Renewable inequity? Women's employment in clean energy in industrialized,emerging and developing economies

Women are globally underrepresented in the energy industry. This paper reviews existing academic and practitioner literature on women's employment in renewable energy in industrialized nations, emerging economies and developing countries. It highlights similarities and differences in occupational patterns in women's employment in renewables in different parts of the world, and makes recommendations for optimizing women's participation. Findings reveal the need for broader socially‐progressive policies and shifts in societal attitudes about gender roles, in order for women to benefit optimally from employment in renewables. In some industrialized countries, restructuring paid employment in innovative ways while unlinking social protection from employment status has been suggested as a way to balance gender equity with economic security and environmental protection. However, without more transformative social changes in gender relations, such strategies may simply reinforce rather than subvert existing gender inequities both in paid employment and in unpaid domestic labor. Grounded interventions to promote gender equality in renewable energy employment – especially within the context of increasing access to energy services for underserved communities – are more prevalent and better‐established in some non‐OECD (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development) countries. OECD countries might be well‐advised to try to implement certain programs and policies that are already in place in some emerging economies.     

Stra?enversiegelung in Deutschland und ihre Beinflussung der Umwelt im Vergleich mit anderen OECD-L?ndern

Zusammenfassung  Die durch die Fernstra?en versiegelte Fl?che in Deutschland betr?gt 0,47% der Oberfl?che, ohne die Seitenstreifen und Gemeindestra?en. Z?hlt man diese hinzu, so erh?ht sich der Wert auf 1,3%. In den dicht besiedelten Bundesl?ndern Hessen und Nordrhein-Westfalen erh?hen sich die Werte in Hessen auf 0,59 bzw. 1,59% und in NRW auf 0,68 bzw. 1,82%. In anderen OECD-L?ndern betragen die Prozents?tze des durch Fernstra?en versiegelten Bodens zwischen 0,2 und 3,0%. Bei diesem Vergleich liegt Deutschland an 5. Stelle hinter den Benelux-L?ndern und Japan. In der Verkehrsdichte (zugelassene Kraftfahrzeuge pro Stra?enkilometer) liegt Deutschland an 3. Stelle hinter Italien und Gro?britannien. Die Bodenversiegelung durch Stra?endecken sch?digt die Umwelt durch die Einbringung verkehrsbedingter Schadstoffe und St?rung des Grundwasserspiegels, aber noch mehr durch die Zerteilung und Zerst?rung von Biotopen. Online-First: 19. Mai 2000     

流溪河水库水环境容量研究

研究在流溪河水库水质现状调查的基础上,结合历史调查资料,采用了Vollenweider模型、OECD模型对流溪河水库水质进行了模拟并对TN、TP水环境容量进行了计算。结果表明,水库的TN、TP水环境容量在2005-2009年间分别是364.21-661.49 t/a、25.37-44.15 t/a,水环境容量与降雨量呈正相关,由于水库的降雨量年际变化比较大,导致水库的水环境容量的年际变化也较大。从流溪河水库4年的平均状况来看,水库总氮没有剩余容量,应削减负荷22.53%,总磷的剩余容量为2.27t/a,占其总环境容量的比重为18.27%。     

International experience of green development in Western China: an overall review of policy and practice

Green development emphasizes co-development between economic and environmental dimensions, and is a people-centered sustainable development approach. Western China demands green development, and international experience could provide necessary, unique and important help and support for Western China to achieve its green development goals. This paper has made a comprehensive overall review and analysis of international experience in green development policy and its implementation, in particular, OECD countries’ (mostly Australia and Canada) experience have been analyzed following the major policy foci defined by the Task Force on Strategy and Policies on Environment and Development in Western China initiated by China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). Data and information were gathered from the field surveys and investigations, expert meetings, as well as literature review. The main sessions include policy framework and road map establishment, implementation and performance assessment, co-development between economic development and environmental protection, as well as green employment and poverty alleviation. The paper has addressed five policy considerations for the future promotion of green development in Western China.     

Effect of two TiO2 nanoparticles on the growth of unicellular green algae using the OECD 201 test guideline: influence of the exposure system

This work aimed at assessing the influence of different exposure systems to perform the commonly used OECD 201 freshwater algal growth inhibition test in the context of nanoparticles hazard assessment. Two distinct TiO₂ nanoparticles were considered and three different exposure systems were investigated: Erlenmeyers flasks and 24-well microplates (both using an orbital shake system), and an alternative system using cylindrical vials and magnetic stirring. All three systems are in accordance with the OECD 201 test guideline recommendations. We concluded that the exposure systems applied to achieve the test can substantially affect the ecotoxicological results and the subsequent calculated ECx. The selected systems influenced both the interaction between algal cells and TiO₂ nanoparticles as well as the growth inhibition recorded. Disparities in ecotoxicity relative to the TiO₂ nanoparticles tested were also observed and are finally discussed.     

Das neue Chemikalienprogramm von UNEP Chemicals

Zusammenfassung  UNEP International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC) wurde von der ersten VN-Umweltkonferenz 1972 geschaffen. Sein Einfu? und Zusammenwirken in den 80ziger Jahren mit anderen internationalen Programmen der WHO, FAO, OECD und EG in der Chemikalienkontrolle wird beschrieben. Nach dem Erdgipfel von Rio 1992 werden im VN-Rahmen drei neue Gremien gebildet, die das Fachprogramm des Kapitels 19 der Agenda 21 (umweltfreundliches Chemikalienmanagement) umsetzen sollen: die United nations Commission of Sustainable Development, das Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety und das Interorganization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals. Der Erdgipfel brachte auch für IRPTC eine Neuorientierung. Seit 1996 hat UNEP Chemicals, wie sich IRPTC nunmehr nennt, drei Aufgaben in sein Arbeitsprogramm aufgenommen, die beschrieben werden: das internationale übereinkommen zum Prior Informed Consent, das internationale übereinkommen zur Kontrolle der Persistent Organic Pollutants, und schlie?lich sein traditionelles Arbeitsgebiet des Informations-austausches über Stoffe wird weitergeführt.

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Die Aussagen dieses Beitrages sind die Meinung des Autors. Sie müssen nicht mit der Auffassung des Umweitbundesamtes oder von UNEP Chemicals übereinstimmen.     

Determination of 1‐octanol/water partition coefficients of isocyanate compounds by an HPLC method

The octanol/water partition coefficients (P _ow) of six monoisocyanate and five diisocyanate compounds were determined by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) methods. Two HPLC peaks, a broad tailed peak followed by a sharp one, were observed with all compounds. The later peak was identified as the isocyanate compound. The P _ow value for each isocyanate compound was determined by fitting the capacity factor of the peak to the regression equation drawn from those of reference compounds. The hydrophobic substituent constants for the isocyanate group were calculated with each of the compounds. The value of this constant was strongly dependent on the type of carbon bound to the isocyanate group and the average values for the aromatic and aliphatic isocyanate groups were 0.35 and — 0.52, respectively. Because of the reactivity of those compounds in the aquatic environment, the P _ow has little relevance to calculation of their environmental fate and ecotoxicity.     

国际经验对中国西部地区绿色发展的启示:政策及实践

在当下全球经济萧条和发展中国家日益增长的巨大需求背景下,中国西部需要绿色发展,国际经验可以起到前车之鉴和抛砖引玉的作用.以OECI国家为主,基于实地考察调研和座谈、以及文献资料分析,总结了其绿色发展相关政策建议以及典型案例区实践活动在推进区域绿色发展中的作用和经验,涉及政策框架和路线图制定、绩效监测评估、经济建设和环境保护同步发展、生态补偿、绿色就业和扶贫等.重点分析了OECD国家以往推进绿色经济发展的结构调整与改革的经验,如澳大利亚水资源管理、矿产业开发和生物库的例子;加拿大采用经济手段保护生物多样性的案例;瑞士农业旅游和西班牙绿色工业发展的案例;以及澳大利亚实施“清洁可持续技能培训计划”的经验等.尽管各个国家由于制度、经济体制、发展水平的差异,在推进绿色发展的具体战略措施和行动方案等方面存在差异,但一些共同认可的经验和成功案例对中国西部绿色发展起步实施具有一定的借鉴和指导作用.根据这些国际经验分析,本文提出了对中国西部绿色发展的五点启示,主要包括:①制定绿色发展的制度安排和路线图;②开展动态的绩效监测评估与考核,建立切合实际的可量化的考核体系;③建立生态产权或自然资源产权交易市场化的激励机制,并选择典型区先行先试,建立长期稳定有效的生态补偿机制;④利益相关者积极主动参与到绿色发展的进程之中;⑤提供绿色就业机会,提高劳动力技能和素质.     

Sustainable Development and Environment: a Renewed Effort in the OECD

The importance of sustainable development has been clearly recognised by the OECD Council at Ministerial Level. The Communiqué of the 1998 Ministerial Meeting states that Ministers agreed that the achievement of sustainable development is a key priority for OECD countries. They encouraged the elaboration of the Organisation's strategy for wide-ranging efforts over the next three years in the areas of climate change, technological development, sustainability indicators, and the environmental impact of subsidies.... Further, Ministers asked the OECD to enhance its dialogue with non-member countries in these areas and to engage them more actively, including through shared analyses and development of strategies for implementing sustainable development (OECD, 1998d).To help countries achieve the transition to sustainable development, a framework is required for the integration of economic, environmental and social policy. This was the main recommendation of the report in November 1997 to the OECD Secretary-General, Donald J. Johnston, of the High-Level Advisory Group on the Environment (OECD, 1997b). The OECD and its affiliates (including the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Development Centre and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)) are well equipped with the broad, multidisciplinary expertise to assist Member governments in this task. Work on sustainable development encompasses the full range of activities of the Organisation: macro and micro-economic analysis; environmental policy; labour markets, education, health and social policies; agricultural and fisheries policies; energy policy; technology policy; regional, local and urban policies; and development co-operation. Activities with non-members add an essential global perspective. The challenge is to move beyond a sectoral approach to integrated policies, and to exploit potential synergies and interrelationships between this wide range of competencies. The aim is to move as far as possible towards the harmonisation and integration of policies within an overall economic framework.     

Measurement of agricultural total factor productivity growth incorporating environmental factors: A nutrients balance approach

This article proposes to use nutrient-orientated environmental efficiency (EE) measures to construct a nutrient total factor productivity index (NTFP). Since nutrient-orientated EE measures are consistent with the materials balance principle, NTFP index is superior to other existing TFP indexes. An empirical study on the environmental performance of an agricultural sector in 30 OECD countries from 1990 to 2003 yielded several important findings. First, these countries should be able to produce current outputs with at least 50% less aggregate eutrophying power, implying that they should have been able to substantially reduce the potential for eutrophication. Second, traditional TFP has grown by 1.6% per annum due to technical progress; however, there are lags in the responses of several countries to this technical progress. Third, environmental TFP has grown at a slower rate than traditional TFP growth due to reductions in nutrient-orientated allocative efficiency. Finally, changes in input combinations could have significantly improved environmental efficiency and productivity. These findings favor policy interventions and faster technological transfer to improve environmental performance.