As part of a comprehensive environmental management system, many countries establish emission control targets for mass emissions of a pollutant. Such targets are often the key objective of an environmental policy, suc...As part of a comprehensive environmental management system, many countries establish emission control targets for mass emissions of a pollutant. Such targets are often the key objective of an environmental policy, such as an emission trading program. In China, however, it is more than just an objective of one particular policy; it has become a concept that has influenced many national environmental policies and activities. The objective of this article is to review the implementation of the total emission control policy in the past 10 years and explore emerging issues in its implementation. The article has three sections: a summary of the implementation experience, issues with the design and implementation of the policy, and policy recommendations.展开更多
Discharges and emissions in the coal mining process have a strong effect both on the environment and on human health. This problem is usually be a negative one and has only been recognized qualitatively, due to the la...Discharges and emissions in the coal mining process have a strong effect both on the environment and on human health. This problem is usually be a negative one and has only been recognized qualitatively, due to the lack of effective quantitative methods. Based on emergy theory and accounting methodology, a set of quantitative methods for accounting the environmental support due to pollutants emissions was first introduced. Then impacts on environment and effects on human health were quantified using the unified units. The results indicated that water pollutants caused more impacts on the environment than air pollutants did, i.e., more environmental contributions are needed to dilute and absorb water pollutants. The occupation of land caused by coal mining gangue waste stacking has led to a huge loss of environmental services over the years. Moreover, the potential damage on the human condition health caused by CO2 through climate change cannot be ignored. Finally, the impacts of mining activities on environmental and human health in unified units are shown to provide a quantitative insight into the disadvantage of coal mining. The comparable results of the method indicate the different influence of various pollutants and the contribution of ＇natural capital＇ directly. This work is a part of ongoing thermodynamic input-output analysis and life cycle analysis of coal mining systems （which are in process.）展开更多
River water plays a key role in human health, and in social and economic development, and is often affected by both natural factors and human activities. An in-depth understanding of the role of these factors can help...River water plays a key role in human health, and in social and economic development, and is often affected by both natural factors and human activities. An in-depth understanding of the role of these factors can help in developing an effective catchment management strategy to protect precious water resources. This study analyzed river water quality, patterns of terrestrial and riparian ecosystems, intensity of agricultural activities, industrial structure, and spatial distribution of pollutant emissions in the Haihe River Basin in China for the year of 2010, identifying the variables that have the greatest impact on river water quality. The area percentage of farmland in study area, the percentage of natural vegetation cover in the 1000-m riparian zone, rural population density, industrial Gross Domestic Product(GDP)/km^2, and industrial amino nitrogen emissions were all significantly correlated with river water quality(P < 0.05). Farming had the largest impact on river water quality, explaining 43.0% of the water quality variance, followed by the coverage of natural vegetation in the 1000-m riparian zone, which explained 36.2% of the water quality variance. Industrial amino nitrogen emissions intensity and rural population density explained 31.6% and 31.4% of the water quality variance, respectively, while industrial GDP/km^2 explained 26.6%. Together, these five indicators explained 67.3% of the total variance in water quality. Consequently, water environmental management of the Haihe River Basin should focus on adjusting agricultural activities, conserving riparian vegetation, and reducing industrial pollutant emissions by optimizing industrial structure. The results demonstrate how human activities drive the spatial pattern changes of river water quality, and they can provide reference for developing land use guidelines and for prioritizing management practices to maintain stream water quality in a large river basin.展开更多
A decomposition model was applied to study the resource-saving and environment-friendly effects of air pollutant emissions(taking industrial SO2 emission as an example) in China.From the results,it is found that 38.93...A decomposition model was applied to study the resource-saving and environment-friendly effects of air pollutant emissions(taking industrial SO2 emission as an example) in China.From the results,it is found that 38.93% and 61.07% are contributed to environment-friendly and resource-saving effects,respectively,by the dramatic decrease in industrial SO2 emission density(nearly 70% from 2001 to 2010).This indicates that China has achieved important progress during the 11th FYP(five-year plan) compared with the 10th FYP.A simultaneous equations model was also employed to analyze the influencing factors by using data from 30 provinces in China.The results imply that the influence of environmental regulation on environment-friendly effect is not obvious during the 10th FYP but obvious during the 11th FYP.Thus,the government should continue promoting the environment-friendly effect by further enhancing environmental regulation and strengthening the role of environmental management.展开更多
Constrained by the dual mission of supporting industrial growth and reducing emissions, China＇s traditional emission reduction-oriented environmental policies unavoidably face a dilemma. Taking environmental efficien...Constrained by the dual mission of supporting industrial growth and reducing emissions, China＇s traditional emission reduction-oriented environmental policies unavoidably face a dilemma. Taking environmental efficiency as the exclusive indicator for the relationship between environmental performance and industrial development, the author calculated the environmental efficiency of China＇s industries under different pollutant disposability assumptions, while also considering environmental pollution. In addition, based on the assumption of industry heterogeneity, the author examined the non-linear relationship between China＇s environmental regulation and environmental efficiency and calculated the optimal regulation environment for industries. According to this study, when impact of undesirable outputs （pollutant emissions） is considered, environmental regulation and environmental efficiency are positively correlated, which to some degree validates the Porter Hypothesis. At present, environmental regulation has significant positive effects on clean production industries but shows a lag effect on pollution-intensive industries. The degree of environmental regulation and environmental efficiency show an ＂inverted U＂shaped relation and display three thresholds. It should be noted, however, that the relationship between regulation and efficiency may vary across industries. These findings have clear policy implications： China should adjust its traditional emission reduction-oriented environmental polices by targeting environmental efficiency. At the same time, rather than continually increasing the level of environmental regulation, the government should establish standards for individual industries that emphasize flexibility.展开更多
VOCs play an increasingly important role in affecting air quality and threatening human health in China in recent years,where industry activities show a significant contribution to VOCs emission.In this article we rep...VOCs play an increasingly important role in affecting air quality and threatening human health in China in recent years,where industry activities show a significant contribution to VOCs emission.In this article we report our long term study of industrial VOCs emissions of six major industries (vehicle manufacturing,printing,equipment coating,electronic manufacturing,furniture manufacturing and bio-pharming) on the aspects of emission characteristics,environmental impact and health risk assessment,and control challenge analysis with the purpose to obtain in-depth understanding of industry VOCs emissions and offer some original basements for national control and management of industry VOCs emissions.This study shows that all these industries give middle or low emission with total VOCs concentration less than 1000 mg/m3 at each exhaust pipe.Benzenes,esters,alcohols,ketones,alkanes,chloroalkanes and alkenes were detected as the major emission components and the most frequently monitored VOCs were benzenes,which varied obviously with different processes and industries.The environmental impact assessments indicate that vehicle manufacturing and benzenes should be prior controlled with the purpose to reduce air pollution.While,health risk assessments suggest that furniture manufacturing and chloroalkanes should be firstly controlled.Control analysis indicates that developing technologies with low cost and high efficiency and establishing and completing specific industry emission standards/regulations are the two key issues in VOCs emission management at present stage.展开更多
文摘As part of a comprehensive environmental management system, many countries establish emission control targets for mass emissions of a pollutant. Such targets are often the key objective of an environmental policy, such as an emission trading program. In China, however, it is more than just an objective of one particular policy; it has become a concept that has influenced many national environmental policies and activities. The objective of this article is to review the implementation of the total emission control policy in the past 10 years and explore emerging issues in its implementation. The article has three sections: a summary of the implementation experience, issues with the design and implementation of the policy, and policy recommendations.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （41101560）
文摘Discharges and emissions in the coal mining process have a strong effect both on the environment and on human health. This problem is usually be a negative one and has only been recognized qualitatively, due to the lack of effective quantitative methods. Based on emergy theory and accounting methodology, a set of quantitative methods for accounting the environmental support due to pollutants emissions was first introduced. Then impacts on environment and effects on human health were quantified using the unified units. The results indicated that water pollutants caused more impacts on the environment than air pollutants did, i.e., more environmental contributions are needed to dilute and absorb water pollutants. The occupation of land caused by coal mining gangue waste stacking has led to a huge loss of environmental services over the years. Moreover, the potential damage on the human condition health caused by CO2 through climate change cannot be ignored. Finally, the impacts of mining activities on environmental and human health in unified units are shown to provide a quantitative insight into the disadvantage of coal mining. The comparable results of the method indicate the different influence of various pollutants and the contribution of ＇natural capital＇ directly. This work is a part of ongoing thermodynamic input-output analysis and life cycle analysis of coal mining systems （which are in process.）
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41371538)Independent Project of State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology,Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.SKLURE2008-1-02)
文摘River water plays a key role in human health, and in social and economic development, and is often affected by both natural factors and human activities. An in-depth understanding of the role of these factors can help in developing an effective catchment management strategy to protect precious water resources. This study analyzed river water quality, patterns of terrestrial and riparian ecosystems, intensity of agricultural activities, industrial structure, and spatial distribution of pollutant emissions in the Haihe River Basin in China for the year of 2010, identifying the variables that have the greatest impact on river water quality. The area percentage of farmland in study area, the percentage of natural vegetation cover in the 1000-m riparian zone, rural population density, industrial Gross Domestic Product(GDP)/km^2, and industrial amino nitrogen emissions were all significantly correlated with river water quality(P < 0.05). Farming had the largest impact on river water quality, explaining 43.0% of the water quality variance, followed by the coverage of natural vegetation in the 1000-m riparian zone, which explained 36.2% of the water quality variance. Industrial amino nitrogen emissions intensity and rural population density explained 31.6% and 31.4% of the water quality variance, respectively, while industrial GDP/km^2 explained 26.6%. Together, these five indicators explained 67.3% of the total variance in water quality. Consequently, water environmental management of the Haihe River Basin should focus on adjusting agricultural activities, conserving riparian vegetation, and reducing industrial pollutant emissions by optimizing industrial structure. The results demonstrate how human activities drive the spatial pattern changes of river water quality, and they can provide reference for developing land use guidelines and for prioritizing management practices to maintain stream water quality in a large river basin.
基金Project(201009066)supported by the R&D Special Fund for Public Welfare of the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Science and Technology of China
文摘A decomposition model was applied to study the resource-saving and environment-friendly effects of air pollutant emissions(taking industrial SO2 emission as an example) in China.From the results,it is found that 38.93% and 61.07% are contributed to environment-friendly and resource-saving effects,respectively,by the dramatic decrease in industrial SO2 emission density(nearly 70% from 2001 to 2010).This indicates that China has achieved important progress during the 11th FYP(five-year plan) compared with the 10th FYP.A simultaneous equations model was also employed to analyze the influencing factors by using data from 30 provinces in China.The results imply that the influence of environmental regulation on environment-friendly effect is not obvious during the 10th FYP but obvious during the 11th FYP.Thus,the government should continue promoting the environment-friendly effect by further enhancing environmental regulation and strengthening the role of environmental management.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China（Grant Number 71003023） Ministry of Education, Humanities and Social Science research projects （Grant Number 10YJC790062）.
文摘Constrained by the dual mission of supporting industrial growth and reducing emissions, China＇s traditional emission reduction-oriented environmental policies unavoidably face a dilemma. Taking environmental efficiency as the exclusive indicator for the relationship between environmental performance and industrial development, the author calculated the environmental efficiency of China＇s industries under different pollutant disposability assumptions, while also considering environmental pollution. In addition, based on the assumption of industry heterogeneity, the author examined the non-linear relationship between China＇s environmental regulation and environmental efficiency and calculated the optimal regulation environment for industries. According to this study, when impact of undesirable outputs （pollutant emissions） is considered, environmental regulation and environmental efficiency are positively correlated, which to some degree validates the Porter Hypothesis. At present, environmental regulation has significant positive effects on clean production industries but shows a lag effect on pollution-intensive industries. The degree of environmental regulation and environmental efficiency show an ＂inverted U＂shaped relation and display three thresholds. It should be noted, however, that the relationship between regulation and efficiency may vary across industries. These findings have clear policy implications： China should adjust its traditional emission reduction-oriented environmental polices by targeting environmental efficiency. At the same time, rather than continually increasing the level of environmental regulation, the government should establish standards for individual industries that emphasize flexibility.
基金supported by the Team Interaction and Cooperation of the Science and Technology Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX2-YW-JS402)+4 种基金the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB732300)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Science(XDB05050200)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(2012AA063101)the Program of Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning(2012A014)Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation(8112015)
文摘VOCs play an increasingly important role in affecting air quality and threatening human health in China in recent years,where industry activities show a significant contribution to VOCs emission.In this article we report our long term study of industrial VOCs emissions of six major industries (vehicle manufacturing,printing,equipment coating,electronic manufacturing,furniture manufacturing and bio-pharming) on the aspects of emission characteristics,environmental impact and health risk assessment,and control challenge analysis with the purpose to obtain in-depth understanding of industry VOCs emissions and offer some original basements for national control and management of industry VOCs emissions.This study shows that all these industries give middle or low emission with total VOCs concentration less than 1000 mg/m3 at each exhaust pipe.Benzenes,esters,alcohols,ketones,alkanes,chloroalkanes and alkenes were detected as the major emission components and the most frequently monitored VOCs were benzenes,which varied obviously with different processes and industries.The environmental impact assessments indicate that vehicle manufacturing and benzenes should be prior controlled with the purpose to reduce air pollution.While,health risk assessments suggest that furniture manufacturing and chloroalkanes should be firstly controlled.Control analysis indicates that developing technologies with low cost and high efficiency and establishing and completing specific industry emission standards/regulations are the two key issues in VOCs emission management at present stage.
