New view of environmental health: Toward an environmental research policy for international strategies

We are witnessing a growing concern with the global dimension of many environmental issues, reflected in the increase in the number and significance of international environmental organizations. Yet there is no internationally applicable strategy for environmental research which is management oriented. A new type of research policy, which integrates ideas derived from environmental and human ecology, is required in order to deal with cultural and ecological diversity and their interactions as reflected in the ecology of landscapes. The newly defined concept of environmental health is proposed to fill this gap. This concept integrates the latest developments in landscape evolutionary ecology and environmental health, bringing out a conflict between making the environment conducive to human health and increasing the available options for supporting the essential biological and ecological processes of the environment. Lessons derived from the evolution of human environments are used in order to illustrate how health may become un umbrella for developing an environmental research policy, which could also serve as a catalyst for international environmental projects.     

Not by nutrients alone: a call to broaden the soil fertility initiative

The article discusses agricultural practices in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in terms of maintaining soil fertility. It disagrees with alarmist tendencies in the current debate, exaggerating the state of soil impoverishment in the African region. Nor does it subscribe to the idea that the remedy lies primarily in a massive influx of chemical fertilisers, especially phosphorus.
Instead, the article advocates a more balanced approach, where soil nutrient replenishment, as an improvement in natural capital, is but one part of the investment African agriculture needs. To achieve sustainable rural livelihoods, other forms of capital are also required, such as physical capital, i.e. infrastructure (roads, means of communication); financial capital in the form of credit and savings schemes; and human- and social capital, especially improved access to information and knowledge for farmers as well as improved local organisation and empowerment.
The article reviews nine case studies, taken from different climate zones in the region and representing different soil conditions. All case studies were projects using the participatory learning and action research (PLAR) method, which is discussed in detail.     

The impact of global warming on winter tourism and skiing: a regionalised model for Austrian snow conditions

Possible climate change will modify snow-cover depth and change the characteristics of winter tourism and skiing districts. Our model describes seasonal snow-cover depth related to altitude in six Alpine climate regions as the best fit of all snow stations. Data cover 30 winter seasons (November to April values) from 1965 to 1995. We modified the data according to a scenario of temperature and precipitation change (2 °C warming, no precipitation change) and achieve a new simulated snow-cover depth. The indicators MARP (mean altitude of resident population) and MASPSL (mean altitude of starting point of ski lifts) serve as references for “critical altitudes” of Austrian districts. A warming implies a reduction of snow in all districts, but the loss is overproportional in lower altitudes. The direction of economic impacts is clear – income losses and adaptation costs – but magnitude and time frames remain uncertain. Received: 24 February 1999 · Accepted: 15 May 1999     

特大型城市城区─上海闵行区循环经济建设探讨

以上海市闵行区为例,通过对传统型经济发展模式所面临问题的分析,阐述了闵行区发展循环经济的重要意义。分析了闵行区发展循环经济的优劣势,提出闵行区发展循环经济的初步设想,为创建循环经济示范城区提供初始框架和现阶段工作重点。     

关于秦皇岛市竞争力的初步分析及对策研究

我国城市竞争力研究成果表明秦皇岛市综合竞争力在全国排序第39位,基础设施、环境、区位等硬竞争力较强,而企业管理、制度、文化等软竞争力较弱,因此虽然在河北省名列前茅,但在沿海城市中比较落后,为了增强城市竞争力,必须正确定位、协调发展;发挥优势、加快发展;加快招商引资;进一步开放;加快科技进步,加强精神文明建设;强化城市营销和品牌建设;强化城市和企业管理。     

植物根系分泌物研究方法评述

根系分泌物是植物与土壤微环境进行物质、能量和信息交流的重要媒介,对根系分泌物数量、种类的研究是植物营养、化感作用、环境修复等研究领域的重要内容。目前,根系分泌物研究中应用的收集方法主要有溶液培收集、土培收集、基质培收集和连续性根系分泌物收集系统等;分离纯化方法主要有树脂法、衍生化与萃取法、层析法和分子膜与超速离心法;检测方法有生物活性测定方法和仪器分析方法。文章结合实例综合论述了这些根系分泌物收集、分离纯化以及测定的方法,为研究者找到合适的根系分泌物研究方法提供参考。     

An Assessment of the Valuation Methods Used to Calculate the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Sustainable Net Benefit Index (SNBI)

For some time now, ecological economists have been putting forward a ‘threshold hypothesis’ – the notion that when macroeconomic systems expand beyond a certain size, the additional cost of growth exceeds the flow of additional benefits. In order to support their belief, ecological economists have developed a number of similar indexes to measure and compare the benefits and costs of growth (e.g., the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator). In virtually every instance where an index of this type has been calculated for a particular country, the movement of the index appears to reinforce the existence of the threshold hypothesis. Of late, a number of observers have expressed concerns about whether these alternative indexes reflect concrete reality or the prejudices of ecological economists. In view of these concerns, this paper closely examines the valuation methods used in the calculation the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and the Sustainable Net Benefit Index. It is argued that a consistent and more robust set of valuation techniques is required in order for these alternative indexes to gain broad acceptability.*Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

安全科学学科建设理论研究

安全科学是一门新兴的大交叉综合学科,为促进安全科学的快速发展,运用科学学思想和知识溯源等方法,从安全学科建设的高度,首先阐述交叉科学的属性、研究层次、交叉形式、知识命名和现有交叉科学研究存在的问题,在此基础上提出了安全科学研究的创新思路、安全科学研究的多视角与分类和安全科学研究成果的多样性特征,最后给出了安全科学新分支创建的实例。研究结果表明:只有了解交叉学科的基础问题,才能理解安全科学的发展,才能快速地创新安全科学。     

洗涤法处理含油土壤的研究

研究了用洗涤法处理含油土壤，考察了洗涤剂种类与浓度、洗涤温度、液固比、洗涤时间、表面活性剂、洗涤液直接循环使用次数对洗涤效果的影响，结果表明：当混合减浓度为10000mg／L、洗涤温度为70℃、液固比2：1、洗涤时间20min时，可将含油量为30％的土壤洗至残油率仅为0．3％左右。OP、EL型表面活性剂的加入对洗涤效果没有改善，特别有意义的是洗涤液能够直接循环使用而对洗涤效果基本无影响，这不仅能够减少用水量，还可以大大减少废水的排放量，降低操作费用及废水处理费用。该洗涤法不涉及物质的相变过程，混合碱由廉价的无机碱和无机盐组成，故能量消耗低，处理费用也低，且洗脱下来的原油可回收。     

地球系统科学提出前我国科学界的某些思维

列举了在1988年美国提出"地球系统科学"前我国学者在该领域的某些思维:人与天地相应的观点,东亚大陆磁异常与我国人群健康关系的观点,天地生三位一体的观点,地球表层学的观点以及灾害系统的观点等.这些观点虽不如"地球系统科学"着眼于全球整体,但也包括了很大的系统,且不空洞.