Sustainability: a Dissent

Abstract:  Broadly conceived and considered in its many usages, sustainability has grave defects as a planning goal, particularly when used by conservationists: it confuses means and ends; it is vague about what is being sustained and who or what is doing the sustaining; it is uninspiring; it is little more than Pinchot-era conservation (and thus ignores the many lessons learned since then); it need not be linked to land, to the land's functioning, or to any ecological science; it need not include a moral component; it is consistent with the view of humans as all-powerful manipulators of the planet; and, in general, it is such a malleable term that its popularity provides only a facade of consensus. When sustainability is defined broadly to include the full range of economic and social aspirations, it poses the particular risk that ecological and biodiversity concerns will be cast aside in favor of more pressing human wants. Given these many defects, the conservation movement should discard the term in favor of a more alluring goal, attentive to nature and its ecological functioning. A sound goal would incorporate and distill the considerable ecological and moral wisdom accumulated since Pinchot's day while giving conservationists the rhetorical tools needed to defend the land against competing pressures. In our view, conservation would be well served by an updated variant of "land health," Aldo Leopold's ecologically grounded goal from the 1940s. Land health as an independent understanding should set the essential terms of how we live and enjoy the earth, providing the framework within which we pursue our many social and economic aims.     

Novel synthesis blends between bacterial polyesters and acrylic rubber: A study on enzymatic biodegradation

The biodegradability of a multicomponent system based on biotechnological occurring polyester (poly(-hydroxybutyrate-co--hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)) with inclusion of acrylate elastomer (polybutylacrylate) (PBA) was investigated. A bacterium which produced extracellular enzymes that degrades PHBV even when blended with PBA was isolated and tentatively designated asAureobacterium saperdae. It was observed, by morphological investigation, that, while the bacterial degradation was permitted for PBA content of 20% by weight, it was inhibited for PBA content of 30%, owing to the occurrence of a rubbery layer that prevents to the bacteria an easy accessibility in the PHBV-rich regions. In fact, owing the bacterial growth, only PHBV was metabolized, whereas no degradation of PBA was detected for blend samples. It was confirmed that the degradation proceeded via surface erosion of PHBV also in the blends. Finally, mechanical tests on PHBV/PBA specimens as a function of degradation extent have shown different behavior of the blends at different the PBA content. Thermal analysis of blends and PHBV has been reported, too     

埋地钢质输水管道的内外防腐选择

本文通过目前比较常见的几种内外防腐方式及材料的性能和优缺点 ,对埋地钢质输水管道的防腐选择提供了参考意见     

家庭中水利用装置系统的设计

结合我国家庭中水的利用现状,设计了一套具有广泛应用性的家庭中水利用装置系统,并实现了相应的自动化控制方案。同时,详细介绍了系统的设计思路与实现的主要功能,并对装置系统的有关问题进行了深入的探讨。     

浅析沘江水体污染

Bi江水质已为劣V类，主要污染物为Pb,Zn,Cd,As,Hg等重金属，主要污染源是上游的兰坪铅锌矿。水污染已对Bi江两岸人民的生活，生产和健康造成极大影响。目前条件下一要侧重生物多样性保护，治理水土流失，恢复和重建生态环境，二要侧重工业污染防治。     

水质模拟及趋势分析

根据洛河、伊河河流及流经地区特征 ,选择具有代表性的断面 ,选用一维河流有限差分水质模型 ,计算洛河、伊河 1 995～2 0 0 0年主要断面污染物浓度 ,并对其进行评价。采用季节性肯达尔检验法 ,对计算出的洛河、伊河 1 995～ 2 0 0 0年主要断面污染物浓度进行趋势分析 ,并分析其变化特征及形成原因     

长江,嘉陵江重庆城区段二维水质对流扩散数学模型

对二水质对流扩散数学模型的有限差分解作了较详细的叙述，同时对距离步长，时间步长计算，网络内水深，流速，横向扩散系数的求取也作了简要介绍。     

铁岭市污水处理厂效益分析

调查城市生活和工业污染现状，进一步分析污水处理工程的环境效益，社会效益，经济效益，阐述铁岭市污水处理厂建设的重要性和必要性。     

水深变化对波高与周期联合概率密度分布影响的分析

本文研究了水深的变化以波高与周期联合概率密度分布造成影响。本文将２３６组实测数据按水深因子Ｈ的大小进行了分组，分别对其进行了谱分析和统计分析，得到了各组数据的联合分布图。利用数值模拟的方法扩大水深因子的变化幅度，得到了模拟联合分布图。研究发现，水深因子的改变不会对联合分布构成大的影响，因此得现一般水的波高与周期联合概率密度分布模式适用于浅海的结论。     

淮河中游地区水环境功能区划研究

从地表水质现状出发，寻求有利经济结构调整、重大区域开发规划布局与水质目标管理的科学水环境功能区划方案，为实施水污染物排放总量控制，改善地表水质提供技术支持。