Options to overcome the barriers to pricing European agricultural emissions

Although agriculture could contribute substantially to European emission reductions, its mitigation potential lies untapped and dormant. Market-based instruments could be pivotal in incentivizing cost-effective abatement. However, sector specificities in transaction costs, leakage risks and distributional impacts impede its implementation. The significance of such barriers critically hinges on the dimensions of policy design. This article synthesizes the work on emissions pricing in agriculture together with the literature on the design of market-based instruments. To structure the discussion, an options space is suggested to map policy options, focusing on three key dimensions of policy design. More specifically, it examines the role of policy coverage, instruments and transfers to farmers in overcoming the barriers. First, the results show that a significant proportion of agricultural emissions and mitigation potential could be covered by a policy targeting large farms and few emission sources, thereby reducing transaction costs. Second, whether an instrument is voluntary or mandatory influences distributional outcomes and leakage. Voluntary instruments can mitigate distributional concerns and leakage risks but can lead to subsidy lock-in and carbon price distortion. Third, the impact on transfers resulting from the interaction of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with emissions pricing will play a key role in shaping political feasibility and has so far been underappreciated.

POLICY RELEVANCE

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement, European climate policy is at a crossroads. Achieving cost-effectively the 2030 and 2050 European targets requires all sectors to reduce their emissions. Yet, the cornerstone of European climate policy, the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), covers only about half of European emissions. Major sectors have been so far largely exempted from carbon pricing, in particular transport and agriculture. While transport has been increasingly under the spotlight as a possible candidate for an EU ETS sectoral expansion, policy discussions on pricing agricultural emissions have been virtually absent. This article attempts to fill this gap by investigating options for market-based instruments to reduce agricultural emissions while taking barriers to implementation into account.     

Modelling of pile wave barriers by effective trenches and their screening effectiveness

The three-dimensional problem of isolation of vibration by a row of piles is studied numerically on the basis of a model replacing the row of piles by an effective trench in order to reduce the modelling complexity. The analysis is accomplished with the aid of an advanced frequency domain boundary element method, which is used for both the infilled trench and the soil medium in conjunction with a coupling procedure based on enforcement of equilibrium and compatibility at the trench–soil interface. Linear elastic or viscoelastic material behaviour is assumed for both the piles and the soil. The piles can be tubular or solid and have circular or square cross-section. The vibration source is a vertical force, harmonically varying with time, and the row of piles acts as a passive wave barrier. The effective trench model is constructed by invoking well known homogenization techniques used in the mechanics of fibre-reinforced composite materials, and its accuracy is compared against a rigorous boundary element analysis modelling each pile separately in full contact with the soil medium. On the basis of the effective trench model, the screening effectiveness of a row of piles is studied through parametric studies.     

地球化学屏障中添加剂的选择研究

设置一系列加有不同添加剂的地球化学屏障,利用静态平衡实验,并与未加添加剂的空白实验对比,分析其对Ｕ,Ｃｏ,Ｓｒ的阻滞性能;并通过计算Ｋｄ值,对屏障的综合阻滞性能进行分析,选出恰当的添加剂。结果表明：ＮａＳ２作碱性－还原添加剂,利于核素的化学沉淀反应,而且Ｋｄ值显著地增加,屏障对Ｕ,Ｃｏ,Ｓｒ的阻滞性能最好。     

The Baltic Sea environment and the European Union: Analysis of governance barriers

The EU enlargement brought the Baltic Sea into the sphere of EU environmental policymaking, making the sea, with the exception of Russia, an EU inland sea. Yet, the state of the Baltic Sea environment is deteriorating at an alarming pace. This paper describes the evolution of the EU governance of the Baltic Sea environment, focussing on governance barriers. The findings demonstrate how the choice of analytical lens influences the construction of governance barriers and the respective intervention strategies. Such understanding can help policy practitioners in their search for successful measures to improve the governance situation in the Baltic Sea region.     

A critical examination of the seafaring English education and training in China

The increased maritime accidents attributable to communication barriers have raised great concern about international shipping safety. The requirement for effective communication has been contained in the compulsory part of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers in 2010. However, many Chinese seafarers still experience difficulty in communicating with foreign seafarers at sea even though they passed the English exams required for a Certificate of Competency. Literature argues that the outcomes of maritime English education are not satisfactory. However, this claim is too general and has not been substantiated with empirical evidence. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper reveals that English communicative incompetence of Chinese seafarers was attributable to the maritime English examinations system, teaching materials, teaching methods and teachers and students themselves. Recommendations were made to improve maritime cadets’ English communicative competence.     

Attenuation of ground vibrations using in-filled wave barriers

Ground vibrations generated by construction activities can adversely affect the structural health of adjacent buildings and foundations supporting them. Therefore propagation and rate of attenuation of construction induced ground vibrations is important during construction activities, particularly in urban areas where constructions are carried out in the vicinity of existing structures. In practice wave barriers are installed in the ground to mitigate the ground vibration propagation and hence to minimise the effect of ground vibrations on surrounding structures. Different types of fill materials such as bentonite, EPS geofoam and concrete are used in constructing wave barriers. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model is developed to study the efficiency of different fill materials in attenuating ground vibrations. The model is first verified using data from full scale field experiments, where EPS geofoam has been used as a fill material in wave barriers. Then the same model has been used to evaluate the efficiency of open trenches, water filled wave barriers and EPS geofoam filled wave barriers on attenuation of ground vibrations. EPS geofoam is found to be the most efficient fill material, providing attenuation efficiency closer to open trenches. The efficiency of EPS geofoam and water filled wave barriers can be significantly increased by increasing the depth of the wave barrier.     

某核废物填埋区土壤对Sr吸附的动态模拟实验研究

目前,我国处理极低放废物采用的是就近地质填埋的方法,通过选择合适的吸附材料及添加剂,建立人工屏障,以最大限度地阻滞核素进入与人类生活有关的自然环境中。这里通过研究某地土壤对Sr的吸附,做了动态模拟试验,建立了动态模型,进行不同高度柱体的对比实验。经实验表明：填埋区土壤TY29＋1％人造沸石作为填埋场屏障材料,可营造“碱性～还原”氛围,对阻滞Sr迁移非常有效。不同高度柱体对比实验表明：当柱高度之比为1：2：3,C／C0=0．5时,其累计输出的流量之比为1：1．96：2．16,平均渗透系数分别为：0．62、0．52、0．54。由此可见,随高度增加,吸附性能呈增高的趋势,且柱体渗透性降低。在柱体吸附一段时间后,三个柱的吸附能力都出现了减小的突越,这与在吸附过程中前期为物理吸附进行的较快,后期为化学吸附进行的较慢有关。     

HDPE蜂巢式固沙障研制与防沙效应实验研究

 采用先进的HDPE新材料制成蜂巢式固沙障来替代传统的草方格。研究发现:HDPE蜂巢式固沙障可以增大下垫面的粗糙度,明显降低了地表底层风速,进而减弱输沙强度,使流沙表面得以稳定。在格状沙障内,由于气流的涡旋作用,使原始沙面充分蚀积,最后达到平衡状态,形成稳定的凹曲面。下凹的深度(h)与凹面玄长(S)的比值为13.6/100~13.2/100,这种下凹的深度(h)与凹面玄长(S)的比值与传统有效的草方格（草方格为13.3/100）防沙效应相当,其二者流场特性也相同。这种稳定的凹曲面,对不饱和风沙流具一种升力效应,形成沙物质的非堆积搬运条件,这是格状沙障作用的关键。实验表明,选用孔隙度为40％、高20 cm的HDPE固沙障防沙效果显著。     

地形在高大金字塔沙山形成发育过程中的作用——以敦煌鸣沙山-月牙泉地区为例

地形在金字塔沙山形成发育过程中起着重要的作用。金字塔沙山通常形成于山前地带,应属于地形屏障影响下形成的一种沙丘类型。首先,上升气流的发育是山前风阻区气流的主要特征,地形屏障是上升气流发生发展的主要原因。沙山的坡脚、坡中及坡顶分别是上升气流的启动区、发育区及衰退区。上升气流是沙山增高增大发育的主要机制。其次,金字塔沙山多发育于局地环流发育较强的地带,局地环流与区域风况配置是形成复杂沙丘类型的重要因素。本区局地环流偏南风不仅持续时间长,且受到鸣沙山微地形的影响,下坡气流较强。实地观测结果破解了常规气候台观测数据难以揭示上升气流及局地环流对金字塔沙丘形成发育的影响。第三,下附地形在沙山形成发育过程中决定着沙丘发育的“临界尺度”,即丘体达到“临界尺度”的时候,坡面上升气流及风速放大作用逐渐显现,促使丘体增高增大发育,随着沙丘形态与上升气流的互馈作用进一步增强,金字塔沙丘逐渐形成演化为高大沙山。实地观测进一步证实了金字塔沙山是纵向（横向）沙丘形变的一种形式。并提出了金字塔沙山在地形条件下形成演化的一种新模式。     

“膨胀力”作用下致密砂岩储层石油运聚特征

在致密油成藏动力已有认识的基础上,从力的性质和作用效果的角度,对比分析了推动石油在致密储层中运移的"膨胀力"与常规储层情况下浮力之间的区别。论述了在"膨胀力"作用下,石油在理想致密砂岩模型中的运移模式、运移距离及致密油藏扩张规律。基于以上认识并结合实例,建立模型从动力学的角度分析了致密砂岩中隔、夹层及裂缝对石油运移富集的影响。分析认为:由于致密油与常规储层油藏在运移动力及运移模式上的差别,致密砂岩中隔、夹层将会在一定程度上阻碍石油的运移,造成成藏上物性较好的"空白带";在致密砂岩裂缝型油藏中,与裂缝直接接触物性较好的砂体是最具可能性的石油聚集区带。