Oil and power industries’ responses to EU emissions trading: laggards or low-carbon leaders?

ABSTRACT

How have petroleum and power companies and their European industry associations responded to the EU emissions trading system (ETS)? Responses can be political, directed externally towards the initiation and reforms of the EU ETS itself, or internally and market-based, directed at low-carbon solutions. Proactive response strategies shape companies’ leadership potential. Variation in responses is explained by two models that differ in assumptions about corporate behaviour as well as the wider multilevel regulatory context in which companies operate. Responses are found to have converged within the two industries, with reactive companies following the proactive ones. Secondly, responses between the two industries increasingly diverge, with the power industry becoming much more proactive than the petroleum industry. The main explanation is found in the differing relevance of the two models and the wider regulatory context, particularly differing exposure to international competition and weak international climate agreements.     

Simulated management effects on ammonia emissions from field applied manure

A need exists to improve the utilization of manure nutrients by minimizing NH₃ emissions from land application of manure. Management strategies to reduce NH₃ emissions are available; however, few have been validated under Canadian conditions. A well tested and accurate simulation model, however, can help overcome this challenge by determining appropriate management strategies for a given set of field conditions.     

A2/O工艺中的反硝化除磷

A2/O工艺是一种最简单的同步脱氮除磷工艺,但由于其系统中固有的基质竞争和污泥龄等矛盾,在实际应用中特别是处理低C/N比污水时脱氮除磷效率较低.反硝化除磷工艺作为近年来颇受关注的污水生物处理新技术.由于在脱氮除磷过程中可以在碳源利用上耦合,可从一定程度上缓解A2/O工艺中的基质竞争矛盾,使得其在处理低C/N比污水时也能实现较高的脱氮除磷效率.就反硝化除磷的技术原理,结合其在A2/O工艺中的最新研究成果及其控制策略,对A2/O工艺中的反硝化除磷的实现、维持及影响因素进行了分析和探讨,并对其发展方向进行了展望.     

Coalition of injustice? Bodies,business, and the biosphere in struggles against unwanted land uses

Scholars of environmental injustice have pushed to see beyond the spatial distribution of environmental harms in studies of unwanted land uses. Building upon this work, this article examines how the complex geographies of environmental injustice play out in a coalition to prevent the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Surry County, Virginia. While spatially dispersed coalitions of negatively affected actors can strengthen efforts to prevent the construction of an unwanted land use, they can also perpetuate the environmental injustices surrounding it. To make this argument, particular attention is paid to the diverse reasons and ways differentially situated actors oppose an unwanted land use. It is demonstrated how the disparate concerns and differential tactics deployed by actors in coalitions against unwanted land uses are often embedded in and potentially contribute to longer histories of social injustice.     

Enhanced science–stakeholder communication to improve ecosystem model performances for climate change impact assessments

In recent years, climate impact assessments of relevance to the agricultural and forestry sectors have received considerable attention. Current ecosystem models commonly capture the effect of a warmer climate on biomass production, but they rarely sufficiently capture potential losses caused by pests, pathogens and extreme weather events. In addition, alternative management regimes may not be integrated in the models. A way to improve the quality of climate impact assessments is to increase the science–stakeholder collaboration, and in a two-way dialog link empirical experience and impact modelling with policy and strategies for sustainable management. In this paper we give a brief overview of different ecosystem modelling methods, discuss how to include ecological and management aspects, and highlight the importance of science–stakeholder communication. By this, we hope to stimulate a discussion among the science–stakeholder communities on how to quantify the potential for climate change adaptation by improving the realism in the models.     

焦化废水污染特征及其控制过程与策略分析

针对量大面广、成分复杂、具有典型的有毒/难降解工业有机废水特征的焦化废水,介绍了不同生产工艺的水质水量、污染物组成、有机污染物的生物降解特性及基于其特性的废水处理方法的选择;重点分析了以脱氮为目标的A/O、A2/O、A/O2、O/A/O工艺的特点,强调了生物流化床反应器的高效性;从溶解氧、温度、pH值、营养组成、污泥龄及有毒有害物质调控等方面讨论了焦化废水污染控制过程的影响因素,比较了不同工程工艺的技术特点与经济差异,对一些敏感性指标提出了控制策略,强调了技术创新与政策性补偿有助于解决行业环保问题的观点.     

Goals and remedial strategies for water quality and wildlife management in a coastal lagoon--a case-study of Ringkøbing Fjord, Denmark

The aim of this work is (1) to discuss approaches and tools to set management goals using operational indicators for coastal management (i.e., indicators that are easy to measure, understand and predict) and validated predictive models and (2) to discuss remedial strategies for sustainable coastal management regarding water quality and the abundance of fish, waterfowl and large aquatic plants. These approaches are exemplified using data from Ringkøbing Fjord, Denmark, which has undergone two major regime shifts during the last decades. This work discusses the changes taken place during the period from 1980 to 2004 (when there are good empirical data). For Ringkøbing Fjord, which is a very shallow, well-oxygenated lagoon dominated by resuspension processes, we have targeted on the following operational indicators, which are meant to reflect seasonal median values for the entire defined coastal area (the ecosystem scale) and not conditions at individual sites or data from shorter time periods: Secchi depth (as a standard measure of water clarity) and chlorophyll-a concentrations (as a key measure of algal biomass). The operational indicators are regulated by a set of standard abiotic factors, such as salinity, suspended particulate matter (SPM), nutrient concentrations (N and P), coastal morphometry and water exchange. Such relationships are quantified using well-tested, general quantitative models, which illustrate how these indicators are interrelated and how they reflect fundamental aspects of coastal ecosystems. We demonstrate that the regime shift in the lagoon can be modelled and quantitatively explained and is related to changes in salinity and nutrient inflow. A very important threshold is linked to increased salinities in the lagoon. For example, when the mean annual salinity is higher than about 9.5‰, large numbers of saltwater species of clams can survive and influence the structure and function of the ecosystem in profound ways. The model also illustrates the dynamic response to changes in nutrient loading. We have presented several management strategies with the goal of keeping the Secchi depth at 2 m, which would stimulate the growth of higher aquatic plants, which are fundamental for fish production and bird abundance in the lagoon. Given the fact that the Secchi depth depends on many variable factors (temperature, TP-inflow from land, salinity, changes in biomasses of macrophytes and clams, which are accounted for in these simulations), our results indicate that in practice it will likely be very difficult to reach that goal. However, it would be realistic to maintain a Secchi depth of 1.5 m if the variability in salinity is minimized and the mean salinity is kept at about 10.2‰.     

青海湖几种主要湿地植物的种群分布格局及动态

应用种群生态空间分布的分析方法,研究了青海湖四种主要湿地植物：杉叶藻（Hippuris vulgaris)、槽杆荸荠（Eleocharis valleculosa)、华扁穗莞（Blysmus sinocompresus)、碱蓬（Suaeda glauca)的空间分布格局及其动态,研究表明：杉叶藻、槽杆荸荠、华扁穗莞三种群由侵入期、定期初期到种群发育盛期的过程中,其集群程度先增大后减小,总体呈扩散的趋势;碱蓬种群,从幼苗到繁殖期,集群程度增大,呈聚集的趋势,说明前三种植物的克隆繁殖方式于滨湖湿地生境具有更好的生态适应性,图2表3参11     

中国内河船舶大气防污染对策及运力结构改善对沿岸港口大气环境质量的影响

针对IMO防止船舶大气污染的国际公约及中国内河船舶大气污染防治历史与现状，结合西部大开发及中国内河航运的发展规划，对内河船舶大气污染的防治对策、主任任务及措施实施后对沿线主要港口城市大气环境质量的影响进行了研究和探讨，在此基础上提出了中国内河船舶未来一段时期大气污染防治的根本思路与战略。     

“中国南方喀斯特”世界自然遗产申报战略研究

中国南方喀斯特地区面积大,自然资源丰富,生态环境脆弱,在世界喀斯特地区中极具代表性。文章依据中国南方喀斯特地区独特的自然特征和社会、经济功能,借助申报自然遗产机遇,为实现该区人口、资源、环境与社会的可持续发展,提出了一系列针对中国南方喀斯特地区的保护策略及措施。