Coal resources,production, and quality in the Eastern kentucky coal field: Perspectives on the future of steam coal production

The Eastern Kentucky coal field, along with adjacent portions of Virginia and southern West Virginia, is part of the greatest production concentration of high-heating-value, low-sulfur coal in the United States, accounting for over 27% of the 1993 U.S. production of coal of all ranks. Eastern Kentucky's production is spread among many coal beds but is particularly concentrated in a limited number of highquality coals, notably the Pond Creek coal bed and its correlatives, and the Fire Clay coal bed and its correlatives. Both coals are relatively low ash and low sulfur through the areas of the heaviest concentration of mining activity. We discuss production trends, resources, and the quality of in-place and clean coal for those and other major coals in the region.     

Institutional environments and the livelihood impacts of voluntary sustainability standards: A Village‐based analysis from southern Sumatra's coffee sector

Lead roasting firms are operating through Indonesia's coffee exporters to introduce voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in an attempt to secure supply, and to simultaneously meet corporate social responsibility requirements, even as empirical studies continue to show uncertain benefits for producer livelihoods. Value chain interventions like VSS, however, are not rolled out over a blank canvas, and many contributing factors determine their overall impact on livelihoods, particularly the local institutional environment. This study assesses the extent to which variability of empirical outcomes is determined by the institutional environment, by identifying specific processes through which VSS interact with pre‐existing social, political and economic institutions to influence livelihood outcomes. These include: firm‐specific corporate strategies (including producer training); livelihood strategies of households (including access to assets); government programs; and local political economy, as manifest particularly through patronage between traders and suppliers. VSS have thereby become an additional institutional layer shaping livelihood strategies and regional development outcomes, best viewed as providing access to a new social network that may be exploited by producers. The interaction between VSS programs, livelihood strategies and pre‐existing institutional environments in a particular place often dictates the variable outcomes for producers, making attribution of impact causation to VSS enrolment problematic.     

基于能值的内蒙古可持续发展评价(英文)

An integrated environmental accounting of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(IMAR) is presented in this paper based on emergy analysis with data from 1987 to 2007.Through calculating environmental and economic inputs and a series of emergy indicators,this paper discusses IMAR’s resource use structure,economic situation,and trade status.The results show that more than 85% of the emergy used in IMAR was derived from home sources,indicating a strong capacity for self-sufficiency.Concentrated-used local non-renewable emergy,which provides IMAR economy with most of the driving forces,took the largest share in total emergy use after 2004 and reached 58% in 2007.The Western China Development Plan of 2000 ushered in a rapid growth of coal and electricity production and exportation to other regions of China from IMAR.The export/import emergy ratio of IMAR reached 3.46 in 2007,with the coal exported(3.44 10 23 sej in 2007) without being used by IMAR itself,accounting for almost 100% of the difference between the imports and exports.The results also show that from 1987 to 1998,EmSI values remained higher than 10,suggesting underdevelopment in IMAR;after 1998,EmSI values decreased sharply from 19.07 in 1998 to 1.88 in 2007,indicating that IMAR is characterized by medium-run sustainability and is relying more on non-renewable resources and imports.     

Nonrenewable resources in economic, social, and environmental sustainability

This paper reviews the linkages among energy and mineral resources and economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Nonrenewable resources are shown to be integral components of sustainability, regardless of which paradigmatic definition of the concept is invoked. Potential measures of the degree to which nonrenewable resources contribute to or detract from sustainability are presented. We conclude that a set of such measures should be incorporated in the comprehensive framework of sustainability currently being developed by the Federal government. National scale indicators could be presented within the structure of the seven criteria from the Santiago Declaration, whereas a life cycle or materials flow approach could be used when sustainability of specific resources is at issue.     

工业用地出让、产业选择与城市空气质量

中国经济增长进入高质量发展阶段以后,传统“以地谋发展”的粗放增长模式弊端渐显,不仅造成了资源的过度消耗,也导致环境污染问题日益严峻。城市发展面临经济增长和环境保护的双重压力。“以地谋发展”背景下,地方政府主导的工业用地出让,在保障工业化快速推进的同时,也带来了一系列区域影响和区域效应,但现有文献缺乏深入研究。基于此,本研究利用2015—2019年284个地级及以上城市的面板数据,通过构建计量模型,实证分析了地方政府主导的工业用地出让对城市空气质量可能带来的影响。研究表明：① 城市工业用地出让规模扩张显著降低了城市空气质量,且这一效应存在空间异质性。② 工业用地出让方式对城市空气质量具有差异性影响,地方政府以协议方式出让的工业用地规模越大,城市的空气质量越差。③ 产业选择可能是工业用地出让影响城市环境质量的内在机制,地方政府倾向于通过协议出让的方式将工业用地供给污染密集型产业,从而导致城市空气质量变差。本研究从产业选择机制的角度试图解释地方政府工业用地出让行为影响城市空气质量的内在机理,是对现有文献的拓展和补充,也可为城市生态文明建设提供一定的政策启示。     

沙尘天气对榆林市环境空气质量的影响

基于2013-2018年榆林市沙尘天气和环境空气质量逐日数据,定量分析了沙尘天气对榆林市空气质量指数(AQI)、可吸入颗粒物(PM10)和细颗粒物(PM2.5)的绝对贡献和相对贡献率.结果表明:沙尘天气对榆林市AQI的贡献率为0.7％-11.1％(平均值±标准差6.4％±3.8％);对PM10的绝对贡献为 1.0-13...     

大气污染物排放量与颗粒物环境空气质量的空间非协同耦合研究——以武汉市为例

针对区域大气污染物排放量与空气质量在时空分布上存在不完全协同、匹配的现象,论文选择SO₂、NO_X、PM_2.5、CO和VOCs作为大气污染物指标,选择气溶胶光学厚度(Aerosol Optical Depth, AOD)表征颗粒物环境空气质量,以武汉市为例,综合应用耦合模型和空间错位指数模型研究2类指标之间的空间非协同耦合规律。主要结论如下：① 武汉市大气污染物排放量与颗粒物空气质量具有不同空间分布特征,大气污染物排放量呈现由城市中心城区向远城区递减的趋势,其中SO₂、PM_2.5和VOCs的排放具有明显的中心聚集现象,而NO_X和CO聚集现象不显著,且与道路分布明显相关;AOD分布具有明显的空间差异性,总体上呈由西北向东南依次递减的趋势。② 武汉市大气污染物排放与颗粒物空气质量的空间非协同耦合规律：越靠近城市中心城区,空间协同耦合现象越显著,空间错位现象越弱;越远离主城区,空间非协同耦合现象越显著,空间错位现象越显著;SO₂排放量与AOD在武汉市远城区的空间错位指数均大于0.7,且耦合度指数小于0.3,呈现较强的非协同耦合特征,NO_X、VOCs、PM_2.5的排放量与AOD在武汉中心城区的空间错位指数均小于0.5,且耦合度指数大于0.5,协同耦合现象较为显著。③ 基于时空非协同耦合分析城市大气环境污染治理建议：针对污染物与AOD空间错位不显著的城市中心城区,以本地减排治理为主;针对污染物与AOD空间错位显著的远城区,应在污染溯源分析的基础上进行区域协调综合治理。     

多尺度下城市形态对空气质量的作用机制研究

环境品质提升在城市可持续发展中占有举足轻重的地位,关于城市形态与空气质量的研究逐年增多。城市形态对空气质量的影响在理论与实践中均得到了验证,但不同尺度下城市形态影响空气质量的机理还有待进一步明确。基于文献分析,本文系统分析了不同尺度下城市形态与空气质量的关联性,分别研究了城市形态对空气污染排放与净化的作用机制、城市形态对空气污染扩散的作用机制,并构建了多尺度城市形态与空气质量的关联框架,基于该框架对已有研究的实证结果进行了总结,也明确了不同尺度下城市空间优化与治理的重点方向,在形成经济发展、城市建设与环境质量良性互动的可持续发展关系上具有理论与实践价值。     

空气质量对中国人口迁移的影响

随着中国流动人口群体构成和迁移模式的持续变化,空气质量等舒适性要素逐渐成为塑造人口迁移空间格局的重要因素.基于2000年以来的人口普查和抽样调查数据,本文探讨了空气质量对人口迁移影响的总体特征、变动趋势和作用模式.研究发现,空气质量已逐渐成为影响中国人口迁移格局的重要因素,且主要表现为推力作用.空气质量直接关系到人口迁...     

中国城市空气质量的区域差异及归因分析

开展城市空气质量时空格局演变特征及其影响因素的研究,对于深入认识城市环境与社会经济系统的互馈机理、制定高效的环境治理措施、提升城市发展质量具有重要的理论与实践意义。本文以中国全面实施《大气污染防治行动计划》的2014年为起点,刻画了2014—2019年286个地级以上城市6种空气污染物浓度（CO、NO₂、O₃、PM₁₀、PM_2.5、SO₂）的时空演变特征,并基于面板回归模型分析各污染物浓度之间的相互作用关系;进而利用随机森林模型对城市6种空气污染物浓度与13个自然和社会经济影响因子的关联强度进行探究,从中梳理出关键影响因子。结果显示：① 研究期内,O₃污染加剧,其余污染物年均浓度逐年下降,其中SO₂浓度降幅最大。虽然典型的重污染区范围有所减小,但京津冀、山东半岛、山西、河南等地区的城市空气污染物浓度仍相对较高。② 城市6种空气污染物浓度之间存在显著的相互影响关系,城市空气复合污染特征明显。③ 自然因素和社会经济因素对不同种类空气污染物浓度的影响差异较大,且与污染物浓度之间呈非线性响应关系。自然因素中,城市年均气温与空气污染物浓度的关联强度最大,其次是植被指数。社会经济影响因素中,土地城市化水平和二产比重是主导影响因子,其次是电力消耗总量和交通因子。偏依赖分析进一步刻画了不同污染物浓度对主导影响因子的响应突变阈值。鉴于人类对于自然环境和气象条件的控制能力有限,建议继续通过优化城市密度、控制人为排放源及严格的空气污染防控措施以进一步有效提高城市空气质量。     

Regional variation of urban air quality in China and its dominant factors

Journal of Geographical Sciences - It is of great theoretical and practical importance to carry out research on the spatio-temporal evolution of urban air pollution and its driving forces, which...     

Groundwater resources and quality in northeastern Jordan: safe yield and sustainability

Over-abstraction of groundwater is one concern of the Badia Research and Development Programme. The upper aquifer of the Azraq basin forms the largest resource of good-quality water, but current abstraction exceeds both average recharge and the safe yield of the aquifer, which is over-exploited. Although there has been no deterioration in water quality and only minor drawdown, the springs at Azraq have dried up, with severe, undesirable environmental impacts. Total abstraction of 20 × 10⁶ m³ yr⁻¹ appears to be sustainable and would allow some springflow, but this leaves a shortfall of 40 × 10⁶ m³ yr⁻¹ for domestic supply and agriculture.     

论乡村可持续性与乡村可持续性科学

面对全球环境挑战,可持续发展备受关注,成为21世纪举世瞩目的新兴领域。乡村可持续性科学作为可持续性科学的重要组成部分,是一门以跨学科思维、多尺度视角来理解和改善乡村人地关系的、以应用为导向的整合型学科。与城市可持续性科学相互对应并相互联系,乡村可持续性科学是应对乡村衰退、促进乡村可持续发展所急需的科学支撑。本文在讨论可持续性、乡村可持续性与乡村可持续性科学概念基础上,以农业可持续性、社区可持续性与农民福祉为主要内容,构建了一个多学科综合的乡村可持续性科学研究框架。中国是一个农业大国,城乡差距明显,“三农”问题复杂,1978年改革开放以来,乡村发展迅速,但也面临艰巨挑战。乡村振兴战略的实施是推动中国乡村向可持续发展转型的有效途径,但其理论与实践体系尚不完善。具有中国特色的乡村可持续性科学的发展,可以为乡村振兴战略实施提供理论、技术与决策支撑。为此,本文对中国乡村可持续发展现状进行了分析,并基于文献分析探讨了中国乡村可持续研究的不足。结论显示,中国乡村迫切需要向可持续发展转型,但乡村可持续性科学基础薄弱,需借鉴国际经验,立足本国国情,强化跨学科研究与人地系统耦合研究,聚焦9个适应中国当前乡村发展需求的核心议题,并因地制宜地将乡村可持续性研究成果转化为指导乡村振兴发展的行动策略。     

中国城市空气质量时空演化特征及社会经济驱动力

城市空气污染是中国在快速城镇化和经济发展过程中亟待解决的难题。利用2013年和2014年全国城市空气质量数据,综合ArcGIS空间分析和统计分析,从年度、季节、月份、小时4个时间尺度比较归纳了全国城市空气质量的时空间演化特征,并采用空间计量模型,从全国和区域两个空间尺度,量化分析了城市空气质量变化的社会经济驱动力。结果表明：① 全国城市空气质量全年达标天数比例增加,但空气污染程度加重,高污染区域恶化态势明显;② 城市空气质量与生产生活活动表现出一定的时间耦合性,基本呈现“日出趋差、日落趋优”的态势;③ 全国城市空气污染表现出“东重西轻、北重南轻”的空间格局,区域一体化态势明显;④ 区域城市空气污染的总体程度和分布结构具有明显的分异特征,区域空气污染形成和演化路径可基本归纳为：“重点城市污染加重—重点城市污染扩散—区域整体污染加重—重点城市引领治污—区域污染联防联控—区域整体污染减轻”;⑤ 从全国层面看,能源消耗、工业化和技术进步是推动城市空气质量恶化的重要因素,经济发展对城市空气质量改善具有显著的推动作用。⑥ 受各地区资源环境基础和社会经济发展阶段影响,各类社会经济因素对城市空气质量改善的驱动方向和驱动强度差异明显。在结论的基础上,讨论了中国经济发展和环境变化关系的区域分异以及发展理念。     

Optimizing water resources allocation in the Haihe River basin under groundwater sustainability constraints

Journal of Geographical Sciences - This study applies a hydroeconomic optimization method for water resources management in the highly water stressed Haihe River basin. A multi-objective,...     

2016—2020年沙尘天气对陕西省空气质量的影响特征

基于2016—2020年陕西省环境空气质量监测数据,分析沙尘天气对陕西省空气质量的影响特征。结果表明：(1)陕西省域沙尘天气过程每年发生9—19次,沙尘影响日每年20—46 d;春季为沙尘天气高发季,5月和3月为高发月;沙尘天气过程发生频数空间分布整体表现为自北向南、自东向西递减。(2)各城市沙尘天气过程持续时间2—120 h,关中城市持续时长总体高于陕北和陕南城市;不同沙尘天气过程PM10峰值浓度变化范围大,最高值出现在榆林(3 219μg·m^-3)。(3)2018年沙尘天气对陕西省PM₁₀年均浓度影响最大,2020年影响最小,年均浓度绝对贡献分别为9.3μg·m^-3和2.9μg·m^-3;各城市沙尘影响日超标占比66.7%—89.7%,污染等级以轻度和中度污染为主,严重和重度污染较少;榆林、延安和商洛的严重污染100%来源于沙尘天气,关中5市的严重污染20.5%—66.7%来源于沙尘天气。     

London: a sustainable city?

Observations include:
Ian Livingstone, London: a sustainable city?, p.77
Michael Parkinson, Key challenges for European cities: achieving competitiveness, cohesion and sustainability, p.78
Chris Hamnett, London's housing, p.80
Sarah Curtis, Health in London, p.84
Martin Frost, London's transport—investing for sustainability, p.92
Chris Birks, Mike Owen and Brian Arkell, London's water resources: threat or opportunity, p.92
Sean D Beevers, David C Carslaw and Gary W Fuller, London's air quality: nitrogen dioxide and particles (PM10) in London's air—present and future, p.97
Adam D Read, Where there's muck there's brass—the 'cost' of London'swaste?, p.103     

Book reviews

Books reviewed:
Hall, Peter. Cities in civilization. Culture, innovation, and urban order
Gottdiener, M., Collins, Claudia C. and Dickens, David R. Las Vegas: the social production of an all-American city
Duncan, James and Gregory Derek (eds) Writes of passage: reading travel writing     

Geospatial spreadsheets with microscale air quality visualization and synchronization for supporting multiple-scenario visual collaboration

A major obstacle of the interdisciplinary communications for decision-making is that each participant prefers the solution from their own area because current collaboration systems cannot effectively mediate among many alternatives. If a visual collaboration system could display multiple alternatives in a single visual presentation, users would be able to compare alternatives with only a few variables, where all other parameters are fixed, at least from a visual perspective. In this study, we developed a visualization tool to support a microscale air quality (MSAQ) management group, the members of which often need to compare the effects of many alternative control methods. The main achievements of this study are: (1) three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the MSAQ using a 3D city model and (2) development of a geospatial spreadsheet (GS) to facilitate visual comparisons, thereby improving decision-making by making it easy to compare differences based on realistic visual display items. A questionnaire-based survey showed that use of the GS could generate a shared perspective and provide a spatiotemporal context for the participants, thereby making it easy to compare, mediate and reach decisions when confronted with many alternatives.     

Coal-to-Liquids: Potential Impact on U.S. Coal Reserves

The production of liquid fuels from coal will very likely become an important part of the hydrocarbon energy mix of the future, provided that technical and environmental obstacles are overcome economically. The coal industry should be able to handle a coal-to-liquids (CTL) industry of modest size, using 60–70 million short tons or 54–64 million metric tonnes of coal per annum, without premature depletion of the country’s coal reserves. However, attempts to use CTL technology to replace all petroleum imports would deplete the nation’s coal reserves by the end of the century.