新疆艾比湖周边居民湿地生态系统健康保护意识调查分析

采用问卷调查的方法,试图真实反映艾比湖周边居民对艾比湖湿地生态系统退化的认知及对艾比湖湿地生态系统健康保护意识的强弱.结果表明：（1）艾比湖周边居民对湿地生态系统退化带来的危害有较为清晰地认识,99％被调查者意识到了艾比湖湿地生态系统退化对周边环境会带来不同程度的危害,78.2％调查对象认为艾比湖湿地生态系统的退化主要是由人类活动引发的,通过正规渠道获取艾比湖湿地生态系统退化信息不够通畅;（2）调查对象对艾比湖湿地生态系统退化情况持有较高的关注度,但支持度不高,85.6％的被调查者对退化湿地的生态恢复有支付意愿;（3）65.5％调查对象对艾比湖湿地生态恢复有信心,但对当地政府宣传和保护艾比湖湿地的力度满意度不高,因此政府部门还需进一步加强对艾比湖的宣传和保护力度.     

Environmental consequence analysis for resource depletion

Resource depletion is of concern to both present and future generations in terms of access to resources. It is a prominent impact category within life cycle assessment (LCA) and sustainability assessment. This paper examines existing resource depletion approaches and indicators in the context of natural gas depletion, and their limitations in modelling the wider environmental consequences of resource consumption. Some existing models assume substitution of scarce fossil fuels with an alternative fossil fuel or mix, but do not consider all of the subsequent change in impacts. An additional methodology is proposed to measure the impact changes when fossil fuel substitution occurs as a result of scarcity. The methodology will demonstrate the effect of resource scarcity for individual processes but also multiple processes which operate at different levels of resource consumption with varying degrees of impacts. The methodology is applied to a scarcity situation of natural gas in Australia, where black coal is substituted for gas. It is first applied to natural gas consumed for electricity generation only. In the second case, the methodology is applied to the substitution of natural gas for both electricity generation and hydrogen production. The varying impacts on emissions to air and water, together with solid waste generation and water depletion, as a result of the substitution are used to reflect the consequences of fossil fuel depletion. The indicators also provide information on the impacts of substitution in each product, thus enabling users to prioritise products based on the impacts produced during natural gas allocation.     

我国水资源学术交流十年总结与展望

水资源是基础性的自然资源和战略性的经济资源,是一个国家综合国力的有机组成部分。目前,国家已将水资源列为与粮食、石油资源并列的三大战略资源之一。随着经济社会快速发展,水资源供需矛盾越来越突出,水资源已成为制约国民经济发展的重大"瓶颈"。因此,水资源研究已成为支撑我国可持续发展的重要学科领域。论文在大量文献分析的基础上,阐述了水资源研究发展过程;介绍了近十年来中国自然资源学会水资源专业委员会主办的主要学术交流情况,总结了近期我国水资源研究进展;在以上分析的基础上,对水资源学科发展趋势进行了分析,并对近期水资源研究进行展望,提出未来十年我国水资源学术交流发展方向。     

Sovereign financial disaster risk management: The case of Mexico

In 2006, Mexico became the first transition country to transfer part of its public-sector natural catastrophe risk to the international reinsurance and capital markets. The Mexican case is of considerable interest to highly exposed transition and developing countries, many of which are considering similar transactions. Risk financing instruments can assure governments of sufficient post-disaster capital to provide emergency response, disaster relief to the affected population and repair public infrastructure. The costs of financial instruments, however, can greatly exceed expected losses, and for this reason it is important to closely examine their benefits and alternatives. This paper analyzes the Mexican case from the perspective of the risk cedent (the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit), which was informed by analyses provided by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The rationale for a government to insure its contingent liabilities is presented along with the fiscal, legal and institutional context of the Mexican transaction. Using publicly available data, the paper scrutinizes the choice the authorities faced between two different risk-transfer instruments: reinsurance and a catastrophe bond. Making use of IIASA's catastrophe simulation model (CATSIM), this financial risk management decision is analyzed within the context of a public investment decision.     

Prospects for disaster management in China and the role of insurance

ABSTRACT

Natural disasters have serious negative consequences for China and it is necessary to build an effective and efficient disaster relief system. This paper aims to provide suggestions for how to restructure and optimise China’s disaster relief system. This paper first discusses the four main channels through which relief funds are currently distributed in China while also examining the relative share of relief funds directed through each channel. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of these relief channels are compared. Finally, suggestions for how China can reduce the negative economic and social impacts of natural disasters by restructuring and optimising its current disaster relief system are provided. The paper presents several main findings. Currently, government-channelled funds are the most important source of disaster relief in China. However, the actual ratio of relief funds from the government to the total amount of losses and the ratio of relief funds from the four channels added together are both very low. This paper argues that the role of commercial insurance in disaster relief is far from sufficient. Importantly, suggestions are also provided on how to restructure the system and on the relative role that each of these channels should play in China’s disaster relief system.     

Quantitative risk analysis of urban natural gas pipeline networks using geographical information systems

This paper presents a novel quantitative risk analysis process for urban natural gas pipeline networks using geographical information systems (GIS). The process incorporates an assessment of failure rates of integrated pipeline networks, a quantitative analysis model of accident consequences, and assessments of individual and societal risks. Firstly, the failure rates of the pipeline network are calculated using empirical formulas influenced by parameters such as external interference, corrosion, construction defects, and ground movements. Secondly, the impacts of accidents due to gas leakage, diffusion, fires, and explosions are analyzed by calculating the area influenced by poisoning, burns, and deaths. Lastly, based on the previous analyses, individual risks and social risks are calculated. The application of GIS technology helps strengthen the quantitative risk analysis (QRA) model and allows construction of a QRA system for urban gas pipeline networks that can aid pipeline management staff in demarcating high risk areas requiring more frequent inspections.     

RAPID-N: Rapid natech risk assessment and mapping framework

Natech accidents at industrial plants are an emerging risk with possibly serious consequences. For the mitigation of natech risk, authorities need to identify natech prone areas in a systematic manner. In order to facilitate probabilistic natech risk mapping, a unified methodology was developed that is based on the estimation of on-site natural hazard parameters, determination of damage probabilities of plant units, and assessment of probability and severity of possibly triggered natech events. The methodology was implemented as an on-line, extensible risk assessment and mapping software framework called RAPID-N, which allows rapid local and regional natech risk assessment and mapping with minimal data input. RAPID-N features an innovative data estimation framework to complete missing input data, such as on-site natural hazard parameters and plant unit characteristics. The framework is also used for damage assessment and natech consequence analysis, and allows easy modification of input parameters, dynamic generation of consequence models according to data availability, and extension of models by adding new equations or substituting existing ones with alternatives. Results are presented as summary reports and interactive risk maps, which can be used for land-use and emergency planning purposes by using scenario hazards, or for rapid natech consequence assessment following actual disasters. As proof of concept, the framework provides a custom implementation of the U.S. EPA's RMP Guidance for Offsite Consequence Analysis methodology to perform natech consequence analysis and includes comprehensive data for earthquakes. It is readily extendible to other natural hazards and more comprehensive risk assessment methods.     

Evaluation of recycling efforts of aircraft companies in Wichita

The number of manufactured aircraft has been continuously increasing worldwide because of the high demand for airline transportation. During manufacturing, many advanced materials and devices are used to build various sizes and shapes of aircraft. However, most of these materials and devices require considerable energy and labor to produce, so reusing these at any life stage of the aircraft offers many economic and environmental benefits, and is considered lucrative and environmentally responsible. Several recyclable materials—composites, metals and alloys, wires, wood, paper, plastics, electronics, and avionics—emerge as waste streams during the manufacturing of aircraft. Many aircraft companies have been recycling these materials to remanufacture aircraft parts or other products for more sustainable production. In the present study, we evaluated the recycling efforts of local aircraft companies in Wichita, KS. These efforts were considered in terms of recycling efficiency/rate and environmental benefits. These included cradle-to-gate (CTG) life-cycle inventory analysis of the materials, carbon dioxide emissions, virgin material replacement with recycled materials, and natural resources usage. Our findings show that there exists a significant potential for contributions to sustainability as well as environmental and health benefits in the region from recycling by aircraft manufacturing plants.     

Occupational exposure to natural radioactivity in a zircon sand milling plant

Raw zirconium sand is one of the substances (naturally occurring radioactive material, NORM) which is widely used in the ceramic industry. This sand contains varying concentrations of natural radionuclides: mostly U-238 but also Th-232 and U-235, together with their daughters, and therefore may need to be regulated by Directive 96/29/EURATOM. This paper describes the method used to perform the radiological study on a zircon sand milling plant and presents the results obtained. Internal and external doses were evaluated using radioactivity readings from sand, airborne dust, intermediate materials and end products. The results on total effective dose show the need for this type of industry to be carefully controlled, since values near to 1 mSv were obtained.     

Personae and Natural Capitalism: Negotiating Politics and Constituencies in a Rhetoric of Sustainability

This essay critiques natural capitalism, a concept developed as a strategic response to the antagonism of capitalist production and the ideology of sustainability. I trace and critique the second and third personae of the book Natural Capitalism. The second persona of natural capitalism constitutes already dominant capitalists and technocrats as the constituency best prepared to meet the exigencies of sustainability. Simultaneously, civil society and non-propertied classes constitute a marginalized third persona whose interests can be satisfied only if aligned with those of the second persona. This precarious arrangement is possible due to the non-ideological representation of natural capitalism. I argue that such a representation is misleading. Criticism of the tensions between natural capitalism's personae suggests radical potential for environmental rhetoric.