Sustainable Development and the Role of the Financial World

The incapacity to finance sustainable development through philanthropic official assistance turned the Johannesburg Summit to business world and the financial industry. Pioneering financial institutions – including development banks and private banks – have developed a wide range of innovations that can support sustainable development. This article highlights a few innovative products and markets and focuses on the progress made by financial players on the level of standards, metrics and guidelines to improve sustainability management systems, reporting and accounting practices and the multi-stakeholder dynamic. The role of the socially responsible investing (SRI) community has been underexposed by the Summit. Through its voice and market success, SRI has moved from a green market niche to the mainstream, however not becoming mainstream. The invaluable levering effect of SRI has just been discovered by authorities and market regulators and is becoming instrumental. In order to show the business case of Corporate Social Responsibility and to prove the financial viability of the People, Planet, Prosperity investing approach, the SRI community should critically reflect on its own quality assurance systems, sound disclosure and verification practices.     

TECHNOLOGY,INSTITUTIONS, AND SOCIAL GOALS1

ABSTRACT: The cries of pending water crises are usually cast in terms of water availability and/or water quality. Unfortunately, the real factors underlying a perceived crisis are often overlooked and the solutions prescribed are fax from optimal when measured in either economic or social terms. Today's technology outstrips its implementation, yesterday's solutions are imposed on a new breed of problems, and a static game is being played in a dynamic world. There is a need for the application of innovative and revolutionary tactics, for modernizing institutions, and for educating technologists and decision makers alike in the art of communicating their views and skills. This is the challenge. If it is met, some predicted crises will not materialize, and many others will be diminished in scale. An exciting opportunity exists to extend the boundaries of a new era in water management.     

Oil dependency,political institutions,and urban–rural disparities in access to electricity in Africa

In line with the resource curse literature, this paper examines the effect of oil dependency on the disparities in access to electricity between urban and rural areas in Africa, conditional on the quality of political institutions. Based on data from 36 African countries over the period 2000–2017, our investigation suggests that oil rents (% of GDP) increase urban–rural disparities in access to electricity. However, the quality of institutions shapes the effect of oil dependency on these disparities. Specifically, a 10% increase in the institutional quality score reduces the adverse effects of oil rent on electricity access disparity by around 19%, and the negative impact of oil dependency on urban–rural disparities is reversed when institutional quality reaches a score of 52% on a scale from 0 to 100. The robustness tests support these results and call for strengthening the quality of institutions to overcome the resource curse in Africa.     

云南籼稻核心种质回交后代苗期耐冷性研究

早春低温和连续阴雨是导致籼稻烂秧的主要因素之一,筛选耐冷的种质资源,将耐冷性基因导入高产的籼稻品种之中是防止低温冷害最为经济有效的方法。加强籼籼稻杂交后代的苗期耐冷性研究,可为籼稻耐冷性育种提供条件。以235份云南籼稻核心种质和云南主栽籼稻品种滇屯502(Oryzasatica)配制的杂种F5、BC1F4、BC2F3和BC3F2代为材料,在昆明自然条件下,对亲本及其后代进行苗期(三叶)耐冷性研究。结果表明,(1)不同回交世代与杂种与亲本间的苗期耐冷强弱差异较大,总体趋势为回交供体亲本>F5>BC1F4>BC2F3>BC3F2;揭示了随着回交世代的增加,其回交杂种苗期耐冷性减弱,越来越趋于轮回亲本,在耐冷育种上对回交供体亲本及其早世代材料进行选择更易获得苗期强耐冷材料。(2)同一稻作区,回交供体亲本的苗期耐冷强于杂种后代;稻作区划间,回交供体亲本及杂种F5总趋势相近,滇中一季籼稻粳稻区和滇东北高原粳稻区材料耐冷最强,而BC1F4、BC2F3和BC3F23个回交世代存在一定差异。     

Ecological Networks as Conceptual Frameworks or Operational Tools in Conservation

Abstract:  The establishment of ecological networks (ENs) has been proposed as an ideal way to counteract the increasing fragmentation of natural ecosystems and as a necessary complement to the establishment of protected areas for biodiversity conservation. This conservation tool, which comprises core areas, corridors, and buffer areas, has attracted the attention of several national and European institutions. It is thought that ENs can connect habitat patches and thus enable species to move across unsuitable areas. In Europe, however, ENs are proposed as an oversimplification of complex ecological concepts, and we maintain that they are of limited use for biodiversity conservation for several reasons. The ENs are species specific and operate on species-dependent scales. In addition, the information needed for their implementation is only available for a handful of species. To overcome these limitations, ENs have been proposed on a landscape scale (and for selected "focal" species), but there is no indication that the structural composition of core areas, corridors, and buffer areas could ensure the functional connectivity and improve the viability of more than a few species. The theory behind ENs fails to provide sufficient practical information on how to build them (e.g., width, shape, structure, content). In fact, no EN so far has been validated in practice (ensuring connectivity and increasing overall biodiversity conservation), and there are no signs that validation will be possible in the near future. In view of these limitations, it is difficult to justify spending economic and political resources on building systems that are at best working hypotheses that cannot be evaluated on a practical level.     

Simulation of sludge-dredging effects in controlling nutrient release of Lake Kasumigaura with large-size core samples

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取芯过程中煤芯温度分布特征模拟研究*

针对取芯过程瓦斯解吸受煤芯的温度影响不明,造成煤层瓦斯含量测不准的问题,开展对取芯过程煤芯温度分布特征研究。采用自主研制的取芯管自动测温装置在赵固二矿原生结构煤层（f=1.71）进行深度20 m的取芯试验,获得取芯管管壁温升变化规律,变化曲线分为4个阶段:缓慢上升、加速上升、减速上升、缓慢下降阶段;应用COMSOL建立含瓦斯煤传热模型,将管壁的温度变化设置为边界条件,模拟取芯过程煤芯与管壁之间的热交换。结果表明:在取芯时间30 min内,煤芯平均温度快速上升,之后上升速度趋于平稳;在煤芯内,相同时刻,等间距的轴向与径向距离,径向较轴向的温度梯度较大,径向传导快于轴向传导;取芯过程煤芯径向温度Ta与径向距离d、时间t满足指数函数关系。研究结果可为测定取芯过程煤芯的瓦斯损失量提供参考依据。     

浑太河流域鱼类生物完整性指数构建与应用

为了解决在不同区域和不同河流类型间等大尺度范围内F-IBI(鱼类生物完整性指数)评价方法体系的建立问题,以浑河-太子河(下称浑太河)流域为研究区域,构建符合区域性特征的生物完整性评价体系并进行应用研究. 于2014年5月对浑太河流域32个采样点的鱼类进行采样调查,根据鱼类群落特征的空间差异和浑太河流域水生态分区,将采样点分为中上游和下游区域两种类型. 通过综合栖息地和水质的标准化方法确定参照点和受损点,依据候选指标分布范围检验、敏感性分析和相关性检验,筛选出浑太河流域中上游F-IBI核心指标包括总物种数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、鲤形目鱼类物种数百分比、雅罗鱼亚科个体数百分比、鳅科鱼类物种数百分比、鲈形目鱼类物种数百分比、杂食性鱼类物种数百分比、肉食性鱼类物种数百分比、敏感性鱼类个体数百分比等9个指标;下游筛选出F-IBI核心指标包括总物种数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、鮈亚科鱼类物种数百分比、鲈形目鱼类物种数百分比、虾虎鱼科鱼类物种数百分比、中上层鱼类物种数百分比、东北特有鱼类物种数百分比、无脊椎动物食性鱼类物种数百分比、耐受性鱼类个体数百分比等9个指标. 分别提出了浑太河流域中上游和下游的参数标准化公式和健康评价标准,依此将浑太河流域健康状态划分为极好、好、一般、差和极差5个健康等级. 评价结果表明,浑太河流域健康状况整体偏差,在32个采样点中,健康状况处于差和极差的采样点占采样点总数的37.5%,一般的采样点占21.88%,仅有6.25%的采样点处于极好状态. Pearson相关性分析结果显示,F-IBI分值与电导率、ρ(BOD₅)、ρ(COD_Cr)、ρ(NH₃-N)和ρ(TN)均呈显著负相关,而与栖息地综合指数呈显著正相关,表明F-IBI可有效评估浑太河流域的健康状况.      

达索普冰芯中现代环境信息记录

１９９６－０７－０８,中美联合考察队成功地考察了希夏邦马地区达索普冰川,并提出了一支２０ｍ长的冰芯,这支冰芯是迄今为止世界上海拔最高的冰芯。对资料分析发现离子含量变经显示强烈的周期性变化,反映了季节变化的特征。离子浓度高低变化将指示气候的冷暖变化,并与δ＾１８Ｏ存在着对应关系,