An Econometric Estimation of Industrial Water Demand in France

This study investigates the structure of industrial water demand byestimating the derived demand for water on a sample of industrialestablishments located in the south-west of France. Productiontechnologies are represented by short-term variable cost functions andapproximated by a translog form. Industrial water use is modeled ashaving three components: the quantity of water bought to a waterutility, the quantity of autonomous water and the quantity of watertreated prior to use. We include in this framework water effluents,which are considered as a by-product of the production process, emittedby firms. Each of the three water components is treated as a separateinput and all are estimated as a system of simultaneous equations. Themodel is estimated on a sample of 51 industrial plants in the Girondedistrict observed from 1994 to 1996 using Seemingly Unrelated Regression(SUR) and Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS). Results ofestimations show that industrial firms are sensitive to water priceinputs. Network water elasticity is estimated at –0.29. It variesfrom –0.10 to –0.79 according to the type of industryconsidered. Autonomous water price elasticity is not significant.Elasticity for treated water is evaluated at –1.42 at themean-sample and varies from –0.90 to –2.21 according to theindustry considered.     

Post OPA-90 Vessel Oil Transfer Spill Prevention: The Effectiveness of Coast Guard Enforcement

Although oil spills from tanker accidents receive the most publicity, most vessel spills are not the result of accidents but of oil transfer activities. We investigate determinants of the size of vessel oil transfer spills as well as the effectiveness of Coast Guard enforcement activities in reducing their size. Vessel out-of-water and in-water oil transfer spillage functions are estimated utilizing tobit regression and detailed data on individual vessel oil transfer spills as well as Coast Guard safety/environmental enforcement activity data for the 1991–1995 period. Our estimation results suggest that Coast Guard hull but not machinery inspections are effective in reducing both out-of-water and in-water spills; patrols by air, but not by boat, are effective in reducing out-of-water spills; but neither is effective in reducing in-water spills. The results also show that the type of vessel (oil- and non-oil-cargo), vessel characteristics, vessel operations, weather/visibility conditions, and waterway type are determinants of post OPA-90 vessel oil transfer spills.     

Trade and Renewable Resources in a Second Best World: An Overview

We provide an overview and introduction to the emerging field of trade and renewable resources, and discuss the potential impact of trade liberalization on welfare and resource conservation. A key factor determining the effect of trade reform is the institutional context or property rights regime, and our survey is organized such that it loosely follows the development of new insights with respect to institutions in this literature. This implies a transition from the benevolent planners model to the polar opposite benchmark of open access in the 1990s. Currently the pendulum is swinging back towards management and regulation, but institutions are treated as endogenous. We discuss and compare various key models in some detail and search for common ground between protagonists and antagonists of free trade. Paper based on Keynote address by Erwin Bulte, 12th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Bilbao (Spain), June 28–30, 2003.     

Estimating Willingness to Pay for Improved Drinking Water Quality Using Averting Behavior Method with Perception Measure

This paper suggests an application of an averting behaviormethod to reconcile inconsistent public activity with objectiveenvironmental risk. In Korea, an historically polluted watersupply has created citizen resistance to using tap water. Koreansperceive low quality levels for tap water, although objectivelymeasured data show that the pollution levels are lower than theacceptable risk. We hypothesized that the irrational aversion tousing tap water is a consequence of inconsistencies between theobjectively measured and perceived pollution levels. We introducethe perception averting behavior method, in which we add aperception measure unit to the conventional averting behaviormethod. We found that the perception measure provided a validexplanation for citizens' aversion to using tap water in Korea.     

论强制性环境治理制度的实施效率

In the eco-environmental governance system,the compul-sive institutions are the most important as well as the mostcommonly utilized.A nation utilizes its administrative,lawand economic power to forbid,boost,bestir and help indi-viduals’behavior concerning environmental governance toensure the realization of eco-environment conservation.The fact,however,turns out to be disappointing about theimpulsive institution’s implementation.Actually,the unsatis-factory practices sometimes even lead to“…     

博弈论在治理河流水污染中的应用

针对我国日益严重的河流水污染状况，本文通过对污染源企业和政府之间的关系进行博弈分析，建立监督博弈模型，并以此分析政府对污染源企业的监管力度及经济上的处罚力度。     

The research of Chinese karst ecological hydrology

1. Introduction The area of carbonate rocks protruding through the soil level in China is 9.07*105km2. According to the area of carbonate rocks stratum protruding through the soil level, it is 2.06*106km2. With the buried carbonate rocks stratum of the different depths, its total area can reach 3.443*106km2, ap- proximately accounting for 1/3 of the national terri- torial area. Chinese carbonate rock is mainly distributed to the south of the latitude belt of Tianshan Mountain – Yinshan Moun…     

The Change of Ecological Footprint and Its Effect on Sustainable Development in Beijing of China

Speeding up the environmental protection and construction is one of the major issues in ＂Greener Olympic Games＂ held in Beijing in 2008. Making a thorough study to find out the reliable measures to ecological resumption in Beijing has an important scientific and practical significance. It can provide scientific basis for making a better decision for ＂Greener Olympic Games＂ held in capital Beijing and development in harmony for society and economy, as well as management for ecological environment. By studying of change of ecological footprint from 1990 to 2003 in Beijing, the paper shows that ecological footprint per capita has a strong relativity with population and GDP, and both of the correlation coefficient between them is about 0.92, as well as the fossil energy land has a position in the lead in ecological footprint items. The study also shows that the ecological capacity per capita in Beijing occupied about 1.25% in global ecological capacity per capita. Began 1990, the ecological deficit in Beijing was about 0.72 hm2, which is at strong unsustainable development at present. Finally, the paper suggests social and economic structure should be adjusted as soon as possible, resources should be strengthen sustainable used and population increasing should be controlled strictly, as well as arable land also should be under control used for built-up areas. Simultaneity, the utilizing ratio of energy sources should be increased, and the consumption of energy sources and ecological deficit in Beijing should be reduced in order to speed up the society and economy development in harmony and sustainment.     

Régulation School and environment: Theoretical proposals and avenues of research

The article explores the relevance of a particular approach of the institutionalist movement, régulation theory, to deal with the relationship between the economy and the environment. Régulation theory, which appeared in France at the end of the 1970s, is mainly interested in macroeconomic issues. In contrast, until now it has tended to neglect environmental questions. By taking several key concepts of this theory (accumulation regime, mode of régulation, institutional forms), we have sought to assess its significance vis-à-vis the environmental field. More precisely, from the perspective of establishing an environmental regulationist theory, we propose considering the economic relation to the environment as the articulation of three forms: a transhistorical form, a general capitalist form and a specific capitalist form, the latter being variable in capitalist time and space. We give several illustrations of the variability of the relation to the environment, depending on the different accumulation regimes and the different modes of régulation. Two principal avenues of research are proposed: historical analyses for given economic areas, and comparative analyses relating in particular to different capitalist areas.     

民族文化变迁对生态环境保护的影响——以云南为例

我国西部生态环境保护一直是各学科关注的焦点问题,但从生态环境保护的民族文化内在驱动力这一重要角度进行研究的较少。实际上,环境保护的主体是当地居民,而环境保护观念主要受到传统民族文化的影响。本文通过对云南民族文化变迁的分析,指出了对云南民族生态文化产生负面影响的因素主要来自三方面:汉文化、近现代文明、地域权力变更与“左”倾思想。最后,探讨了解决云南民族文化与生态环境保护之间的摩擦的途径。