Costs of air pollutants from shipping: a meta-regression analysis

ABSTRACT

This study estimated the external cost of air pollution from shipping by means of a meta-regression analysis, which has not been made before. Three pollutants, which were included in most of the primary studies, were considered: nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulphur dioxides (SO₂) and particulate matters with a diameter of max 2.5 micrometres (PM_2.5). All primary studies included damages of health and a majority added impacts on agriculture and estimated the cost of air pollutants by transferring cost estimates from studies on costs of air emissions from transports in Europe. Different regression models and estimators were used and robust results were found of statistically significant emission elasticities of below one, i.e. total external costs increase by less than 1% when emissions increase by 1%. There was a small variation between the pollutants, with the highest elasticity for PM_2.5 and lowest for NO_x. Calculations of the marginal external cost of the pollutants showed the same pattern, with this cost being approximately six times higher for PM_2.5 than for the other pollutants. Common to all pollutants was that the marginal external cost decreases when emission increases. Another robust result was a significant increase in the cost of studies published in journals compared with other publication outlets. These findings point out some caution when transferring constant external unit cost of air pollutant from shipping, which is much applied in the literature, and the cost functions estimated in this study could thus provide a complementary transfer mechanism.     

由两起操作性污染事故引发的关于液货船装卸作业安全的思考

随着我国对石油的需求不断增长,液货船舶数量不断增多,船舶操作性污染事故日益增多。文中试图分析两起发生在天津港的操作性污染事故产生的原因,浅谈目前液货船在装卸作业方面存在的安全问题,从而提出建议和对策,希望能在避免液货船操作性污染事故发生以及减少海洋环境损害方面起到积极的作用。     

空气污染气象与大气环境影响评价和预测研究

通过关于大气污染与气象条件、污染气象要素的测量手段和方法的介绍,以及对区域大气边界层扩散参数、大气扩散数学模式选择等计算方法的分析后,进一步阐明污染物在大气输送、扩散、迁移的稀释过程中,与气候、气象条件有着密切关系,应在大气环境影响评价和预测分析中予以重视。     

MARPOL73/78附则Ⅵ大气污染物排放控制的进展

文章以IMO大气污染通信工作组在2006年底召开的工作会议为背景,介绍了针对船用柴油发动机和燃料控制排放标准的讨论情况。     

机舱油水分离设备的营运检验

船舶舱底水对海洋环境的污染、船舶油水分离器的工作效果直接关系到是否满足MARPOL73/78公约的要求。通过对营运船舶油水分离器的检验方法,保证船舶油水分离器的工作效果。     

建设节约型社会解决三峡库区水污染研究

通过对三峡库区水污染严重性的综述,说明水资源总量控制的重要性和综合防治水污染的紧迫性.对人们自觉的改变用水习惯,增强节水减污意识,保护自然资源,优化生态环境,建设节约型社会,循环经济的实施,保持国民经济的可持续发展有着重要的现实意义.此外,笔者还提出了改善库区水污染的若干建议和具体措施.     

Organic carbon budget for the Gulf of Bothnia

We calculated input of organic carbon to the unproductive, brackish water basin of the Gulf of Bothnia from rivers, point sources and the atmosphere. We also calculated the net exchange of organic carbon between the Gulf of Bothnia and the adjacent marine system, the Baltic Proper. We compared the input with sinks for organic carbon; permanent incorporation in sediments and mineralization and subsequent evasion of CO₂ to the atmosphere. The major fluxes were riverine input (1500 Gg C year^− 1), exchange with the Baltic Proper (depending on which of several possible DOC concentration differences between the basins that was used in the calculation, the flux varied between an outflow of 466 and an input of 950 Gg C year^− 1), sediment burial (1100 Gg C year^− 1) and evasion to the atmosphere (3610 Gg C year^− 1). The largest single net flux was the emission of CO₂ to the atmosphere, mainly caused by bacterial mineralization of organic carbon. Input and output did not match in our budget which we ascribe uncertainties in the calculation of the exchange of organic carbon between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Proper, and the fact that CO₂ emission, which in our calculation represented 1 year (2002) may have been overestimated in comparison with long-term means. We conclude that net heterotrophy of the Gulf of Bothnia was due to input of organic carbon from both the catchment and from the Baltic Proper and that the future degree of net heterotrophy will be sensible to both catchment export of organic carbon and to the ongoing eutrophication of the Baltic Proper.     

Impacts of motor vehicle operation on water quality in the US – Cleanup costs and policies

This paper investigates the costs of controlling some of the environmental impacts of motor vehicle transportation on groundwater and on surface waters. We estimate that annualized costs of cleaning-up leaking underground storage tanks range from $0.8 billion to $2.1 billion per year over 10 years. Annualized costs of controlling highway runoff from principal arterials in the US are much larger: they range from $2.9 billion to $15.6 billion per year over 20 years (1.6–8.3% of annualized highway transportation expenditures). Some causes of non-point source pollution were unintentionally created by regulations or could be addressed by simple design changes of motor vehicles. A review of applicable measures suggests that effective policies should combine economic incentives, information campaigns, and enforcement, coupled with preventive environmental measures. In general, preventing water pollution from motor vehicles would be much cheaper than cleaning it up.     

积极开展牵引电气设备的绿色设计研究

阐述了开展绿色设计的重要意义,介绍了资源最佳利用原则、环境设计原则、产品结构设计原则、社会经济效益最佳原则以及绿色设计技术和方法的研究等.     

Valuation of externalities through neo-classical methods by including institutional variables

Externalities are uncompensated influences that are not expressed in a market but that affect the production possibilities or the welfare level of third parties. An example is the noise pollution in airport areas. Although air transport is an important source of economic growth and employment in many countries, the social and environmental problems connected with this sector are rising rapidly. Consequently, airports are becoming a matter of concern to many politicians. On what kind of values should they base their decisions as to further growth or consolidation of the current situation? In this paper we discuss two approaches, one based on mainstream, neo-classical, economics, and one based on institutional approaches, more in particular new institutional economics, which can be seen as a development complementary to the mainstream.