A methodology for assessing urban sustainability: Aalborg commitments baseline review for Riga, Latvia

Both the Aalborg Commitments and the guidance on integrated urban environmental management and sustainable urban transport plans proposed by the EU Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment foresee a baseline review as the first step in developing integrated urban management plans and systems. A baseline review of urban sustainability undertaken in Riga reveals significant discrepencies between the sustainability criteria of the Aalborg Commitments and the: responsibilities and competencies of the municipal government and administration as defined by statutes; policy goals and measures defined in municipal planning documents; policy goals and measures defined in the Riga Development Plan. To better orient the mandate of the municipality towards sustainable development, municipal statutes should be supplemented to more fully reflect the issues defined by the Aalborg Commitments and should include sustainability as a goal. In order to strengthen the implementation of sustainable development specific policy goals, measures and targets should be formulated for all the Aalborg Commitments issues when revising existing municipal planning documents or developing a municipal sustainable development management plan. An analysis of the European Common Indicators and the State of the Environment in Riga 2001 indicators indicates that they can only partially fulfill a monitoring function for the implementation of the Aalborg Commitments. This highlights a need to better coordinate sustainable development initiatives at the European level. The methodology used for the baseline review in Riga is useful for assessing the status of urban sustainability when preparing integrated urban management plans or systems, but requires testing elsewhere. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

The reliability of experts' opinions in constructing a composite environmental index: The case of ESI 2005

The complexity of the environment demands a well-constructed composite environmental index (CEI) to provide a useful tool to draw attention to environmental conditions and trends for policy purposes. Among the common difficulties in constructing a proper CEI are uncertainties due to the selection of the most representative underlying variables or indicators. A degree of uncertainty accompanies experts' judgments, and to deal with vague, subjective or inconsistent information, logic other than classic is required. This study analyzes a procedure that uses different experts' opinions in constructing a CEI, with the use of paraconsistent annotated logic. For this, a sensitivity analysis of the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI 2005) was used as an example to assess the reliability of experts' opinions. The uncertainty due to the disagreement in experts' opinions clearly indicates that the forms we presently use to measure and monitor the actual environment are insufficient, that is, there is a lack of a “science of sustainability”.     

我国经济发展的生态效率及其改进策略

本文考察了我国历年生态效率状况,应用两种预测方法探讨了至2020年我国经济发展的生态效率预期目标,并从宏观角度提出了系统性的改进策略。研究表明,1997～2005年,我国水资源生产率、工业用水资源生产率、能源生产率、COD排放生产率、SO2排放生产率的年平均增长率分别为8．77％、7．19％、2．56％、11．94％、7．35％。根据“十一五”规划,至2010年,我国拟采用的水资源生产率倍数、工业用水资源生产率倍数、能源生产率倍数、COD排放生产率倍数、SO2排放生产率倍数分别为1．924、2．081、1．223、2．570、1．969,与根据我国历年变化趋势所预测的相应值基本持平,有的甚至还相对低一些;按“十一五”规划期生态效率增长趋势所推测的2020年上述值分别为3．006、4．247、1．912、6．540、5．009,根据我国历年变化趋势所预测的相应值分别为5．37、4．01、1．66、9．54、4．13。我国生态效率改进的基本策略是：技术进步、结构调整、制度创新和强化管理等。     

环境工艺方法论研究——资源扩容法

资源扩容法是探索新型环境工程工艺的重要方法,其核心思想是认为世界上不存在绝对的废弃物,只有放错位置的资源。本文通过对资源扩容法理论及其应用实例的详细论述,揭示了资源扩容法所蕴涵的哲学理论。     

Characterising the landscape of state environmental review policies and procedures in the United States: a national assessment

Following the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, many states have adopted policies and procedures directing state agencies and local government units to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of development projects prior to their undertaking. In contrast to a rich literature on federal requirements, current understanding of state environmental review is narrowly focused and outdated. This paper seeks to provide information on the landscape of state environmental review policy frameworks. The paper identifies 37 states with formal environmental review requirements through a document review of state statutes, administrative rules and agency-prepared materials, and confirms this finding through a survey of state administrators. A two-tier classification is used to distinguish states based on the approach taken to address environmental review needs and the scope and depth of relevant policies and procedures implemented. This paper also provides a discussion of policy and programme attributes that may contribute to effective practice, and of the potential for adopting relevant legislation in states where environmental review is currently lacking.     

Proximity economics and environment: assessment and prospects

The use of the theoretical tools provided by proximity economics to address environmental questions, and the emergence of analyses revitalising the role of the spatial dimension in environmental problems, date from the late 1990s. This paper first aims to provide a review of the research conducted in this field and second to suggest some future research directions concerning the respective roles of geographical proximity and organised proximity in the production and management of environmental problems. First, it deals with the topic of ‘geographical proximity and land-use conflicts’, a topic that is currently the most researched in this field. This is followed by a discussion of the role of organised proximity in the regulation of environmental problems. The paper then explores the relation between the uncertainty associated with environmental issues and relations of organised proximity. Next it outlines a few possible research directions, focusing more particularly on the roles of geographical proximity as a mode of regulation of environmental problems, and on the possible role of organised proximity in their production. The concluding section draws an overview of the departures and extensions that have resulted from taking into account environmental issues in the paradigm of proximity economics.     

生态旅游环境教育功能的实现途径研究

生态旅游是一项具有保护自然生态与文化多样性,提高旅游者环境意识及维护当地居民生活双重责任的旅游活动,具有较强的环境教育功能。但其功能的发挥不是旅游活动的自然结果,而有赖于人的自觉和切实有效的环境教育。本研究基于对生态旅游环境教育功能及其影响因素正确认识基础上,构建生态旅游环境教育功能实现的基本框架,并系统阐述环境解说、产品设计、舆论监督、宣传教育、环境管理等途径。本研究对促进生态旅游健康发展和国民环境教育具有重要意义。     

突发性环境污染事故应急管理系统研究进展

随着社会经济的发展,突发性环境污染事故频繁发生。为有效预防和控制突发性环境污染事故,各国开发了相应的应急管理系统,为污染事故处置提供应对技术和决策支持。本文综合论述了国内外突发环境污染事故应急管理系统的开发和应用情况、服务内容及特点,并对我国应急管理的发展提出建议。     

长江三角洲城市间环境公平性研究

定义了环境公平性包括基于自然资源禀赋的环境公平性及基于经济产出的环境公平性。为表征基于自然资源禀赋的环境公平性,构造并计算了长江三角洲（简称长三角）各地环境压力指数。为表征经济产出的环境公平性,构造了环境基尼系数与绿色贡献系数。根据2004年环境经济发展水平及污染排放数据（COD与SO2排放量）,计算了长三角各地级市的环境压力与基于GDP的COD与SO2环境基尼系数与各地的绿色贡献系数。借助分层聚类分析,得出以下结论：（1）从基于自然资源禀赋的环境公平性上讲,上海面临的环境压力最高,江苏省城市较浙江省高;（2）从基于经济产出的环境公平性上讲,长三角地区基于GDP的COD、SO2环境基尼系数分别为017与013,相较全国,长三角实现了更高发展水平上的均衡;（3）在长三角内部比较,镇江、泰州等部分城市COD、SO2排放的生态效率仍需进一步提高。最后指出：在区域层面上合理分布区域环境压力,在比较中提高各地生态效率是推动长三角环境保护发展、促进长三角环境保护一体化的重要举措。     

论我国国际河流可持续开发利用的问题与法律对策

中国是世界上国际河流最多的国家之一,在国际河流的开发利用方面采取了一定的措施并取得了一定的成绩,但是在国际河流的可持续开发利用中仍存在不少问题,需要完善相关的国际与国内法律制度并采取其他有效的措施予以解决。从中国国际河流的概况出发,阐述对其进行可持续的开发利用在促进中国经济发展、加强民族团结以及保障国防安全等方面的重大意义,进而分析中国国际河流在可持续开发利用中存在的问题,包括立法缺失、保障措施缺位、管理机构缺乏等,最后从完善可持续开发利用的前提要素、确立可持续开发利用的基本原则、完善可持续开发利用的立法以及积极参与可持续开发利用的国际合作等方面提出解决上述问题的对策思考,以促进和保障我国国际河流可持续开发利用的实现.