Ronald Wennersten

Managing water resources for sustainable development: the case of integrated river basin management in China

The emerging water crisis in China shows that the current institutional frameworks and policies with regard to water resources management are incapable of achieving an effective and satisfactory situation that includes Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). This paper analyses this framework and related policies, examines their deficiencies in relation to all water stress problems and explores alternatives focusing on river basins. Water resources management reforms in modern China are reviewed and the main problems involved in transforming the current river management system into an IRBM-based system are analysed. The Huai River basin is used as an example of current river basin management, with quantitative data serving to show the scale and scope of the problems in the country as a whole. The institutional reforms required are discussed and a conceptual institutional framework is proposed to facilitate the implementation of IRBM in China. In particular, the roles, power and responsibilities of River Basin Commissions (RBCs) should be legally strengthened; the functions of supervising, decision-making and execution should be separated; and cross-sectoral legislation, institutional coordination and public participation at all levels should be promoted.

Analysis of the most widely used Building Environmental Assessment methods

Abstract Building Environmental Assessment (BEA) is a term used for several methods for environmental assessment of the building environment. Generally, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an important foundation and part of the BEA method, but current BEA methods form more comprehensive tools than LCA. Indicators and weight assignments are the two most important factors characterizing BEA. From the comparison of the three most widely used BEA methods, EcoHomes (BREEAM for residential buildings), LEED-NC and GBTool, it can be seen that BEA methods are shifting from ecological, indicator-based scientific systems to more integrated systems covering ecological, social and economic categories. Being relatively new methods, current BEA systems are far from perfect and are under continuous development. The further development of BEA methods will focus more on non-ecological indicators and how to promote implementation. Most BEA methods are developed based on regional regulations and LCA methods, but they do not attempt to replace these regulations. On the contrary, they try to extend implementation by incentive programmes. There are several ways to enhance BEA in the future: expand the studied scope from design levels to whole life-cycle levels of constructions, enhance international cooperation, accelerate legislation and standardize and develop user-oriented assessment systems.

An analysis of Chinese policy instruments for climate change mitigation

Design/methodology/approach - First, the paper reviews Chinese energy consumption per unit of GDP (EC/GDP) in order to determine the overall effects of the combined policy instruments. Second, the ...

A study of Chinese strategies for energy-efficient housing developments from an architect's perspective, combined with Swedish experiences and game theory

The energy issue is always an important factor in sustainable housing developments. Over the years, a number of energy-saving techniques have been developed to reduce consumption of primary energy and utilise renewable energy in architectural designs. However, the real situation regarding energy-efficient buildings has improved rather slowly during the recent decades, both in the developing and developed countries. Hammarby Sjöstad is one of the largest urban housing developments in Europe but is built to standards twice as strict as those currently being applied for new housing, including energy consumption. Eco-villages are small-scale housing developments, usually in the suburbs, where residents also try to create highly specific ecological environments. There are two basic paradigms to solve the current housing problem: top-down (provider paradigm) or bottom-up (support paradigm). This paper analyses the differences between these, especially from an energy efficiency perspective. Housing development is a gaming process between diverse stakeholders. All the stakeholders try to choose different actions in an attempt to maximise their returns. If the proposals made by the architects and engineers are not consistent with the interests of other stakeholders, they have little chance of being applied in actual projects. This paper describes systematic development strategies for the energy-efficient housing project Jun Lin Zijin, a Chinese residential and commercial project furthering the progress of design and construction.

Strategies for competitiveness and sustainability : Adaptation of a Brazilian subsidiary of a Swedish multinational corporation

The competitiveness, in terms of macro and micro levels of an enterprise, is often dictated by its capacity to innovate, ability to respond to the needs of the market, and resilience to challenges from competition. This paper reviews the literature on the adaptation of research and development (R&D) units in subsidiaries of multinational corporations. It focuses mainly on the impact of the technological dynamic on sustainability performance of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish multinational Ericsson. Through a conceptual framework, it explores information and communication technologies (ICT) towards a transversal and comprehensive vision of levels of innovation and sustainability.

The 2000 EU water framework directive and Chinese water management: experiences and perspectives.

This paper addresses Integrated River Basin Management as a solution to water stress through a comparative analysis of water management in Europe and China. It makes a preliminary assessment of the European experiences so far with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) on river basin management and investigates its potential value for other areas, focusing on China. Problems and possibilities of policy transfer in the process of initiating and stimulating sustainable water management are investigated. Could the WFD, which seems to have beneficial impact in Europe, be used to reach the same results in China? We will deal with this and other questions, discussing the differences in water management and context between China and the EU and the problems with adopting a WFD inspired approach in China. Framework Directive, policy transfer.

Nanotechnology : A New Technological Revolution in 21st Century

Nanotechnology is going to be a major driving force behind the impending technological revolution in the 21st century. Both private and public sector spendings are constantly increasing. The size of the market for nanotechnology products is already comparable to the biotechnology sector, while the expected growth rates over the next few years are far higher. Nanotechnology manufacturing is a fundamentally new process in which structures are built from the bottom up, one atom at a time. Nanotechnology has the potential of producing new materials and products that may revolutionize all areas of life. Nanotechnology protagonists believe that nanotechnology will provide unsurpassed benefits for the society. Meanwhile, its antagonists believe that nanotechnology may pose serious health and environmental risks and advocate that the precautionary principle should govern the development and deployment of such products. Although it is difficult to predict precisely how nanotechnology will impact society, current understanding, under either the spectacular benefit or the serious risk scenarios, presages a huge impact on society in areas that include the environment, healthcare, energy, and electronics.

Analysis of secondary energy in China’s iron and steel industry – An approach of industrial metabolism

ABSTRACT This study developed a conceptual model based on the industrial metabolism approach and the generic model can be used to analyze the energy flows for the iron and steel (Is) industry. based on the general situation of china’s is industry, the energy flows with the focus on secondary energy reuse were analyzed for each of the is production process. by applying the model to a china’s is enterprise, it was found that corporation a recovered and reused 46.6% of its secondary energy in 2010, while there was still a large potential of secondary energy to explore, i.e. about 25.7 × 1015 joule. concerning the general situation in china’s is industry, over 1500 × 1015 joule of secondary energy could be further recovered, without the need of technological breakthroughs or unaffordable investments.

Governance of Large-Scale Environmental Problems : the case of climate change

This paper focuses on the management of Climate Change Mitigation (CCM), seeking a working institution capable of addressing its cross-scale and multi-level challenges. Currently, two most studied ...

Frame analysis of environmental conflicts in ethanol production in Brazil

Various actions have been taken by environmental agencies and ethanol producers to promote the environmental sustainability of Brazilian ethanol. The banning of cane burning before harvesting is on ...