城市物质流分析框架及其指标体系构建

借鉴国内外物质流分析的研究成果,结合我国城市物质代谢特点,建立了城市物质流分析的框架及指标体系。该框架以城市社会经济系统物质通量的变化为核心,增加了对城市社会经济系统可持续能力的考察以及对城市和区域循环经济贡献的关注。论文识别了城市物质流分析中系统边界界定等关键问题,并提出了解决方法;指标体系在借鉴国家层面物质流分析指标体系的基础上,注重对城市经济系统内部循环及不同城市经济系统间的物质循环的考察,增加了再生资源输入量、内部资源回收量、可回收废物输出量、新鲜水输入量、中水回用量等指标,用于表征城市可持续发展的能力及实践成果。     

中国产业园区循环化改造应用关键物质流典型路径分析方法

产业园区循环化改造是我国在"十二五"期间和今后一个时期内的一项重要工作,也是在园区层面实施循环发展的主要内容。物质流分析(MFA)是产业生态学的核心分析方法,正在成为资源环境管理领域有效的分析工具。通过梳理物质流分析方法的发展历程,指出产业园区循环化改造应用物质流分析存在注重物质规模而忽视环境影响、黑箱过程不利定量研究、小区域研究适用性不强以及隐藏流造成的数据误差等方面问题,同时通过大量调查实践,认为园区循环化改造可从企业开展清洁生产、促进园区内和园区间的产业共生、加强园区资源循环基础设施建设3个领域入手,在将园区全部企业分为生产性企业、再生性企业和资源循环基础设施企业3种类型基础上,提出关键流概念及其识别思路,探索构建物质流路径归类评价方法框架,归纳出8条典型物质流路径,为提升园区物质流管理水平提供方法依据,并选取天津经济技术开发区作为典型案例进行研究,最后对我国产业园区循环化改造应用物质流分析方法进行了展望。     

经济系统物质流分析研究述评

作为研究经济系统物质代谢的重要方法,经济系统物质流分析方法近年来在资源与环境管理领域得到了广泛的应用,理论发展非常迅速。对经济系统物质流分析进行了系统综述,以期为更深入的理论研究提供参考。系统回顾了经济系统物质流分析的发展历史,介绍了其核算框架和指标体系。重点对经济系统物质流分析的研究现状进行了总结和述评,研究表明:(1)在经济系统物质流分析指标的核算研究方面:国家层面的核算研究多、方法较为成熟,而区域层面的核算研究尚未形成成熟的核算框架;针对直接流指标的核算研究多,而包含间接流或隐藏流的综合指标的核算方法研究不足;(2)在经济系统物质流分析指标的变化原因研究方面,目前的研究较少,研究方法包括分解分析法和回归分析法:前者多基于IPAT方程的直接分解法,难以考察经济系统内部的结构和技术的变化对经济系统物质流分析指标的影响,而后者则在所识别的经济系统物质流分析指标的影响因素方面具有较大差异。提出了经济系统物质流分析的未来研究方向。     

生态社区评价指标体系研究进展

生态社区建设融合了建筑学、生态学、社会学等多学科原理,充分体现了人与自然和谐的理念,是符合可持续发展理念的社区发展模式。生态社区评价指标体系在一定的一级指标框架下,采用定性或定量的评价指标,评判社区的可持续发展水平。对生态社区的概念和内涵、形成与发展历程、国内外生态社区相关评价指标体系进行总结和归纳,在此基础上综述了生态社区评价指标体系的研究进展,包括评价主体、一级指标框架的构建、二三级指标使用的频度分析及指标权重的确定方法。最后总结分析了生态社区指标体系研究中对外环境关联、动态发展、参与性与适应性等方面的不足,提出将复杂性理论、生命周期分析方法和生态足迹分析引入生态社区评价指标体系的研究,以提高指标体系的系统性、科学性和参与性。     

基于物质流和生态足迹的可持续发展指标体系构建——以安徽省铜陵市为例

将物质流分析方法和生态足迹模型相结合,构建可持续发展指标体系,利用因子分析法对安徽省铜陵市2000—2010年间的可持续发展状况进行了评价。结果表明:(1)铜陵市直接物质输入(DMI)总体呈增长趋势,2010年相比2000年增长2.65倍,进口比重有所下降,区域资源开采活动有所增强,但直接物质输入仍主要依赖于进口,区内加工排放(DPO)总体呈上升趋势,区域内隐藏流(DHF)成为环境压力的主要来源;(2)铜陵市物质生产力数据显示其在物质利用效益方面有了改善,但与同期国内平均水平相比,仍存在一定差距;(3)铜陵市人均生态足迹持续上升,2010年达到7 hm2/人,生态足迹与生态承载力之间的矛盾逐渐加大;(4)可持续发展指标体系评价表明,铜陵市可持续发展状况呈现下降趋势。铜陵市应从调整三次产业关系、转变经济运行方式等角度出发,实现真正意义上的可持续发展。     

从系统到景观:区域物质流分析的景观取向

物质流过程是考察系统属性的重要维度。区域物质流分析在研究框架、指标体系、数据集成、管理应用等方面的发展困境,都不同程度地反映了"黑箱假设"以及"系统隐喻"等产业生态学理论的应用局限性。基于整合复杂性科学、广义进化论的生态学组织层次理论,对区域物质流分析开展理论探讨,指出应在原有的"系统"思维之外引入"景观"概念,以拓展区域物质流分析的空间与认知维度。基于"从系统到景观"的理念,将景观生态学原理引入区域物质流分析,建构区域物质流分析的景观取向,并从空间结构与认知图式两个方面对这一取向的核心涵义做以解读。结合区域物质流分析的最新研究案例,从多尺度MFA的综合研究框架、物质流动过程的时空集成研究、物质流动过程的空间行为管理等几个方面,对区域物质流分析的景观取向做了进一步探讨。     

区域生态经济系统的物质输入与输出分析——以常州市武进区为例

运用物质流分析（MFA）方法,对江苏省常州市武进区生态经济系统中物质输入与输出进行了系统的分析,结果表明：（1）随着社会经济发展和人口增长,武进区物质输入总量及人均物质输入量也在增加,但递增速率均远小于GDP增长速率,而物质输出总量及人均物质输出量则呈现递减趋势;（2）在不考虑水的因素情况下,武进区物质输入量保持较快的上升速度,其中固体物质的增长速率远远大于气体物质的增长速率;物质输出量则呈总体下降趋势,其中以气体物质输出量的贡献最大,对环境造成污染的物质以气体特别是以化石燃料燃烧排放的废气和工业废气为主;（3）排除占大部分比例农业用水的上升,工业用水、城镇生活用水和地下水总量及人均利用强度都在减少;同时,总的废水排放量及人均排放量在减少,其中又以生活废水排放量的减少最快,其次是工业废水;（4）单位GDP物质输入量的变化处于波动状态,同期的单位GDP物质输出量则呈递减趋势,单位GDP用水量和单位GDP废水排放量则有相同的递减趋势,表征了武进区资源利用效率的稳步提高,区域经济增长和环境压力也在逐步脱钩。上述结果体现了武进区近年来循环经济发展模式的优势,但还存在较多问题,说明武进区在调整物质利用强度和提高资源利用效率方面还需下更大的功夫,并采取相关措施,以期提高实施循环经济战略与建设节约型社会的地位和意义。文章最后结合研究区实际情况就区域环境一经济的协调发展进行了展望,指出了物质流分析方法在应用中的一些缺陷,为今后该领域的进一步研究提供了借鉴。     

基于能值分析的深圳市三个小型农业生态经济系统研究

应用能值分析方法,通过能值转换率,把深圳市3个农场生态经济系统的能量流、物质流、货币流和信息流转化为统一量纲———能值。在绘制能值系统概图和编制能值分析表的基础上,建立能值评价指标体系对3个系统的能值输入结构、生产效率、环境负载和可持续发展状况等进行分析和比较。此外,比较经济指标与能值分析结果,并采用情景分析对农场未来发展做出预测。能值分析方法不仅考虑环境及其服务功能对经济生产的贡献,同时能值交换率和能值产出率把系统经济流入和产出纳入分析过程,结合环境和经济评价,可用于综合分析农场生态效益和经济效益。研究结果表明:西丽果场是可持续发展能力最高的农场,碧岭现代农业科技园次之,而山海农场的可持续发展能力最低。都市农场应该大比例利用可更新资源,努力发展农业生产,并且积极提升农业的技术含量。在此基础上,控制规模合理地发展旅游经济,走高科技农业生态旅游之路。     

城市生态系统氮代谢研究进展

城市氮代谢是当前城市物质代谢研究领域中的一个研究热点,其研究框架是将城市视为一个可进行氮代谢的生态系统整体,重点关注人类活动对城市人为活化氮代谢过程的影响及其可能产生的环境问题。本文在阐述城市氮代谢内涵、研究背景的基础上,介绍了物质流分析方法研究城市氮代谢的进展,分析了系统动态模型在城市氮代谢模拟研究中应用前景;最后从城市内部的氮代谢分析、工业氮在城市氮代谢中的归宿、氮足迹概念在城市氮代谢过程研究中运用等方面,探讨了未来城市氮代谢研究趋势与发展方向。实现不同尺度的城市氮代谢过程的准确分析,关键在于研究区域边界和氮流归宿的明确,而目前中国针对城市氮代谢分析研究很少,因此,有必要探讨适合城市氮代谢研究的多尺度分析方法及评价指标,以期为减少城市人为活化氮的排放提供理论参考。     

基于能值分析法的矿区循环经济系统生态效率分析

从系统的角度界定了循环经济和矿区循环经济的内涵,提出了煤炭矿区循环经济系统的基本框架,并以能值分析法为基础构建了矿区循环经济系统生态效率评价指标体系与方法。运用所构建的评价指标体系与方法对山东某矿区进行了研究,得出该矿区循环经济系统2007—2011年5年间的能值效率变化趋势图和生态效率指数趋势图,研究结果与该矿区的实际发展趋势基本一致。表明运用能值分析法所建立的评价指标体系具有较强的有效性,并且对煤炭矿区发展循环经济、提高生态效率具有重要指导意义和参考价值。     

Rationale for and Interpretation of Economy-Wide Materials Flow Analysis and Derived Indicators

Economy-wide material flow analysis (MFA) and derived indicators have been developed to monitor and assess the metabolic performance of economies, that is, with respect to the internal economic flows and the exchange of materials with the environment and with other economies. Indicators such as direct material input (DMI) and direct material consumption (DMC) measure material use related to either production or consumption. Domestic hidden flows (HF) account for unused domestic extraction, and foreign HF represent the upstream primary resource requirements of the imports. DMI and domestic and foreign HF account for the total material requirement (TMR) of an economy. Subtracting the exports and their HF provides the total material consumption (TMC).
DMI and TMR are used to measure the (de-) coupling of resource use and economic growth, providing the basis for resource efficiency indicators. Accounting for TMR allows detection of shifts from domestic to foreign resource requirements. Net addition to stock (NAS) measures the physical growth of an economy. It indicates the distance from flow equilibrium of inputs and outputs that may be regarded as a necessary condition of a sustainable mature metabolism.
We discuss the extent to which MFA-based indicators can also be used to assess the environmental performance. For that purpose we consider different impacts of material flows, and different scales and perspectives of the analysis, and distinguish between turnover-based indicators of generic environmental pressure and impact-based indicators of specific environmental pressure. Indicators such as TMR and TMC are regarded as generic pressure indicators that may not be used to indicate specific environmental impacts. The TMR of industrial countries is discussed with respect to the question of whether volume and composition may be regarded as unsustainable.     

Material Flows and Economic Growth in Developing China

The concept of sustainable development concerns not only the natural environment but also human societies and economies. The method of economy‐wide materials flow accounting and analysis (EW‐MFA) is internationally recognized as a valuable tool for studying the physical dimensions of economies. EW‐MFA has been carried out in many industrialized countries, but very little work has been done for developing China; this article can be regarded as one of the first attempts to study China's economy in terms of materials flows. In this article we have compiled materials flow accounts for China during the time series 1990 to 2002 and derived indicators associated with international comparison. Results show that the annual material consumption of China's economy continuously increased except for a slump around 1998, whereas the material efficiency exhibited a three‐phase trend reflecting different macropolicies of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Five‐Year Plans implemented by the central government. Based on this experience with EW‐MFA for China, suggestions for methodology development and further research are given for improving EW‐MFA as a more effective tool for environmental management.     

Combining Material Flow Analysis,Life Cycle Assessment,and Multiattribute Utility Theory

Three assessment methods, material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle analysis (LCA), and multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) are systematically combined for supporting the choice of best end‐of‐life scenarios for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in a municipality of a developing country. MFA analyzes the material and energy balance of a firm, a region, or a nation, identifying the most relevant processes; LCA evaluates multiple environmental impacts of a product or a service from cradle to grave; and MAUT allows for inclusion of other aspects along with the ecological ones in the assessment. We first systematically coupled MFA and LCA by defining “the service offered by the total PET used during one year in the region” as the functional unit. Inventory and impacts were calculated by multiplying MFA flows with LCA impacts per kilogram. We used MAUT to include social and economic aspects in the assessment. To integrate the subjective point of view of stakeholders in the MAUT, we normalized the environmental, social, and economic variables with respect to the magnitude of overall impacts or benefits in the country. The results show large benefits for recycling scenarios from all points of view and also provide information about waste treatment optimization. The combination of the three assessment methods offers a powerful integrative assessment of impacts and benefits. Further research should focus on data collection methods to easily determine relevant material flows. LCA impact factors specific to Colombia should be developed, as well as more reliable social indicators.     

Approaches for Quantifying the Metabolism of Physical Economies: A Comparative Survey: Part II: Review of Individual Approaches

This article is the second of a two-part series that describes and compares the essential features of nine "physical economy" approaches for mapping and quantifying the material demands of the human economy upon the natural environ-ment. These approaches are critical tools in the design and implementation of industrial ecology strategies for greater eco-efficiency and reduced environmental impacts of human economic activity. Part I of the series provided an overview, meth-odological classification, and comparison of a selected set of major materials flow analysis (MFA) and related techniques. This sequel includes a convenient reference and overview of the major metabolism measurement approaches in the form of a more detailed summary of the key specific analytical and other features of the approaches introduced in part I. The surveyed physical economy related environmental analysis ap-proaches include total material requirement and output mod-els, bulk MFA (IFF (Department of Social Ecology, Institute for Interdiscplinary Studies of Austrian Universities) material flow balance model variant), physical input-output tables, substance flow analysis, ecological footprint analysis, environmental space, material intensity per unit service, life-cycle assessment (LCA), the sustainable process index, and company-level MFA.     

Towards a Circular Economy in Australian Agri‐food Industry: An Application of Input‐Output Oriented Approaches for Analyzing Resource Efficiency and Competitiveness Potential

The food industry in Australia (agriculture and manufacturing) plays a fundamental role in contributing to socioeconomic sectors nationally. However, alongside the benefits, the industry also produces environmental burdens associated with the production of food. Sectorally, agriculture is the largest consumer of water. Additionally, land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and waste generation are considered the main environmental impacts caused by the industry. The research project aims to evaluate the eco‐efficiency performance of various subsectors in the Australian agri‐food systems through the use of input‐output–oriented approaches of data envelopment analysis and material flow analysis. This helps in establishing environmental and economic indicators for the industry. The results have shown inefficiencies during the life cycle of food production in Australia. Following the principles of industrial ecology, the study recommends the implementation of sustainable processes to increase efficiency, diminish undesirable outputs, and decrease the use of nonrenewable inputs within the production cycle. Broadly, the research outcomes are useful to inform decision makers about the advantages of moving from a traditional linear system to a circular production system, where a sustainable and efficient circular economy could be created in the Australian food industry.     

Methodology and Indicators of Economy‐wide Material Flow Accounting

This contribution presents the state of the art of economy‐wide material flow accounting. Starting from a brief recollection of the intellectual and policy history of this approach, we outline system definition, key methodological assumptions, and derived indicators. The next section makes an effort to establish data reliability and uncertainty for a number of existing multinational (European and global) material flow accounting (MFA) data compilations and discusses sources of inconsistencies and variations for some indicators and trends. The results show that the methodology has reached a certain maturity: Coefficients of variation between databases lie in the range of 10% to 20%, and correlations between databases across countries amount to an average R² of 0.95. After discussing some of the research frontiers for further methodological development, we conclude that the material flow accounting framework and the data generated have reached a maturity that warrants material flow indicators to complement traditional economic and demographic information in providing a sound basis for discussing national and international policies for sustainable resource use.     

基于物质流分析和数据包络分析的区域生态效率评价——以江苏省为例

区域生态效率(eco-efficiency)评价是考量区域可持发展的重要内容.基于物质流分析(material flow analysis, MFA)构建区域生态效率评价指标体系,并将污染物排放作为一种非期望输入引入到数据包络分析(data envelopment analysis, DEA)模型中,以江苏省(1990～2005年)为例进行生态效率分析评价.结果表明,江苏省的区域生态效率在1990～2005年期间呈现逐步上升的趋势.但是,同期的总物质投入(total material input, TMI)、物质需求总量(total material requirement, TMR)和污染物排放量也呈上升趋势.因此,江苏省社会经济发展和环境影响总体上呈现"弱脱钩(weak de-link)".     

Consumption‐based Material Flow Accounting

In 2007, imports accounted for approximately 34% of the material input (domestic extraction and imports) into the Austrian economy and almost 60% of the GDP stemmed from exports. Upstream material inputs into the production of traded goods, however, are not yet included in the standard framework of material flow accounting (MFA). We have reviewed different approaches accounting for these upstream material inputs, or raw material equivalents (RME), positioning them in a wider debate about consumption‐based perspectives in environmental accounting. For the period 1995–2007, we calculated annual RME of Austria's trade and consumption applying a hybrid approach. For exports and competitive imports, we used an environmentally extended input‐output model of the Austrian economy, based on annual supply and use tables and MFA data. For noncompetitive imports, coefficients for upstream material inputs were extracted from life cycle inventories. The RME of Austria's imports and exports were approximately three times larger than the trade flows themselves. In 2007, Austria's raw material consumption was 30 million tonnes or 15% higher than its domestic material consumption. We discuss the material composition of these flows and their temporal dynamics. Our results demonstrate the need for a consumption‐based perspective in MFA to provide robust indicators for dematerialization and resource efficiency analysis of open economies.     

Approaches for Quantifying the Metabolism of Physical Economies: Part I: Methodological Overview

This article is the first of a two-part series that describes and compares the essential features of nine existing "physical economy" approaches for quantifying the material demands of the human economy upon the natural environment. A range of material flow analysis (MFA) and related techniques is assessed and compared in terms of several major dimensions. These include the system boundary identification for material flow sources, extents, and the key socioinstitutional entities containing relevant driving forces, as well as the nature and detailing of system components and flow interconnections, and the comprehensiveness and types of flows and materials covered.
Shared conceptual themes of a new wave of physical economy approaches are described with a brief overview of the potential applications of this broad family of methodologies. The evolving and somewhat controversial nature of the characteristics and role that define MFA is examined. This review suggests the need to specify whether MFA is a general metabolic flow measurement procedure that can be applied from micro to macrolevels of economic activity, or a more specific methodology aimed primarily at economy-wide analyses that "map" the material relations between society and nature. Some alternative options for classifying MFA are introduced for discussion before a more detailed comparative summary of the key methodological features of each approach in the second part of this two-part article.
The review is presented (1) as a reference and resource for the increasing number of policy makers and practitioners involved in industrial ecology and the evaluation of the material basis of economies and the formulation of eco-efficiency strategies, and (2) to provoke discussion and ongoing dialogue to clarify the many existing areas of discordance in environmental accounting related to material flows, and help consolidate the methodological basis and application of MFA.