Dynamics and Causation of Environmental Equity, Locally Unwanted Land Uses, and Neighborhood Changes

/ Why are some environmental risks distributed disproportionately in the neighborhoods of the minorities and the poor? A hypothesis was proposed in a recent study that market dynamics contributed to the current environmental inequity. That is, locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) make the host communities home to more poor people and people of color. This hypothesis was allegedly supported by a Houston case study, whereby its author analyzed the postsiting changes of the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods surrounding solid waste facilities. I argue that such an analysis of postsiting changes alone is insufficient to test the causation hypothesis. Instead, I propose a conceptual framework for analysis of environmental equity dynamics and causation. I suggest that the presiting neighborhood dynamics and the characteristics of control neighborhoods be analyzed as the first test for the causation hypothesis. Furthermore, I present theories of neighborhood change and then examine alternative hypotheses that these theories offer for explaining neighborhood changes and for the roles of LULUs in neighborhood changes. These alternative hypotheses should be examined when analyzing the relationship between LULUs and neighborhood changes in a metropolitan area. Using this framework of analysis, I revisited the Houston case. First, I found no evidence that provided support for the hypothesis that the presence of LULUs made the neighborhoods home to more blacks and poor people, contrary to the conclusion made by the previous study. Second, I examined alternative hypotheses for explaining neighborhood changes-invasion-succession, other push forces, and neighborhood life-cycle; the former two might offer better explanation.KEY WORDS: Environmental equity and justice; Locally unwanted lane uses; Siting; Market dynamics; Invasion-succession; Neighborhood changes     

Sensitivity experiments and assessment of climatic changes in China induced by greenhouse effect

Climatic changes can be separated into two parts: natural changes -and human activity influenced on climatic changes. The observed data could not only show the effects caused by human activity. Several simulated results as simulated by the GCMs induced by the greenhouse effects in China .have been analysed. It is shown that an obvious warming of about 3-6℃ in winter and 2-5℃ in summer in China as simulated by the GCMs induced by doubling CO2 have been found. There are getting drier or wetter regions in China due to doubled CO2 as simulated by most of models. Comparing the simulated results with the observed data in China, some simulated results are able to be believed. The GCMs should be improved, especially in the regional areas.     

黄河上中游天然径流多时间尺度变化及动因分析

运用小波分析等方法对黄河上中游天然径流序列进行了分析,揭示了河川径流多时间尺度变化规律,并对径流在不同时间尺度上变化的影响因素进行了探讨。研究结果对于认识黄河径流的变化规律、开发利用管理黄河水资源有着重要的意义。     

全球变化对跨境淡水资源利用和管理的影响

跨境淡水资源的合理利用和协调管理,已成为当今国际区域经济发展、跨境资源和市场共享、世界生态维护的合作主题,成为下世纪制约区域可持续发展和避免地区冲突的一个关键因素,受到国际社会广泛关注。从边界变化、国际区域合作和经济一体化、气候变化、人口增长、可持续发展等全球趋势对此主题的影响进行了探讨。     

Dynamic Bayesian networks for reliability evaluation of subsea wellhead connector during service life based on Monte Carlo method

The subsea wellhead connector is a critical connection component between subsea Christmas tree and subsea wellhead for preventing the leakage of oil and gas in the subsea production system. Excited by cyclical loadings due to environmental forces and the other support forces, the subsea wellhead connector is prone to the failure, which could lead to the loss of subsea tree or wellhead integrity and even catastrophic accidents. With the Monte Carlo simulation method, this paper presents a reliability analysis approach based on dynamic Bayesian Networks, aiming to assess the failure probability of the subsea wellhead connector during service life. Take the driving ring component of the subsea wellhead connector as an example to demonstrate the reasonability of the proposed model. The generation data is processed by the transform between the numerical value and the state variable. Based on the stress-strength interference theory, the structure reliability of the driving ring with 96.26% is achieved by the proposed model with the consideration the aging of the material strength and the most influential factors are figured out. Meanwhile, the corresponding control measures are proposed effectively reduce the failure risk of the subsea wellhead connector during service life.     

Environmental change,development and vectorborne disease: Malaysia’s experience with filariasis,scrub typhus and dengue

During Malaysia’s rapid economic development into becoming a middle income country in the past several decades, environmental changes resulted in altered land use patterns because of agricultural practices such as large scale rice, rubber and oil palm cultivation. The impact of environmental changes brought about by rice and rubber cultivation affected the breeding habitats of mosquito vectors which in turn affected the prevalence of two strains of lymphatic filariasis in different ways. With scrub typhus, the development of oil palm plantations affected the ecology of mite and rodent populations which resulted in very high incidence of the disease in affected populations. Malaysia’s relentless urbanization has resulted in increased incidence of dengue, as peridomestic mosquito vectors increasingly colonize urban habitats. This article discusses how ecological factors determine the way lymphatic filariasis, scrub typhus and dengue were spread in Malaysia. The nation’s experience with environmental changes due to rapid development provides lessons for other developing countries in control programs and public health policy.     

Climate changes in the past century and radial increment of pine in the Southern Ural steppe

Changes in the main climatic factors (air temperature and total precipitation) and their effect on the radial increment of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) over the period from 1933 to 2002 were studied in an insular pine forest growing in the steppe zone of the Southern Urals. Evidence for a significant increase in the amount of precipitation and air temperature in the second half of this period was obtained. Functions of response of radial increment indices to climatic parameters were analyzed. Relative contributions of air temperature and precipitation to variation in the radial increment of pine in different time intervals proved to differ in relation to climate changes during the past century.     

湖北省土地利用结构变化及其驱动机制分析

采用1996～2004年的统计资料,分析了湖北省土地利用结构变化,研究发现全省耕地大幅度减少,其次是未利用地和牧草地;林地则迅速增加,其次为居民点及独立工矿、园地、其他农用地、交通用地和水利设施用地。随后运用典型相关分析法,以湖北省76个县级行政单位为研究单元,进一步对湖北省土地利用结构变化的驱动因子进行了统计分析,定量诊断出各驱动因子对湖北省土地利用结构变化贡献作用的大小。结果显示,湖北省土地利用结构与社会经济因素之间关系可以用4对典型相关变量表示,耕地、居民点及工矿用地、林地、交通用地、水利设施用地的发展变化分别对应于不同的社会经济驱动因子。     

快速城市化地区的土地利用时空动态变化研究 --以南京市为例

20年来,在中国城市化快速发展的过程中,一系列与城市化相关的环境问题随之产生。六朝古都——南京,作为我国经济最发达的长江流域四大中心城市之一,其快速的城市化过程也不可避免地带来了同样的环境问题。为了研究南京市的城市化和土地利用变化规律及其对水文过程的影响,利用1987、1998、2000年的三期遥感数据,通过分层分类的方法对各土地利用类型进行专题信息提取,结合GIS技术,获得研究区1987~1998,1998~2000年两个时段的土地利用变化转移矩阵。据此全面分析了南京市的土地利用时空变化特征。结果表明：南京市13年来,城乡居民及建设用地以大量蚕食耕地而显著增加,年均增幅达到1.92％;耕地和未利用地则明显减少,年均减幅分别为0.62％ 和1.21％;林地和水域有所增加,主要来自未利用地的转变,剩余12.35％的未利用地则转化为城乡居民及建设用地。引起这一土地利用变化的主要驱动力是人口的增长和经济的发展以及政策制度的激励和导向作用。     

三峡工程蓄水后荆江河段河势变化及生态护岸研究

三峡工程蓄水以来,进入长江中下游河道的水沙过程发生明显改变,从而导致中下游河道尤其是荆江河段冲刷、崩塌,局部河段河势调整较为剧烈,并导致主流顶冲部位发生变化,可能会引起新的崩岸发生。分析了荆江河段河势变化特点,列举了各种传统护岸方法,分析了传统护岸的特点和适用性,针对传统护岸工程的不足,提出生态护岸理念,在满足整体性、稳定性、适应变形等要求下,采取工程措施与植物措施共同护岸,并为河道与河岸之间水分交换提供条件,建立了水生生态系统和陆地生态系统之间的联系,实现了河流原本完整的结构和作为生态廊道的功能,进而保证整个生态系统的稳定,有利于生态环境的保护和水土保持,实现生态理念,满足生态需要,达到人与自然和谐发展。