Could baseline establishment be counterproductive for emissions reduction? Insights from Vietnam’s building sector

This article provides insights into the role of institutions involved in climate governance working towards a future low-carbon society at the national level, within the global climate change governance architecture. Specifically, it contributes to understanding the fragmented governance of energy efficiency policy in developing countries by focussing on Vietnam’s building sector, identifying key institutions related to underlying discourses, national and international power relations, resource distribution and coalitions. It uses the case of baseline setting in developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to illustrate institutional dynamics, nationally and transnationally, as well as to question whether demands for baseline setting achieve the ideal trade-off between actual GHG emissions reduction and institutionalized demands for accountability. The analysis reveals that, in addition to domestic efforts and challenges, the international agenda greatly influences the energy efficiency policy arena. The article presents lessons to be learnt about policy processes from the specific Vietnamese case, reflecting on the role of international actors and discourses in it. Finally, it argues for the abolition of baselines in favour of adequate monitoring and evaluation, from the perspective that requirement for deviation from fictitious baselines is unproductive and only serves an international techno-managerial discourse.

POLICY RELEVANCE

Baseline establishment is commonly considered an initial step in developing NAMAs, in order to facilitate the demonstration of a deviation from such baselines. The requirement to produce baselines is traditionally not questioned by policy practitioners. Thus, significant development resources are allocated to the establishment of baselines and the bridging of data gaps, often without consideration as to whether baselines are a necessary instrument for NAMA implementation. We suggest omitting the lengthy and resource-consuming practice of establishing baselines and recommend proceeding forthwith to the planning and implementation of mitigation and energy efficiency policies. As conditions vary significantly in different contexts, it would be more appropriate to measure the initial situation, establishing the ‘base point’, and monitor development from that point. The present article might serve as motivation for policymakers to question traditional approaches to policy development and consider alternatives to maximize the cost efficacy of NAMA programmes and facilitate their implementation.     

Geographical Conditions and National Strategies

This paper is a summary based on the relationship between national conditions and development strategies for decades of consulting research. Through cases, the paper outlined the basic meaning of national conditions and geographical conditions and their close relationship with national development strategies, and emphasized the importance of comprehensive thinking and scientific judgment in the process of carrying out the governments’ strategies and development policies, and making development policies. At last, suggestions were made that the points of China’s national conditions and the rules of connection with government decision-making should be written into geography textbooks as well as into textbooks for party schools of the Communist Party of China.     

国家地震烈度速报与预警工程定制软件总体设计

国家地震烈度速报与预警工程现已建设世界上规模最大的、总数超过15000个台站的地震烈度速报与预警观测站网。定制软件是预警工程的核心内容之一,将实现我国地震观测领域数据处理系统的全面升级。本文结合定制软件项目建设目标、业务功能需求等情况,从设计思路、总体架构、分系统功能、部署方式、性能指标和关键技术指标等方面对定制软件总体设计进行介绍。定制软件的总体设计契合预警业务功能需求,使得预警工程具备高稳定性、低延时、高可靠度、高处理性能的数据处理、紧急地震信息服务、数据综合服务和技术支持与保障能力,使地震预警和烈度速报两大功能得到落实,使工程项目的防震减灾效能得到切实体现。     

国家自然科学基金人文地理学项目研究特征简析

以2007-2011 年国家自然科学基金人文地理学代码(D0102) 的申请书作为样本,对申请代码、重点研究领域以及研究内容进行梳理,分析中国人文地理学近期发展特征。分析认为,科学问题综合与学科间交叉研究的增加使人文地理学学科边界呈现模糊化的趋势;研究方向体现了时代特点且各研究方向之间申请数量比较均衡;研究关键词大量涌现但共识性表述相对较少;选题颇具本土应用特点但学科体系建设意识逐步增强。     

温室气体清单编制方法研究进展

温室气体清单反映了温室气体排放和吸收的状况,是制定与衡量应对气候变化政策和措施的基础。虽然联合国规定了国家清单采用生产者责任方法编制,但很多研究认为该方法存在“碳泄漏”,容易造成发达国家转移减排责任等问题,并提出了其他清单编制方法。本文对已有的温室气体清单编制方法研究进行了总结,将其归纳为3大类:生产者责任方法、消费者责任方法和生产—消费者共同责任方法,并进一步总结了3大类方法下的多种估算方法;通过图表、数据等方式分析了各类方法的原理、优点及局限性。通过已有的研究分析推断,未来一段时间内生产者责任方法仍将是推荐的国家温室气体清单编制方法。最后展望了我国国家和省级温室气体清单编制研究方向。     

Recognition of geochemical footprints of mineral systems in the regolith at regional to continental scales

Understanding the character of Australia's extensive regolith cover is crucial to the continuing success of mineral exploration. We hypothesise that the regolith contains geochemical fingerprints of processes related to the development and preservation of mineral systems at a range of scales. We test this hypothesis by analysing the composition of surface sediments within greenfield regional-scale (southern Thomson Orogen) and continental-scale (Australia) study areas. In the southern Thomson Orogen area, the first principal component (PC1) derived in our study [Ca, Sr, Cu, Mg, Au and Mo at one end; rare earth elements (REEs) and Th at the other] is very similar to the empirical vector used by a local company (enrichment in Sr, Ca and Au concomitant with depletion in REEs) to successfully site exploration drill holes for Cu–Au mineralisation. Mapping of the spatial distribution of PC1 in the region reveals several areas of elevated values and possible mineralisation potential. One of the strongest targets in the PC1 map is located between Brewarrina and Bourke in northern New South Wales. Here, exploration drilling has intersected porphyry Cu–Au mineralisation with up to 1 wt% Cu, 0.1 g/t Au, and 717 ppm Zn. The analysis of a comparable geochemical dataset at the continental scale yields a compositionally similar PC1 (Ca, Sr, Mg, Cu, Au and Mo at one end; REEs and Th at the other) to that of the regional study. Mapping PC1 at the continental scale shows patterns that (1) are spatially compatible with the regional study and (2) reveal several geological regions of elevated values, possibly suggesting an enhanced potential for porphyry Cu–Au mineralisation. These include well-endowed mineral provinces such as the Curnamona and Capricorn regions, but also some greenfield regions such as the Albany-Fraser/western Eucla, western Murray and Eromanga geological regions. We conclude that the geochemical composition of Australia's regolith may hold critical information pertaining to mineralisation within/beneath it.     

Estimation on Aesthetic Value of Tourist Landscapes in a Natural Heritage Site： Kanas National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China

Most world natural heritage sites are designated partly by reason of their prominent aesthetic values in accordance with Article Ⅶ of World Natural Heritage Convention.In this paper, the aesthetic values of Kanas National Nature Reserve, which has potential for such designation, was analyzed quantitatively using scenic beauty estimation(SBE).The landscapes of 19 representative scenic spots in the Kanas National Nature Reserve in summer and autumn were selected as the objects of evaluation.The contributions of different landscape factors to the aesthetic value of the Kanas National Nature Reserve were revealed using a multivariate quantitative model.The main factors affecting the aesthetic value were waterscapes, vegetation, mountains, folk culture and the tourist environment.The t-test and F-test results are extremely significant.According to the results, some suggestions were given for conserving the landscapes in the Kanas National Nature Reserve.     

Forest Fire Alert System: a Geo Web GIS prioritization model considering land susceptibility and hotspots – a case study in the Carajás National Forest,Brazilian Amazon

To increase the monitoring potential of forest fires, an alert classification methodology using satellite-mapped hotspots has been established to help forest managers in the prioritization of which hotspot to be verified in the field, thus potentially improving the distribution of fire-fighting resources. A computer application was developed based on web-distributed geographical information technology whose main function is to interact automatically generated satellite hotspots and risk areas indicated in fire-susceptibility maps and classify them into five alert levels. The location of the hotspots is available continuously every 4 h, and a susceptibility map is produced daily through map algebra algorithm, which uses static (topography, vegetation and land use) and dynamic (weather) variables. Every process runs through automated geoprocessing routines. The methodology was tested during the dry period of 2007 in the Carajás National Forest, in the Brazilian Amazon, within an area of 400,000 ha. It is a critical area constantly threatened by fires caused by invasions and deforestation owing to intense agribusiness advances and mining activities in its surroundings. This situation results in observations of many hotspots inside the study area for the same day and almost the same time period, in places of extreme opposites, demanding complex rapid analysis and hindering the decision of the displacement of fire-fighting teams. Further, a major mining company operates within the National Forest area, maintaining actions of protection as part of its environmental mining license. Results are presented under three aspects: (i) the credibility of the daily susceptibility map (algorithm), which showed strong correlation between areas of greatest risks and the confirmed forest fires; (ii) the reliability of hotspots (alert levels), confirming 71% of fires; (iii) accuracy in the decision of which hotspot to be checked, which revealed the same number of verifications at different alert levels, 82% confirmed alert 5 hotspots (maximum) and only 50% from alert 1 (minimum), resulting in faster fire-fighting actions, minimizing burned areas and, in some cases, allowing fire control before its spreading. Therefore, the methodology demonstrated that GIS routines are able to determine the relationship between a reality-based, interpreted susceptibility map of the area and satellite-generated hotspots, highlighting the ones of highest hazard level through the alert classification, becoming an important tool to help decisions from the fire-control center, especially for high-risk regions. The methodology may be extrapolated to other forested areas.     

国有土地地籍调查工作流程探讨

基于笔者多年地籍调查的相关工作经验,以广州市国有土地地籍调查工作流程为研究对象,对国有土地登记前的地籍调查的流程进行了分析探讨。全文是笔者长期工作实践基础上的理论升华,相信对从事相关工作的同行有着重要的参考价值和借鉴意义。     

地方坐标系到CGCS 2000的转换在电网GIS中的应用

随着国家电网公司空间信息服务平台的建设和2000国家大地坐标系(CGCS 2000)的启用,迫切需要将各省不同坐标系的空间数据统一转换到CGCS 2000,从而实现电网空间信息服务平台的纵向贯通及空间数据资源的整合和共享。本文根据电力GIS空间数据资源的特点及行业情况,阐述了电网GIS中现有成果从独立坐标系向CGCS 2000转换的实现,并提出了对转换成果的验证方法。