Environmental damage compensation for illegal solid waste dumping in China.

China aims to improve its system for pursuing environmental damage compensation environmental violation cases. To hold violators accountable, China has an effective system for the identification and assessment (I&A) of environmental damage. This study selected a typical case of the illegal dumping of solid waste (IDSW) in China to analyze the causes, the degree, and characteristics of environmental damage, focusing on components such as the physical quantification and valuation of damage. The findings were as follows: (1) Compensation claimants and obligors consider baseline damage confirmation and causality analysis key components of I&A. (2) The I&A process for a specific case needs to focus on key nodes such as the type, location, and duration of IDSW. (3) Restraining IDSW requires accurately quantifying the physical and value-related losses caused by solid waste dumping. (4) In the selected case study, the damage from environmental contamination caused by the IDSW incident amounted to 3938,990 yuan, including an environmental damage value of 3651,990 yuan and a transaction cost of 287,000 yuan. Both parties accepted the I&A calculation process in this case, and the desired punishment effect was achieved. Hence, the case study demonstrated that accurate I&A is the technical basis for environmental damage compensation. Thus, in the future, more attention should be paid to the role of scientific and technological means and knowledge reserves in the I&A of environmental damage.

How Green Are the Streets Within the Sixth Ring Road of Beijing? An Analysis Based on Tencent Street View Pictures and the Green View Index.

Street greenery, an important urban landscape component, is closely related to people’s physical and mental health. This study employs the green view index (GVI) as a quantitative indicator to evaluate visual greenery from a pedestrian’s perspective and uses an image segmentation method to calculate the quantity of visual greenery from Tencent street view pictures. This article aims to quantify street greenery in the area within the sixth ring road in Beijing, analyse the relations between road parameters and the GVI, and compare the visual greenery of different road types. The authors find that (1) the average GVI value in the study area is low, with low-value clusters inside the third ring road and high-value clusters outside; (2) wider minor roads tend to have higher GVI values than motorways, major roads and provincial roads; and (3) longer roads, except expressways, tend to have higher GVI values. This case study demonstrates that the GVI can effectively represent the quantity of visual greenery along roads. The authors’ methods can be employed to compare street-level visual greenery among different areas or road types and to support urban green space planning and management.

[Analysis on the role and endowment of virtual water in agricultural ecosystem].

Water is one of the most important components of agricultural ecosystem, and also a source of food security, which plays an essential role in ensuring sustainable food resources for a growing population. In this study, the policy relevancy of virtual water was addressed, with food production, alternative trend of import, and product condition analyzed. The results showed that an average of 10.2 x 10(9) m3 water and 27.7 x 10(6) hm2 land was transferred by imported wheat, while an average of 0.3 x 10(9) m3 water and 1.6 x 10(6) hm2 land was transferred by imported maize. The sum of virtual water equivalent was 10.5 x 10(9) m3. It's of significance to alleviate the pressure of water stress in agriculture and arable land, help to resolve water predication of food production by food imports, and compensate water endowment.