加强环境立法加大执法力度

环境问题作为当前影响人类生存和发展的重大问题,已经受到了国际国内的高度关注,成为国际社会最为重视的问题之一。中国作为国际社会中的重要一员,必然是参与解决国际环境问题的主要力量。然而中国正处于迅速推进工业化和城市化的发展阶段,对自然资源的开发强度不断加大,环境与资源已成为制约国民经济发展的重要因素。党中央一直把环境保护作为中国的一项基本国策,并确定了环境与经济、社会协调发展的指导方针和实施可持续发展战略。实际上,社会主义市场经济体制下的环境法体系尚未完全建立。因此,关于资源环境的立法、执法已经成为一个新的课题。     

我国湿地保护法律的空缺分析与立法建议

法律法规是湿地保护管理制度的基础。我国尚无湿地保护专门性法律,但是针对湿地中的多个要素已经制定了相关法律法规,这些法律法规能否满足湿地保护的需要是湿地保护立法中的关键问题。本文针对湿地保护的法律需求,系统分析了现行法律法规的满足情况和空缺情况,并提出湿地保护立法的建议。分析结果表明：在13个方面的法律需求中,现行法律满足程度为“基本满足”的有3个方面,即湿地野生动物保护管理、湿地野生植物保护管理、外来物种管理;满足程度为“部分满足”的有4个方面,即湿地土地资源管理、湿地水资源管理、湿地水污染管理、湿地渔业资源管理;而满足程度为“难以满足”的有6个方面,即湿地范围界定、湿地保护目标与规划、湿地保护生态补偿、湿地修复、基础管理、体制机制。最后建议我国湿地保护立法应基于政府视角而非仅仅部门视角,对于不同满足程度的方面采取不同的立法策略,并重点构建保护管理体制机制。     

碳中和立法的国际经验与启示

为应对气候变化,实现《巴黎协定》,国际社会纷纷做出碳减排相关承诺,设立碳中和目标.多个国家和地区通过设立或修订气候变化法律,将碳中和目标明确为硬约束.中国实现碳达峰、碳中和愿景任务艰巨,通过梳理典型国家和地区碳中和相关立法,分析国际碳中和立法的要点,针对国内现状需求,提出适合中国制定应对气候变化法律的建议.     

Legislating child restraint usage -Its effect on self-reported child restraint use rates in a central city

Objective

To assess the effect of the newly enacted child passenger safety law, Wisconsin Act 106, on self-report of proper restraint usage of children in Milwaukee's central city population.

Method

A prospective, non-randomized study design was used. The settings used were (a) a pediatric urban health center, and (b) two Women, Infants and Children offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Participants included 11,566 surveys collected over 18 months that spanned the pre-legislation and post-legislation time periods from February 2006 through August 2008.

Results

The study set out to assess appropriate child passenger restraint. The results showed that the changes in adjusted proper restraint usage rates for infants between the pre-law, grace period, and post-fine periods were 94%, 94%, and 94% respectively. For children 1-3 years old, the adjusted proper usage rates were 65%, 63%, and 59%, respectively. And for children 4-7 years old, the rates were 43%, 44% and 42%, respectively. There was a significant increase in premature booster seat use in children who should have been restrained in a rear- or forward-facing car seat (10% pre-law, 12% grace period, 20% post-fine; p < 0.0005). There was no statistically significant change over time in unrestrained children (2.1%, 1.7%, 1.7%, p = 0.7, respectively).

Conclusions

The passage of a strengthened child passenger safety law with fines did not significantly improve appropriate restraint use for 0-7 year olds, and appropriate use in 1-7 year olds remained suboptimal with a majority of urban children inappropriately restrained. Although the number of unrestrained children decreased, we identified an unintended consequence of the legislation - a significant increase in the rate of premature belt-positioning booster seat use among poor, urban children.

Impact on Industry

The design of child restraint systems maximizes protection of the child. Increasing reports of misuse is a call to those who manufacture these child passenger restraints to improve advertising and marketing to the correct age group, ease of installation, and mechanisms to prevent incorrect safety strap and harness placement. To ensure accurate and consistent use on every trip, car seat manufacturers must ensure that best practice recommendations for use as well as age, weight, and height be clearly specified on each child restraint. The authors support the United States Department of Transportation's new consumer program that will assist caregivers in identifying the child seat that will fit in their vehicle. In addition, due to the increase in premature graduation of children into belt-positioning booster seats noted as a result of legislation, promoting and marketing booster seat use for children less than 40 pounds should not be accepted. Child passenger safety technicians must continue to promote best practice recommendations for child passenger restraint use and encourage other community leaders to do the same.     

水环境有毒重金属污染的防控与监管路线

有毒重金属污染已成为我国的重大环境问题。对有毒重金属污染进行有效监管,首先,必须明确认定,对第一类污染物实施《源头总量控制》是污控执法和促进经济结构改革的保证条件。这种监管方式自2008年《笫一次全国污染源普查工业产排污系数手册》公布以来,更具有切实实施的可行性。《源头总量控制》与《水环境容量总量控制》两种监管方式既是各自独立、缺一不可,又是相互依赖和相互补充的关系,目前一些地方的规划管理者模糊和混淆了两类污染物和两种监管的内容和方式,笼统以《水环境总量控制》来监管所有污染物,丢弃了《源头总量控制》,使本应严加管理的饮用水水源地丧失了控制第一类污染物的能力。我国《地面水环境质量标准》(GB3838-88)中第一类污染物的水质指标与我国实际的水环境背景值有很大差距,存在"放宽允排量"和"价态转化引发危害"的问题,以一个10t电解铅的企业为例,证明两种监管方式的铅允排量相差甚大。总之,把第一类污染物与第二类污染物统一实施《水环境容量总量控制》将带来众多的危害,应当严格实施《源头总量控制》与《水环境总量控制》相结合的监管方式。     

A legal assessment of private land conservation in South America

Privately protected areas (PPAs) are a potentially innovative conservation tool. Legal recognition is necessary for their success, especially where there are institutional challenges to nature conservation, such as in South America. Although PPAs have increased in South America since the early 2000s, there is a critical information gap pertaining to their legal frameworks. We analyzed the level of landowner commitment to and governmental support for PPAs across countries in South America that officially recognize PPAs. We analyzed the legal framework governing PPAs and reviewed literature on them. This process was done in English and Spanish. The information we gathered was validated by 16 conservation experts from 10 South American countries. Because Peru is 1 of only 2 South American countries where local communities create and manage PPAs, we studied Peruvian PPAs in more detail by examining official creation documents and interviewing 13 local conservation professionals. We found inadequate minimum duration of PPAs and vague guidelines for conducting economic activities within them and a lack of governmental support (e.g., financial and technical support) for PPAs. Support was limited to the exemption from rural property taxes, which are relatively low compared with countries outside South America. In Peru, PPAs run by individuals and communities needed different legal frameworks because they were created with different objectives and had different sizes and duration of commitments. The prompt improvement of legal frameworks across South America is necessary for PPAs to achieve their aim of being places for enduring nature conservation in the region.     

我国70年环境立法：回顾、反思与展望

70年的中国环境立法,总体上分为三个阶段,即起步阶段、发展阶段和进入生态文明新阶段。起步阶段是从1949年10月新中国成立到1978年底党的十一届三中全会召开之前,发展阶段是从1979年到2012年党的十八大召开之前,进入生态文明新阶段是从2012年11月党的十八大召开至今。历史表明,在毛泽东主席和周恩来总理等老一辈党和国家领导人的关心和有关部门的共同努力下,我国的环境立法在新中国成立后已经提到工作日程,并取得一定成绩。党的十八大以来我国的环境法制建设取得历史性进步。在充分肯定成就的基础上,通过反思,发现我国环境立法依然存在立法质量不高、立法体制机制不够合理、实施效果不理想等问题。为此,应当根据习近平生态文明思想和党的十九大、十九届四中全会精神,明确新时代环境立法的指导思想和原则,加快环境法律的立改废释工作,切实提高环境立法质量,补齐生态保护立法的短板,积极推进相关法律的生态化,加强配套环境法规和规章的制定,加快健全完善生态环境保护法律体系,实现环境治理体系与治理能力的现代化。     

Sustainability of the dimension stone industry in Zimbabwe—challenges and opportunities

The rapid expansion of the dimension stone and black granite industry in Zimbabwe in the 1990s, a result of increasing domestic and international demand for black granite, has ushered in new challenges and opportunities for producers and beneficiaries alike. This article investigates the social, environmental and economic challenges emanating from the export boom, the economic opportunities presented by the expanding market and the potential role the robust industry could play in regional economic development and poverty alleviation. The article evaluates the long-term sustainability of the dimension stone industry and recommends the reinvestment of revenues into diversification of the regional economic base, upgrading of local infrastructure, further processing of rough stone before export and encouragement of micro-businesses to enhance sustainability. The author argues for modification of economic incentives to incorporate environmental and social objectives in order to enhance sustainability. The need for a holistic approach to policies affecting the exploitation, processing and marketing of granite resources and their products is recognized. More research on the operations of the industry is called for.     

论生态环境建设基本法律原则

在分析我国现有有关生态环境建设的立法现状与问题的基础上,就我国生态环境建设的基本原则加以探讨,以期完善我国生态环境建设的立法规定。     

Do Conservative Media Provide a Forum for Skeptical Voices? The Link Between Ideology and the Coverage of Climate Change in British,German, and Swiss Newspapers

This study analyzes whether the ideological orientation of a newspaper has an influence on the salience of skeptical arguments (trend, attribution, impact, and response skeptics) in the coverage of climate change in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland, and examines whether certain newspaper titles act as advocates of the skeptical countermovement. A quantitative content analysis of a broad newspaper sample for each country over the course of one year (June 2012–May 2013) was conducted. The results reveal that conservative newspapers do not amplify skeptical voices in general; the difference between conservative and more liberal outlets is only found in the case of impact and response skepticism. Second, in each country, certain conservative newspapers are particularly open to skeptical arguments.