Potential of decentralized wastewater management for urban development: Case of Bangkok

Decentralized wastewater management (DWWM) has recently gained much attention in wastewater management (WWM) due to its build-as-you-go principal. Rapid urban development and the widespread impact of wastewater require sustainable ways to test the DWWM approach. This paper aims to examine and discuss the potential of Bangkok’s current WWM approaches for urban development, focusing on decentralized management approaches. General WWM approaches were examined using case study research methods. Three WWM cases were selected for detailed investigation. Residential wastewater user surveys and expert interviews were used to support system performance findings of service providers and recipients, as well as to draw lessons learned. Results show that DWWM is economically and technically efficient, demonstrating potential for sustainable urban development (SUD) in the study area. The competitive cost found is a result of less sewer line, simple technology, and limited additional costs, while the high efficiency is a result of good operation and maintenance. Also the reclaimed water has been used for landscape irrigation of the urban greenery. Sustainability of the system lies in social value of public amenity it provides, and the urban planning implication that it could be an option for smart growth. The results also show that even in an inner urban area DWWM does not conflict with any SUD considerations. Thus, the study recommends using DWWM for new development within both public and private properties based on Bangkok’s case as part of long-term urban development.     

Social insurance and children: The relationship between Social Security,economic well-being,and family context among child recipients

The relationship between social insurance, which provides families protection against certain risks, and child economic security is understudied. Using the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) matched to Social Security Administration benefit records, this article investigates the economic welfare effects of the child component of the US Social Security program. We examine how the poverty rate of child beneficiaries would change, absent Social Security income, and how heavily the family incomes of these children rely on it, by family characteristics. Our findings reveal that Social Security plays an important role in mitigating economic insecurity among children deprived of a wage-earning parent through disability, death, or retirement. Family structure, earnings, and employment status are identified as key factors moderating the effect of Social Security on child recipients’ financial circumstance.     

Child poverty and family policies across eighteen wealthy Western democracies

While a good deal has been written about the potential value of family policies in reducing child poverty in Western countries, few cross-national quantitative studies have been carried out on this topic. This article uses ordinary least squares regression analysis on panel data from 18 Western democracies from 1987 to 2007 to test the significance of family policies and other welfare policies on child poverty rates. It extends existing research on the relationship between family policies and child poverty by utilizing a broader data-set in terms of time, countries, and child poverty measures. The main finding is that all three of the main family policies studied – child cash and tax benefits, paid parenting leaves, and public support for childcare – correlate significantly with lower child poverty rates. Somewhat surprisingly, disability and sickness insurance also correlates significantly with lower child poverty in nearly every model and test. These findings provide valuable insight for future research and policy-making in the area of child poverty.     

What can microblog exchanges tell us about food safety crises in China?

The affordance of microblogging services has made them an ideal tool for communicating risk and crisis. However, research on social media and risk communication is still in its infancy. This study, following the uses and gratifications framework, attempts to give some insight into the way micro-bloggers communicate about risk by investigating food safety communications on the microblogging service in China. A content analysis was conducted on 6186 microblog posts relating to 12 recent food safety incidents in China. A series of bivariate chi-square tests was conducted to test the association between micro-bloggers and gratifications. The results indicate that different types of micro-bloggers gratify different needs. Compared to other types of micro-bloggers, the general public tends to use microblogging to express opinions on food safety incidents, regulation and/or policy, rather than simply disseminating information; members of the public enjoy fewer multimedia affordances in their microblog posting but express more negative feelings. Although we anticipate growth in the use of social media in environmental health communication, caution is still needed: communication in China still follows a traditional top-down pattern.     

更新发展观念 做好基层环保工作

环境保护是我国的一项基本国策。当前基层环保工作与党和政府的要求还很不适应 ,观念滞后 ,措施不力 ,投入不足 ,政策失灵 ,基层环保工作面临严峻挑战。只有改革现行管理体制、增加财政投入、重视基础能力建设、抓好环保人才工程 ,才能促进基层环保工作走进“新天地” ,开创新局面     

法律视角下的海洋环境责任强制保险制度——墨西哥湾原油泄漏事件对我国海洋环境责任保险制度的启示

随着科学技术的发展,日渐频繁的海上石油勘探、开采、运输活动使海洋环境污染事故频频发生,对海洋生态环境造成恶劣影响。2010年4月,位于美国墨西哥湾的"深水地平线"钻井平台发生原油泄漏,造成了前所未有的环境灾难和难以估量的经济损失,而相关单位并未投保针对性较强的足额商业保险,充分暴露了当事国的海洋环境责任保险制度缺陷。我国目前尚未建立完善的环境责任保险制度,墨西哥湾原油泄漏事件对我国海洋环境责任保险法律制度的构建与完善,具有毋庸置疑的警示作用。     

Differences and similarities in monetary benefits for informal care in old and new EU member states

This article presents an overview of the monetary benefits available in the context of long‐term care provided by family or other informal carers in 11 old and 10 new EU member states. All but one country in our sample offer at least some monetary benefits that can be used to help finance informal care. Old EU member states tend to direct benefits to individuals in need of care, whereas new EU member states place more emphasis on benefits for carers. Among new EU member states, monetary benefits are less often means‐tested and tend to be lower compared with benefits in old EU member states. Because social policies in many countries increasingly rely on monetary benefits rather than on benefits in kind and because the share of informal care in the overall provision of elderly care will scarcely decline, monetary benefit incentives for labour market participation need to be carefully monitored.     

从西雅图的信看美洲印第安人的自然观

原始民族的自然观对现代社会在面对环境危机时重新思考人与自然的关系可以提供一些启发。从 1 9世纪一位印第安酋长的信可以看出 ,美洲印第安人的自然观有不少与西方当代环境哲学的一些重要思想 ,特别是生态学关于要破除人与自然间疆界的主张和生态系统中存在着丰富的生命联系的洞见 ,以及生物中心论与生态中心论提倡的尊重生命的思想有很多契合之处     

环境教育师资培训基地建设规范初探

本文对环境教育师资培训基地的选址、培训的方式、开设课程的内容、师资力量、教学管理制度、实验室（所）建设等问题提出了建议和设想。     

清代河湟地区的土地垦殖与环境变迁研究

清代是河湟地区农业持续发展时期,土地垦殖的速度加快,到乾隆年间位于河川谷地的农田均已开垦出来,但随着人口增加,土地的开垦逐渐伸延及山坡地。坡地、山地的增加,对山体植被破坏较大,水土流失加剧,造成部分农田的荒废及环境面貌的改变。