Mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture in England and China,and the scope for policy transfer

This paper evaluates the existing policy frameworks for mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) in England and China. With reference to a conceptual model of the process of policy transfer or international lesson drawing, and possible constraints to this, it assesses whether and how China can draw lessons to improve current policy from the supra-national and national provisions of the EU and a member state that by 2016 had comprehensively implemented EU agricultural and environmental policy. DWPA is first analysed as a public policy challenge to inform specification of a generic framework for its mitigation. The current policy frameworks for mitigation of DWPA in England and China are evaluated, and their potential for improvement is assessed. A number of barriers to lesson drawing for regulation, incentive payments schemes and advice provision are diagnosed. These barriers are potentially least in relation to advice provision and its use to promote voluntary action by farmers. Given its structure and capabilities the public agricultural extension system in China is also recognised as a key resource. A focus on three policy approaches to mitigate DWPA in China is recommended: i) targeted regulation to a ‘reference level’ of large intensive livestock, and ultimately other large commercial farms; ii) strategic use of incentive payment schemes to protect water resources from DWPA; and iii) re-orientation of the ethos and modalities of operation of the extension system, informed by international lesson drawing, with the aim of rebalancing farm productivity and environmental protection.     

论信用风险缓释工具监管制度的完善——以信用风险缓释工具与信用保险的相似性为视角

作为中国版CDS的CRM业务已正式推出,但至今为止CRM是否因构成信用保险而受保险法监管仍然模糊不清。通过分析ISDA与FSA关于CDS与信用保险的相关观点,以及美国有关CDS监管的新发展,尤其是NCOIL有关CDS监管的示范立法,结合我国当前因未明确CRMA、CRMW与信用保险的界限所产生的问题,提出我国CRM监管制度的法律层级有待提高,并可以在相关部门规章中明确规定CRM业务不属于信用保险业务范畴,同时应当在对卖出保护方规定法定比例的准责任准备金或者履约保证金制度。     

Not seeing the carbon for the trees? Why area-based targets for establishing new woodlands can limit or underplay their climate change mitigation benefits

Area-based targets for afforestation are a frequent and prominent component of policy discourses on forestry, land use and climate change emissions abatement. Such targets imply an expected contribution of afforestation to the net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, yet the nature of afforestation undertaken and its geographical distribution means that there is considerable uncertainty over the eventual emission reductions outcomes. This uncertainty is reduced if the net carbon balance is calculated for all potential afforestation sites, considering climate, soil characteristics and the possible types of afforestation (species and management regimes). To quantify the range of possible emissions outcomes for area-based afforestation targets, a new spatial analysis method was implemented. This improved the integration of spatial data on antecedent land use with mapped outputs from forest models defining the suitability and productivity of eleven forestry management alternatives. This above ground carbon data was then integrated with outputs from the ECOSSE (Estimation of Carbon in Organic Soils – Sequestration and Emissions) model which simulates the soil carbon dynamics. The maps and other model output visualisations combining above and below ground carbon highlight where net carbon surpluses and deficits are likely to occur, how long they persist after afforestation and their relationships with antecedent land use, soils, weather conditions and afforestation management strategies. Using more productive land classes delivers more net sequestration per hectare and could mean greater carbon storage than anticipated by emissions reduction plans. Extensive establishment of lower yielding trees on low-quality ground, with organo-mineral soils could, though, result in net emissions that persist for decades. From the spatial analysis, the range of possible outcomes for any target area of planting is substantial, meaning that outcomes are highly sensitive to policy and implementation decisions on the mix of forestry systems preferred and to spatial targeting or exclusions (both at regional and local scales). The paper highlights the importance of retaining the existing presumption against planting of deep peat areas, but also that additional incentives or constraints may be needed to achieve the aggregate rates of emission mitigation implied by policy commitments. Supplementary carbon storage tonnage targets for new forestry would introduce a floor for carbon sequestration outcomes, but would still allow for flexibility in achieving an appropriate balance in the trade-offs between carbon sequestration and the many other objectives that new woodlands are expected to deliver.     

Erosion mitigation in the Waikato District,New Zealand: economic implications for agriculture

Soil erosion, in its various forms, is caused or aggravated by agricultural activities. Mitigation of surface erosion comprises the construction of shelterbelts, fencing, riparian buffering, and stock reduction. Mitigation of mass‐movement erosion, in turn, takes the form of spaced planting of trees to maintain a persistent, healthy, and complete ground cover. In this article, we assess the economic implications to agriculture of the adoption of mitigation alternatives for erosion control in the Waikato District, New Zealand. The Waikato District presents a spatial pattern of erosion that affects profitability of dairy, and sheep and beef enterprises. We use the Universal Soil Loss Equation and the New Zealand Empirical Erosion Model to estimate erosion figures that are then fed into an economic‐focused, nonlinear, partial equilibrium mathematical programming model of New Zealand land use. Different scenarios are constructed for surface and mass‐movement soil erosion targets ranging from 0% to 50% below baseline levels. We find that achieving surface erosion targets is more expensive than mass‐movement targets, and results in different responses in regional‐level costs, land use, enterprise net revenue, and adoption of mitigation alternatives.     

中国信用风险缓释工具创新试点最新进展

信用风险缓释工具（CRM）是2010年我国债券市场最重要的信用风险管理创新工具,它将短期融资券、中期票据等信用类债券的信用风险剥离定价,并转移给愿意承担风险的投资者。本文通过对CRM试点过程中存在的投资主体单一、市场机制不完善及外部环境建设滞后等问题进行了深度剖析,并有针对性地从投资者培育、信用评级与定价、做市商机制、交易信息披露、信用事件处理、以及监管会计税收法律制度建设等方面提出政策建议,以利于CRM市场的可持续发展。     

Statistical modelling of runway incursion occurences in the United States

Runway incursions are an important aviation safety concern; between 2002 and 2015 there were 16,785 runway incursions at United States airports ranging in size from small general aviation (GA) to large commercial airline hubs. When examining airports with the 50 highest incursion count over the past 5 years, the predominant categories were large hubs, which accounted for 21 airports and general aviation (GA) airports which accounted for 16 airports. In June 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) program to identify airport risk factors that might contribute to a runway incursion and develop strategies to help airport stakeholders mitigate those risks. Different size airports serve different aircraft fleets, serve different operating volumes, and have different resources available (both funds and technologies) for incursion mitigation. Therefore, it is valuable to determine the correlating factors that affect incursions at different size airports. This paper uses econometrics based modelling techniques to identify statistically significant factors in data provided by the (FAA) public web sites on runway incursions. The model identified statistically significant variables that correlate with incursions, based on severity, for airports categories defined by the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).The model results indicate that operational incidents (OI) are more likely at large hub airports. In contrast, at GA/non-hub airports, pilot deviations (PD) were significant for less severe incursions (severity C and D). Only one variable, “number of years since 2002”, was found to be significant for all the three airport categories; this variable was correlated with severity A incursions and indicated a statistically significant reduction in severity A incursions, despite an overall 80% increase in incursions between 2002 and 2015.     

Tourism's climate mitigation dilemma: Flying between rich and poor countries

Stronger demand for medium- to long-haul air transport is the main driver of the tourism industry's increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing the current development of global tourism to be environmentally unsustainable. Efficiency improvements and biofuel usage are unlikely to maintain pace with the projected growth in transport volume. Therefore, curbing the growing demand for air transport has been suggested as another option for the sustainable development of tourism. However, the political and industry discourse concerning the restriction of air transport tends to label such a restriction as unethical, as such limits would impair the development that tourism brings to poor countries. This paper investigates the possible impacts of air travel restrictions on the least developed countries (LDCs) and non-LDCs by examining global tourism. The impacts on LDCs are found to be ‘neutral’ on average, with both losses and gains in tourist arrivals. The extent of any losses does not appear to be beyond the scope of possible economic compensation.     

Status of CO2 emissions; driving forces and mitigation countermeasles of Tianjin, China

Climate change is a long-term and important challenge facing the whole world. Mitigation of CO2 emissions is one of important measures responding to climate change. The task of responding to climate change facing each city is very urgent. The total amount of Tianjin City＆#39;s CO2 emissions from energy use and industrial processes is large and the amount of CO2 emissions per capita from fossil fuel combustion is quite high. Mitigation of CO2 emission in Tianjin City encounters many difficulties such as increasing population, rapidly growing economy, heavy industrial structure, backward tertiary industry, low level of energy efficiency and product technologies, and energy structure relying mainly on coal. This paper analyzes Tianjin City＆#39;s general situation of economic and social developments, estimates Tianjin City＆#39;s status of CO2 emissions using 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, analyzes Tianjin City＆#39;s driving forces of CO2 emissions by methodology to analyze the driving forces of energy-related CO2 emissions, and puts forward countermeasures mitigating CO2 emissions in Tianjin City, such as strictly controlling increasing population, expediting industrial structure adjustment, insisting on strategy of energy conserving, vigorously enhancing energy efficiency, exploiting and using clean and renewable energy, advancing energy structure adjustments, and actively developing carbon capture and storage （CCS） technologies.     

唐山大地震后重建与恢复的反思:城市规划视角的启示

中国唐山震后重建的案例,显示了计划经济时期的集中动员和举国支援下,迅速进行震后重建的社会主义国家经验。灾后援助,特别是重建是中国政府抵抗自然灾害最重视的环节,也是通常在灾害发生之后采取的应对措施。本文在唐山地震三十后,从城市规划视角对震后唐山恢复进行再审视,对传统的防灾减灾策略进行反思和总结,从而为当代中国城市安全建设提供借鉴和启示。发生在1976年的7.8级唐山大地震,震前完全没有任何防灾准备措施,造成了24万人死亡的巨大损失。震后虽然面临着数据和资料缺失的困境,在中央政府的直接干预和指挥下,地方党、政、军等力量的全面介入并提供了及时有效的灾后紧急响应措施。唐山震后规划虽然确定了"易地建设、分散发展"的重建规划思路,然而在迅速安置的要求下,后续建设还是不免落入原地重建的方式。在住房恢复方面,采取了"统一建设、统一分配"的模式,然而盲目提高建筑标准造成了时间和财力浪费,也引发了重建进度的拖延。在公共住房供给滞后的同时,大规模简易住房的兴建也给未来城市发展埋下了二次改造的隐患。唐山震后恢复的积极作用在于,为中国建筑防灾法规的完善和广泛推行提供了契机,也为八、九十年代制订和修编抗震标准积累了第一手资料。然而,这种"举倾国之力,助一城之建"的一腔热情进行城市物质空间重建与重置的带有特定时期的特点,当代中国城市防灾减灾更应从长远视角出发,促进城市经济、环境和社会的可持续发展。     

Values of rural landscape: The case study Chlum u Třeboně (Bohemia)

Natural, historical, man-made and spiritual values of the rural landscape were investigated on the example of the rural municipality Chlum u Třeboně in Southern Bohemia (the Czech Republic). It shows that the rural landscape contains a set of values – such as substance, origin, size, and importance – many of which have negative connotations. Some of these values are protected, others are not. The set of values forms genius loci of the place which is an important part of the local identity. The landscape of the area under the study was monitored and analyzed from both macro-structural and micro-structural points of view. As the evaluation of values mainly depends on stakeholders (local residents, tourists, municipalities, entrepreneurs, landscape protection bodies, etc.), in the past, the values of the rural landscape were connected predominantly with its productive function. Based on the results it is possible to say that in relation to the transition towards the post-industrial society, values related to the landscape are gaining new importance such as wetlands or swamps to combat drought. It is necessary to pay higher attention to the dynamic and multi-functional aspects of the landscape values in the near future.