Deconstructing myth: low-carbon sustainability

Informed by a semiotics that directs attention to the context of the message, this paper contributes to work on the meanings of terms such as “low-carbon”, “green”, and “sustainability”. Interview-based evidence and printed material are used to assess the interest of hundreds of financial institutions in data on carbon emissions levels and environmental projects. The collection of such data is where for most interviewees its usefulness stopped. Such is typical of myth. By collecting carbon data, financial institutions can connote they are doing something about addressing the risks posed by global warming, without actually describing what it is they are doing.     

Was a carbon copy also typewritten?

The writer considers how the ribbon copy of a typewritten document is affected by the preparation of a carbon copy. Factors of embossing, increase in line spacing, offsets on the back of the sheet and the presence of carbon paper ink mingled with the ribbon ink around points of paper fracture are evaluated. Dangers of misinterpretation of these factors are pointed out and proof that no carbon copy is discussed.     

A case study on the application of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) in determining the provenance of a rock used in an alleged nickel switching incident

The application of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) in forensic science to establish the provenance of a range of questioned substances including soils, drugs, explosives, currency, ivory and rhino horn has been widely documented. The present study wishes to highlight the applicability of IRMS and specifically stable carbon IRMS in determining the provenance of a carbonate rock that was switched for nickel metal exported from South Africa to Israel. The technique employed effectively argued against a South African origin for the rock whilst simultaneously supporting an Israeli origin, enabling investigators to focus their attention accordingly. The study represents the first documented instance known to the authors where IRMS has been employed in the forensic geo-location of a rock.     

Linkages between Globalisation,Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

This study investigates linkages between environmental degradation, globalisation and governance in 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa using data for the period 2000–2012. The Generalised Method of Moments is employed as empirical strategy. Environmental degradation is proxied by carbon dioxide emissions whereas globalisation is appreciated in terms of trade openness and net foreign direct investment inflows. Bundled and unbundled governance indicators are used, namely: political governance (consisting of political stability/no violence and “voice & accountability”), economic governance (encompassing government effectiveness and regulation quality), institutional governance (entailing corruption-control and the rule of law) and general governance (a composite measurement of political governance, economic governance and institutional governance). The following main finding is established. Trade openness modulates carbon dioxide emissions to have positive net effects on political stability, economic governance, the rule of law and general governance.     

Cap-and-trade or carbon taxes? The feasibility of enforcement and the effects of non-compliance

One of the proposed alternatives to Kyoto’s cap-and-trade approach is a regime based on an internationally harmonized carbon tax. In this paper, we consider and compare the enforcement problems associated with a tax regime and a cap-and-trade regime, respectively. The paper tries to convey two main points. First, both types of regime require an_. effective enforcement mechanism. However, such a mechanism is unlikely to be adopted as part of a regime with full participation, because the political process leading up to its adoption tends to water down the enforcement mechanism to a point where it no longer has much bite. And even if this is somehow avoided, countries expecting compliance to be difficult or costly will almost certainly decline to sign—not to mention ratify—the resulting agreement. Second, the implications of non-compliance in a tax regime differ in important ways from the corresponding implications in a cap-and-trade regime. In a cap-and-trade regime emissions trading can make inaction legitimate for buyers of emission permits. In particular, overselling of permits by one (or a few) permit exporting countries might completely undermine the regime’s environmental effect. In a tax regime, by contrast, one country’s non-compliance can not make inaction by other countries legitimate. It follows that an agreement based on a harmonized carbon tax will always have some effect, provided that at least one country complies.     

Reply to ‘The politics of evidence: a response to Rulli and D'Odorico’

ABSTRACT

Indicators of carbon storage in forests and other land uses have gained much prominence to evaluate and endorse land-based climate change mitigation policies. The outcomes of such assessments can have direct livelihood implications for dwellers living at the forest–agriculture frontier, such as shifting cultivators or subsistence farmers. This contribution critically discusses the methodological relevance of carbon stock indicators to assess long-term emission dynamics of land uses, and furthermore addresses the ‘politics of measurement’ that can be involved in policy practice. From a complex socio-ecological systems perspective, the paper argues that carbon stock indicators provide necessary but not sufficient information to endorse land use policies with mitigation aims. While they may indicate one-off sequestration gains through vegetation and land-use change, they cannot account for permanent hidden emissions that emerge as part of the broader agrarian transitions that accompany land-use change. Over the long term, this may render related mitigation interventions ineffective, if not counterproductive. Furthermore, carbon stock estimates for future land-use scenarios sometimes draw on biased assumptions, or are constructed within histories of discrimination, through which they may further marginalize subaltern groups such as shifting cultivators. A paradigm shift is needed that includes more integrative assessment approaches.     

大鼠急性CO中毒的超微病理学研究

大鼠吸入 CO(1500～4500PPM,2小时)急性中毒后,观察其心、肝、脾、肺、肾、脑的病理改变。光镜下可见心肌细胞浊肿,水性变,肌浆凝聚,间质水肿;肝细胞浊肿,轻度脂肪变;肺淤血、水肿;肾曲管上皮细胞浊肿,神经细胞急性肿胀,尼氏小体减少或消失。电镜下,心肌原纤维过度收缩,肌节交短,质膜部分破坏,肌原纤维断裂、坏死;线粒体肿胀,肌浆网扩张;神经细胞内粗面内质网呈囊状扩张;神经细胞固缩;星形细胞突起水肿。     

四阶导数光谱法测定血液碳氧血红蛋白饱和度

本文报导了两种利用四阶导数光谱测定血液 HbCO%的方法。一种需从检血制备一氧化碳饱和血溶液,操作稍繁但准确可靠,受仪器稳定性影响较小。另一种不需制备一氧化碳饱和血溶液,是一种操作简单,快速亦准确可靠的方法,但由于计算中使用预先测定的常数,测定的准确性乃受仪器稳定性波动的影响。     

碳捕获与封存(CCS)技术的法律制度构建探析

碳捕获与封存(CCS)技术是减缓气候变化的一项最新技术。CCS在减排二氧化碳上具有巨大优势,主要发达国家积极采用该技术,并已取得了一些成功。在看到CCS优势的同时,我们也不能忽视其固有风险。CCS既有全球性风险,也有地方性风险;前者涉及复杂的国际法问题,后者则要运用国内法予以防范和化解。为了缓释这些风险,发达国家纷纷建立起CCS技术法律制度,其在法律制定和法律实施等方面的经验值得我们了解和借鉴。我国CCS技术法律制度的构建,应当同时从宏观和微观两个视角寻找路径。宏观上,我国不仅应当制定CCS的专门法律,而且应当明确CCS的监管体制。微观上,事前应当落实风险评估、设定行政许可和加强场地管理;事后应当明确责任制度、确立应急制度、完善信息公开和公众参与制度。通过实施以上路径,以期构建一个全面的、适合我国国情的CCS技术法律制度。     

经济高碳化形成机理与低碳经济政策选择

在分散决策下,只要能持续获得利润或效用且环境成本由全社会分担,无节制的碳排放行为就会继续进行,其结果就是区域性或全球性的气候变暖。为治理这一市场失灵问题,政府应出台政策进行适当干预和引导。从政策层次来看,需要系统制定低碳经济发展方向和碳减排目标等方面的宏观政策,发展低碳产业和低碳城市的中观政策,社区、企业、个人、环境类非正式组织共同参与的微观政策;从政策主体来看,需要整合政府引导、经济激励和微观经济个体自愿参与的政策工具这些政策又要相互配合、相互作用,形成低碳经济政策链。文章最后提出了我国发展低碳经济的政策建议。