Local opposition against high-voltage grids: public responses to agency-caused science–policy trolls

High-voltage (hV) transmission grids are projects of societal importance that potentially have controversial social and environmental impacts. Former research shows that public opposition is sparked by the perception of negative local impacts and unjust concessionary processes. In this paper, we complement these perspectives by assessing the institutional practices of the regulatory agencies in dealing with scientific uncertainties. The regulatory agencies’ ‘ways of doing things’ are often designed to serve policy and management needs. A critical point is that the demarcation between scientifically based facts, values and assessments is often blurred in the decision-making process. This paper draws on two Norwegian case studies to investigate how the regulatory agencies dealt with (1) electromagnetic fields and health risks and (2) overhead lines versus sea cables. We argue that ambiguities and uncertainties that arise in the hV transmission line processes create ‘trolls’, and we explore how the local inhabitants and affected stakeholders in the two cases responded to these and how it triggered further opposition. By investigating how and why trolls appear and are handled, we conclude by discussing how public opposition related to hV transmission grids may be reduced – and how some ‘trolls’ may crack.     

旅游发展价值取向与制度变革：美国国家公园体系的启示

通过对旅游发展的价值取向与管理体制分析发现,美国国家公园体系让国民享受到保护较好的遗产资源和舒适生态的游憩环境,国家公园提供的国民精神教育与实在的公益性服务提高了国民的凝聚力。相比而言,我国国家级保护区体系缺乏统一协调的发展理念、管理部门职能交叉、法律基础薄弱、管理及维护经费无稳定保障、公共服务意识缺失。因而,我国必须改变保护区内以经济利益为核心的旅游发展价值取向,建议对现有制度作如下调整：严格规范准入机制,重新梳理国家级保护区名录;完善现有立法,切实保护各类具有国家意义的遗产资源;逐步推进大部门体制改革,形成统一化管理的国家级保护区体系;启动淘汰机制限制保护区的数量扩张,将中央财政集中到确需保护的保护地;推出原住民资助计划,推进文化保护与社会公平;提高保护区体系从业人员素质,为各保护区建立具有科学性和教育性的解说系统,发挥国家级保护区体系对国民精神教育的重大作用.     

水资源价值理论研究进展与展望

水资源价值理论是价值核算的基础,在水资源价值研究中举足轻重。水资源价值研究是在对传统自然资源价值观反思的基础上开展起来的,伴随着现代经济的迅速发展,人们已认识到传统的价值观念难以适应现代化经济发展的需要,水资源价值理念必须进行重新认识并加以完善。旨在分析水资源价值理论的研究进展,提出未来发展的方向,给水资源价值理论研究以启示。首先分析了水资源价值的构成和内涵,指出水资源价值是经济、社会、生态环境价值的统一;接着详细介绍了各价值论的主要观点,并分析提出了目前存在的主要问题;最后在展望部分从生态经济学角度出发,将能值价值论引入水资源价值研究中,提出水资源能值价值理论的想法,以期为水资源价值评估提供有启发意义的思路与方法。     

基于生态系统服务价值的土地利用结构优化——以重庆万州为例

基于中国陆地生态系统服务功能价值研究成果,以及重庆市万州区生态环境建设与经济社会发展水平,对不同土地利用类型单位面积生态服务价值进行修正,形成万州区土地利用结构优化灰色线性规划模型中决策变量的生态经济参数。计算结果表明：（1）规划期内万州区耕地面积略有减少,建设用地面积有所增加,林地面积有较大幅度增加,大规模增加湿地面积提高土地生态功能价值则难以实现;（2）地质灾害与水土流失综合治理、草地生态系统修复以及适当增加园地面积,能够提高万州区土地生态功能价值;（3）万州区土地生态经济理论价值为11888亿元/a,修正价值为10644亿元/a,均高于现状值9653亿元/a,土地生态修复与建设的生态经济效益可观;（4）基于生态系统服务价值的土地利用结构优化,能够满足社会经济发展对土地的需求并同步实现生态经济效益的最优,为解决土地利用规划中的关键技术问题提供新的方法。     

基于实测光谱的叶绿素a估测模型

为了有效地监测太湖湖区的富营养化程度,建立一种最佳的估测模型。对太湖水体进行了连续监测,获得了从2004年10月20～29日的实测光谱数据和水质数据。通过实测光谱反射率和叶绿素a浓度的相关分析,得到了叶绿素a反演的最佳波段,并通过比值法、反射峰位置法、峰谷距离法、峰高法和一阶微分法建立了基于实测光谱的叶绿素a浓度的估测模型。通过14个检验点,分别对5种模型进行了对比分析,结果发现,通过比值法建立的估测模型总体误差最小,估测精度最高,其695 nm附近反射峰与677 nm反射谷的比值与叶绿素a浓度之间具有良好的相关性,可决系数R²可达0.7433,可以作为整个湖区叶绿素a浓度的最佳估测模型。最后,应用该模型对该季节湖区的营养化程度做出了总体评价。     

Sustainable value assessment of farms using frontier efficiency benchmarks

Appropriate assessment of firm sustainability facilitates actor-driven processes towards sustainable development. The methodology in this paper builds further on two proven methodologies for the assessment of sustainability performance: it combines the sustainable value approach with frontier efficiency benchmarks. The sustainable value methodology tries to relate firm performance to the use of different resources. This approach assesses contributions to corporate sustainability by comparing firm resource productivity with the resource productivity of a benchmark, and this for all resources considered. The efficiency is calculated by estimating the production frontier indicating the maximum feasible production possibilities. In this research, the sustainable value approach is combined with efficiency analysis methods to benchmark sustainability assessment. In this way, the production theoretical underpinnings of efficiency analysis enrich the sustainable value approach. The methodology is presented using two different functional forms: the Cobb–Douglas and the translog functional forms. The simplicity of the Cobb–Douglas functional form as benchmark is very attractive but it lacks flexibility. The translog functional form is more flexible but has the disadvantage that it requires a lot of data to avoid estimation problems. Using frontier methods for deriving firm specific benchmarks has the advantage that the particular situation of each company is taken into account when assessing sustainability. Finally, we showed that the methodology can be used as an integrative sustainability assessment tool for policy measures.     

Cyclo-stationary maximum cross-covariance analysis for exogenously forced environmental systems

The response of an ecological system to external forcings shows marked seasonality and complex time delays. In order to take seasonality into account, the assumption of stationarity inherent in most statistical models for time series is replaced here by more flexible cyclo-stationarity. To describe the dominant modes of the cross-covariance structure of the system and the forcing, temporal (orthonormal) patterns are derived. They are estimated by a singular value decomposition of the cyclo-stationary sample cross-covariance matrix. These patterns allow to formulate a prediction scheme for the system once the forcing is known. The method has comparatively little tendency for multi-collinearity, so that it is well applicable also for multivariate settings and shorter data records. The method is illustrated for an aquatic ecosystem with distinct phases of a biological succession.     

基于土地利用变化的生态服务价值损益估算——以岷江上游地区为例

为了定量分析和比较区域生态服务功能及其价值变化,运用中国生态系统服务价值当量因子表和岷江上游流域单位面积农田生态系统提供的食物生产服务的经济价值,以及分析1986、1995和2000年三期TM遥感影像所得到的土地利用情况,对岷江上游地区不同年代的生态服务价值变化进行了估算和比较。并初步分析了生态服务价值变化的原因。1986~1995年,农田面积增加了60 801 hm2,比1986年增长了477%。林地面积减少了89 01217 hm2,占原来面积的497%。总的生态服务价值从1986年到2000年减少了1199×108元。主要是由于人口的增加和森林的砍伐,导致森林面积减少,转变为草地、农田等土地利用类型。通过1995年和2000年对比得出：自从1998年实施“天然林保护工程”政策以来,到2000年森林生态系统面积与1995年相差约4 16528 hm2,生态服务价值相差约79亿元,可见国家政策在保护生态系统服务功能上虽起到了一定的作用,但与1986年相比还相差甚远,天然林保护工程任重而道远。     

大型底栖动物快速评价指数BMWP在太子河流域的应用

大型底栖动物快速生物评价方法可快速判断河流在人为活动影响下的生态状况,对河流健康评价研究和河流保护与管理具有重要的意义。基于太子河46个样点的大型底栖动物监测数据,探讨大型底栖动物生物监测工作组(Biological Monitoring Working Party,BMWP)指数的适用性。采用方差分析研究了BMWP指数对重要水环境参数的响应程度,研究结果表明BMWP指数随地表水水质级别的降低呈显著地下降趋势。利用回归分析研究了BMWP指数与其他生物指数、生境状况的回归关系,结果显示BMWP指数与底栖动物香农多样性指数(R2=0.74)、底栖动物完整性指数(R2=0.85)以及生境质量评估指数(R2=0.60)均呈显著线性回归关系(p0.01),表明BMWP指数可以有效指示与反映不同河段的生物状况及其栖息地质量。利用BMWP指数对采样点进行的河流健康评价结果显示太子河46个采样点中,极好和良好的采样点占45.7%,一般的样点占21.7%,差和极差的样点为32.6%。BMWP指数对河流生态状况指示灵敏,能够准确反映河流健康状况。同时,野外监测、物种鉴定和指数计算简便,是河流健康评价中表征能力较强的快速生物评价指数。     

Temperature dependence of the absolute rate constant for the reaction of ozone with dimethyl sulfide

Absolute rate constants for the reaction of ozone with dimethyl sulfide (DMS) were measured in a 200-L Teflon chamber over the temperature range of 283-353 K. Measurements were carried out using DMS in large excess over ozone of 10 to 1 or greater. Over the indicated temperature range,the data could be fit to the simple Arrhenius expression as KDMS = (9.96±3.61)×10-11exp(-(7309.7±1098.2)/T)cm3/(molecule·s). A compared investigation of the reaction between ozone and ethene had a kc2H4 value of(1.35±0.11)×10-18 cm3/(molecule·s) at room temperature.