Renewable Energy Legislation in China: Political and Institutional Strategy for Effective Implementation

Abstract

Over the past decade, the Chinese government has developed several plans regulations and policy measures related to the development of renewable energy technologies and has implemented a series of pilot projects. Chinese policymakers have spent several years studying how renewable energy policy models that have been used internationally could be implemented in China. Programs are currently underway to implement pilot renewable portfolio standards, or mandatory market shares (MMS) for renewable energy, in several provinces. This paper examines the primary institutions that are involved in promoting renewable policies in China, the structure of the policies that currently are being drafted, and the status of the complementary, national-level renewable energy law being drafted to provide a legal basis for ongoing local and national-level policies. It then examines the legal requirements for promoting renewable energy legislation under the Chinese law-making system. Finally, it provides recommendations for strategies to ensure the smooth implementation of a multi-faceted national renewable energy policy and legal framework.     

强化高校法制教育刻不容缓

在社会主义市场经济的新形势下,对高校师生的法律意识和法律素质的要求越来越高,本文针对高校部分师生的犯罪事实,阐明了强化高校法制教育的紧迫性,提出了强化高校法制教育的方式方法。     

Intensification,regulation and diversification: The changing face of inland aquaculture in China

Trends in aquatic food consumption were matched against farm production surveys within Hubei province and compared to official production data and statistics. Surveys showed that consumer tastes were changing to a much broader aquatic food menu as their spending power increased. Traditional aquaculture species were becoming less profitable due to reduced profit margins as input costs increased and consumption preferences changed. Consequently, many producers were diversifying their production to meet local demand. Some farmers were also de-intensifying by reducing commercial aquafeed inputs and reverting to more traditional methods of dyke-crop culture to optimise trade-offs between input costs and labour, and manage their risk more effectively. In addition, analysis of local data showed that wholesale changes were occurring to aquaculture production as environmental protection legislation took effect which reduced the growing area for carps considerably.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01503-3.     

关于我国减灾方针和管理体制的讨论

本文在考察减轻自然灾害历史的基础上,指出我国减灾工作经历的经验性减灾阶段长达几千年,至本世纪60至70年代.才逐步发展到了今天的半经验半理论减灾阶段.今后的发展是向系统工程理论指导下的综合减灾过渡.适应这种发展,需要把二、三十年前形成的“以预防为主,防、抗、救相结合”的减灾方针,适时调整为“以预防为主、防救结合、综合减灾”的新方针.在肯定我国四十多年来逐步形成和发展的纵向分散(部门型)减灾管理体制,主要依靠社会主义制度的优越性和党的领导取得巨大减灾成就的同时,提出必须改革现有减灾管理体制.制定国家综合减灾大法,以适应社会主义经济及社会发展对减灾工作的需求.     

Advances in emission control of diesel vehicles in China

Diesel vehicles have caused serious environmental problems in China. Hence, the Chinese government has launched serious actions against air pollution and imposed more stringent regulations on diesel vehicle emissions in the latest China VI standard. To fulfill this stringent legislation, two major technical routes, including the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and high-efficiency selective catalytic reduction (SCR) routes, have been developed for diesel engines. Moreover, complicated aftertreatment technologies have also been developed, including use of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for controlling carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions, diesel particulate filter (DPF) for particle mass (PM) emission control, SCR for the control of NOx emission, and an ammonia slip catalyst (ASC) for the control of unreacted NH₃. Due to the stringent requirements of the China VI standard, the aftertreatment system needs to be more deeply integrated with the engine system. In the future, aftertreatment technologies will need further upgrades to fulfill the requirements of the near-zero emission target for diesel vehicles.     

Renewable Energy Legislation in China:Politicaland Institutional Strategy for EffectiveImplementation

Over the past decade, the Chinese government has developed several plans regulations and policy measures related to the development of renewable energy technologies and has implemented a series of pilot projects. Chinese policymakers have spent several years studying how renewable energy policy models that have been used internationally could be implemented in China. Programs are currently underway to implement pilot renewable portfolio standards, or mandatory market shares (MMS) for renewable energy, in several provinces. This paper examines the primary institutions that are involved in promoting renewable policies in China, the structure of the policies that currently are being drafted, and the status of the complementary, national-level renewable energy law being drafted to provide a legal basis for ongoing local and national-level policies. It then examines the legal requirements for promoting renewable energy legislation under the Chinese law-making system. Finally, it provides recommendations for     

Historical evolution of process safety and major-accident hazards prevention in Spain. Contribution of the pioneer Joaquim Casal

This paper aims at presenting the evolution of process safety in Spain from various points of view. In first place, a study of the accidents occurred in this country in the process industry and in the transportation of chemical substances is presented. After this, the starting point of the process safety research in Spain and its evolution during the years are explained. The importance of this topic has also been reflected in the chemical engineering studies in some Spanish universities. Therefore, the current status of the studies on process safety in Spain is analyzed in this paper. A section has also been devoted to the process safety in the Spanish industry. An analysis of the related legislation and its implementation in the Spanish process industry is also presented in this paper. Finally, the professional career of Prof. Joaquim Casal, the pioneer in Spain in process safety and risk assessment, is summarized.     

“The way forward”

The paper looks at the progress in the planning process since 1947 and the scale of physical change that has taken place in the intervening years. Lessons of this experience form the basis for looking forward to how the process is changing now, and what trends for the immediate future might be identified.     

Commercial Medicinal Plant Extraction in the Hills of Nepal: Local Management System and Ecological Sustainability

This paper presents a case study from Jumla District, Nepal, investigating local management systems and ecological sustainability of commercial collection of a medicinal plant, spikenard (Nardostachys grandiflora DC, Valerianaceae), growing in alpine meadows. Interviews were undertaken with local collectors, traders, and district forest office staff, and the dynamics of people–plant interactions are analyzed using the Oakerson model. In all, 110 sample plots 1m square were laid out in three areas with differing collection and grazing pressures for recording of floristic composition and abundance of spikenard root biomass. Comparisons show significantly more root biomass in uncollected than collected areas with local management and the interpretation of differences in abundance is discussed. The combination of qualitative and quantitative investigations can provide a framework for the study of people–plant interactions, and this study can serve as first step in a compilation of cases to create a more detailed picture of local management systems of Nepali nontimber forest products in general and commercially collected medicinal and aromatic plants in particular.     

Predictors of restraint use among child occupants

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify factors that predict restraint use and optimal restraint use among children aged 0 to 13 years.

Methods: The data set is a national sample of police-reported crashes for years 2010–2014 in which type of child restraint is recorded. The data set was supplemented with demographic census data linked by driver ZIP code, as well as a score for the state child restraint law during the year of the crash relative to best practice recommendations for protecting child occupants. Analysis used linear regression techniques.

Results: The main predictor of unrestrained child occupants was the presence of an unrestrained driver. Among restrained children, children had 1.66 (95% confidence interval, 1.27, 2.17) times higher odds of using the recommended type of restraint system if the state law at the time of the crash included requirements based on best practice recommendations.

Conclusions: Children are more likely to ride in the recommended type of child restraint when their state's child restraint law includes wording that follows best practice recommendations for child occupant protection. However, state child restraint law requirements do not influence when caregivers fail to use an occupant restraint for their child passengers.