Carbon weight analysis for machining operation and allocation for redesign

The objective of this research paper is to explore and develop a new methodology for computing carbon weight (CW) – often referred to as carbon footprint, in manufacturing processes from part level to assembly level. In this initial study, we focused on machining operations, specifically turning and milling, for computing CW. Our initial study demonstrates that CW can be computed using either actual measured data from process level information or from initial material and manufacturing process information. In mechanical design, tolerance analysis principles extend from design to manufacturing and tolerances accumulate for parts and processes. By extending this notion to CW, we apply mechanical tolerancing principles for computing worst case and statistical case CW of a product. We call this the CW tolerance approach (CWTA). Two case studies demonstrate the computation of CW. Based on the tolerance allocation concepts; CW allocation is also demonstrated through specific redesign examples. CWTA helps in identifying carbon intensive parts/processes and can be used to make appropriate design decisions.     

Farmers' perceptions of constraints to plantain production in Ghana

SUMMARY

Plantain (Musa AAB), a primary food crop in Ghana, is a key component in sustainable agricultural systems in high rainfall zones. Recently, there has been a substantial yield decline and reduction in plantation life. To elucidate the context in which intervention strategies should be developed, a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was conducted at five villages in the major plantain-producing belt of Ghana. The importance of plantain as a preferred food was confirmed, although farmers tended to sell plantain for cash income, using cheaper, less preferred alternatives for home consumption. Farmers identified decreasing soil fertility, the high cost of labour for weeding, pests and diseases, lack of good quality planting material and marketing-related issues as the major production constraints. Due to declining productivity in less fertile regions, plantain has been replaced with other food crops such as cassava and maize. Farmers overestimated the importance of insect pests but were unaware of the extensive damage that could be caused by nematodes and the foliar disease, black sigatoka. They observed, however, that pest damage is more severe when soil fertility is poor. Clearly, integrated pest management is likely to be most effective when practiced within the context of cropping systems management; sustainable strategies that are being developed for resource-limited plantain farmers in Ghana are discussed.     

至2050年中国生态高值农业体系建设特征与目标

2010年6月7日,国家主席胡锦涛在两院（中国科学院、中国工程院）院士大会上针对农业科技明确指出：构建我国生态高值农业和生物产业体系,建成农业高值转化的产业体系。本文对＂生态高值农业＂进行论述。所谓生态,就是要体现农业既能为社会提供安全优质的农产品又能实现农业资源的永续利用,将农业纳入可持续发展的道路;所谓高值,就是要体现农业有很高的土地产出率、投入产出率、劳动生产率。因此,＂生态高值农业＂是集约化经营与生态化生产有机结合的现代农业。它以健康消费需求为导向,以提高农业市场竞争力和可持续发展能力为核心,兼有高投入、高产出、高效益与可持续发展的双重特性,是转变农业增长方式、提高农业综合生产能力的集中体现。     

Improving credibility and transparency of conservation impact evaluations through the partial identification approach

The fundamental challenge of evaluating the impact of conservation interventions is that researchers must estimate the difference between the outcome after an intervention occurred and what the outcome would have been without it (counterfactual). Because the counterfactual is unobservable, researchers must make an untestable assumption that some units (e.g., organisms or sites) that were not exposed to the intervention can be used as a surrogate for the counterfactual (control). The conventional approach is to make a point estimate (i.e., single number along with a confidence interval) of impact, using, for example, regression. Point estimates provide powerful conclusions, but in nonexperimental contexts they depend on strong assumptions about the counterfactual that often lack transparency and credibility. An alternative approach, called partial identification (PI), is to first estimate what the counterfactual bounds would be if the weakest possible assumptions were made. Then, one narrows the bounds by using stronger but credible assumptions based on an understanding of why units were selected for the intervention and how they might respond to it. We applied this approach and compared it with conventional approaches by estimating the impact of a conservation program that removed invasive trees in part of the Cape Floristic Region. Even when we used our largest PI impact estimate, the program's control costs were 1.4 times higher than previously estimated. PI holds promise for applications in conservation science because it encourages researchers to better understand and account for treatment selection biases; can offer insights into the plausibility of conventional point‐estimate approaches; could reduce the problem of advocacy in science; might be easier for stakeholders to agree on a bounded estimate than a point estimate where impacts are contentious; and requires only basic arithmetic skills.     

基于弱HSDI与强HSDI的区域可持续性评价——以中国环渤海地区为例

可持续性评价是可持续性科学研究的重要内容。在HDI和HSDI的基础上,构建对环境重视程度不同的弱HSDI与强HSDI评价指数,以中国环渤海地区为例,揭示区域2000-2015年可持续性基本状态与变化过程。结果表明：从基本状态来看,环渤海地区各市可持续性水平等级结构失衡,弱HSDI与强HSDI水平均呈两头小、中间大的纺锤形等级结构,但弱HSDI的等级结构失衡比强HSDI更严重,且弱、强HSDI空间格局差异较大;从变化过程来看,环渤海地区各市可持续发展步调不一致,弱HSDI与强HSDI均以显著增长趋势为主,但弱HSDI主要呈中高速增长,强HSDI主要呈中低速增长。结合评价结果,划分可持续性状态与过程矩阵,提出具有针对性的多元化策略,可为促进区域可持续发展提供决策参考。     

高原喀斯特土壤养分容量及其林木持续性研究

以高原喀斯特地区土壤为研究对象,研究了土壤中理化指标,探讨了该地区植物生长动态和土壤中营养元素丰缺现状,并对植物生长的土壤养分容量库进行了估算。结果表明:喀斯特高原土壤土层较浅,土壤中钾素丰富,氮素、磷素含量较低,氮素是林木生长的主要限制因子;相比之下,磷素在林地土壤中总量低于钾素与氮素,但其有效态所占的比例高于氮和钾,可能是林木生长过程对磷的吸收利用率高于氮和钾。在次生林生态系统群落结构没有大的变化调整条件下,该地区0.1公顷土壤至少能提供云南鼠刺、圆果化香、槲栎等136棵乔木理想状态下生长发育近600年的养分。土壤有效态养分含量可以满足植物生长的养分需求,但在100年后植物体生长发育主要受到有效磷素的限制。     

可持续环境与发展规划的途径及其有效性

当人们对一些经典概念和模式，如经济最优化模式、生态最适模式、最低安全标准、承载力概念等提出疑问之后，环境与发展规划的方法论也随之面临着严峻的挑战。本文指出：①以经济最优化和生态最适模式指导规划都是非常局限和困难的，规划决不是一个环境和经济决定论的过程，而是一个可辩护的过程；②环境可能会对发展产生所谓的“顶极的”“绝对的”制约，对此，规划必须服从。但是，这种“顶极的”和“绝对的”界线是很难确切定义的，也往往是难以操作的，因而其在环境与发展规划中的意义是相当有限的。必须寻找一些新的有效的战略使规划过程具有可辩护性和可操作性。如何寻求和设计这种辩护战略是可持续发展规划方法论的一个重要领域。生态安全格局途径正是在这一方向上所做的努力。     

生态占用——衡量可持续发展的新指标

简要地介绍了生态占用的基本概念及利用此指标衡量可持续性的理论与方法 ,分析了生态占用与资源承载力的异同点 ;基于《国家的生态占用》估算结果 ,分析了生态占用方法在全球、国家、区域和城市3个层面上的应用效果 ,探讨了生态占用作为可持续发展指标的政策含义以及运用于青藏高原研究的可能性     

区域农业持续性与持续发展研究

景观生态学属于宏观尺度生态空间研究范畴，它的理论核心集中表现为空间异质性和生态整体性两方面。持续性，包括农业景观持续性的最终目标在于人类与其环境的整体协调，即广义的人类生态整体性。持续性研究涉及广阔的地域空间，其目标的实现则有赖于空间途径。这一认识是将景观生态学应用于持续农业发展的理论出发点。     

Sino British cooperation for urban environmental enhancement and sustainable development

１　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｔｈａｓｂｅｅｎａｒｇｕｅｄｔｈａｔＣｈｉｎａｈａｓｐｒｅｓｓｅｄａｇａｉｎｓｔｏｒｅｘｃｅｅｄｅｄｔｈｅｌｉｍｉｔｓｏｆｓｕｓｔａｉｎａｂｌｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｏｎｍａｎｙｏｃｃａｓｉｏｎｓｏｖｅｒｔｈｅｐａｓｔ３０００ｙｅａｒｓｗｉｔｈｓｅｒｉｏｕｓｃｏｎｓｅｑｕｅｎｃｅｓｆｏｒｔｈｅｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ（Ｅｌｖｉｎ，１９９３）．ＨｅｎｃｅＣｈｉｎａ○ｓｃｕｒｒｅｎｔｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｐｒｏｂｌｅｍｓａｒｅｎｏｔａｎｅｗｃｏｎｓｔｒａｉｎｔｔｏｄｅ…