Balancing environmental and industry sustainability: A case study of the US gold mining industry

Mandatory insurance requirements and/or mitigation fees (royalties) for mining companies may help reduce environmental risk exposure for the federal government. Mining is examined since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory reveals that this sector produces more hazardous waste than any other industrial sector. Although uncommon, environmental expense can exceed hundreds of millions of dollars per development. Of particular concern is the potential for mines to become unfunded Superfund sites. Monte Carlo simulation of risk exposure is used to establish a plausible range of unfunded federal liabilities associated with cyanide-leach gold mining. A model is developed to assess these costs and their impact on both the federal budget and corporate profitability (i.e., industry sustainability), particularly if such costs are borne by offending firms.     

Woodland restoration in Scotland: ecology, history, culture, economics, politics and change

In the latter half of the 20th century, native pine woodlands in Scotland were restricted to small remnant areas within which there was little regeneration. These woodlands are important from a conservation perspective and are habitat for numerous species of conservation concern. Recent developments have seen a large increase in interest in woodland restoration and a dramatic increase in regeneration and woodland spread. The proximate factor enabling this regeneration is a reduction in grazing pressure from sheep and, particularly, deer. However, this has only been possible as a result of a complex interplay between ecological, political and socio-economic factors. We are currently seeing the decline of land management practices instituted 150-200 years ago, changes in land ownership patterns, cultural revival, and changes in societal perceptions of the Scottish landscape. These all feed into the current move to return large areas of the Scottish Highlands to tree cover. I emphasize the need to consider restoration in a multidisciplinary framework which accounts not just for the ecology involved but also the historical and cultural context.     

Moral Responsibility for Environmental Problems—Individual or Institutional?

The actions performed by individuals, as consumers and citizens, have aggregate negative consequences for the environment. The question asked in this paper is to what extent it is reasonable to hold individuals and institutions responsible for environmental problems. A distinction is made between backward-looking and forward-looking responsibility. Previously, individuals were not seen as being responsible for environmental problems, but an idea that is now sometimes implicitly or explicitly embraced in the public debate on environmental problems is that individuals are appropriate targets for blame when they perform actions that are harmful to the environment. This idea is criticized in this paper. It is argued that instead of blaming individuals for performing actions that are not environmentally friendly we should ascribe forward-looking responsibility to individuals, a notion that focuses more on capacity and resources than causation and blameworthiness. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that a great share of forward-looking responsibility should also be ascribed to institutional agents, primarily governments and corporations. The urge to ascribe forward-looking responsibility to institutional agents is motivated by the efficiency aim of responsibility distributions. Simply put, if responsibility is ascribed to governments and corporations there is a better chance of creating a society in which the opportunities to act in an environmentally friendly way increase.     

荧光光谱法在环境监测中的应用

简要综述了荧光光谱在环境监测中近几年的应用。内容包括方法原理、方法的建立,有关荧光体系的研究,以及与其他技术的联用等一些最新进展。指出：荧光光谱法具有灵敏度高、选择性强、试样量少和测定简单等优点,为复杂环境样品中微量元素及痕量物质的分析提价了新手段,与其他手段结合使用,环境分析将具有更加广阔的前景,     

环境空气中丙烯酸乙酯的气相色谱法测定

建立了环境空气中丙烯酸乙酯的TenaxGC吸附 -热解吸气相色谱测定方法。方法回收率为 87 3%～1 0 7 1 % ,变异系数为 5 3%～ 7 2 %。当采样体积为 2L时 ,检测限为 0 0 2mg/m3,具有采样时间短 ,不用任何溶剂等特点。     

环境监理运行模式初探

围绕环境监理的基本职责 ,对捆绑式、专一式、切块式 3种不同的环境监理运行模式进行了探讨。提出切块式环境监理运行模式比较适合现阶段环境监理工作 ,是一种值得推广的环境监理运行模式。     

县级环境监测站标准化建设达标验收预审中应注意的问题

针对江苏省环境监测站标准化建设达标前期验收工作中发现的问题,指出严格验收标准,严把验收质量关,不仅是环境监测工作向深度和广度发展的需要,更是环境管理的需要。提出硬件必须到位,有足够的人员经费,一定的环境监测能力,人员素质和专业技术人员的结构比例,是环境监测标准化建设的核心,各省辖市环境保护局在对所辖县（市）环境监测站标准化建设达标验收预审时尤应注意。     

原子吸收光谱分析技术在环境,医学卫生和食品分析方面的应用

回顾了原子吸收光谱分析在我国环境、医学卫生和食品分析方面的应用概况。     

Current practice and shortcomings of EIA in Lithuania

The paper provides an overview of EIA system applications and assesses its effectiveness in Lithuania. A combination of archival research and quantitative/qualitative analysis was used to identify the main shortcomings of the EIA process in Lithuania: subjectivity in forecasting environmental effects, insufficient consideration of alternatives, politicisation of the process and incompetence of authorities involved. The research revealed that a thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and legal requirements may be a solution to these problems, especially when the stages related to forecasting the effects and evaluating the results are strictly reserved for recognized experts. The work concludes on the suggestions to involve in EIA process relevant authorities and to increase the competence of EIA practitioners.