Light pollution,sleep deprivation,and infant health at birth

We conduct the first study to examine the fetal health impact of light pollution based on a direct measure of skyglow, an important aspect of light pollution. Using an empirical regularity discovered in physics (called Walker's law) as an instrumental variable, we address the potential endogeneity problem associated with the skyglow variable. We find evidence of reduced birth weight, shortened gestational length, and increases in preterm births. Specifically, increased nighttime brightness, characterized by being able to see only one‐fourth to one‐third of the stars that are visible in the natural unpolluted night sky, is associated with an increase of 1.48 percentage points in the likelihood of a preterm birth. Our study adds to the literature on the impact of early‐life exposure to pollution, which so far has focused primarily on air pollution. Our study has important policy implications regarding the necessity of minimizing skyglow that is, for example, contributed by streetlights.     

佛山陶瓷工业区土壤重金属含量及生态风险评价

以佛山市禅城区、南海区、高明区及三水区的陶瓷工业厂区土壤为研究对象,分析厂区周边500 m内表层土壤(0～20 cm)的Cd、Cr、Pb、Cu、Ni、Zn等6种重金属含量,并采用单因子污染指数(Pi)法、内梅罗指数(PN)法、潜在生态危害指数(R I)法对土壤重金属进行污染和潜在生态危害评价.结果显示,高明区的6种重金属含量均未超过珠江三角洲土壤背景值,禅城区、南海区与三水区的Cd超过背景值的倍数最大,均超过背景值的4倍以上,但4个区的重金属含量均未超过工业用地标准.4个区的综合污染等级均属于安全等级,其中高明区的PN最小,南海区的PN最大,分别为0.07和0.34.多种重金属的潜在生态危害评价结果显示,禅城区与高明区为低风险,南海区与三水区为中等风险,C d的潜在风险系数Ei最高.研究表明,佛山市陶瓷工业区土壤重金属含量在工业用地标准中是合格的,但已存在潜在生态危害风险,在今后的生产和土地再利用时要做好重金属污染防治工作,需要重点关注对土壤Cd污染的防治.     

浅谈当前我国能源形势与能源安全战略

我国能源发展现状：分布区与消费域性矛盾突出;能源消费加速增长,供给不断增强,但对外依存度加大;能源科技装备水平大幅提升;国际合作加快,多元化进口格局形成;体制机制改革稳步推进。面临问题：资源紧缺问题严重;煤炭、石油等传统能源仍是我国的基础能源,应对污染和气候变化问题突出;国际能源形势复杂多变,利用境外能源资源面临巨大挑战;清洁能源所占比重很小,能源结构调整任重道远;能源价格机制尚需完善,体制改革有待深化。建议：积极做好节能减排工作;国家增强能源保障能力;国家最大优化能源结构;加快能源科技自主创新;积极扩大能源国际合作;健全法律法规,加强战略规划和体制改革。     

基于生境等价分析法的溢油生态损害评估

总结美国和欧盟生境等价分析法的发展历史和理论模型,应用该方法对某河流溢油污染事故的生境损害进行了定量评估．结果表明,资源生态受损初始程度为50％,建立补偿修复性工程,修复期为10 a,在3％的折现率水平下,修复工程的规模应为26．22×10^4 m2,才能使该河流的生态服务功能恢复到初始水平．逐步优化和完善生境等价分析法,可作为生态补偿管理的技术依据．     

我国省以下财政分权对环境污染的影响

基于我国2003-2011年地级市的数据,文章采用联立方程模型,实证分析了省以下财政分权对地级市环境污染的影响。回归结果表明：从总体上看,省以下财政分权对地级市污染物的排放有正向影响,省以下分权程度的提高不利于污染物排放量的减少,不利于增加地方政府管制污染物排放的努力程度。研究还表明,由于各地区的经济发展水平不同,并且各种污染物的外溢效应不同,使得财政分权对污染物排放的影响程度存在显著差异。     

锅炉排污的重要性及方法探讨分析

工业锅炉在使用中由于锅水蒸发而残留下的水垢、泥渣及沉淀物和腐蚀产物其他有害物质,使受热面污染,使锅炉的安全和经济运行带来影响,严重者可能导致重大事故发生。本文就锅炉排污的概念、目的、意义、方式、控制方法、质量要求、排污率的确定及宏观控制进行阐述,使我们在今后的工作中能对锅炉排污引起足够重视,确保锅炉安全运行。     

WFGD系统对汞的影响分析

利用现有控制技术来协同控制汞污染是一项科学、合理、经济的技术措施。目前普遍认为脱硫系统对脱汞有着较大去除潜力，但脱硫系统对脱汞的影响大小及影响特性有着较大的不确定性，分析了脱硫系统各运行因素对汞的影响特性及汞的二次污染等问题，为科学合理的制定汞排放技术提供参考。     

我国湖泊水环境中有机氯农药污染的研究进展

有机氯农药(OCPs)是一类对人体和生物具有高毒性的持久性有机污染物,它可通过食物链富集对人体健康产生威胁。总结分析了我国近年来OCPs在湖泊水环境中的残留水平及分布特征,为政府部门评价持久性有机污染物对我国湖泊环境污染状况以及开展污染物区域治理提供决策依据。     

Weak Disposability in Nonparametric Production Analysis: Reply to Färe and Grosskopf

Färe and Grosskopf (this issue) claim that a single abatement factor suffices for modeling weak disposability in nonparametric production models, and that the Kuosmanen (2005) technology that uses multiple abatement factors is larger than necessary. This article demonstrates by a numerical example that a single abatement factor does not suffice to capture all feasible production plans, and that its use leads to the violation of convexity, one of the maintained assumptions of the model. We also prove that the Kuosmanen technology is the correct minimum extrapolation technology under the stated axioms.     

Does Animal Feeding Operation Pollution Hurt Public Health? A National Longitudinal Study of Health Externalities Identified by Geographic Shifts in Livestock Production

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently gathering data to regulate livestock facilities under the Clean Air Act, legislation that purports to protect public health. To set rational policy, estimates of health externalities associated with livestock farming are necessary. This study uses geographic shifts in the industry to measure the impact of pollution on infant health. The article finds that a doubling of production leads to a 7.4% increase in infant mortality. This finding is robust with respect to the inclusion of multiple fixed and time-varying controls. The mortality increases are driven by elevated levels of respiratory diseases, providing suggestive evidence of an air pollution mechanism.