Convergence or divergence in desertification risk? Scale-based assessment and policy implications in a Mediterranean country

This paper explores changes (1990–2000) in two environmental indexes with the aim of providing empirical evidence on regional and local convergence in an increasing-impact phenomenon such as Land Degradation (LD) in Italy. Convergence analysis for ESAI (Environmental Sensitive Area Index) and LVI (Land Vulnerability Index) was developed at five different geographical scales. Results indicate that territorial disparities in land vulnerability tend to increase during the investigated period following a defined spatial pattern that depends on land quality, the environmental context and the economic performance of regional systems. Finally, the implications this process has on policy strategies aimed at mitigating desertification risk are discussed.     

Toward sustainable livelihoods after war: Reconstituting rural land tenure systems

Land tenure plays a primary role in sustainable development efforts. However armed conflict and its repercussions reconfigure the network of social relations upon which all land tenure systems depend. In post‐conflict settings new laws have the opportunity to address tenure issues in the context of what people are already doing ‘on the ground’, with a view to moving from the fluidity of post‐conflict situations to a more solidified and peaceful social and legal environment. However there exists a lack of tools to analyze postwar land tenure and the prospects for reconstituting tenure systems to support recovery and development. This paper uses the Sustainable Livelihoods framework to examine postwar land tenure issues in order to draw out latent opportunities within emergent informal smallholder tenure constructs which may have utility in the reconstitution of national tenure systems.     

关于《水污染防治法》修订中加强经济政策手段的思考

"十二五"以来,我国对水污染防治运用经济政策手段进行了积极探索。党和国家出台的政策文件、新修订的《中华人民共和国环境保护法》以及《水污染防治行动计划》等都对水污染防治经济政策手段的制定和实施提出了新的要求。因此,亟需在未来《水污染防治法》的修订过程中加强对相关经济政策手段的规定,给予相关手段明确的法律地位,充分发挥经济政策在水污染防治中的重要作用。为此,本文建议着眼于"十三五"及未来更长一段时期水环境质量改善以及水污染防治形势和突出问题,以推动构建和实施系统、协调和高效的水污染防治经济政策体系为目标,结合党和国家相关文件、法律、行动计划的最新要求,借鉴国际上通过立法保障水污染防治经济政策手段制定和实施的经验,重点从投融资政策、税费和价格政策、排污交易政策等三个方面对现行《水污染防治法》进行修订、补充和完善。具体建议包括:一是完善关于财政投入和融资渠道的相关规定,要求加大水污染防治财政投入和补贴力度、鼓励水污染防治第三方治理方式和PPP模式以及建立流域上下游(跨界)生态补偿机制等;二是完善对于环境税(费)和其他价格机制的相关规定,增加关于环境保护税的说明等;三是增加逐步推行重点水污染物排污权交易的条款等。     

关于我国外来物种入侵的立法思考

随着全球经济一体化体系的发展,维护生物多样性、防治外来物种入侵成为世界各国关注的问题。我国面对外来物种入侵严重的现状,其相关的法律法规存在着明显缺陷,对外来物种入侵方面的立法也相当滞后。这种现状难以适应中国环境保护、经济和社会和谐发展的需要,也难以符合我国生物多样性保护的要求。文章对国际社会防治外来物种入侵相关立法及美国、日本的先进立法经验进行了分析,结合我国的国情,对我国创设外来物种入侵法律制度和修订相关法律法规上提出了意见和建议,以期通过法律手段有效地防治外来物种的入侵,并促进我国对防治外来物种入侵的相关立法。     

Policies, Regulations, and Eco-ethical Wisdom Relating to Ancient Chinese Fisheries

Marine ecosystems are in serious troubles globally, largely due to the failures of fishery resources management. To restore and conserve fishery ecosystems, we need new and effective governance systems urgently. This research focuses on fisheries management in ancient China. We found that from 5,000 years ago till early modern era, Chinese ancestors had been constantly enthusiastic about sustainable utilization of fisheries resources and natural balance of fishery development. They developed numerous rigorous policies and regulations to guide people to act on natural laws. Being detailed and scientific, the legal systems had gained gratifying enforcement, due to official efforts and folks’ voluntary participation in resource management. In-depth analyses show that people’s consciousness of ecological conservation was derived from the edification of kinds of ancient eco-ethical wisdom, such as totemism, nature worship, Zhou Yi, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Mohism, etc. All this Chinese classical wisdom have the same cores: “Nature and Man in One” spirit, frugality and “All things are equal” concept. The findings show that eco-ethical thinking is never inconsistent with social ethic systems, and it’s of great importance to give legal effect to usual ecological moral claims and eco-ethical requirements of the public in protecting the environment. The eco-ethical wisdom is efficient in assisting and urging people to fulfill humans’ obligation for nature. Finally, it’s believed that present world fisheries management will benefit a lot from all these ancient Chinese thoughts and practices. People are expected to make the most of the eco-ethical wisdom, strengthen fishery legislation and fully stimulate their voluntary participation in both marine fishery resources conservation and fishery cyclic economy.     

环境管制对企业土壤污染防治策略的影响机制研究

环境管制和企业土壤污染防治行为之间关系的研究对于我国相关法规的制定具有十分重要的意义。本文以情境脚本的方式模拟不同外部压力情形下企业可能的土壤污染防治行为,目的在于了解我国尚未通过的《土壤污染防治法》应以何种制度设计为佳。结果发现,正式环境管制压力中违规罚金对企业的土壤污染防治行为的影响程度较大;在非正式环境管制压力中,消费者与客户压力对企业土壤污染防治行为的影响程度较大。本文最后还对模拟实验研究的结果进行了讨论。     

水产养殖环境管理与污染减排的政策建议

随着我国水产养殖业的迅速发展,水产养殖环境问题日益突出。针对我国水产养殖业在行政管理、法律法规制度和养殖户管理等方面存在的环境管理问题,结合国际水产养殖业环境管理经验,本文从制定水产养殖环境管理专门法规、实施水产养殖排污许可证制度、加强环境友好养殖技术集成创新和推广生态健康养殖模式等方面提出了政策建议。     

快速城市化进程中土地集约利用的对策探讨

土地是中国可持续发展的最基础资源。在我国城市化的快速发展中,原本稀缺的土地资源供求矛盾日益突出,土地的集约利用成为时代必需。在分析我国城市化进程中用地矛盾的基础上,探讨了土地集约利用的可行性,并有针对性地提出了土地集约利用的对策措施。     

跨国公司环境治理机制研究——以“供应链法”域外适用为依归

欧美诸国近年来相继推行的“供应链法”是完善跨国公司环境治理机制的新路径，但存在侵犯主权独立等诸多隐忧。本文以加强跨国公司环境治理为出发点，探讨了跨国公司母国“供应链法”域外适用机制的理论依据及实践经验。并从我国立场出发提出，鉴于“环境权”与“其他人权”存在法理差异及避免政治争议考量，我国学者和相关企业应当在国际层面积极呼吁将环境问题与其他人权问题分开处理。同时，我国相关部门应当吸取“供应链法”域外适用机制的有利经验，实现从行业协会引导到政府部门主导，从软法到硬法，逐步建立和完善我国跨国公司治理的国内法域外适用机制。最后，我国主管部门应当尽早颁行《阻断外国法律与措施不当域外适用办法》的配套实施机制，以期将他国法律政治化域外适用对我国主权的不利影响降至最低。     

我国环境审计面临的问题及解决对策

环境审计是规范企业环境行为、提高企业环境意识的重要手段。由于我国环境审计刚刚起步,在审计理论与实践中还存在参与主体不够全面,缺少法规、制度的支持,审计范围狭窄等不足之处。从环境审计的基本问题入手,通过分析和总结我国环境审计存在的问题,提出扩大环境审计主体、完善环境保护法规体系、拓宽环境审计的范围、建立环境审计后续跟踪制度等适合中国国情的环境审计策略。     

Wise Use of Wetlands: Current State of Protection and Utilization of Chinese Wetlands and Recommendations for Improvement

Wetland protection and utilization sometimes appear to be in conflict, but promoting the wise use of wetlands can solve this problem. All countries face the challenge of sustainable development of wetlands to a greater or lesser extent, but the problem is especially urgent in developing countries, such as China, that want to accelerate their economic development without excessive environmental cost. Chinese wetlands contribute greatly to economic development, but improper use of these natural resources has endangered their existence. It is thus necessary to provide scientific guidance to managers and users of wetlands. In this paper, we analyze the present status of Chinese wetland protection and utilization, and discuss problems in six categories: a lack of public awareness of the need for wetland protection; insufficient funding for wetland protection and management; an imperfect legal system to protect wetlands; insufficient wetland research; lack of coordination among agencies and unclear responsibilities; and undeveloped technologies related to wetland use and protection. The wise use of Chinese wetlands will require improvements in four main areas: increased wetland utilization research, scientific management of wetland utilization, improved laws and regulations to protect wetlands, and wider dissemination of wetland knowledge. Based on these categories, we propose a framework for the optimization of wetland use by industry to provide guidance for China and other countries that cannot sacrifice economic benefits to protect their wetlands.     

Historical Analysis of SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Pollution Control Policies in China

Coal is not only an important energy source in China but also a major source of air pollution. Because of this, China’s national sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions have been the highest in the world for many years, and since the 1990s, the territory of China’s south and southwest has become the third largest acid-rain-prone region in the world. In order to control SO₂ emissions, the Chinese government has formulated and promulgated a series of policies and regulations, but it faces great difficulties in putting them into practice. In this retrospective look at the history of SO₂ control in China, we found that Chinese SO₂ control policies have become increasingly strict and rigid. We also found that the environmental policies and regulations are more effective when central officials consistently give environmental protection top priority. Achieving China’s environmental goals, however, has been made difficult by China’s economic growth. Part of this is due to the practice of environmental protection appearing in the form of an ideological “campaign” or “storm” that lacks effective economic measures. More recently, better enforcement of environmental laws and regulations has been achieved by adding environmental quality to the performance assessment metrics for leaders at all levels. To continue making advances, China needs to reinforce the economic and environmental assessments for pollution control projects and work harder to integrate economic measures into environmental protection. Nonetheless, China has a long way to go before economic growth and environmental protection are balanced.     

Whose voices count in biodiversity conservation? Ecological democracy in biodiversity offsetting,REDD+, and rewilding

ABSTRACT

Ecological democracy seeks environmentally sustainable ends through broad, active democratic participation. What happens when laws fostering participation in environmental decision-making and biodiversity preservation lead to differing results? What is best for biodiversity may not be what for local citizens believe is best. I examine conflicts and congruencies in the context of Biodiversity Offsetting, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), and the Rewilding movement. I ask questions that are legal (Who has what legal rights to speak for or against programs that enhance biodiversity?), epistemological (Whose expertise and knowledge matters when scientists and non-scientists don't agree?), axiological (Are some values objectively better, and why?), and normative (Whose opinions about biodiversity should count?). Many people have the right to participate in an ecological democracy: But when protecting biodiversity, who does and should have the right to be heard? I problematize the role that ‘local’ actors play in decision-making and describe the variegated role that experts – particularly biologists – play in ecological democracy when biodiversity preservation matters. To determine whose values and voices should be prioritized, I describe ‘deep equity,’ an axiological and normative groundwork for determining when biodiversity-promoting policies may be preferable even if affected citizens don't agree.     

农村环境信息公开法律体系的构建

文章主要论述农村环境信息公开的法律法规的构建过程,首先讲述了农村的环境现状及农民的环境弱势地位,分析了农村环境信息公开制度不完善的原因,同时还考察了国外农村环境信息公开的相关法律法规,最后结合实际情况,从农村环境信息公开法律的立法以及农村环境信息的管理体制、机制上进行分析并提出了相应的对策,逐步完善农村环境信息公开的法律制度。     

Estimation of Evapotranspiration Across the Conterminous United States Using a Regression With Climate and Land‐Cover Data1

Sanford, Ward E. and David L. Selnick, 2012. Estimation of Evapotranspiration Across the Conterminous United States Using a Regression with Climate and Land‐Cover Data. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1‐14. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12010 Abstract: Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important quantity for water resource managers to know because it often represents the largest sink for precipitation (P) arriving at the land surface. In order to estimate actual ET across the conterminous United States (U.S.) in this study, a water‐balance method was combined with a climate and land‐cover regression equation. Precipitation and streamflow records were compiled for 838 watersheds for 1971‐2000 across the U.S. to obtain long‐term estimates of actual ET. A regression equation was developed that related the ratio ET/P to climate and land‐cover variables within those watersheds. Precipitation and temperatures were used from the PRISM climate dataset, and land‐cover data were used from the USGS National Land Cover Dataset. Results indicate that ET can be predicted relatively well at a watershed or county scale with readily available climate variables alone, and that land‐cover data can also improve those predictions. Using the climate and land‐cover data at an 800‐m scale and then averaging to the county scale, maps were produced showing estimates of ET and ET/P for the entire conterminous U.S. Using the regression equation, such maps could also be made for more detailed state coverages, or for other areas of the world where climate and land‐cover data are plentiful.     

透视我国环境与资源法制建设

我国自改革开放以来在构建环境与资源保护法律体系方面取得了可喜的成绩,但也存在一些问题。主要表现为:可持续发展战略尚未成为我国环境与资源保护立法的指导思想,我国的环境与资源立法不能完全适应社会主义市场经济的要求和社会发展的需要,我国关于环境与资源的法律法规之间不相统一。造成上述问题的原因有外部因素和内部因素,同时我国的具体国情又使它们更具特殊性。为了有效地解决这些问题,我国须在加强环境立法、健全现有制度、协调内部功能等方面进行不懈的努力。     

中国流域水资源生态补偿的法律问题与对策

随着我国经济社会的不断发展,水资源不足和水质污染引起的水危机已经成为许多地区可持续发展中的重要制约因素。在这种背景下,为了平衡环境、社会和经济多元利益,寻求先进的法律机制来调节平衡、保护流域生态环境、促进流域的可持续发展已成为一种共识。开展流域水资源生态补偿是实现流域上下游之间等相关方利益公平的关键所在。但由于我国缺乏生态补偿立法和相应的制度安排,流域水资源生态补偿目前仍面临许多问题：我国流域水资源生态补偿进展缓慢、法律制度滞后、部分法律法规彼此之间矛盾和相互冲突、流域水资源生态补偿的法律制度缺位、立法模式不适合当今流域生态环境问题解决等。本文通过对我国有关涉水法律中存在问题的分析,提出一些有关流域水资源生态补偿法律制度建设和完善的对策,以期对中国流域水资源生态补偿的推进和进一步实现水资源的可持续利用有所帮助。     

国际环境法对我国环境保护的启示

介绍了国际环境法的内涵、基本原则和发展过程,报告了我国环境保护法律体系立法趋于逐渐完善但滞后性明显的现状,从立法和执法的角度分析了我国现阶段环境保护法存在执行不利的问题,建议以推进国际环境法的实施和完善为契机,制定明细的配套法规,强化执法力度;加强各行政机关间的交流与合作,统筹应对复杂的环保形势;发达地区扶持不发达地区发展环保事业,推进我国环保事业的进步。     

日本促进可持续消费经验的启示

日本相对丰富的促进可持续消费经验对我国正在大力推动绿色生活方式的形成有较好的参考价值。本文介绍了日本循环社会法律框架下循环再生利用法和绿色采购促进法对促进可持续消费的作用,以及可持续消费的最新实践活动,并从循环再生利用法律法规建立、深化公共绿色采购评估、发布面向普通消费者产品清单、建立消费者发声通道、提升消费者意识、促进消费者导向管理等方面提出对我国推动绿色消费的启示。     

生态文明入宪的必要性与建议

生态文明入宪是健全中国特色社会主义法律体系、为生态文明建设提供根本法依据的内在要求。由于生态文明已经入党章,因此入宪是党内法规和国家立法全面衔接和协调的要求。关于入宪的思路和方法,可以采取理论阐述与原则规定相结合的方法,内容体现党章的要求,表述符合宪法的风格,并梳理现有政策和法律的规定,提炼出生态文明建设的系统性和根本性规定。在此基础上,本文分别对宪法的"序言"和"总纲"的内容做出补充和修改。