An approach to evaluation of sustainability for Guangzhou's urban ecosystem

Guangzhou has ambitions to build itself into a world class metropolis by 2010. Sustainable development is the only way to achieve this magnificent goal. Based on the ecological perspective of sustainable development and the principles of ecosystem integrity, this paper develops an approach for evaluation of sustainable development in Guangzhou between 1986 and 1995. A hierarchical evaluation system of four tiers of sustainability indicators was established. Using the method of fuzzy multistage synthetic evaluation, sustainability development level index, QIx, was calculated for the indicators at the B, C, D, and E tiers. Development stages were identified based on these index values. The coordination degree among the economic, social, and natural subsystems was also computed. Further, an overall sustainability index for each year was computed by combining the development level index and the coordination degree. It was found that the urban ecosystem in Guangzhou had generally become more sustainable, in spite of fluctuations in coordination degree. The development level index of the economic subsystem has surpassed that of social and natural subsystems since 1995. Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure coordinated development among the subsystems for the purpose of sustainable development.     

中国服务业能源消费CO2排放及其因素分解

基于IPCC温室气体排放清单指南中的CO₂排放因子与核算方法,估算了1995—2010年中国服务业能源消费与CO₂排放量,并对其总体变化趋势进行时间序列分析;以LMDI(对数平均迪氏指数)法辨识与分解3个时段(1995—2000年、2000—2005年和2005—2010年)中影响中国服务业CO₂排放量变动的关键因素及其对CO₂排放量的贡献值. 结果表明:1995—2010年中国服务业能源消费CO₂排放量增长态势明显,累计排放总量为853197.55×104t;服务业能源消费主要依赖于高碳化能源燃料,各年度油品和煤品分别占能源消费总量的67%~74%和5%~27%;LMDI分析结果显示,1995—2010年产业规模和人口效应引起CO₂排放增加量分别为133357.10×104和7691.25×104t,能源效率和能源结构引起CO₂排放减少量分别为59034.50×104和23898.60×104t. 提出CO₂减排对策:①以经济、政策和监管手段促进服务业节能减排;②依托科技创新提高能源综合利用效率,降低服务业CO₂排放量.      

Polychlorinated dibenzo p-dioxins and dibenzofurans emissions in a primary copper smelter in China

Metallurgical production is the largest polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) emission source in China. However, PCDD/F monitoring and research are rarely conducted on primary metallurgical production. In this study, a demonstration primary copper smelter in China was selected to investigate PCDD/F characteristics and control. Samples were collected from major PCDD/F release points in the smelter process (fly ashes and waste water sludge). Specific analysis of PCDD/F congeners was carried out using a high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry method. The results showed that PCDD/Fs might be unintentionally produced in the primary copper smelter processes, with sample concentrations of 180–6110 pg/g dry wt; highly chlorinated PCDD/F homologues were predominant. The toxicity of all the samples was calculated to be 120 pg WHO TEQ/g, fly ashes from the refining process furnaces air pollution control device and sludge were hazardous waste with higher PCDD/F toxicity. Both precursor formation and de novo synthesis were found to contribute to PCDD/F formation in the smelter process. PCDD/F characteristics and formation were compared with reported secondary copper smelters. Life-cycle control of PCDD/F was proposed for retrofitting of this smelter and for similar plants in China's primary copper production sector, including control at the PCDD/F formation, removal and disposal stages.     

δ13C and fatty acid composition of mesopelagic fishes in the South China Sea and their influence factors

Study of the ecology of mesopelagic fishes is central for assessing the active biological pump in the ocean, especially in the mesopelagic layers. The use of δ¹³C and fatty acid analysis can help to analysis the ecology of mesopelagic fishes. Here, we analysed the fatty acid composition of mesopelagic fishes from the continental northern slope of the South China Sea (NSSCS) and compared with nearshore SCS fishes and mesopelagic fishes collected from the Southern Ocean. The mesopelagic fishes had unusually high lipids, which resulted in Δδ¹³C values exceeding 1‰, more than the enrichment factor in the food web. The mesopelagic fishes had higher C18:1n-9/C18:1n-7 and C20:1n-9/ C18:1n-7 ratios compared with other fishes in the SCS, which confirmed that plankton were their main dietary source. The mesopelagic fishes from SCS and Southern Ocean had different ratios of C20:5n-3/C22:6n-3 (EPA/DHA), suggesting geographical locations and diet sources had obvious influence on their fatty acid composition. The SCS mesopelagic fishes had higher C20:4n-6/C22:6n-3 (ARA/DHA) and C20:4n-6/C20:5n-3 (ARA/EPA) ratios than mesopelagic fishes in the Southern Ocean, indicating the influence of physical factors on fatty acid composition. Thus, future studies of the fatty acids in mesopelagic fishes should consider both dietary sources and physical environments.     

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。     

Ecoregions and ecosystem management in China

Ecological regionalization is a base for rational management and sustainable utilization of ecosystems and natural resources. It can provide a scientific basis for constructing healthy ecological environments and making policies of environmental management. In this paper, based on synthetic analysis of the characteristics of the ecology and environments of China, the principles of ecological regionalization are discussed, and indices and nomenclature of ecological regionalization are proposed. The ecoregions on a national scale are divided. The results show that there are 3 domains, 13 ecoregions and 57 ecodistricts. The present scheme can be used as a framework for ecosystem assessment and management. Based on the ecoregions, measurements of management for forest, grassland, agriculture and wetland ecosystems are recommended. The experience and information can be used within and beyond the national scale for land-use planning, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.     

Ecological issues and risk assessment in China

As a result of economic development and population explosion, global ecological environments have been severely disturbed and markedly changed. An ecological crisis involving desertification, soil erosion, degradation of land quality, loss of biodiversity and global climate change has been brought about all over the world. In order to manage ecosystems efficiently, it is necessary to assess ecological risk at multiple scales. Ecological risk is the probability that a region and/or site will experience defined ecological or environmental problems. In this paper, the ecological risks of soil erosion, desertification, and acid deposition have been assessed on a national scale according to natural and human factors, such as topography, soil, vegetation and climate. This assessment has provided very useful information for ecological environmental management in China.     

Empirical analysis on the influence of the Shaanxi fruit industry on regional food security

As part of its development policy to relieve rural poverty in west China, the Chinese government has introduced measures such as agricultural tax exemptions, agricultural subsidies, and scientific, technological and restructuring improvements to agriculture. Following these actions, farmers’ incomes have increased greatly and the economy in poor areas of west China has seen rapid improvements. However, agricultural restructuring, infrastructure construction and ecological restoration projects have reduced the area of land under arable farming, restricting opportunities for increasing total grain yield. Regional food security is therefore threatened and an imbalance between economic development and food security is created. Shaanxi is a representative province in west China where agricultural restructuring has resulted in large areas of arable land being converted into orchards that produce higher economic returns. This study randomly surveyed 1430 farm households in three counties in the apple-producing region of Shaanxi Province (Luochuan, Changwu and Baishui). The standard of living and household income of farmers in the fruit production areas were higher than in grain-producing areas, thus discouraging grain production. Land under agriculture in the counties studied comprised 59% orchards and 39% arable, with 2% under other uses. Per capita, 204.3 kg of grain was produced, 51% of that required for self-sufficiency. Other staple foods produced amounted to only 13.9% of that needed for self-sufficiency. As a result, nearly half of the grain needed by the community was purchased from outside, resulting in very poor regional food security. Clearly, fruit production in this region seriously affects regional food security. Coordination of relationships between rural economic development and regional food security is key for sustainable development of the regional agriculture and economy of west China.     

Climate change,risk management and the end of Nomadic pastoralism

Mobility has been argued to be the single factor explaining why some pastoralists do relatively well during extreme climatic events, while others do not, because mobility works by taking advantage of the spatial and temporal structure of resource failure by moving away from scarcity towards abundance. In spite of this, a common governmental management strategy is to resettle pastoral populations and thereby significantly reduce mobility. By revealing the underlying logic of mobility for Tibetan pastoralists, this paper questions official policy that aims at privatizing communally owned rangelands since it reduces pastoral flexibility and access to key resources. This is especially pertinent in the face of climate change. While little is known as to the specifics of how climate change will affect nomadic pastoralists, environmental variability is likely to increase. Consequently, policies resulting in decreased mobility may exacerbate the negative effects of climate change because of a positive feedback between climate and negative density dependence.     

中部6省生态足迹的测算与比较分析

生态足迹方法是区域可持续发展研究的一种重要方法,在中部6省大区域框架下,运用生态足迹模型对中部6省1989—2011年的生态足迹进行了测算和对比研究。研究结果表明:中部6省1989—2011年的生态承载力较为平稳,其中江西、河南、湖北和湖南4省的生态承载力略有上升,而山西、安徽两省的生态承载力有下降趋势。中部6省的社会经济活动对生态系统的消耗远大于生态系统本身的承载能力,并且这种差距正在不断增大,导致生态赤字不断增大。考察期间,山西省生态赤字的绝对值最小,平均生态赤字为0.49 hm2 cap-1,湖北省生态赤字最大,平均值为1.15 hm2 cap-1,其次为河南和湖南,生态赤字增长最快的是山西省和河南省,增长倍数分别达到了7.38和4.27倍。中部6省6种生态生产性土地的生态足迹均呈现出上升趋势,平均来看,6类生态生产性土地在中部6省总的生态足迹中所占比重由高到低依次为耕地、化石能源地、草地、建筑用地、水域、林地。耕地生态足迹是生态足迹中最重要的组成部分,在总的生态足迹中所占比重最大,中部6省耕地的生态足迹时间序列数据比较平稳,在考察时间内从1989年的0.4241上涨到2011年的0.5851,上升趋势较平稳,但由于耕地生态足迹所占比重大,尽管增长速度缓慢,但对中部6省生态足迹总的影响较大。建筑用地和林地生态足迹虽然增长幅度较大,但由于基数小,因此建筑生态足迹和林地生态足迹对中部6省生态足迹总的影响较小。草地、水域和化石能源用地生态足迹基数大,增长幅度也大,加上耕地生态足迹,共同决定了中部6省人均生态足迹的逐年上升趋势。