Water is a basic necessity and its allocation and utilization, especially pricing policies, impose various social, economic, and ecological impacts on social groups. Increasing block tariffs (IBTs) has gained popularity because it is expected to incentivize water conservation while protecting poor people benefiting from the redistribution effects because of its nonlinear tariff structure. However, it results in price distortion under certain circumstances. Researchers have also proposed an alternative practical price system and a uniform tariff with rebate (UTR), with the price level set equal to the marginal social cost and a fixed rebate allocated to the poor groups. This study proceeds with a simulation of the two pricing systems, UTR and IBTs, and empirically explores their fundamental merits and limitations. The results confirm the theoretical perspective that a water price system, compared with an optimal tariff system, simultaneously achieves multiple goals to the greatest possible extent.

本文概述了环境经济学发展的历史以及理论渊源,总结和评析了环境经济学的研究现状、分析框架、主要研究领域以及所用的理论和方法。在澄清和分析相关误区的基础上,对环境经济学的理论体系及其拓展进行了讨论,并提出环境经济学的若干重大应用研究领域和问题。

2016年10月15日,在卢旺达首都基加利召开《关于消耗臭氧层物质的蒙特利尔议定书》第28次缔约方大会,以协商一致的方式,达成了历史性的限控温室气体氢氟碳化物(HFCs)修正案——基加利修正案。HFCs是强效温室气体,其全球变暖潜能值是二氧化碳的数千倍,因此该协议是继《巴黎气候协定》后又一里程碑式的重要环境文件,是2016年全球最重大的气候行动之一。

本文首先以经济的可持续发展是经济、社会、环境三大领域良性循环的关键为切入点,以梳理经济学理论中的可持续发展思想渊源为手段,总结提炼了不同时代围绕实现经济可持续发展的经济学观点;然后分析了经济学的可持续发展思想在中国的实践;最后对中国未来的可持续发展进行了简要的展望。

With China's significant role on pollution emissions and related health damage, deep and up-to-date understanding of China's air pollution policies is of worldwide relevance. Based on scientific evidence for the evolution of air pollution and the institutional background of environmental governance in China, we examine the development of air pollution control policies from the 1980s and onwards. We show that: (1) The early policies, until 2005, were ineffective at reducing emissions; (2) During 2006-2012, new instruments which interact with political incentives were introduced in the 11th Five-Year Plan, and the national goal of reducing total sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by 10% was achieved. However, regional compound air pollution problems dominated by fine particulate matter (PM) and ground level ozone (O₃) emerged and worsened; (3) After the winter-long PM episode in eastern China in 2013, air pollution control policies have been experiencing significant changes on multiple fronts. In this work we analyze the different policy changes, the drivers of changes and key factors influencing the effectiveness of policies in these three stages. Lessons derived from the policy evolution have implications for future studies, as well as further reforming the management scheme towards air quality and health risk oriented directions.

PM_(2.5)引致的雾霾现象,不仅昭示中国严峻的大气污染形势及健康风险,同时,也带来能见度下降等问题。能见度降低不仅直接影响交通等社会经济活动的正常进行,同时也对民众的生活质量产生影响。在人们对环境质量和生活品质的认识、理解和诉求不断提升的背景下,良好的大气能见度成为具有稀缺性同时也与民众生活质量密切相关的公共环境资源。对大气能见度进行环境经济价值评估是环境经济学研究的前沿领域。文章对国际上大气能见度价值评估的研究和实践进展进行了梳理和评述,重点对内涵资产价值评估法、条件价值评估法、联合分析法和选择实验法等方法在能见度价值评估中的进展进行了总结和比较,并对中国开展大气能见度价值评估提出研究展望。

中国的空气污染与以煤为主的能源结构关系密切.燃煤电厂是中国煤炭消费量最大且大气污染物排放量最大的部门,因此,也必然成为污染物排放控制的主要对象.针对最近公布的电厂超低排放政策,本文采用成本有效性评估方法对燃煤电厂污染物减排进行了分析,研究结果表明:全面进行超低排放改造以实现污染物减排的成本高昂,其中,燃煤电厂超低排放改造的脱硫、脱硝、除尘的单位减排成本分别为:4.46万元/t,2.35万元/t,0.43万元/t.现有燃煤电厂实施超低排放的行业成本较高;鉴于其他燃煤部门技术水平相对落后、排放标准宽松,现阶段是否首先针对燃煤电厂全面实施超低排放改造需要更为全面的环境经济评估.基于本文的分析,以度电成本为衡量指标将会误导超低排放改造的减排路径选择.研究结论表明:燃煤电厂行业最低成本超低排放改造,应从规模较小、煤质水平较差的机组开始.