Water saving effect on integrated water resource management

This study proposes an improved integrated water resource management (IWRM), in which water conservation was analyzed for the entire water use process. A multi-objective optimization method was applied to optimize the IWRM, which investigated the reduction of freshwater consumption and the total water supply cost. Customer's preference for saving water and an end use analysis (EUA) was applied in the water conservation analysis. Taking Tianjin as the study area, a reduction in customer's economic pressure (EP) was utilized to evaluate the degree of the customer's preference for saving water. The results revealed that agriculture had a greater preference for saving water than other sectors, where as the public had the weakest motivation for saving water. Improving the transportation method could contribute 62.1% of the total water savings in the agriculture sector. The optimization of the IWRM demonstrated that the local freshwater savings would be 21.5%, and the total cost for water supplies would decrease by 13%. However, a government subsidy of 87.5 million Yuan would be needed. Additionally, by analyzing the change in the amount of water savings affected by water price, the appropriate water price increase range was suggested to be 1.5–1.7 times the original price.     

祁东经济开发区生态化建设规划研究

工业园生态化建设是发展循环经济走新型工业化道路的重要途径,生态工业园是我国继经济技术开发区、高新技术开发区之后第三代工业园区发展的必然趋势。本文从祁东经济开发区的内部资源和外部环境出发,对其发展生态工业园具备的优势与劣势、面临的机遇与威胁进行了系统分析,并对其建设生态工业园的模式和实施层次进行了探讨,同时提出了相应的保障措施,以利于祁东经开区的可持续发展。     

武汉市环境责任险实践评析和政策路径

在环境污染事故高发、未来全国环境政策将更多地借助于市场力量的背景下,评析了在武汉市实施环境污染责任险的必要性,分析了武汉市环境污染责任险实践中所存在的问题,并提出了未来政策改革的建议。指出近期内武汉市应主要在重点行业、饮用水源地推进政策试点,相关部门应积极配合、联合研发政策推行所需的关键支撑技术和信息平台,并积极培育政策向成熟发展所需配套的法律及政策环境。     

鄱阳湖生态经济区经济与环境的协调性研究

对经济与环境协调性关系的分析是可持续发展的研究核心。文章根据鄱阳湖生态经济区经济和环境的发展状况,选取了7个经济指标和7个环境指标,采用主成分分析法及协调性发展指数评价方法,对2006-2010年鄱阳湖生态经济区的经济系统与环境系统的协调性进行了定量分析,通过研究提出需要进一步加大鄱阳湖生态经济区环境保护力度、加快发展循环经济和构建环境友好型产业体系等政策建议。     

祁东经济开发区生态工业园建设探讨

生态工业园是最具环保意义和绿色概念的工业园区,是我国继经济技术开发区、高新技术开发区之后第三代工业园区的主要发展形式。基于祁东经济开发区的实际情况,概述了其构建生态工业园的背景,并对其建设生态工业园的优势条件和模式进行了分析与探讨,同时提出了相应的环境管理对策,以利于经济开发区的可持续发展。     

成渝经济区矿产资源开发对其生态环境影响评价

文章以成渝经济区为研究区,根据成渝经济区矿产资源开发和生态环境特点,综合运用RS和GIS技术,结合研究区矿产资源总体规划、生态功能区划、生物多样性保护、自然保护区、水源涵养、土壤保持、生态脆弱区分区等数据,采用空间图层叠加法,分析矿产资源开发利用对生态环境的影响,进一步分析了未来矿产资源的开发对区域主要生态屏障的水源涵养、土壤保持、生物多样性保护等生态功能的影响,并提出针对性的生态环境保护对策措施。     

生态经济城市建设的SWOT分析与策略研究——以粤北山区韶关市为研究样本

生态经济城市通过城市生态、经济与社会系统的动态协调,形成一个生态高度有效保护、经济良性高效发展、人与自然和谐相处的整体功能系统,代表了现代和未来城市发展的方向.作为全国首批六个生态文明建设试点地区之一和广东省的生态发展区,韶关市加快生态经济城市建设符合这一发展潮流和趋势.根据SWOT分析方法,对韶关市生态经济城市建设面临的优势、劣势、机遇和挑战进行分析,不仅为韶关生态经济城市建设提供策略依据,而且为其它类似地区的生态经济城市建设提供借鉴.     

宁夏灵武市庙梁子沟生态经济流域综合治理模式探讨

宁夏灵武市庙梁子沟流域把沙漠化治理与经济产业开发相结合起来,形成了具有特色的"外围草方格固沙,四周乔木林防风,核心发展经济产业"的水土保持综合治理模式、"五位一体"的经济产业发展模式和"水保搭台、政府导演、各部门协助、全社会参与同唱一台戏"的运行管理模式,在宁夏风沙区及周边同类型地区水土流失治理和开发中值得推广。     

Critical environmental indicators: performance indices and assessment models for sustainable rural development planning

Sustainable development planning must be based on environmental and biophysical baseline indices that effectively define comparative development potential and environmental constraints. As such, indices must define the comparative advantage of the natural resource base and measure the fundamental capacity to sustain production rates of natural resource goods and services used to create societal well being. Complex biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics affect the identification and selection of sustainable development strategies. When derived from effective baseline indicators, indices may be used to define the spatial and temporal distribution of economically viable production opportunities and may be expressed in derived indices that realistically describe basic production opportunities and guide the selection of feasible, long-term development strategies. Specifically, representative indices are critical in the identification of development goals and realistic objectives and can be used to evaluate, select and implement sustainable development strategies and plans. It is stressed that the relevancy and effectiveness of public policies depend on the identification of representative evaluation models and baseline indices to define development strategies that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. In this context, the role of baseline indicators that define natural resource production capacities is discussed. This includes potential resource uses, derived benefits and their economic and environmental impacts. Key thematic indicators are suggested that may be especially useful in identifying development alternatives and impacts. This suggested that clearly defined environmental pollution limits or impact standards be used to define public risk tolerance limits and carrying capacity constraints. It is argued that these measures may be more effective in directing policy choices than economic valuation of non market goods and services that represent environmental externalities associated with resource exploitation options and economic development strategies. To this end, examples of thematic indicators and derived indices are introduced that may prove effective in resource assessment, economic evaluation and strategic development planning.     

A panel study on the relationship between biofuels production and sustainable development

Biomass is one of the renewable energy sources on which policy makers are greatly dependent on since it is a flexible feedstock capable of conversion into electricity, transport liquid fuels and heat by chemical and biological processes on demand. Though numerous publications have examined the relationship of economic growth with renewable energy and other parameters, biomass energy has never been included in these studies. Then, this study examines the causal relationship within a multivariate panel cointegration/error correction framework which combines the cross-section and time series data while allowing for heterogeneity across different provinces. After employing panel data regression model ranging from 2003 through 2012 to examine the relationships of biofuels production with sustainable development in China, the paper concludes that the development of biofuel energy production integrated with the consideration of the improvement of income per capita, and the attraction of more capital investment, does make a significant contribution to economic growth. However, some negative side effects including the increase of greenhouse emissions and the decrease of marginal land still coexist with the economic development. Of course, the importance of these findings lies on their implications and their adoption on strategic policies.