What role do climate considerations play in consumption of red meat in Norway?

Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is facilitated by changes in several consumption activities, such as food choices. This paper examines factors explaining red meat consumption in Norway, especially the role of climate concerns. The paper adds to our knowledge as most existing analyses of (red) meat consumption focus on health and animal welfare issues. Moreover, it expands our understanding by drawing on perspectives from both institutional and social psychological theory, including variables emphasizing the social dynamics behind consumption decisions. The study is based on data from a survey of 2000 people aged 18 years or older conducted in 2018. The data are analyzed using structural equation modelling. We find that there is a strong pro-meat culture in Norway, currently rather weakly influenced by climate concerns – specifically, personal norms and social pressures focused on reducing climate impacts. Instead, habits, beliefs about the qualities of red meat (being tasteful, nutritious, healthy) and social norms supporting red meat consumption are the three most important factors explaining the variation observed. Gender and income also influence red meat consumption, but less than found in other studies. The paper discusses policy implications of these findings, including for taxation, point-of-sale information and communicative processes to support changes in the perceptions of what could be a new “normal” diet.     

Evolutionary trend of water cycle in Beichuan River Basin of China under the influence of vegetation restoration

To understand the influence of vegetation restoration on the water cycle in semiarid areas, the effects of vegetation restoration on evolution of the key elements of water cycle were clarified by analyzing the evolutionary trend of atmospheric precipitation, ecological consumption water, and surface runoff on a river basin scale on the basis of analytical results of the changes in vegetation coverage and the long-term meteorological and hydrological monitoring data of Beichuan River Basin. The results show that the vegetation cover in the Beichuan River basin has rapidly increased in the hilly and mountainous areas since the 1980s, especially from 2000 to 2019, with the maximum and average vegetation cover rates increased by 14.98% and 52.2%, respectively. During 1956-2016, the annual precipitation in the basin remained relatively stable; the annual surface runoff slightly declined, with an average attenuation rate of 20 million m~3/10 a. The main reason for the runoff decline is the increase in ecological water induced by the vegetation restoration, which has changed the spatial-temporal distribution of the water from atmospheric precipitation in the basin. Spatially, more precipitation was converted into ecological water. As a result, the remnant runoff supplied to the lower reaches reduced accordingly. Temporally, more precipitation participated in the soil water-groundwater cycle, thus prolonging the outward drainage period of the precipitation. Moreover, the large-scale vegetation restoration induced a significant decrease in the surface wind speed, evaporation from water surface and drought index. As a result, a virtuously mutual feedback relationship was formed between the vegetation and meteorological elements. Therefore, vegetation restoration is of great significance for the improvement in the water conservation capacity and semiarid climate conditions in the Beichuan River basin.     

Chemical Weathering and CO2 Consumption of Chishuihe River Basin,Guizhou Province

Carbon sink produced during rock weathering is critical to global carbon cycles. In this work, we analyzed the major ion chemistry of the Chishuihe River Basin, and the major ion composition of the Chishuihe River system and the principal component analysis was applied for estimating the weathering rate and atmospheric CO₂ consumption via the rock chemical weathering. The results demonstrated that the chemical composition of the river was dominated by Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, HC and S. The average concentration(317.88 mg/L) of the total dissolved solids within the Chishuihe River was higher than the average value (65 mg/L) of world rivers. The Gibbs graph combining major ion element ratio analysis indicated that the catchment major ion composition mainly originated from rock weathering, primarily from carbonate weathering, sparsely from silicate weathering. Carbonate and silicate weathering contributed 70.77% and 5.03% separately to the dissolved loads. The anthropogenic and precipitation impact was limited. According to calculation based on principal component and the ion composition characteristics, the chemical weathering rate was 126.716 t/(km²·a), significantly higher than that of the Yellow River and Yangtze River, and also higher than the average rate of the global major rivers. The CO₂ consumption flux based on annual average runoff was 10.96×10⁹ mol/a, and the CO₂ consumption rate by chemical weathering was 5.79×10⁵ mol/(km²·a).     

怀旧消费空间地方建构的比较研究——以广州怀旧餐厅为例

在全球化深入发展的今天,都市怀旧消费风潮已渗透至社会文化生活诸多领域。许多怀旧餐厅也应运而生,形成以城市怀旧为主题的特殊消费空间和文化空间。全球与地方在消费文化转化中相互促进,地方文化形态正在发生变化,不同怀旧消费空间的地方建构是否存在差异?本文选择广州太平馆、巴打怀旧茶餐厅两个不同特点的怀旧餐厅为案例,通过参与式观察、深度访谈、问卷调查和文本分析等研究方法,收集相关媒体报道和网上讨论作为研究的文本资料。从物质空间和情感空间两个方面对比分析了怀旧餐厅的地方建构和认同。研究表明,透过记忆的呈现和展示,记忆凝视下的传统再造和怀旧消费导向下的再造传统都是适应全球文化潮流过程中不同的消费物质空间建构形式。从消费者角度来看,怀旧地方又是其情感空间的建构和地方记忆的再生产,表现在地方依恋和地方认同等方面。由于怀旧地方建构中"真实地方"和"构想地方"交集的差异,其地方认同感也存在不同,在很大程度上受到地方根植性、市场机制和后现代消费特征等因素的影响。本文有助于从新文化地理学视角理解怀旧消费空间的地方建构,对指导怀旧消费空间生产和实践有积极的现实意义。     

The role of NGOs in public and private land development: The case of Dhaka city

Through a series of case studies, this paper discusses the three stakeholders in land development for housing in Dhaka city: the public and private sectors, and NGOs. In a scenario in which urban planning merely serves to the fulfil formal requirements and benefit certain groups, in which the public sector is an accomplice to the private sector, and where NGOs have their own private interests; urban planning in the public interest is interlocked with private interests. NGOs are important tertiary stakeholders in planning and service provision. While they vary in their types and objectives, environment NGOs in particular often find themselves in an antagonistic position concerning public and private land development. However, the interventions to the public and private sectors placed by the NGOs can provide a platform for future negotiation and participation in policy formulation.     

Modeling the spatiotemporal dynamics of electric power consumption in Mainland China using saturation-corrected DMSP/OLS nighttime stable light data

Obtaining timely and accurate data on the spatiotemporal dynamics of electric power consumption (EPC) is crucial for the effective utilization of electric power in China. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime stable light (NSL) data have good potential for estimating EPC effectively at large scales. However, saturated lighted pixels contained within the NSL data limit the accuracy of EPC estimation. We developed a new method to correct the saturated lighted pixels, using the SPOT VEGETATION (SPOT/VGT) 10-day synthesis product (S10) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and then modeled the spatiotemporal dynamics of EPC in Mainland China from 2000 to 2008. The results demonstrated the reliability of our approach with an average R value of 0.93 (P<0.001) and an average relative error of ?28.92%. EPC in Mainland China showed an average annual growth rate of 13.46% during the study period from 1198.23 billion kWh in 2000 to 3290.51 billion kWh in 2008. EPC in Mainland China also showed clear regional variation. Northern coastal China and eastern coastal China consumed 37.61% of the total EPC in Mainland China, with only 25.96% of the population and 6.11% of the area.     

Mass‐balance modeling of mineral weathering rates and CO2 consumption in the forested,metabasaltic Hauver Branch watershed,Catoctin Mountain,Maryland, USA

Mineral weathering rates and a forest macronutrient uptake stoichiometry were determined for the forested, metabasaltic Hauver Branch watershed in north‐central Maryland, USA. Previous studies of Hauver Branch have had an insufficient number of analytes to permit determination of rates of all the minerals involved in chemical weathering, including biomass. More equations in the mass‐balance matrix were added using existing mineralogic information. The stoichiometry of a deciduous biomass term was determined using multi‐year weekly to biweekly stream‐water chemistry for a nearby watershed, which drains relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock. At Hauver Branch, calcite hosts ~38 mol% of the calcium ion (Ca²⁺) contained in weathering minerals, but its weathering provides ~90% of the stream water Ca²⁺. This occurs in a landscape with a regolith residence time of more than several Ka (kiloannum). Previous studies indicate that such old regolith does not typically contain dissolving calcite that affects stream Ca²⁺/Na⁺ ratios. The relatively high calcite dissolution rate likely reflects dissolution of calcite in fractures of the deep critical zone. Of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) consumed by mineral weathering, calcite is responsible for approximately 27%, with the silicate weathering consumption rate far exceeding that of the global average. The chemical weathering of mafic terrains in decaying orogens thus may be capable of influencing global geochemical cycles, and therefore, climate, on geological timescales. Based on carbon‐balance calculations, atmospheric‐derived sulfuric acid is responsible for approximately 22% of the mineral weathering occurring in the watershed. Our results suggest that rising air temperatures, driven by global warming and resulting in higher precipitation, will cause the rate of chemical weathering in the Hauver Branch watershed to increase until a threshold temperature is reached. Beyond the threshold temperature, increased recharge would produce a shallower groundwater table and reduced chemical weathering rates. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role and limits of strategic framing for promoting sustainable consumption and policy

Strategic issue framing is widely regarded as an effective communication strategy to alter public opinion and citizens’ policy support. However, it is unclear to what extent strategic framing can increase support for ambitious demand-side actions and policies that make the cost of mitigation perceptible in citizens’ everyday lives. Taking an exploratory approach, we conducted qualitative interviews and a comparative framing experiment with 9,750 survey respondents from China, Germany, and the United States. We analyzed strategic issue framing effects in two areas known to be key for increasing the sustainability of consumption: meat/fish consumption, and fossil-fuel car usage. Employing both classical linear regressions and advanced Bayesian sparse estimations, we show that in all three countries widespread arguments in favor of reduced meat/fish consumption and car use are unlikely to substantially alter citizens’ concern, willingness to pay, behavioral intentions and policy support for demand-side action. Our findings suggest that in the absence of a broader behavioral change campaign, strategic issue framing alone is unlikely to be effective in changing entrenched attitudes and behaviors. On its own, it is also unlikely to substantially increase public support for demand-side policies to reduce consumption. More careful research is needed to help policymakers understand the role and limits of different strategic framing techniques.     

To be ethical or to be good? The impact of ‘Good Provider’ and moral norms on food waste decisions in two countries

One-third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted, which has negative consequences for societies and the environment. Thus, curbing food waste is critical to securing human well-being and protecting the environment. This study examines the drivers of household food waste decisions by investigating the activation and deactivation of moral norms and introducing the concept of the ‘good provider’ in an augmented norm-activation model (NAM). A survey of 643 consumers in Australia and Singapore explores the ‘good provider’ norm as a driver of food waste behaviours in both cultures. For Australians, ‘good provider’ norms suppress intentions to avoid food waste, most likely to provide for the immediate family, which can be a motive that overrides moral concern about food waste in an individualistic culture. For Singaporeans, ‘good provider’ norms do not suppress food waste intentions, possibly due to the value placed on thrift by a long-term-oriented culture. The paper significantly extends the previous research on norms, culture and sustainable consumption and provides policy and practical implications for curbing food waste in different cultural contexts.     

微生态制剂对养殖水体水质条件的影响

采用正交设计以确定微生态制剂的使用方式、使用的间隔时间、不同菌种的比例和使用浓度。使用微生态制荆对降低水中的氨氮、亚硝酸盐和COD含量的效果显著。四种因素中，使用方式和间隔时间最重要。降低水体中氨氮的最佳组合为第一组；降低亚硝酸盐的最佳方案是第五组；而降低水体COD的最佳方案是第八组。菌种比例的不同显示不同菌种对营养盐类的利用效果不同，芽孢杆菌对降低水体氨氮和COD有较强作用，而乳酸茵对分解亚硝酸盐有帮助。