试论公众参与环境保护的深入与发展

在环境保护问题日益受到关注的今天,公众参与无疑是一项值得肯定和提倡的制度。环境问题的特点决定了公众参与的必要性,公众参与的建立对环境保护起着至关重要的作用。在现今的法律中,已经有诸多关于公众参与的法律法规方面的相关规定;实践中,公众参与在某些地方、某些层面已经实行和落到实处。但是,面对环境“局部好转,总体恶化”的状况,公众参与凸显很多不足,需要在制度、法律等层面加以进一步完善。     

论政府在排污总量控制中的职责

要开展污染物排放总量控制，就要提高公众的环境意识，要求政府“两个文明”一齐抓，努力提高经济实力，提出了中国环保的出路在于改革创新，要在法律、法规进一步完善，在政策、制度上进一步经，并把环境科技的创新摆上议事工程。     

论中国环境影响评价中公众参与的一般模式

公众参与在环境影响评价中的作用是不可替代的,并成为各国环评的基本内容.环评中公众参与的一般模式包括公众享有环境知情权和参与决策权、合适的公众参与的主体范围、明确的公众参与环评的程序和方法以及公众参与环评的保障机制.为更好地发挥环评的作用,应当从实体和程序两方面对法规加以完善.还应在信息公开、立法的完善和配套制度的建立等方面完善环评中的公众参与制度.     

中国核损害赔偿制度研究

由地震引发的日本福岛核事故给环境和公众造成长久而深远的影响,引发人们对核能安全性及核损害赔偿问题的广泛关注.然而,中国现行的核损害赔偿制度存在缺陷,核损害赔偿的立法与相关制度规定较国际核电大国和国际组织有一定的差距,亟需建立完善的核损害赔偿法律、制度和运作体系.阐述了核损害赔偿制度的重要性,介绍了国内外核事故损害赔偿制度的现状和特点,针对中国核事故损害赔偿制度、体系建设等方面存在的缺陷提出完善建议.     

论环境风险社会放大的制度根源与法律应对

环境风险的社会放大是指公众对环境风险的感知及其行为反应超越了环境风险应有的影响程度。环境风险的社会放大具有信息判断的主观性、形成原因的复杂性和影响后果的多层性,对社会稳定、经济发展和政府形象都会产生不良影响。中国环境风险社会放大的制度根源在于环境风险评估制度不科学、环境风险信息交流制度不健全、环境风险责任分配制度不合理。为了避免环境风险社会放大所带来的不必要的损失,法律应从环境风险评估、环境风险信息交流、环境风险责任分配等3个方面进行制度完善。     

论我国环境侵权救济法律制度的完善

环境侵权是随着工业化和城市化的发展而出现的新型侵权行为之一。随着中国经济的迅速发展，由环境污染和生态破坏造成的环境污染侵权现象及其救济已成为中国的一大社会问题。中国目前尚缺乏对环境侵权救济法律制度的全面深入研究，有关立法也不完善，而西方发达国家有关环境侵权救济法的理论和实践已经较为成熟。拟借鉴西方国家的环境侵权救济法律制度，并立足中国国情，提出了完善中国环境侵权救济法律制度的若干建议。     

关于完善中国战略环境影响评价制度的探讨

虽然中国已经将规划环境影响评价纳入法律要求,并开始尝试更高层次的战略环境影响评价,但由于没有实施细则,战略环境影响评价制度并不完善.主要存在规则筛选程序不清晰、评价深度缺乏规范要求、审查主体的权威性不足、公众参与质量不高及评价对象的层次较低等问题.在分析上述问题的基础上,提出完善战略环境影响评价制度,提高其有效性的对策建议.     

新《环境保护法》的亮点、不足与展望

十二届全国人大常委会第八次会议表决通过了修订后的《环境保护法》,是中国环境法治建设的重要成就。新《环境保护法》与原《环境保护法》相比具有诸多亮点,如体现和贯彻了"保护优先"的理念,规定了生态保护红线制度、环境与健康监测调查和风险评估制度,明确了环境公益诉讼原告,规定了按日处罚制度。但也存在一些不足之处,如新《环境保护法》仍属管理法而非权利法、没有触及环境保护监督管理体制、环境保护法律体系缺乏合理协调、立法技术不够完善等。今后《环境保护法》的发展应注重从管理法向权利法转变、强化地方监管和建立区域性监管、协调环境保护法律体系。     

中国环境公益诉讼的实践障碍及完善措施——从云南曲靖市铬污染事件谈起

2011年发生在云南曲靖市的铬污染事件,再次引发全社会对重金属污染严重危害性的极大关注。为维护环境公益,环保组织"自然之友"和重庆市绿色志愿者联合会向曲靖市中级人民法院起诉,标志着中国以民间环保组织作为原告的环境公益诉讼在实践中又向前迈出重要一步。由于中国还没有建立起环境公益诉讼制度,使得相关案件在实践推进过程中暴露出许多缺陷。以云南曲靖市铬污染事件出发,针对环境公益诉讼的障碍性因素,提出了相应的完善措施,呼吁国家加快相关立法进程,建立以环境损害事实为基础的环境监管制度和公众参与环境保护的制度。     

对于环境执法监管中的几点建议

针对温总理在2006年全国环境保护大会上提到的现阶段环境执法存在的问题，提出了尽快完善环境法规体系，建立环境执法管理制度；建立完善的领导干部环保政绩考核制度。彻底消除地方保护主义；建立健全公众参与与环境行为公示制度；提高环境监管能力建设，切实加大环境执法力度；创新环境执法思路和手段，严打各种环境违法行为等建议。     

Assessing the human health effects of PCBs

Toxic effects can be induced in experimental animals by high doses of pure PCBs, and in man by PCDF-contaminated PCB. In order to assess the effects of ordinary, uncontaminated PCB on man, a group of capacitor workers who had direct occupational exposure to Aroclors 1254, 1242, and 1016 during the period 1946 to 1977 has been under medical surveillance since 1976. This group presented some indications of non-AhR-mediated microsomal enzyme induction during the period of direct exposure, but no chloracne or increased cancer mortality. Multiple regression studies revealed no significant associations between lipid PCB levels and clinical indicators of hepatotoxicity, hypertension, or pulmonary impairment.     

A perspective on the potential health risks of PBDEs

The polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are a class of chemicals widely used as flame retardants. Concentrations of PBDEs in some human and marine mammal populations are increasing. The toxicological endpoints of concern for environmental levels of PBDEs are likely to be thyroid hormone disruption, neurodevelopmental deficits and cancer. Unfortunately, the available toxicological evidence for these endpoints is surprisingly limited, given their widespread use, bioaccumulative potential, and structural similarity to thyroid hormones and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Available evidence suggests that the PBDE congeners likely to bioaccumulate (i.e., those observed in human tissues and other biota) have the propensity to disrupt thyroid hormones, cause neurobehavioral deficits and possibly cause cancer in laboratory animals. It is unclear whether current concentrations of PBDEs in human tissues would be expected to adversely impact human health. Since nearly all individuals are exposed to low levels of PBDEs, the potential health impacts also should include assessment at the population level. This paper summarizes the available toxicological evidence for PBDE-induced thyroid hormone disruption, neurodevelopmental deficits, and, for some congeners, cancer, and provides a perspective on the potential risks of the PBDEs for human health.     

Unravelling the molecular mechanism of mutagenic factors impacting human health

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental mutagens are chemical and physical substances in the environment that has a potential to induce a wide range of mutations and generate...     

Public health assessment of hexachlorobenzene

Recently, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was proposed for inclusion in the system of toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs) currently used for dioxin-like compounds. In this paper, we explore the practical implications of the proposition to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) programs by comparing respective health guidance values for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and HCB (expressed as total toxicity equivalents [TEQs]), reviewing possible interactions between HCB and dioxin-like chemicals, and by providing information on actual co-existence of HCB and dioxin-like chemicals at hazardous waste sites. We found a good correlation between the TEF-adjusted oral exposure guidance values for HCB and guidance values for TCDD. The combination of HCB and other dioxin-like compounds was not found in soil, air, or water media at hazardous waste sites. Based on this fact, it is not necessary to include HCB in the total TEQ count at hazardous waste sites at this time.     

Understanding the changing role of global public health in biodiversity conservation

Zoonotic disease emergence has become a core concern of biodiversity conservation amid the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major international conservation groups now comprehensively center larger human–nature imbalances not only as problems of global public health but as a core challenge of the conservation movement, alongside habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and climate change. There is, however, little consideration of how new biosecurity concerns might alter conservation practice with unexpected and potential harmful impacts on human communities, particularly in developing nations with significant human–wildlife interfaces. Reviewing emerging policy positions from key conservation organizations, this article argues that the proposed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic hold the potential to (a) amplify existing people-park conflicts, and (b) generate new tensions by integrating global systems of viral surveillance into biodiversity conservation. I conclude that the close integration of biosecurity concerns into conservation policies requires greater acknowledgment of the unique challenges for human communities.Supplementary InformationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-021-01576-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Assessing the health risk of reuse of bottom ash in road paving

Although the reuse of bottom ash has been favored gradually, reflected on regulations and researches, the associated risk is still an issue of great concern. This study quantified the health risks from multimedia transport and multi-pathway exposure to the concerned chemicals as a result of reusing bottom ash in road paving with consideration of various application scenarios. In particular, the using duration of the pavement was taken into consideration because movement of chemicals in the soils and groundwater would affect the subsequent exposure and risk. By using soil and groundwater transport modeling linked to food chain exposure assessment and incorporating the Monte Carlo method, the study identified Cr as the crucial toxicant and ingestion of drinking water and vegetables as the key exposure pathways. Furthermore, control of the using duration of road pavement is an essential factor of management and regulations to minimize the leaching of the hazardous constituents into the groundwater and subsequent contamination of food chain.