Economic development and environmental protection: an ecological economics perspective

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean 'materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of 'natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds.These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily 'feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values.     

Using improved neural network model to analyze RSP,NOx and NO2 levels in urban air in Mong Kok,Hong Kong

As the health impact of air pollutants existing in ambient addresses much attention in recent years, forecasting of airpollutant parameters becomes an important and popular topic inenvironmental science. Airborne pollution is a serious, and willbe a major problem in Hong Kong within the next few years. InHong Kong, Respirable Suspended Particulate (RSP) and NitrogenOxides NO_x and NO₂ are major air pollutants due to thedominant diesel fuel usage by public transportation and heavyvehicles. Hence, the investigation and prediction of the influence and the tendency of these pollutants are ofsignificance to public and the city image. The multi-layerperceptron (MLP) neural network is regarded as a reliable andcost-effective method to achieve such tasks. The works presentedhere involve developing an improved neural network model, whichcombines the principal component analysis (PCA) technique and theradial basis function (RBF) network, and forecasting thepollutant levels and tendencies based in the recorded data. Inthe study, the PCA is firstly used to reduce and orthogonalizethe original input variables (data), these treated variables arethen used as new input vectors in RBF neural network modelestablished for forecasting the pollutant tendencies. Comparingwith the general neural network models, the proposed modelpossesses simpler network architecture, faster training speed,and more satisfactory predicting performance. This improvedmodel is evaluated by using hourly time series of RSP, NO_x and NO₂ concentrations collected at Mong Kok Roadside Gaseous Monitory Station in Hong Kong during the year 2000. By comparing the predicted RSP, NO_x and NO₂ concentrationswith the actual data of these pollutants recorded at the monitorystation, the effectiveness of the proposed model has been proven.Therefore, in authors' opinion, the model presented in the paper is a potential tool in forecasting air quality parameters and hasadvantages over the traditional neural network methods.     

Application of the benthic index of biotic integrity to environmental monitoring in Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) was developed to assess benthic community health and environmental quality in Chesapeake Bay. The B-IBI provides Chesapeake Bay monitoring programs with a uniform tool with which to characterize bay-wide benthic community condition and assess the health of the Bay. A probability-based design permits unbiased annual estimates of areal degradation within the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries with quantifiable precision. However, of greatest interest to managers is the identification of problem areas most in need of restoration. Here we apply the B-IBI to benthic data collected in the Bay since 1994 to assess benthic community degradation by Chesapeake Bay Program segment and water depth. We used a new B-IBI classification system that improves the reliability of the estimates of degradation. Estimates were produced for 67 Chesapeake Bay Program segments. Greatest degradation was found in areas that are known to experience hypoxia or show toxic contamination, such as the mesohaline portion of the Potomac River, the Patapsco River, and the Maryland mainstem. Logistic regression models revealed increased probability of degraded benthos with depth for the lower Potomac River, Patapsco River, Nanticoke River, lower York River, and the Maryland mainstem. Our assessment of degradation by segment and water depth provided greater resolution of relative condition than previously available, and helped define the extent of degradation in Chesapeake Bay.     

Selecting Socio-Economic Metrics for Watershed Management

The selection of social and economic metrics to document baseline conditions and analyze the dynamic relationships between ecosystems and human communities are important decisions for scientists, managers, and watershed citizens. A large variety of social and economic data is available but these have limited use without theoretical frameworks. In this paper, several frameworks for reviewing social-ecosystem relations are offered, namely social sanctions, sense of place, civic structure, and cultural differences. Underlying all of these frameworks are attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms that affect which questions are asked and which indicators are chosen. Much work and significant challenges remain in developing a standard set of spatially based socio-economic metrics for watershed management.     

Air Pollution and Heat Exposure Study in the Workplace in a Glass Manufacturing Unit in India

Air pollution in the workplace environment due to industrial operation have been found to cause serious occupational health hazard. Similarly, heat stress is still most neglected occupational hazard in the tropical and subtropical countries like India. The hot climate augments the heat exposure close to sources like furnaces. In this study an attempt is made to assess air pollution and heat exposure levels to workers in the workplace environment in glass manufacturing unit located in the State of Gujarat, India. Samples for workplace air quality were collected for SPM, SO₂, NO₂ and CO₂ at eight locations. Results of workplace air quality showed 8-hourly average concentrations of SPM: 165–9118 μg/m³, SO₂: 6–9 μg/m³ and NO₂: 5–42 μg/m³, which were below the threshold limit values of workplace environment. The level of CO₂ in workplace air of the plant was found to be in the range 827–2886 μg/m³, which was below TLV but much higher than the normal concentration for CO₂ in the air (585 mg/m³). Indoor heat exposure was studied near the furnace and at various locations in an industrial complex for glass manufacturing. The heat exposure parameters including the air temperature, the wet bulb temperature, and the globe parameters were measured. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), an indicator of heat, exceeded ACGIH TLVs limits most of the time at all the locations in workplace areas. The recommended duration of work and rest have also been estimated.     

Parameters Influencing Sediments Resuspension and the Link to Sorption of Inorganic Compounds

In the aquatic environment, the accumulation of chemicalcontaminants by sediments poses a potential threat to endemiclife forms and drinking water resources. Trace metals such asCd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and toxic organic compounds, are among awide variety of contaminants having an affinity for sediments.In this study, experiments were performed simulating sedimentresuspension in the lower Housatonic River, Connecticut, using aParticle Entrainment Simulator. Analyses of grain sizedistributions, porosities and total organic contents of thesediments suggested that these parameters influence theredistribution and entrainment of settleable solids in the watercolumn. These findings were established by evaluating the impactof one parameter on sediment resuspension as a function ofstream flow with the other two characteristics being heldconstant. Total suspended solids and volatile suspended solidsresuspension concentration ranged from 3.2 to 20648.3 mg L^-1,and 1.5 to 1823.8 mg L^-1, respectively, with subsequentincreases in flow rates from 9 to 6 dynes cm^-2. The resuspension concentrations were augmentedby sediment porosity (22.0 to 57.5%), percent finer grain-size distributions at 0.1 mm, and total organic content (2.7 g kg^-1 to 29.0 g kg^-1). Using K _p values, and the dissolvedcontaminant levels of various trace metals, the particulatecontaminant levels of the metals were determined under variousoscillation rates. As sediment resuspension increased withincreased stream flow, there was an overall general increasefrom 0.02 to 33.6 g L^-1 in the particulatecontaminant levels of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni and Pb.     

Prediction of Leachate Level in Kimpo Metropolitan Landfill Site by Total Water Balance

Kimpo metropolitan landfill has received various kinds of wastessince January 1992. The leachate level was measured to be 10.3 m in May 1995 and the level increased to 12.2 m in August 1996. Therefore, to prove the reason for the increasing leachate level, we calibrated hydraulic conductivity of each waste andintermediate layer using the HELP (Hydrologic Evaluation ofLandfill Performance) model. The leachate generation data measured from February 1993 to October 1995 was used in the model calibration. As a result of a model calibration, we obtained anaverage infiltration ratio and used this in analysis of the total water balance to predict elevation of leachate level. Main causes of the elevation of the leachate level were the high water content of the waste and the degradation of the leachate-drainage system caused by the subsidence of a naturalbarrier layer.     

博斯腾湖水质矿化度模型及预测研究

根据博斯腾湖１９８５～１９９５年水质监测数据和出入湖水量等水文数据观测值，采用水质扩散模型和盐量平衡关系推导出博斯腾湖大湖区（简称博湖）水质矿化度模型，并预测了几种情况下博湖水质矿化度及近几年变化趋势，分析了影响博湖水质矿化度的主要因素，为博湖的近期和远期环境保护规划、环境管理等提供科学依据．     

哈密地区环境中^220Rn子体α潜能浓度所致居民剂量估算

用ＳｔｒａｎｄｅｎＥ．推荐的测量方法对哈密地区环境空气中２２０Ｒｎ子体α潜能浓度测量结果表明，室内、外平均值分别为５６．１和１０．２（×１０－７Ｊ·ｍ－３）。室内外２２０Ｒｎ／２２２Ｒｎ子体α潜能浓度比值分别为０．８４和０３２。２２０Ｒｎ子体所致居民有效剂量当量为２２８μＳｖ·ａ－１（集体有效剂量当量为０．９×０２ｍａｎ·Ｓｖ）。     

泰州市环境空气中挥发性有机物分布特征

于2018年4—9月对泰州市环境空气中挥发性有机物(VOCs)组分开展现场观测,结合观测数据分析该市大气中VOCs的时空分布特征。结果表明:观测期间泰州市环境空气中VOCs平均摩尔比为45.1 nmol/mol,其中含氧挥发性有机物占比为57.8%;受周边排放源和地理位置影响,下风向点位的VOCs测定值高于其他点位;VOCs月均最高值出现在6月,与臭氧月均最高值出现时间一致,7—9月气团出现老化,导致臭氧生成能力减弱;观测期间VOCs中甲苯/苯(T/B)比值范围为0.201 9～5.130 3,且大部分T/B比值2,说明溶剂、油气和液化石油气挥发等排放源对泰州市环境空气中VOCs的影响较为显著。