Linking rights and standards: the process of developing "rights-based" minimum standards on food security, nutrition and food aid

This article examines the recent revision of the Sphere Minimum Standards in disaster response relating to food security, nutrition and food aid. It describes how the revision attempted to incorporate the principles of the Humanitarian Charter, as well as relevant human rights principles and values into the Sphere Minimum Standards. The initial aim of the revision was to ensure that the Sphere Minimum Standards better reflected the principles embodied in the Humanitarian Charter. This was later broadened to ensure that key legal standards and principles from human rights and humanitarian law were considered and also incorporated, in part to fill the "protection gap" within the existing standards. In relation to the food security, nutrition and food aid standards, it was agreed by participants in the process that the human right to adequate food and freedom from hunger should be incorporated. In relation to more general principles underlying the Humanitarian Charter, itself drawn largely from human rights and humanitarian law, it was agreed that there was a need to strengthen "protection" elements within the standards and a need to incorporate the basic principles of the right to life with dignity, non-discrimination, impartiality and participation, as well as to explore the relevance of the concept of the progressive realisation of the right to food. The questions raised in linking rights to operational standards required thought, on the one hand, about whether the technical standards reflected a deep understanding of the values expressed within the legal instruments, and whether the existing standards were adequate in relation to those legal rights. On the other hand, it also required reflection on how operational standards like Sphere could give concrete content to human rights, such as the right to food and the right to be free from hunger. However, there remain challenges in examining what a rights-based approach will mean in terms of the role of humanitarian agencies as duty-bearers of rights, given that the primary responsibility rests with state governments. It will also require reflection on the modes and mechanisms of accountability that are brought to bear in ensuring the implementation of the Minimum Standards.     

黄土丘陵区退耕还林工程对县域粮食安全的影响——以陕西省清涧、米脂、子洲、吴堡县为例

为了评估黄土丘陵区实施退耕还林工程对县域粮食安全的影响,选取研究区典型四县——米脂、清涧、子洲和吴堡,假设实施退耕还林工程粮食补贴全部以粮食实物兑现和不实施退耕还林工程退耕的坡耕地提供粮食生产为前提,运用修订的耕地压力指数模型来对比评估退耕还林工程对县域粮食安全的影响。研究结果表明:退耕还林工程对米脂县和子洲县粮食安全影响较明显,对清涧县和吴堡县影响甚微。不同退耕规模对不同人口密度县域粮食安全的影响程度不同。研究结果对国家建立长期、稳定、有效的粮食补偿机制有一定参考意义。     

南水北调大型渡槽结构抗震安全性研究

阐述了南水北调中大型渡槽的抗震问题,分别介绍了基于常微分方程求解器(ODE)和有限元方法的大型渡槽动力计算模型、动力特性分析和设置铅芯橡胶支座(LRB)的隔震分析。研究表明,基于ODE求解器的解析和半解析方法有很好的精度和可靠性,可用于大型渡槽的初步设计。结合所得的研究成果,对南水北调的渡槽抗震提出了合理化建议。     

大型水利工程对洞庭湖区水资源开发利用的影响

洞庭湖区北靠长江,南汇湘、资、沅、澧四水,水资源总量相对丰富,然而近年来在气候变化与人类活动的双重驱动下,开始呈现＂旱涝并存、旱涝交替＂的特征,水资源供需矛盾逐渐加剧。为探讨上游大型水利工程（主要为三峡工程与四水流域控制性枢纽工程）的运行对洞庭湖区水资源开发利用的影响,结合近50a来长江干流及四水水位与水资源情势的演变规律和总体趋势,对比分析了不同时间节点下洞庭湖区水位与水资源总量的年际、年内变化特征,以期从众多的影响因子中辨识出大型水利工程的影响,为湖区水资源的合理开发与保护提供一定依据。结果表明：三峡工程建成运行初期,对于洞庭湖区的水资源开发利用产生了一定的不利影响,且影响主要集中在荆南三     

三峡工程淹没区文物古迹的价值评估(一)

文物价值是客观的,是文物本身固有的……依据三峡工程淹没区内文物古迹的特定地位,阐明了其文物价值,不应仅从现定文物级别下定论,还应立足于三峡地区本身的历史、文化及地理背景,从历史、艺术、科学等各方面去识别、评价。由于三峡工程淹没区内文物包罗万象,在对不同类型的文物进行价值评估时,其出发点、侧重点乃至整个价值评估体系,存在着一定的差异性,本文根据淹没区内建筑、石刻、古遗址以及古墓葬四大类分别进行了论述评价。     

The future of hydropower in Europe: Interconnecting climate,markets and policies

Hydropower is very important for electricity supply security in the European inter-connexion as well as for the economy of regions (primarily peripheral) that possess water resources. Its future may however be jeopardized by several factors: climate change, the development of new renewable energy, the creation of super and micro-grids, and progress in power storage technology. Energy and climate policy, as well as electricity market design and dynamics play a pivotal role.This article carries out a comprehensive analysis of all these factors and discusses the future of hydropower. This discussion follows an overview of the present situation and of future drivers. The technical, environmental, economic and political aspects of the problem are analyzed with an interdisciplinary approach. The stakes as well as the uncertainties are highlighted.The conclusion is that hydropower has a promising future, particularly in light of emerging sustainable energy policy, but that the risks should not be overlooked. Academics will find a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of hydropower in this article, whereas public bodies, communities and hydropower companies can identify the strategic variables that should be taken into consideration in the decision making process. The end of water concessions or authorizations is also evoked.     

溪洛渡水电站对两栖爬行动物多样性影响的预测与保护对策

采用β多样性指数和动物地理学方法研究了溪洛渡水电站对两栖爬行动物多样性的影响,结果表明,在海拔600m以下淹没区的区系与600－900m区段的区系,共有种最多,相似性最大,隔离与分化最小,它们具有较近的生物地理学关系,它们与海拔900m以上的区段则有明显差别,因此,保护好海拔600－900m区段的物种多样性成为保护该地物种多样性的关键,并可以有效地降低电站的建设对物种多样性的影响。     

项目EIA与区域环境规划的协调途径探讨

通过对项目ＥＩＡ与区域环境规划的概念,性质,内容,方法及在环境管理中作用的论述,指出了二者在实施中存在的问题,阐明了它们的特点与相互关系,同时结合我国当前的环境状况与面临的形势及对环境管理新的要求,提出了在今后的实施中应注意协调的原则和方法。     

基于管理成熟度的大型水利水电工程环境绩效评价研究

借鉴项目管理成熟度模型的研究方法,构建了大型水利水电工程环境管理成熟度模型,对模型的组成、内容和评价方法进行了定义.结合大型水利水电工程施工过程中的生态环境影响因素分析,建立了大型水利水电工程的环境绩效评价体系,并采用数据包络分析(DEA)动态评估模型进行了环境管理成熟模型评价.案例研究表明,大型水利水电工程环境绩效评价结果能较好的反映出工程施工期间的环境管理成熟度水平,并能反映持续改进方面的环境贡献,研究成果对于改善我国大型水利水电工程建设对生态环境的影响及制定相关政策具有重要意义.     

Risk management in operations of petrochemical plants: Can better planning prevent major accidents and save money at the same time?

This paper presents an argument that improvement in operational safety can be achieved concurrently with increased operational efficiency. This is a fundamentally different viewpoint on the investment in safety. Traditionally, the cost of providing safety barriers is offset by the expected benefits of reducing the occurrence and severity of accidents. Our approach departs from this method of accounting for safety improvements and focuses on planning as a means of managing systems' response uncertainty and consequently reducing both major accident risk and the cost of operations. The scope of the paper is limited to interventions such as maintenance and repairs and defined in the context of major accident prevention e.g. hydrocarbon leaks. However, the developed methodology is general enough to be applied across the spectrum of process industry facilities and operations.