Lagrangian Sampling for Emerging Contaminants Through an Urban Stream Corridor in Colorado1

Abstract: Recent national concerns regarding the environmental occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) have catalyzed a series of recent studies. Many ECs are released into the environment through discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and other sources. In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Longmont initiated an investigation of selected ECs in a 13.8‐km reach of St. Vrain Creek, Colorado. Seven sites were sampled for ECs following a Lagrangian design; sites were located upstream, downstream, and in the outfall of the Longmont WWTP, and at the mouths of two tributaries, Left Hand Creek and Boulder Creek (which is influenced by multiple WWTP outfalls). Samples for 61 ECs in 16 chemical use categories were analyzed and 36 were detected in one or more samples. Of these, 16 have known or suspected endocrine‐disrupting potential. At and downstream from the WWTP outfall, detergent metabolites, fire retardants, and steroids were detected at the highest concentrations, which commonly exceeded 1 μg/l in 2005 and 2 μg/l in 2006. Most individual ECs were measured at concentrations less than 2 μg/l. The results indicate that outfalls from WWTPs are the largest but may not be the sole source of ECs in St. Vrain Creek. In 2005, high discharge was associated with fewer EC detections, lower total EC concentrations, and smaller EC loads in St. Vrain Creek and its tributaries as compared with 2006. EC behavior differed by individual compound, and some differences between sites could be attributed to analytical variability or to other factors such as physical or chemical characteristics or distance from contributing sources. Loads of some ECs, such as diethoxynonylphenol, accumulated or attenuated depending on location, discharge, and distance downstream from the WWTP, whereas others, such as bisphenol A, were largely conservative. The extent to which ECs in St. Vrain Creek affect native fish species and macroinvertebrate communities is unknown, but recent studies have shown that fish respond to very low concentrations of ECs, and further study on the fate and transport of these contaminants in the aquatic environment is warranted.     

低频超声协同Fe-Ni-Mn／Al2O3催化降解酸性绿B的研究

采用低频超声与Fe-Ni-Mn／Al2O3催化剂协同降解偶氮染料酸性绿B模拟废水,考察染料初始浓度和pH值、催化剂、饱和气体及H2O2等因素对酸性绿B降解效果的影响,结果表明：催化剂Fe-Ni-Mn／Al2O3与低频超声存在协同效应,催化剂的最佳投加量为6g／L;酸性条件有利于染料的超声降解,当pH=3．8时,可取得最佳的降解效果;酸性绿B降解率随初始浓度的增大而降低,其优化初始浓度为100mg／L,此外,在反应体系中鼓入饱和气体也可促进酸性B的降解,且影响顺序为混合气体（air＋Ar）〉氧气〉氩气;在反应过程中投加H2O2有利于染料降解率的提高。在优化实验条件下降解150min,酸性绿B色度去除率达到91．4％。     

低频超声协同Fe-Ni-Mn/Al2O3催化降解酸性绿B的研究

采用低频超声与Fe-Ni-Mn/Al₂O₃催化剂协同降解偶氮染料酸性绿B模拟废水,考察染料初始浓度和pH值、催化剂、饱和气体及H₂O₂等因素对酸性绿B降解效果的影响, 结果表明：催化剂Fe-Ni-Mn/Al₂O₃与低频超声存在协同效应,催化剂的最佳投加量为6 g/L;酸性条件有利于染料的超声降解,当pH=3.8时, 可取得最佳的降解效果; 酸性绿B降解率随初始浓度的增大而降低,其优化初始浓度为100 mg/L,此外,在反应体系中鼓入饱和气体也可促进酸性B的降解,且影响顺序为混合气体(air+Ar)＞氧气＞氩气;在反应过程中投加H₂O₂有利于染料降解率的提高。在优化实验条件下降解150 min,酸性绿B色度去除率达到91.4%。     

欧盟环境规制对我国家电出口的绿色壁垒效应

运用引力模型分析环境规制的贸易效应的文献可以分为三类:考察总体的环境规制严度对双边贸易流量总量的影响,不针对行业和具体产品;考察某行业的环境规制严度对该行业双边贸易流量的影响,不针对具体产品;考察具体的环境规制措施对相关产品的进出口的影响。其环境规制严度的测度有横向赋值法、横向指数法及限量法。本文采用引力模型,对我国空调、显示器、真空吸尘器、电吹风机、微波炉1990年至2006年向欧盟十国的年度出口量进行面板数据分析,合并考察欧盟EMC、ROHS与WEEE及生态标签对我国家电产品出口是否产生壁垒效应。本文拓展出环境规制严度变量的纵向赋值法,按规制措施的影响强弱对环境规制严度变量赋予不同的增加幅度,在时间序列数据中如何对先后实施多项环境规制措施进行计量分析的问题取得突破。结果显示:所考察的欧盟环境规制措施对我国五种家电产品的出口已构成绿色贸易壁垒。这一结果为欧盟环境规制构成绿色壁垒的论断提供了经验分析的证据。     

The Green Economy: Reconceptualizing the Natural Commons as Natural Capital

The green economy is an emergent approach to sustainable development launched at Rio+20. Herein environmental decision-making is increasingly achieved through economistic processes and logic. The natural commons are quantified and managed as natural capital. This paper summarizes the trajectory of the project and its ideological framework. It examines various conceptualizations of economic approaches to the environment and considers philosophical, methodological, and political problems associated with the green economy project. In the face of very different definitions of what constitutes a green economy, environmental communicators face a situation characterized by discursive confusion as the complexity of natural capital accounting processes conceal new political configurations. Counter movements argue that the green economy program is performing ideological work that uses language of environmentalism to obscure an intensified agenda of neoliberal governance and capital accumulation. The concept now has contradictory meanings. Environmental communicators have an important role to play in exposing the contested nature of the project and in helping to define the emerging green economy.     

An affordable green energy source—Evolving through current developments of organic,dye sensitized,and perovskite solar cells

Intensive R&D efforts made in solar photovoltaic area has enabled Si, GaAs, CdTe, and CIGS devices exhibiting nearly ideal efficiencies. However, cost incurred per unit energy does not allow them to qualify for alternate energy source besides environmental issues at production floors. Consequently, search is still continuing not only to reduce cost by improved efficiency, reduced materials cost, and simplified processing resulting in a cleaner and greener technology. Current successes in organic, dye-sensitized, and perovskite solar cells with efficiencies in 10–15% range raise concrete hope for evolving a low cost and green technology involving solution processable organic/inorganic compounds extendable to roll-to-roll production. The current status and future prospects of these three promising routes are reviewed here highlighting the possibility of an emerging alternate green energy source to supplement the conventional ones at commercial level.     

北京市大学生绿色消费行为特征研究

当前资源短缺、环境污染等问题较为严重,从生态、环保的角度出发,人们应该选择绿色、可持续的消费行为。绿色消费作为一种全新的消费方式,正在以一种崭新的道德观、人生观和价值观融入人们的生活。与普通民众相比,大学生具有更高的知识水平和接受新生事物的能力,因此对大学生绿色消费行为特征的研究尤为必要。通过对国内外大学生绿色消费行为特征问题相关研究成果的梳理,探究影响大学生绿色消费行为特征的主要因素,并据此设计问卷对北京市大学生的绿色消费行为特征进行实证调研,通过对调查结果的分析,发现当前大学生在进行绿色消费时存在以下典型特征问题:对绿色产品或者绿色消费概念欠了解、超前消费和过度消费现象突出、具有从众消费和攀比消费心理、社交消费支出逐渐增大等问题。针对存在的特征问题建议大学生从加强自我管理、养成理财习惯、抵制非绿色消费行为、引导绿色消费时尚等方面进行改进。     

长江经济带城市发展绿色效率研究

我国经济发展进入新常态,资源和环境约束压力不断增强。城市是现代经济增长的中心,绿色高效是我国城市转型发展的必由之路。本文构建反映城市经济增长、社会效益、资源节约、环境保护的绿色效率体系,并利用DEA作为工具来监测长江经济带108个地级及以上城市绿色效率。研究表明,长江经济带城市绿色效率整体水平不高,但是有逐步改善的趋势。将城市绿色综合效率进一步分解为规模效率和技术效率,相比规模效率,技术效率成为制约长江经济带绿色城市综合效率的主要因素。长江经济带城市要改变目前效率低下的现状关键在于提高技术效率,推进城市的创新发展,推动新技术、新产业、新业态的发展,促进产业结构的优化升级。本文对投入产出的冗余度与不足度进行了分析,并解释了低效率的根源。从资源投入的冗余度来看,土地资源能源劳动力技术资本水资源,长江经济带资源利用率低,存在高投入、高消耗的问题,加快长江经济带中西部地区城市绿色发展,应合理配置资源要素。从期望产出不足度来看,地方财政预算内收入社会消费品零售总额GDP,长江经济带目前总体发展模式还是追求经济产出的最大化,而忽视了经济运行的质量与社会效益。绿色效率不高主要集中在资源的过度消耗和环境污染物过度排放方面,其中环境问题成为城市发展过程中提高绿色效率亟待解决的重点和难点问题。应共同推进生态环境的保护,改革创新环境管理体制机制,推行环境保护市场化,加强对环境的监管和治理,这关系着长江经济带城市发展绿色效率的提高与生态文明示范带的实现。     

可持续性科学:基于对象—过程—主体的分析模型

2015年9月,联合国通过了未来15年即2016-2030年的全球可持续发展目标(SDGs),这意味着可持续发展将进一步成为指导全球经济社会发展的核心概念和中轴原理。基于这个背景,对可持续发展的理论和方法加强整合性的研究,已经成为具有战略性意义的任务。本文提出基于对象-主体-过程的可持续性科学的分析模型,对理论研究和政策分析中的一些经常碰到的关键问题进行辨析:在对象维度,强调可持续发展是在生物物理极限内的经济社会发展,指出环境、社会、经济三个方面有重要的包含互补关系而不是简单的并列替代关系;在过程维度,强调可持续发展将适应性治理和源头性预防结合起来,运用压力-状态-响应即PSR方法进行全过程管理,而不是应对其中一个环节;在主体维度,强调利益相关者参与影响着可持续发展的理论和实践,不能脱离合作治理研究可持续发展。作为案例应用,讨论了可持续性科学视角下的绿色经济的对象、过程、主体问题及其意义。     

论生态文明政府及其建设

建设生态文明是一项具有重大现实意义和深远历史意义的国家战略。政府作为国家机构的重要组成部分和法定的环境"守护神",理应在生态文明建设中发挥独特的作用。鉴于政府具有行政主体和机关法人的双重人格,相应地,其在生态文明建设中亦应担负双重角色,即生态文明建设的推动者和生态文明建设的示范者。据此,提出以"生态文明政府"作为政府在生态文明建设中双重角色有机统一体的政策理论;并将其界定为,既依法履行其作为生态文明建设推动者的责任,又切实担负起其作为生态文明建设示范者的义务,使所辖地区达到生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的"三生"共赢状态的政府。作为生态文明建设的推动者,政府一方面要发挥自身的优势,推动权力机关、审判机关、法律监督机关按照各自的职能和职责,参与生态文明法制建设;另一方面还要充分运用各种政策手段,推动相对人投身生态文明建设。作为生态文明建设示范者,政府应当率先树立生态文明理念,在摈弃与生态文明理念相抵触的不良行为的同时,从绿色政府采购、绿色建筑、绿色办公、绿色出行等方面践行生态文明,对公众起到引领作用,促使生态文明理念成为社会的主流价值观。在打造生态文明建设示范者方面,美国联邦政府开展的绿色政府行动计划,在规范建设和实施体制等方面,具有很好的借鉴意义。根据我国的国情,建议从顶层设计入手,按照自上而下的方式,循序渐进推动生态文明政府建设,并将实施绩效向社会公布。这既是对生态文明政府建设的监督,也是对全社会最好的生态文明宣传教育。总之,建设生态文明政府,要以提升政府的生态文明建设能力为出发点,以促进全社会形成"尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然"的生态文明理念为落脚点。只有建设生态文明政府,才能建成生态文明社会。