Monitoring, enforcement, and the choice of environmental policy instruments

How to choose among the dozen policy instruments available to environmental management agencies has been a matter of concern and debate among environmental economists for the entire life of the profession – nearly four decades. The ability, or lack of it, to measure the quantities or observe the actions made "enforceable" by particular policy instruments ought clearly to be central to this choice. However, all too often the monitoring problem has been assumed away. When it is reintroduced in realistic forms, we find, not surprisingly, that some favorite policy instruments, such as pollution charges, are not applicable to some important problems, such as runoff pollution from farms; that marginal subsidies, by changing the burden of proof, may no longer be symmetric with charges; and that the apparent freedom from monitoring requirements of the newly fashionable instrument involving the public provision of information about firms or products is "paid for" by our inability to say anything about its performance on other dimensions that are also of interest. Electronic Publication     

试论环境保护投资与环保产业的发展

本文针对国内学术界和政府部门在环境保护产业投资和环境保护投资方面的模糊认识,明确区分了环保投资与环保产业投资,阐释了狭义的环保投资概念和环保投资与环保产业市场化的关系,论述了环保投资对环保产业市场化的作用,并强调只有坚持以市场为导向,环保产业才能健康发展,本文还论述了在拓展市场业务的过程中,受需求牵引,环保产业必然会由以末端治理服务为主转向为企业生产全过程的服务为主,最终融于生产过程而转化为清洁生产行为或产品生命周期管理。     

Policy sciences contributions to analysis to promote sustainability

The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for the policy sciences articles of this special feature.

中国环境政策矩阵的构建与分析

可持续发展战略要求对已有的环境政策手段进行重新评估。由世界银行提出的环境政策矩阵则是进行这种评估的成功之举。本文利用政策矩阵这一模式探讨了我国环境政策手段的构成与特点，并进而提出了创新我国环境政策手段的几点建议，以促进我国可持续发展战略的实施。     

我国宏观环境决策的若干问题

本文针对国内外宏观环境决策中存在的问题,阐述了以科学研究为基础的宏观环境决策支持系统的作用,分析了决策观点和思维的多样性对宏观环境决策的意义,探讨了宏观环境决策与环境基础学科建设的关系。     

环境财税政策的治污效应研究——基于区域和门槛效应视角

首先参照投入—产出比,利用环保财政投入占GDP比重与环境污染综合指数之比对各区域环境财政政策治污效应系数进行测算,按系数值域把中国30个省(市)分成两个区域,区域1包括北京、甘肃、贵州等19个省市,区域2包括上海、浙江、福建等11个省市。其次分析环境财政政策、环境税收政策和中国式环境分权的治污效应并分区检验,最后对中国式环境分权和经济发展水平的门槛效应进行实证检验。结果表明:环境财政政策治污效应显著,区域1财政政策取得了更好的治污效果,中国目前车船税、城市维护建设税、土地使用税、耕地占用税、资源税及排污费等\"近似\"环境税种总体治污效应不显著,中国式环境分权与污染物排放显著正相关,中国式环境分权和经济发展水平对财政政策的治污效应具有显著的门槛效应,当中国式环境分权度低于-0.164、经济发展水平低于4.174时,环境财政政策具有更好的治污效果。样本期内以中国式环境分权为门槛变量时,有安徽、广西等15%的观测值位于低门槛区域,以经济发展水平为门槛变量时,有贵州、云南等10%的观测值位于低门槛区域。中国目前的能源消费结构和工业结构是加剧环境污染的重要原因,城镇化和对外开放在一定程度上助推了高污染和高排放。鉴于此应加大环境保护财政支出,提升环保财政支出占GDP的比重,单独开征环境保护税种,中央政府适度地环境集权,全面提升环境质量。     

Uncertainty,Irreversibility and the Timing Problems of Environmental Policy

Most environmental issues and policy designing are uncertain and irreversible;therefore,the timing of environmental policy implementation becomes especially important.This paper establishes a random dynamic programming model and analyzes the optimal timing problems in environmental policy under uncertain variables.This model results indicate that two variables have a significant impact on the timing of environmental policy implementation and they work in opposite directions:on one hand,the more uncertain the economy is,the higher the cost of policies implementation will be,and consequently the incentive to immediately adopt the policy will be stronger.On the other hand,the higher the uncertainty of the environment is,the stronger the irreversibility of ecological harm caused by pollutants per unit will be.Therefore,the government should implement new environmental policies as early as possible in order to gain more ecological benefits.     

环境管制政策的局限性与变革--自愿性环境政策的兴起

我国虽然基本上避免了环境质量急剧恶化的局面。但是现行环境政策并没有从根本上遏制环境状况不断恶化的趋势，我国环境政策的效率亟待摄高。究其原因，我国环境政策以行政直控的管制政策为主。具有强烈的行政管理色彩，使得政府和企业的博弈长期锁定在非合作状态。要摆脱这种困境，必须引入第三方激励、监督机制。促使双方的博弈转变为合作博弈。20世纪90年代中期自愿性环境政策的渐渐兴起，是企业和公众在产品市场上互相影响的结果。而政府起到引导激励、信号传递作用。文章从博弈论的角度对此进行了分析，自愿性环境政策缓解了环境管制成本与效果冲突的困境，是未来环境政策的一个重要的方向。     

评析中国现行环境保护投资体制

本文通过对我国近15年环保投资相关数据的分析,揭示了现行环保投资体制失灵的一个重要因素是结构上失衡,在环保投资中没有体现环保设施运营费用,直接影响了环保投资的效益,其次,一些指标的设计严重偏离了现实,影响了环保投资的有机构成,也导致环境政策的失效,在此基础上,结合实际,提出初步的改革设想。     

基于水排污权交易的流域生态补偿研究

市场导向的流域生态补偿措施是政府补偿机制下的对流域水资源进行生态补偿的重要措施,市场导向的补偿措施之一是构建基于水排污权交易的市场体系,目前这一体系的理论构架尚未建立。本文尝试通过借鉴碳排放交易体系来构建流域内水排污权交易市场,探讨对中国现阶段以政府补偿为主要内容的流域生态补偿进行补充。本文在借鉴欧盟碳排放交易体系(EU ETS)三阶段改革内容基础上,结合水污染排放特征,构建了流域内水排污权交易市场,并通过建立流域生态补偿模型,基于考察流域内上、下游排污企业进行水排污权交易的内在动因,从理论层面分析水排污权交易市场运行机制。研究表明,水排污权交易市场同样可采用"总量控制与交易"机制,其基本要素包括水污染排放上限、覆盖范围、配额分配方式、交易保障体系、法律基础等;水排污权交易市场是对现有流域生态补偿机制的补充,形成了"政府宏观调控为主导、市场机制有效补充"的协同模式;上游地区企业获得的生态补偿主要源于分配得到的水排污权,市场机制能够激励上游地区污染减排。最后,本文提出水排污权交易市场体系应该从以下几个方面进行推进:制定排污权交易的相关法律法规,从法律上界定排放权的所有权和可交易性质;水排污权交易的市场定位仅是对现有流域生态补偿机制的有效补充,决不能忽视政府补偿在生态补偿中的主导作用;水排污权交易不局限于某个地区内部,而应该分流域建立水排污权交易,从而实现跨界流域生态补偿;流域生态补偿需兼顾补偿与惩罚机制,通过制度设计激励污染减排。     

加速战略转移推进持续发展

中国是一个发展中国家,经济已进入高速增长阶段,因而应从实际出发,选择一条既发展经济,又保护环境的持续发展道路。《中国21世纪议程》阐述了持续发展的战略思想、总体目标和步骤,是我国推行持续发展战略的有力保证,亦是指导今后中国环境保护工作的行动指南。     

面向生态的西部开发政策环境影响评价

本文在分析西部开发政策体系的基础上,剖析了该战略产生的环境影响的特征,指出了开展政策环境影响评价的必要性和可行性,提出了政策环评所需要的度量指标,以及面向生态的政策环评工作原则和技术程序,探讨了西部开发政策环境影响的控制方法。     

环境技术变革的经济机制分析和政策研究

本文从企业和环境管理决策者两个角度,对排放标准、环境税、排污权交易及其政策组合等政策的机制和效果进行了比较研究,提出我国目前在清洁生产要求下促进环境技术变革采用有效政策工具的理论依据和研究思路     

主体功能区环境政策体系构建初探

在分析主体功能区环境政策需求的基础上,从环境政策目标、政策手段、政策保障三个层面构建了主体功能区环境政策体系框架。初步确立了各类主体功能区环境政策的宏观目标及微观目标;重点研究了环境准入、污染控制、生态补偿、环境经济等政策措施;从环保绩效考核、环境信息公开、资金保障、法律保障等方面探讨了政策保障体系。本研究为进一步深入开展主体功能区环境政策研究奠定了基础,同时可以为开展主体功能区规划等工作提供参考。     

Uncertainty,Irreversibility and the Timing Problems of Environmental Policy

Abstract

Most environmental issues and policy designing are uncertain and irreversible; therefore, the timing of environmental policy implementation becomes especially important. This paper establishes a random dynamic programming model and analyzes the optimal timing problems in environmental policy under uncertain variables. This model results indicate that two variables have a significant impact on the timing of environmental policy implementation and they work in opposite directions: on one hand, the more uncertain the economy is, the higher the cost of policies implementation will be, and consequently the incentive to immediately adopt the policy will be stronger. On the other hand, the higher the uncertainty of the environment is, the stronger the irreversibility of ecological harm caused by pollutants per unit will be. Therefore, the government should implement new environmental policies as early as possible in order to gain more ecological benefits.     

企业环境行为:环境政策研究的微观视角

企业环境行为是是企业面对来自政府、公众、市场等方面的压力．而采取的宏观战略和制度变革、内部具体生产的调整等措施和手段．是环境政策效果的具体体现。政府、公众和市场压力在不同阶段发挥着不同的作用。在工业绿色化的初级阶段以政府压力为主。随着公众和企业更多地参与到环保行动中来．来自市场及社区的压力逐渐成为企业环境行为的主导驱动力量。我国正处于工业化加速阶段．环境问题突出．必须积极开展对企业环境行为的研究，探求环境压力与企业环境行为转变的内在关系．找到促进企业改善环境行为和表现的最优方式，为我国环境政策的制定提供决策支持。     

江苏省环境污染及影响因素区域差异比较研究

江苏省不同区域的环境污染状况差异显著。首先对江苏省三大地区间的环境污染差异进行了简要分析,然后重点对各地区环境污染的经济影响因素进行了对比,结果显示苏南地区的经济增长水平及规模、产业结构、制度及环保科技水平等方面与苏中和苏北地区间差别明显,而且这种差异表现出对环境污染作用机理相反的方向,主要是由江苏省特殊的发展阶段所致,即伴随着经济的快速发展,环境污染呈现恶化趋势。基于以上分析,提出了环保政策创新的途径,以缩小江苏省环境污染区域差异,在维持经济持续增长条件下,使区域环境恶化的局面得到有效控制。     

Beyond Counting Climate Consensus

Several studies have been using quantified consensus within climate science as an argument to foster climate policy. Recent efforts to communicate such scientific consensus attained a high public profile but it is doubtful if they can be regarded successful. We argue that repeated efforts to shore up the scientific consensus on minimalist claims such as “humans cause global warming” are distractions from more urgent matters of knowledge, values, policy framing and public engagement. Such efforts to force policy progress through communicating scientific consensus misunderstand the relationship between scientific knowledge, publics and policymakers. More important is to focus on genuinely controversial issues within climate policy debates where expertise might play a facilitating role. Mobilizing expertise in policy debates calls for judgment, context and attention to diversity, rather than deferring to formal quantifications of narrowly scientific claims.