Paul H. Templet

System functioning as a basis for sustainable management of deltaic ecosystems

Deltas are very important ecologically and economically, and much of the worlds coastal wetlands are located in deltas. These areas are in crisis because various human impacts have led to deterioration of deltas. In this article, we address the functioning of deltas, human impacts in deltas, and the concept of sustainable management of deltas. It is implicit in this discussion that only management that is based on the functioning of deltas is sustainable. In spite of sea‐level rise and subsidence, deltas have greatly increased in area because of riverine sediment delivery over the past several thousand years. Recently, human impacts have altered natural pulsing energies and sediment distribution. It is clear that deltas are not being managed in a sustainable manner and there is a need to move toward more sustainable management. Such management must be based on a carefully controlled return to the natural functioning of deltas by utilizing, rather than diminishing, beneficial natural pulsing energies. We ...

Consequences of sea level rise: Implications from the mississippi delta

Abstract Sea level rise is expected to increase worldwide over the coming decades, and its impacts are beginning to be felt in many areas. Two major direct impacts of sea level rise are submergence and salinity increase. Historically, the Mississippi River Delta has experienced a relative sea level rise (RSLR) and thus serves as an analogy or model for what can be expected elsewhere. Despite long‐term RSLR primarily due to subsidence, the Mississippi has grown in size over the past several thousand years since eustatic sea level stabilized. Within this century, the net positive growth rate has been reversed and net wetland loss rates as great as 100 km? per year have occurred. Much of the wetland loss is associated with human activities that have resulted in a reduction of sediment input to wetlands. Because of this reduction, vertical accretion of the wetland surface is less than RSLR and plants are disappearing due to waterlogging and salinity increase. The resulting loss of wetland plant vigor complica...

Power distribution, the environment, and public health: A state-level analysis

Abstract This paper examines relationships among power distribution, the environment, and public health by means of a cross-sectional analysis of the 50 US states. A measure of inter-state variations in power distribution is derived from data on voter participation, tax fairness, Medicaid access, and educational attainment. We develop and estimate a recursive model linking the distribution of power to environmental policy, environmental stress, and public health. The results support the hypothesis that greater power inequality leads to weaker environmental policies, which in turn lead to greater environmental degradation and to adverse public health outcomes.

Louisiana wetland loss: a regional water management approach to the problem

Loss of Louisianas coastal wetlands has reached catastrophic proportions. The loss rate is approximately 150 km2/yr (100 acres/day) and is increasing exponentially. Total wetland loss since the turn of the century has been almost 0.5 million ha (1.1 million acres) and represents an area larger than Rhode Island. The physical cause of the problem lies in mans attempts to control the Mississippi Rivers flooding, while enhancing navigation and extracting minerals. Levee systems and control structures confine sediments that once nourished the wetlands to the river channel. As a consequence, the ultimate sediment deposition is in deep Gulf waters off the Louisiana coast. The lack of sediment input to the interdistributary wetlands results in an accretion deficit. Natural and human-induced subsidence exceeds accretion so that the wetlands sink below sea level and convert to water.The solution is to provide a thin veneer of sediment (approximately 0.6 cm/yr; an average of 1450 g m−2 yr−1) over the coastal marshes and swamps and thus prevent the submergence of vegetation. The sediment source is the Mississippi River system. Calculations show that 9.2% of the rivers annual suspended sediment load would be required to sustain the deltaic plain wetlands. It should be distributed during the six high-water months (December–June) through as disaggregated a network as possible. The problem is one of distribution: how can the maximum acres of marsh be nourished with the least cost? At present, the river is managed through federal policy for the benefit of navigation and flood control. A new policy structure, recognizing the new role for the river-sediment distribution, is recommended.

Energy, diversity and development in economic systems; an empirical analysis

Abstract As economic systems develop over time they tend to become more complex with more structure and greater throughputs, assuming favorable conditions. Energy use increases as more economic sectors develop and more channels for flow are opened. Economic diversity, as measured by the number of economic sectors using energy and the equatability of flows between them, generally increases. As diversity increases the efficiency of generating outputs with a given amount of energy also increases. Development capacity, the product of system energy throughput and diversity of flows, is a measure of the potential system output and is calculated for selected countries. Capacity changes over time are shown to relate to changes in economic output in selected countries. Two distinct development strategies become evident, one which promotes energy use and one which emphasizes diversity and the sustainability of each is examined. While most countries utilize a mix of the two, developing countries generally rely more on increasing energy use to increase output while developed countries tend to become more diverse as a means of increasing outputs. Sustainability is enhanced by strategies which promote diversity and resource use efficiency in economic systems.

Economic diversity, development capacity and sustainable development of China

Abstract Chinas economic growth over the past several decades has been among the highest in the world. It has been fueled by cheap fossil fuel energy so energy consumption has risen rapidly, but there are signs that negative feedbacks in the form of waste and inefficiency may affect future development. If energy throughput exceeds the capacity of the environment to process the inevitable waste from production then the development may not be sustainable. We calculate economic diversity using an energy flow network analysis method to explore the relationships of development policy, energy use, efficiency and sustainable development. China and its provinces are presented as a case study and the development status of each province in China is presented. Chinas development policy does not appear to be sustainable over the period 1985–1998 because of unsustainable energy consumption trends and declining economic diversity. An energy consumption tax is proposed for increasing diversity and dealing with increasing energy consumption in China.

The complementarity between environmental and economic risk: an empirical analysis

Abstract The complementary relationship of economic and environmental risks is empirically demonstrated by using an emissions-to-jobs ratio (E/J). The ratio is derived from EPAs Toxic Release Inventory and Census Bureau employment data. Relationships among economic-indicators, environmental indicators, energy use indicators and E/J ratio are found to be significant. Economic indicators include disposable income, unemployment rate and poverty level, while environmental indicators are Greens Total Index and Policy and Conditions Index. Energy indicators are per capita energy use and a states total energy use per job. A multivariate analysis shows that poor environmental conditions, weak environmental policies and higher E/J ratios are all inversely related to indicators of economic welfare.

Diversity and other emergent properties of industrial economies

As industrial economies develop over time, they become more complex with more components mutually interacting via additional interconnections. The changes are manifested in properties that emerge over time. Some emergent properties are proposed here and tested with empirical data, where available. Diversity, energy and material intensities, and production capacity are examined and tested at a macro level using data from the states of the USA. All are found to be related to the degree of development represented by Gross State Product. Diversity is related to the number of energy flows through the energy consuming sectors and the allocation of energy use across sectors. Although data is limited for energy consumption by sector the diversity calculated here relates to a number of other physical and economic variables, including the proportion of waste recycled. Other emergent properties of economic systems are suggested and discussed but not tested. The relationships between diversity and energy and waste intensities are illustrated using data from Japan.

Grazing the commons: an empirical analysis of externalities, subsidies and sustainability

Abstract An empirical means of measuring externalities in the fifty states of the US is presented and the relationship between externalities, subsidies and sustainability is investigated. Firms seeking to maximize profits create externalities thus securing implicit internal subsidies. The subsidies are generally supported by those less well off and the socioeconomic, energy and environmental indicators of the public sector worsen as externalities and subsidies increase. Implicit subsidies, due to externalities in pollution control, energy consumption and taxes are quantified, the amount of subsidy is calculated by state, and statistically compared to socioeconomic, energy, environmental and economic variables. Poverty, unemployment and income disparity are found to increase significantly while income, economic development attractiveness, energy efficiency and environmental quality decline with increasing externalization across states. An empirical method of operationalizing sustainability is presented and the relationship of sustainability to subsidies is investigated and found to be significant and negative. Recommendations are presented for minimizing the effects of externalities.

Political and environmental equity issues related to municipal waste incineration siting

Abstract This analysis presents an overview of recent research concerning factors influencing community responses to municipal incinerators. These factors range from those about which experts and lay people may readily agree, such as the years of service remaining in an existing landfill, to issues that are more likely to engender disagreement, such as community perceptions of environmental risks, ‘environmental equity’, and other economic and political concerns. The implications of these factors as well as recommendations for decision makers facing municipal solid waste disposal issues are presented.