Instrument Choice When Regulators and Firms Bargain

We compare outcomes with an emissions tax and an emissions standard when a firm and regulator engage in cooperative bargaining over the stringency of the regulation. Bargaining is motivated by giving the firm a choice of abatement technologies. If the firm's preferred technology differs from the regulator's, the first-best outcome is not an equilibrium of the traditional noncooperative game in which the regulator is a Stackelberg leader. The regulator may therefore choose to offer the firm a more lenient regulation if it agrees to switch technologies. We find that the resulting bargaining outcomes differ for a tax and a standard even though information is symmetric, and we identify conditions under which each instrument yields lower social costs.     

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish tissues of a freshwater lake of Bhopal

Contamination of heavy metals, namely, lead, cadmium, zinc, nickel, copper, chromium and mercury was evaluated in the samples of water and tissues of Labeo rohita and Ctenopharyngodon idella of Upper Lake of Bhopal collected during summer, rainy and winter seasons of 2005–2006. Different organs of the fishes accumulated varying quantities of different heavy metals. In L. rohita, accumulation of heavy metals was in the sequence liver > kidney > gills > muscles, and in C. idella, it was gills > liver > kidney > muscles. Zn was the highest accumulating metal in fish, whilst Hg was the lowest and was well corroborated with those of water. The values of heavy metals were so far well within the maximum permissible standard value of heavy metals for drinking water and for fish culture as prescribed by various national and international agencies.     

Changes in soil quality and below-ground carbon storage with conversion of traditional agricultural crop lands to bioenergy crop production

Berm-isolated (0.5 ha) plots have been used since 1995 to quantify changes in soil and water quality with conversion from agricultural to bioenergy crops. Soil quality improvements, including increases in soil carbon storage, have occurred on sites planted to woody or herbaceous species, and no-till corn compared with tilled corn or cotton. Initial increases in soil carbon occurred within the upper 10 cm of the soil profile. Soil carbon on plantings of switchgrass, no-till corn, and sweetgum with a cover crop between the rows increased over the first 3 years. Soil carbon decreased by 6% on the sweetgum plantings without a cover crop and remained lower through the fifth growing season. Overall, the greatest increases in below ground carbon storage have occurred primarily within the upper 40 cm. Former land use, growth characteristics, management practices, and soil characteristics appear to be the primary factors determining the timing, depth. and extent of changes in soil carbon storage for bioenergy and no-till crops.     

Daytime light intensity affects seasonal timing via changes in the nocturnal melatonin levels

Daytime light intensity can affect the photoperiodic regulation of the reproductive cycle in birds. The actual way by which light intensity information is transduced is, however, unknown. We postulate that transduction of the light intensity information is mediated by changes in the pattern of melatonin secretion. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of high and low daytime light intensities on the daily melatonin rhythm of Afro-tropical stonechats (Saxicola torquata axillaris) in which seasonal changes in daytime light intensity act as a zeitgeber of the circannual rhythms controlling annual reproduction and molt. Stonechats were subjected to light conditions simulated as closely as possible to native conditions near the equator. Photoperiod was held constant at 12.25 h of light and 11.75 h of darkness per day. At intervals of 2.5 to 3.5 weeks, daytime light intensity was changed from bright (12,000 lux at one and 2,000 lux at the other perch) to dim (1,600 lux at one and 250 lux at the other perch) and back to the original bright light. Daily plasma melatonin profiles showed that they were linked with changes in daytime light intensity: Nighttime peak and total nocturnal levels were altered when transitions between light conditions were made, and these changes were significant when light intensity was changed from dim to bright. We suggest that daytime light intensity could affect seasonal timing via changes in melatonin profiles. Professor Dr. E. Gwinner died on 07 September 2004.     

Levels,distribution profile,and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water and sediment from two tributaries of the River Chenab,Pakistan

The first study aimed to investigate the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration level, spatial distribution pattern, and ecological risk assessment of water and sediment samples from two tributaries (Nullah Aik and Palkhu) of the River Chenab, Punjab Province, Pakistan. A total of 32 PCB congeners were analyzed, and PCB concentration in sediment and water samples ranged between 0.80 and 60 ng/g and 0.20 and 28 ng/L, respectively, where tetra-CBs and tri-CBs dominated over other studied PCB homologs. Dioxin toxicity equivalency (TEQ) was calculated and PCB-126 and PCB-169 showed the higher TEQ values compared with the WHO guidelines, and sediment samples were more toxic than the water samples. The results of the present study should be considered seriously by government authorities to take a proper action against unchecked discharge of contaminants in ecological integrities; otherwise, there may be drastic results in the near future.     

Monitoring of copper accumulation in water,soil, forage,and cows impacted by heavy automobiles in Sargodha,Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The instant endeavor was undertaken to monitor copper (Cu) contents in water, soil, forage, and cow’s blood impacted by heavy automobiles in...     

Integrated Approach for Prioritizing Watersheds for Management: A Study of Lidder Catchment of Kashmir Himalayas

The Himalayan watersheds are susceptible to various forms of degradation due to their sensitive and fragile ecological disposition coupled with increasing anthropogenic disturbances. Owing to the paucity of appropriate technology and financial resources, the prioritization of watersheds has become an inevitable process for effective planning and management of natural resources. Lidder catchment constitutes a segment of the western Himalayas with an area of 1,159.38 km². The study is based on integrated analysis of remote sensing, geographic information system, field study, and socioeconomic data. Multicriteria evaluation of geophysical, land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, and socioeconomic indicators is carried out to prioritize watersheds for natural resource conservation and management. Knowledge-based weights and ranks are normalized, and weighted linear combination technique is adopted to determine final priority value. The watersheds are classified into four priority zones (very high priority, high priority, medium priority, and low priority) on the basis of quartiles of the priority value, thus indicating their ecological status in terms of degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbances. The correlation between priority ranks of individual indicators and integrated indicators is drawn. The results reveal that socioeconomic indicators are the most important drivers of LULC change and environmental degradation in the catchment. Moreover, the magnitude and intensity of anthropogenic impact is not uniform in different watersheds of Lidder catchment. Therefore, any conservation and management strategy must be formulated on the basis of watershed prioritization.     

Does green environmental innovation really matter for carbon-free economy? Nexus among green technological innovation,green international trade,and green power generation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examines the association among the green energy production (GEP), green technological innovation (GTI), and green international trade (GIT)...     

Impact of economic capabilities and population agglomeration on PM2.5 emission: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The utilization of economic capabilities to raise production in the economy enhances the industrial activities and use of transportation. These...     

Economic growth,energy consumption,and environmental quality nexus in Turkey: Evidence from simultaneous equation models

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present research article uses simultaneous equation modelling approach to investigate the three-way linkages between economic growth, energy...