Indoor air pollution: A review∗

Relationships between toxicities of substituted aromatic hydrocarbons to Daphnia magna and to Fathead minnows or Photobacterium phosphoreum were studied based on structure‐activity equations we established. Good relationships between toxicities of chemicals to Daphnia magna and to Fathead minnows, Photobacterium phosphoreum were found for a wide range of chemicals. The toxicity data of fish can be predicted by the toxicity data of Daphnia magna or Photobacterium phosphoreum. It is probable that the toxicities of chemicals to the three organisms are similar.     

Empirical analysis on the influence of the Shaanxi fruit industry on regional food security

As part of its development policy to relieve rural poverty in west China, the Chinese government has introduced measures such as agricultural tax exemptions, agricultural subsidies, and scientific, technological and restructuring improvements to agriculture. Following these actions, farmers’ incomes have increased greatly and the economy in poor areas of west China has seen rapid improvements. However, agricultural restructuring, infrastructure construction and ecological restoration projects have reduced the area of land under arable farming, restricting opportunities for increasing total grain yield. Regional food security is therefore threatened and an imbalance between economic development and food security is created. Shaanxi is a representative province in west China where agricultural restructuring has resulted in large areas of arable land being converted into orchards that produce higher economic returns. This study randomly surveyed 1430 farm households in three counties in the apple-producing region of Shaanxi Province (Luochuan, Changwu and Baishui). The standard of living and household income of farmers in the fruit production areas were higher than in grain-producing areas, thus discouraging grain production. Land under agriculture in the counties studied comprised 59% orchards and 39% arable, with 2% under other uses. Per capita, 204.3 kg of grain was produced, 51% of that required for self-sufficiency. Other staple foods produced amounted to only 13.9% of that needed for self-sufficiency. As a result, nearly half of the grain needed by the community was purchased from outside, resulting in very poor regional food security. Clearly, fruit production in this region seriously affects regional food security. Coordination of relationships between rural economic development and regional food security is key for sustainable development of the regional agriculture and economy of west China.     

Analysis of household energy consumption and related CO2 emissions in the disregarded villages of Lijiang City,China

Energy is one of the most important elements required for poverty alleviation and socioeconomic development, and it has a particularly strong impact on households in rural areas. An extensive survey on household energy consumption patterns that interrelates socioeconomic and demographic factors was conducted in the disregarded villages of Lijiang City by using the stratified random sampling technique for 120 households. This study focuses on household energy consumption and the related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the study area. Firewood, biogas, and electricity were identified as the main energy sources of the rural households. This study demonstrates that 100% of the households use firewood, 52% use biogas, and 95% use electricity as fuel types. On average, each household consumed 1752 kg of firewood, 280 m³ of biogas, and 392 kWh of electricity annually. All households generated an annual average amount of CO₂ emissions of 3851 kg, of which 85.08% come from firewood, 7.66% from biogas, and 7.26% from electricity. Family size, income, and educational level were found to be the major factors that influence CO₂ emissions. The results of this study may be useful in explaining the energy consumption characteristics in the rural areas of Lijiang City and are expected to be useful in policy formulation for energy consumption and environmental protection.     

Towards a sustainable future: a holistic inquiry of waste management behaviors of Singapore households

ABSTRACT

In 2018, Singapore produced a 7.7 million tonnes of waste, which is a significant amount of waste for a small nation-state. In line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets 11.6 and 12.5 of the 2030 Agenda, which addresses cities’ waste generation and management impacts, we ask the question of why Singapore households are not more proactively engaged in waste minimization, despite the presence of local waste minimization public campaigns. This study is the first known study to comparatively apply and test three major theories – social psychological, social-structural, and sociocultural theories, to explain household waste management behavior in Singapore. A national survey followed by regression analysis of 303 households was conducted. In our findings, we firstly describe current trends in household waste management behaviors. Secondly, we compared each applied theory’s ability to predict households’: (1) reuse and (2) recycling of a variety of household items; and (3) recycling frequency. We obtained partial evidence supporting the role of future-orientedness and environmental identity on householders’ variety reuse and recycling. Social-structural (age cohort x income, education) and situational variables (the convenience thesis), also predicted various waste minimization behaviors. Finally, householders’ knowledge of what is recyclable affected all forms of waste minimization behaviors. In view of the study’s findings, we propose a need for targeted planning and policy interventions for different segments of the Singapore population, and different short- and longer-term measures to initiate and achieve sustained household waste minimization.     

灰色关联分析在中国农村家庭碳排放影响因素分析中的应用

农村家庭碳排放影响因素分析的研究对于合理发展农村经济,有效制定农村减排政策具有重要的指导意义.根据IPCC参考方法、生活碳排放研究方法和投入产出基本方法,计算了1995—2010年中国大陆31省区农村人均家庭碳排放量.通过因子分析方法,剔除农村人均家庭碳排放量不显著相关的影响因素,利用灰色关联分析方法对影响农村人均家庭碳排放量的显著相关影响因素进行评价,得出不同驱动因子对碳排放的关联度.结果表明,(1)从时间上看,1995至2010年,农村家庭碳排放呈现出逐渐上升趋势,1995年农村的人均家庭排放量为C 0.170 t?人-1,增加到2010年的0.504 t?人-1,同比增长196.90%.(2)从空间看,东部地区的农村家庭碳排放远远高于中部、东北和西部地区的农村家庭碳排放.(3)从地区差异看,位于东部地区的上海市农村人均家庭碳排放远远高于位于西部地区的内蒙古,1995年上海市农村人均家庭碳排放为C 0.454 t?人-1,而内蒙古为0.145 t?人-1;2010年上海市农村人均家庭碳排放为C 1.351 t?人-1,而内蒙古为0.498 t?人-1.(4)利用灰色关联分析,经济水平指标中的农林牧渔总产值与农村人均家庭碳排放的关联度为最大,为0.9824,因此对农村家庭碳排放的影响最大,而人口指标中的农村人口比例与农村人均家庭碳排放的关联度最小,为0.5702,因此对农村家庭碳排放的影响最小.     

Correlates of bushmeat hunting among remote rural households in Gabon, Central Africa

Hunted wild animals (i.e., bushmeat) are a main source of protein for many rural populations in the tropics, and the unsustainable harvest of these animals puts both human food security and ecosystem functioning at risk. To understand the correlates of bushmeat consumption, we surveyed 1219 households in 121 rural villages near three newly established national parks in Gabon. Through the surveys we gathered information on bushmeat consumption, income, and material assests. In addition, we quantified land cover in a 5-km radius around the village center and distance of the village center to the nearest park boundary. Bushmeat was not a source of income for most households, but it was the primary animal protein consumed. Ninety-seven percent of households consumed bushmeat at least once during a survey period of 12 days. Income or wealth, land cover, distance of village to the nearest park boundary, and level of education of the head of the household were among the factors that significantly related to the likelihood of consuming any of the 10 most commonly consumed species of bushmeat. Household size was the predictor most strongly associated with quantities of bushmeat consumed and was negatively related to consumption. Total bushmeat consumption per adult male equivalent increased as household wealth increased and decreased as distance of villages to park boundaries increased. Bushmeat consumption at the household level was not related to unit values (i.e., price estimates for a good that typically does not have a market value; estimates derived from willingness to sell or trade the good for items of known price) of bushmeat or the price of chicken and fish as potential substitutes. The median consumption of bushmeat at the village level, however, was negatively related to village mean unit values of bushmeat across all species. Our results suggest that a lack of alternative protein sources motivated even the wealthiest among surveyed households to consume bushmeat. Providing affordable, alternative protein sources to all households would likely reduce unsustainable levels of bushmeat consumption in rural Gabon.     

基于SPI的西北地区气候干湿变化

干旱是西北地区乃至全国主要的自然灾害之一。论文应用标准化降水指数(SPI)对西北地区近50 a来不同时段的特旱和重旱发生频次及其空间分布进行了计算分析,结果表明:标准化降水指数(SPI)作为一种干旱重建指标,适用于西北地区,也可以作为气候变化的监测指标;降水量的西增东减趋势与干旱频次的西部和东北减少、东南增加相对应,亦即气候变化在某种程度上缓解了新疆北部和青海西部的干旱,但加重了甘肃东南部和陕西中南部的干旱;与气候变化相对应,全西北地区干旱频次有总体下降的趋势,尽管干旱发生的地域持续在改变。     

甘肃黄土丘陵地区农户取暖用能需求的评价

甘肃黄土丘陵地区冬季温度多处于0 ℃以下,农户取暖水平低。论文通过实地观测记录获取数据,建立趋势面模型,核算采暖期累计温差和实际用能消耗,提出以16 ℃的室内温度为小康取暖标准。参考国家相关标准,比较实际用能和应用节能技术下用能的热效率。结果表明,陇东长官村和陇中河畔村农户采暖期累计温差分别为23 002 h·℃和36 390 h·℃,实际取暖能耗分别为926 kgce/a和1 199 kgce/a。农户取暖用能数量虽不少,但目前只解决了小康水平下39.6%和46.6%的取暖需求。取暖用能的综合热效率只有17%左右。如果应用节能技术,能耗会大幅降低,提高综合热效率的潜力巨大。因此,通过住房的节能改造和用能设施的改善来提高房屋的保暖性、降低单位面积的热损耗是今后解决取暖用能问题的主要方向。     

Predicting future quantities of obsolete household appliances in Nanjing by a stock-based model

China has become one of the largest producers of obsolete household appliances (HAs) in the world. However, information on discarded HAs in China is deficient owing to the unavailability of reliable data. The estimation of future obsolete streams is a crucial issue for the establishment of efficient waste collection and recycling systems. The present study describes a prediction model to forecast future obsolete HAs on the basis of information of in-use stocks of HAs in households. The model was applied to a forecasting analysis of quantities of obsolete HAs from 2009 to 2050 in Nanjing, China. The results show that a total of about 76 million units (2.8 million tonnes) of obsolete HAs will be generated in Nanjing over the next 40 years. Discarded air conditioners, color TV sets, and personal computers will be the major contributors. The total discarded amount of major kinds of HAs will increase from nearly 1.0 million units in 2009 to a maximum of 2.1 million units in 2040, and then decrease slightly to 2.0 million units in 2050. Urban households will generate significantly more obsolete HAs (about 56 million units) than rural households, due to the difference in their HA possession levels. The results of this study should help the Nanjing municipality to develop the collection and recycling systems and facilities needed for the obsolete HAs generated in the future. From a methodological perspective, the stock-based model provides a suitable tool to predict the generation of discarded HAs in the future.     

江苏省农户秸秆还田的影响因素分析

农户秸秆还田不仅有利于土壤有机质的增加,实现耕地的可持续利用,而且在发挥我国农田土壤固碳潜力,积极应对气候变化方面具有重要意义.文章以江苏省农户调查数据为基础,建立Logistic模型,对影响农户秸秆还田的因素进行分析,以期为制定促进农户秸秆还田的政策提供科学依据.结果表明,不同地区农户对于秸秆还田的决策存在差异:在较为发达地区,秸秆还田与否,农户更多的是从秸秆处理的边际成本出发;而略欠发达地区,则主要是基于秸秆的利用效益.此外,技术因素也影响农户秸秆还田的行为决策.在制定促进秸秆还田技术应用的激励政策时,要充分考虑地区农业生产以及农户生产经营的基本特征及差异,因地制宜,有效地促进秸秆还田在各地区最大限度地被应用和推广.