Interactions between climate and energy policies: the case of Spain

Emissions trading schemes (ETS) coexist with other environmental and energy policies, such as renewable energy promotion schemes. The potential synergies and conflicts between these policies are worth analysing. Spain is used as a case study to illustrate the theoretical, practical and quantitative interactions. The existence of national policies which affect CO₂ emissions and interact with the EU ETS may lead to conflicts, which could make it more difficult to reach the objectives of emissions reductions, local sustainability benefits, dynamic efficiency and moderate consumer costs. The coordination of efforts to mitigate these conflicts is difficult and may have limited effectiveness, since the instruments employed have multiple objectives and different territorial scopes. However, the coexistence of the EU ETS with other instruments can be justified if the latter can provide social benefits or tackle problems that the former cannot provide or solve (such as ‘local’ and ‘dynamic efficiency’ benefits). The results of an interaction between an ETS and renewable electricity promotion schemes depend on the type of RES-E (electricity from renewable energy sources) support scheme being used and on the specific design features of the instrument implemented.     

江西省应对气候变化政策

为应对全球气候变化,各级政府纷纷提出应对气候变化的战略和政策。以江西气候变化和影响事实为基础,分析和总结了目前江西省应对气候变化所采取的政策,包括农业政策、林业政策、水资源管理政策及防灾减灾政策等,得出了政府是应对气候变化的领导者、组织者和政策的制定者的结论,认为政府在应对气候变化行动中具有重要的引导作用。     

Economic and environmental effectiveness of a technology-based climate protocol

Abstract

The present stalemate in climate negotiations between the USA and the other Annex I countries has led policy analysts and economists to explore the possible emergence of alternative climate regimes that may be applied after 2012. This article explores the idea of replacing international cooperation on greenhouse gas emission control with international cooperation on climate-related technological innovation and diffusion. This idea—recently proposed among others by Barrett (2001) and Benedick (2001)—is based on the insight that incentives to free-ride are much smaller in the case of technological cooperation than in the case of cooperation on emission control. This article provides a first applied game theory analysis of a technology-based climate protocol by assessing: (i) the self-enforcingness (namely, the absence of incentives to free-ride) of the coalition that would form when countries negotiate on climate-related technological cooperation; (ii) the environmental effectiveness of a technology-based climate protocol. The analysis is carried out by using a model in which endogenous and induced technical change are explicitly modelled. The results of our analysis partly support Barrett's and Benedick's conjectures. On the one hand, a self-enforcing agreement is more likely to emerge when countries cooperate on environmental technological innovation and diffusion than when they cooperate on emission abatement. However, technological cooperation—without any commitment to emission control—may not lead to a sufficient abatement of greenhouse gas concentrations.     

The case for intensity targets

Abstract

While most of the world has pursued absolute emission limits for greenhouse gases, the Bush administration has proposed an alternative policy formulation based, among other things, on reducing emissions intensity—that is, emissions per dollar of real gross domestic product (GDP). Critics of this formulation have denounced the general idea of an intensity-based emission target, along with its voluntary nature and modest targets. This raises the question of whether intensity-based emission limits, distinct from the other features of the Bush initiative, offer a useful alternative to absolute emission limits. This essay makes the case that they do, based on how emission targets are framed. The argument draws on four key observations: greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise over the near term; absolute targets emphasize zero or declining emissions growth while intensity targets do not; developing countries' economic development is integrally tied to emissions growth for the foreseeable future; and intensity targets need not be any more complicated to administer than absolute targets.     

How EU policies could reduce nutrient pollution in European inland and coastal waters

Intensive agriculture and densely populated areas represent major sources of nutrient pollution for European inland and coastal waters, altering the aquatic ecosystems and affecting their capacity to provide ecosystem services and support economic activities. Ambitious water policies are in place in the European Union (EU) for protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems under the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. This research quantified the current pressures of point and diffuse nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to European fresh and coastal waters (2005–2012), and analysed the effects of three policy scenarios of nutrient reduction: 1) the application of measures currently planned in the Rural Development Programmes and under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD); 2) the full implementation of the UWWTD and the absence of derogations in the Nitrates Directive; 3) high reduction of nutrient, using best technologies in wastewaters treatment and optimal fertilisation in agriculture. The results of the study show that for the period 2005–2012, the nitrogen load to European seas was 3.3–4.1 TgN/y and the phosphorus load was 0.26–0.30 TgP/y. Policy measures supporting technological improvements (third scenario) could decrease the nutrient export to the seas up to 14% for nitrogen and 20% for phosphorus, improving the ecological status of rivers and lakes, but widening the nutrient imbalance in coastal ecosystems (i.e. increasing nitrogen availability with respect to phosphorus), affecting eutrophication. Further nutrient reductions could be possible by a combination of measures especially in the agricultural sector. However, without tackling current agricultural production and consumption system, the reduction might not be sufficient for achieving the goals of EU water policy in some regions. The study analysed the expected changes and the source contribution in different European regional seas, and highlights the advantages of addressing the land-sea dynamics, checking the coherence of measures taken under different policies.     

论农村社区在地震保安方面职能的发挥

目前,农村民居的科学抗震设防日益受到社会各界的广泛关注。农村社区作为农村社会的组成部分,其在地震保安方面职能的发挥有着不可替代的地位,充分发挥农村社区的防震减灾功能对提高农村民居的抗震设防水平,最大限度地减轻地震灾害有着深远意义。通过对农村社区特征和功能以及在地震保安方面作用发挥的阐述,针对现今存在的主要制约因素,提出政策建议,供参考。     

Quasi-plane-hypothesis of strain coordination for RC beams seismically strengthened with externally-bonded or near-surface mounted fiber reinforced plastic

The application of fiber reinforced plastic(FRP),including carbon FRP and glass FRP,for structural repair and strengthening has grown due to their numerous advantages over conventional materials such as externally bonded reinforcement(EBR) and near-surface mounted(NSM) strengthening techniques.This paper summarizes the results from 21 reinforced concrete beams strengthened with different methods,including externally-bonded and near-surface mounted FRP,to study the strain coordination of the FRP and steel rebar of the RC beam.Since there is relative slipping between the RC beam and the FRP,the strain of the FRP and steel rebar of the RC beam satisfy the quasi-plane-hypothesis;that is,the strain of the longitudinal fiber that parallels the neutral axis of the plated beam within the scope of the effective height(h 0) of the cross section is in direct proportion to the distance from the fiber to the neutral axis.The strain of the FRP and steel rebar satisfies the equation:ε FRP =βε steel,and the value of β is equal to 1.1-1.3 according to the test results.     

盈江“3·10”地震诱发地质灾害隐患及防护对策

盈江5.8级地震引发地质灾害,分析地震对地质灾害的影响及范围、地质灾害形成条件及隐患,提出有效防护对策、灾后重建建议。     

基于“两规合一”的基本农田规划研究——以上海市嘉定区为例

＂两规合一＂要求在严格落实国家对基本农田保护和管控的前提下,在区级土地利用总体规划中,充分发挥基本农田的生产生态功能,优先保护具有较高粮食生产能力的耕地,并强化区域生态结构控制,因地制宜地分解落实规划指标;在镇级土地利用总体规划层面,应当充分发挥基本农田的阻隔功能,利用基本农田刚性的控制手段,阻挡建设用地无序蔓延,有效保护现状耕地,从而形成最佳的粮食生产区域和最优的生态空间。本文以上海市嘉定区为例,全面阐述了在＂两规合一＂要求下,本轮土地利用总体规划中基本农田保护区、保护指标和保护图斑的规划方案,实现了区、镇两级基本农田在功能、布局和数量的协调和统一,为大都市基本农田规划的理论和实证研究提供借鉴。     

云南贡山县地质灾害调查及防治建议

贡山县滑坡、泥石流、潜在不稳定斜坡等多种地质灾害并存,与大气降水强度、河水淹没和侵蚀作用、地形地貌、岩土类型、地质结构、人类不合理工程活动等相关.提出“以防为主、防治结合、全面规划、综合治理”的防治对策.