groups are dominated by the private car, while two are oriented towards the use of public transport, bicycling and walking. The key differences and similarities between the mobility types are discussed and the relationship between everyday travel patterns and long-distance travel is analysed. Opportunities and challenges for transformations in the everyday travel habits of the five groups are discussed in the final section.     

Where Sustainable Transport and Social Exclusion Meet: Households Without Cars and Car Dependence in Great Britain

Abstract

A secondary analysis of the British National Travel Survey for the years 2002–2010 shows that the composition of the group of carless households is a good indicator of the level of car dependence in a local area: indeed, while non-car ownership in peripheral and rural areas very often correspond to a marginal socio-demographic situation, this is less and less true as one moves towards larger urban areas. Similarly, while in sparse areas most households without cars are either virtually immobile or reliant on car lifts, in large urban areas the ‘mobility gap’ between car-owning and carless households is considerably smaller, as the latter are able to use modal alternatives to the car. These findings are interpreted with reference to an integrated theoretical framework, showing how changes in land use and the environmental and social impacts of increasing motorization are intimately linked. Notably, the consequences of the self-reinforcing cycle of car dependence on two forms of car-related transport disadvantage (car deprivation and forced car ownership) are highlighted. Overall, the article highlights how the socio-demographic composition and the travel behaviour of carless households vary systematically across different types of area: this has interesting implications for sustainable transport policy and research.