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
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.
