Suchergebnisse

Land use/cover change (LUCC) has been identified as a crucial driver of changes in the spatiotemporal distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, few studies have proposed land use optimization to identify key zones for launching ecological engineering projects. Adopting multi-source data and spatial analysis, we estimate the impact of LUCC on CO2 emissions and ecological support capacity. Importantly, the spatial evolution and inequality of carbon sources and sinks are evaluated. The results suggest that (1) the growth of urban areas due to urbanization has exceeded 5293 km2 over the last 18 years and that the number of closed forest areas increased by 1444 km2 while decreases of 16,418, 9437, and 1250 km2 were observed in the water body, cropland, and grassland land-use types, respectively; (2) CO2 levels rose dramatically in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, increasing from 8.7 × 107 tCO2 in 2000 to 26 × 107 tCO2 in 2018; (3) there is increasing inequality in the emission levels among cities; and (4) the spatial differences in the carbon sink and ecological support capacity are huge. Our findings have the potential to improve the government's understanding of how to take action to optimize land-use types and how to launch engineering projects in key zones to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, as well as to provide a new perspective for studies on the controls and mitigation of CO2 emissions.

The infamous "Sydney Tar Ponds" are well known as one of the largest toxic waste sites of Canada, due to almost 100 years of steelmaking in Sydney, a once beautiful and peaceful city located on the east side of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This article begins with a contextual overview of the Tar Ponds issue including a brief introduction and history and summaries of the effects on the earth, the people, and the biotic community (animals and vegetation). Then the authors talk about the STS analysis approach, namely, a discussion of six systems to indicate what has been brought to the earth and mankind by technology and modern industry. The remaining part of the article describes the difficulties confronting China, some of which are similar to the ones Canada faces as a result of the Tar Ponds contamination, and summarizes some of the experiences at Tar Ponds and the lessons China can learn from Tar Ponds.

AbstractThis research examines consumers' participation in a nonmonetary, nonreciprocal form of online consumer exchange wherein consumers may decide to give only, receive only, or both give and receive. Given the lack of financial incentives or relational norms that would traditionally drive participation in this societally beneficial consumption activity for which we advance the term alternative giving, this research examines consumers' participation motivations. Are consumers, as prior research suggests, motivated to participate in alternative giving activities on the basis of prosocial motives or for other reasons? Through a content analysis of the online Freecycle Network, we found that participation is driven primarily by fundamental consumer needs and wants, though other prosocial, less materialistic factors are also drivers. Our findings also identify an inconsistency in product categories between what givers offer and what receivers seek, suggesting that supply–demand imbalances can emerge within alternative giving communities.