Does intensity of change matter? Factors affecting adoption of agri-environmental schemes in Spain

Agri-environmental schemes (AES) are the main policy instrument currently available in the EU to promote environmentally-friendly farming practices. However, the rate of adoption of these measures is still relatively low in southern Europe, and understanding how these rates can be increased is still an open issue. The goal of this paper is to increase that understanding by testing whether the factors which determine AES sign-up decisions are influenced by the intensity of change in farming practices that are brought about by adopting the scheme. A micro-economic model reflecting farmer AES sign-up decisions is proposed and applied to two schemes in Spain respectively requiring major or minor intensity of change in practices by surveying farmers eligible for both schemes. The results show that farm structural factors play a role when major practice change is required by the scheme, yet when dealing with minor change, individual farmer characteristics play a more determining role. Social capital and farmer attitude are important factors in both the AES surveyed. Therefore, it may be concluded that improving agronomic design would be an important tool to improve farmer participation in AES where major change is involved, whereas improved targeting and extension would help uptake for AES involving a lesser degree of change.     

北京入境旅游流西向扩散与省域经济联系研究——以西部三大典型区为例

北京是我国经济、政治和文化中心,也是我国最重要的入境口岸之一。入京旅游流西向的扩散转移对省域之间旅游经济联系强度具有极大的直接促进作用,转移态是反映旅游流流向和流量的重要指标。在对我国西部三大典型旅游区界定的基础上,利用转移态指数模型和旅游经济联系强度模型对入京旅游流向西转移态及其与西部三大典型旅游区的经济联系强度进行了相关性分析,得出入京旅游流西向转移态对西部典型区经济的影响程度为:成渝泛西安云贵,在此基础上分析了原因,并对西部三大典型旅游区如何更好地吸引北京入境旅游"二手客源",以促进旅游业更快发展提出了相应对策与建议。     

江苏、安徽能源强度比较分析与启示

能源在社会经济发展中具有重要作用。随着能源消耗量剧增,能源供需矛盾、环境问题日益突出,研究区域能源强度变化具有重要的现实意义。采用Laspeyres因素分解法,定量分析江苏省和安徽省的产业结构和产业效率对能源强度的影响。研究发现：（1）安徽省的能源强度高于江苏省的能源强度,不过差距在逐渐变小,利用重标极差法预测未来两省的能源强度会逐渐趋同;（2）江苏省的产业结构发展有减小能源强度的趋势,不过作用过程有波动;产业效率有利于降低能源强度;（3）安徽省的产业结构有助于增加能源强度,作用趋势还在增大,产业效率有利于降低能源强度,降低作用大于江苏省。因此本文提出目前同样的投入应该偏向欠发达地区或能源强度较高地区,这有利于快速取得降低能源强度的成效.     

中国能源生态足迹的时空动态特征及效应分析

运用生态足迹方法计算出1990—2007年中国能源消费的生态足迹。在此基础上,分析了能源足迹强度(EFI)、能源足迹生态压力(EPIEF)的时空动态变化特征。结果表明,近20年来我国能源足迹波动上升,能源消费结构有所改善,但煤炭足迹仍占主导,近几年又有回升趋势;能源足迹强度呈幂指数衰减,能源利用效率不断提高;EPIEF呈上升趋势,说明能源利用对自然生态系统的压力逐渐增大。在空间分布上,各省区能源足迹差异显著,能源足迹强度由西向东逐渐降低,而EPIEF则由西向东呈增大趋势。依据EPIEF指数将中国30个省区划分为能源足迹生态盈余区(EPIEF1)、生态轻度亏损区(1EPIEF5)和生态严重亏损区(EPIEF5)3种类型。     

Spring leaf flush in aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones is altered by long-term growth at elevated carbon dioxide and elevated ozone concentration

Early spring leaf out is important to the success of deciduous trees competing for light and space in dense forest plantation canopies. In this study, we investigated spring leaf flush and how long-term growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO₂]) and elevated ozone concentration ([O₃]) altered leaf area index development in a closed Populus tremuloides (aspen) canopy. This work was done at the Aspen FACE experiment where aspen clones have been grown since 1997 in conditions simulating the [CO₂] and [O₃] predicted for ∼2050. The responses of two clones were compared during the first month of spring leaf out when CO₂ fumigation had begun, but O₃ fumigation had not. Trees in elevated [CO₂] plots showed a stimulation of leaf area index (36%), while trees in elevated [O₃] plots had lower leaf area index (−20%). While individual leaf area was not significantly affected by elevated [CO₂], the photosynthetic operating efficiency of aspen leaves was significantly improved (51%). There were no significant differences in the way that the two aspen clones responded to elevated [CO₂]; however, the two clones responded differently to long-term growth at elevated [O₃]. The O₃-sensitive clone, 42E, had reduced individual leaf area when grown at elevated [O₃] (−32%), while the tolerant clone, 216, had larger mature leaf area at elevated [O₃] (46%). These results indicate a clear difference between the two clones in their long-term response to elevated [O₃], which could affect competition between the clones, and result in altered genotypic composition in future atmospheric conditions.     

Phytotoxicity of atrazine, isoproturon, and diuron to submersed macrophytes in outdoor mesocosms

The submersed macrophytes Elodea canadensis, Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton lucens were constantly exposed over a five-week period to environmentally relevant concentrations of atrazine, isoproturon, diuron, and their mixture in outdoor mesocosms. Effects were evaluated investigating photosynthetic efficiency (PE) of the three macrophytes and growth of M. spicatum and E. canadensis. Adverse effects on PE were observed on days 2 and 5 after application. M. spicatum was found to be the more sensitive macrophyte. E. canadensis and P. lucens were less sensitive to atrazine, diuron and the mixture and insensitive to isoproturon. PE of M. spicatum was similarly affected by the single herbicides and the mixture demonstrating concentration addition. Growth of E. canadensis and M. spicatum was not reduced indicating that herbicide exposure did not impair plant development. Although PE measurements turned out to be a sensitive method to monitor PSII herbicides, plant growth remains the more relevant ecological endpoint in risk assessment.     

Chemical and spectroscopic characterization of organic matter during the anaerobic digestion and successive composting of pig slurry

In this work, anaerobic digestion of pig slurry and successive composting of the digestate after centrifugation were studied by means of chemical analysis, FTIR and fluorescence spectroscopy as excitation–emission matrix (EEM). Chemical analysis highlighted the organic matter transformation occurring during the processes. A decrease of volatile solids and total organic carbon were observed in the digestate with respect to the fresh pig slurry as a consequence of the consumption of sugars, proteins, amino acids and fatty acids used by microorganisms as a C source. Water Extractable Organic Matter (WEOM) was obtained for all samples and fractionated into a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic fraction. The highest WEOM value was found in the pig slurry indicating a high content of labile organic C. The digestate centrifuged and the digestate composted showed lower hydrophilic and higher hydrophobic contents because of the decrease of labile C. Total phenolic content was lower in the digestate with respect to fresh pig slurry sample (36.7%) as a consequence of phenolic compounds degradation. The strong decrease of total reducing sugars in the digestate (76.6%) as compared to pig slurry confirmed that anaerobic process proceed mainly through consumption of sugars which represent a readily available energy source for microbial activity. FTIR spectra of pig slurry showed bands indicative of proteins and carbohydrates. A drop of aliphatic structures and a decrease of polysaccharides was observed after the anaerobic process along with the increase of the peak in the aromatic region. The composted substrate showed an increase of aromatic and a relative decrease of polysaccharides. EEM spectra provided tryptophan:fulvic-like fluorescence ratios which increased from fresh substrate to digestate because of the OM decompostion. Composted substrate presented the lowest ratio due to the humification process.     

干式厌氧消化过程挥发酸对硫酸盐还原菌的影响

在牛粪干式厌氧消化过程中,通过添加不同挥发酸(乙酸、丙酸、丁酸),考察消化稳定阶段,挥发性脂肪酸的分布特征,挥发性脂肪酸酸组成变化对硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)的影响,微生物种群组成和种群间关系。实验结果表明,挥发性脂肪酸对SRB还原速率的贡献依次为:丙酸丁酸乙酸。相比乙酸和丁酸,添加一定量的丙酸,更有利于激活SRB的活性,从而加强SRB与产甲烷菌(MB)的种间协同,保证厌氧系统的稳定运行。     

中国城市化与能源强度关系的交互动态响应分析

基于1990-2009年的统计数据,建立城市化率和能源强度间的向量自回归模型,运用协整分析、脉冲响应函数和动态方差分解法,从不同视角对两组变量的交互动态响应关系进行分析和预测,旨在揭示我国城市化水平与能源利用效率的内在联系、互动机制与发展趋势。分析结果表明:尽管在短期内呈现波动态势,我国城市化水平与能源强度之间存在长期均衡关系;两组变量的动态脉冲响应为负,体现出城市化率和能源强度之间的反向变动走势;与城市化相比,能源强度的脉冲曲线波动剧烈,说明单纯依靠能源系统内部来改善能源效率缺乏可持续性;方差分解时序值显示,能源强度对城市化变动因素的累计贡献较低,而城市化水平对能源强度变动的影响显著且增长迅速,说明能源强度的降低并不是城市化率提高的主要动力,反之城市化水平的提高对能源强度的下降具有较强的促进作用。由此可见,通过城市的优化开发与系统建设,能够有效促进能源的可持续利用,实现能源消费与经济增长间的均衡发展。     

基于ARIMA和BP神经网络组合模型的我国碳排放强度预测

预测我国碳排放强度的长期变动趋势, 对国家进行宏观经济管理和节能减排工作具有重要的参考价值。运用深入分析自回归移动平均模型和神经网络的特性,并在此基础上建立ARIMA模型和BP神经网络组合模型,将碳排放强度的时间序列的数据结构分解为线性和非线性残差部分,对我国碳排放强度的变化趋势进行了综合分析与预测。结果显示:今后10 a我国碳排放强度总体是逐步下降的,但到2020年我国碳排放强度仅比2005年下降34%,比我国政府提出碳排放强度下降40%~45%的目标还有一定的差距。因此,要在2020年实现我国碳排放强度目标,必须要调整宏观经济政策,采取各种政策措施以实现目标