Firm ownership structure impact on corporate social responsibility: evidence from austerity U.K.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly important sustainable development issue in U.K. The main contribution of this study is to examine how firm ownership structure impacts good corporate governance and CSR in U.K. during austerity conditions. Following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the U.K. government introduced austerity conditions which impacted firm CSR activities. From the initial sample of more than 250 firms, 50 consistently remain listed on the FTSE4good index during 2008–2012 and are analysed. The definition of CSR distinguishes voluntary and mandatory CSR construct. Findings indicate Board ownership structure and satisfactory firm performance impact on the level of voluntary CSR. Board ownership results suggest increased institutional and non-CEO shareholdings support a higher level of voluntary CSR engagement, whilst increased CEO shareholdings lead to a lower level of investment in voluntary CSR. In terms of satisfactory firm performance, results suggest positive attainment discrepancy supports a higher level of voluntary CSR, whereas greater potential organisational slack leads to a lower level of voluntary CSR investment. Effective governance and voluntary CSR association is more pronounced under conditions of high attainment discrepancy and low organisational slack. The findings suggest implications for adapting firm decision-making latitude and government policy between austerity and prosperity conditions.     

美国的环保政策及对环保产业发展的影响

美国的环保政策是一种经济发展政策 ,强调在提高美国工业竞争力和维护社会经济繁荣的基础上加强环境保护 ,强调通过环保技术的开发和应用实现具体的环保目标 ;措施上它强调灵活性、创新性、多样性和公众的自觉参与 ,创造了环保产业宽松和不断创新的环境。     

A counterfactual approach to measure the impact of wet grassland conservation on U.K. breeding bird populations

Wet grassland populations of wading birds in the United Kingdom have declined severely since 1990. To help mitigate these declines, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has restored and managed lowland wet grassland nature reserves to benefit these and other species. However, the impact of these reserves on bird population trends has not been evaluated experimentally due to a lack of control populations. We compared population trends from 1994 to 2018 among 5 bird species of conservation concern that breed on these nature reserves with counterfactual trends created from matched breeding bird survey observations. We compared reserve trends with 3 different counterfactuals based on different scenarios of how reserve populations could have developed in the absence of conservation. Effects of conservation interventions were positive for all 4 targeted wading bird species: Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Redshank (Tringa totanus), Curlew (Numenius arquata), and Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). There was no positive effect of conservation interventions on reserves for the passerine, Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava). Our approach using monitoring data to produce valid counterfactual controls is a broadly applicable method allowing large-scale evaluation of conservation impact.     

Assessing the impact of the U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery planning guidelines on managing threats for listed species

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of the United States was enacted in 1973 to prevent the extinction of species. Recovery plans, required by 1988 amendments to the ESA, play an important role in organizing these efforts to protect and recover species. To improve the use of science in the recovery planning process, the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) commissioned an independent review of endangered species recovery planning in 1999. From these findings, the SCB made key recommendations for how management agencies could improve the recovery planning process, after which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service redrafted their recovery planning guidelines. One important recommendation called for recovery plans to make threats a primary focus, including organizing and prioritizing recovery tasks for threat abatement. We sought to determine the extent to which results from the SCB study were incorporated into these new guidelines and whether the SCB recommendations regarding threats manifested in recovery plans written under the new guidelines. Recovery planning guidelines generally incorporated the SCB recommendations, including those for managing threats. However, although recent recovery plans have improved in their treatment of threats, many fail to adequately incorporate threat monitoring. This failure suggests that developing clear guidelines for monitoring should be an important priority in improving ESA recovery planning.     

中国三大产业生态足迹的投入产出分析

为定量研究产业发展所带来的生态压力,文章运用投入产出法对我国三大产业生态足迹作了详细的计算和分析。结果表明:从产业构成看,第一、二、三产业的生态足迹分别为0.9626hm2·人-1、0.3912hm2·人-1、0.1844hm2·人-1;从生态占用方式看,直接土地占用为1.1242hm2·人-1(占总量的73.1%),其中,第一产业占83.7%,为0.9580hm2·人-1,间接土地占用为0.4140hm2·人-1(占总量的26.9%),其中,第二产业占79.9%,为0.3306hm2·人-1;从环境压力与承载力的现实矛盾看,各产业均需要控制其生态足迹增长,考虑生态足迹对环境造成的影响以及与经济发展的关系,产业结构调整优先顺序依次为第一、二、三产业。研究结果对于我国环境规划管理、产业结构优化及可持续发展有一定的参考价值。     

中美公民环境诉讼比较研究

公民环境诉讼是维护公民环境权的重要制度保障，从公民环境诉讼的法律依据、性质作用、诉讼资格、受案范围以及费用承担等方面，对中美两国的环境诉讼制度进行了比较分析，旨在为完善我国的公民环境诉讼制度提供参考。     

eChemPortal及其在我国重点环境管理危险化学品环境风险评估中的应用

危害性识别是化学品环境风险评估工作的重要基础,危害性数据的质量直接影响化学品环境风险评估工作的结果与结论。通过介绍经济合作与发展组织(OECD)eChemPortal近几年来的主要变化,以上海地区涉及的30种重点环境管理危险化学品为例,比较分析我国《危险化学品分类信息表》及eChemPortal引用的按照《欧盟物质和混合物的分类、标签和包装法规》的公开分类和标签目录(ECHA CL inventory)、日本政府全球化学品统一分类和标签分类结果(GHS-J)的差异。结果表明:eChemPortal作为OECD建立的全球化学物质信息门户,加入的数据库多数经过政府机构或同行评审,准确性和可靠性相对较高,目前已有32个数据库加入到该平台,其中32个数据库支持化学物质检索,4个数据库支持化学性质检索,2个数据库支持GHS检索,并且数据库的数量和功能还在持续增加;相对于国家安全监管总局的《危险化学品分类信息表》和ECHA CL inventory,GHS-J的危害性分类结果较为完善,而且多数分类结果提供了具体的分类数据基础信息,这对于分类结果的评估十分有用。上述研究表明我国政府监管部门有必要结合eChemPortal等权威的数据信息平台发布我国重点环境管理危险化学品环境风险评估推荐数据库,从而规范重点环境管理危险化学品环境风险评估过程并推动对化学品的有效环境监管。     

Hydrogeochemical studies for Al,F and Fe in waters supplying haemodialysis units in the Trent region,U.K.

Geographical and seasonal variations in the concentrations of Al, F and Fe in tap water supplying home haemodialysis units within the administrative area of the Trent Regional Health Authority, have been examined. Aluminium and fluoride were considered for their implications in bone disorders and iron for its competitive binding with aluminium to transferrin in serum. Four different water treatment systems are currently used and the extractive performance of these have been assessed. In general, the current Department of Health and Social Security's (DHSS) guidelines for aluminium in water used to prepare dialysate are met (30 μg/l), but the proposed European Economic Community's (EEC) levels of 10 μg/l, are not. The removal of fluoride and iron from water by the different treatments was comparable to the removal of aluminium. A comparison between old and new equipment highlights the importance of regular monitoring and maintenance.     

Possible Environmental Factors Underlying Amphibian Decline in Eastern Puerto Rico: Analysis of U.S. Government Data Archives

Abstract: The past three decades have seen major declines in populations of several species of amphibians at high elevations in eastern Puerto Rico, a region unique in the humid tropics because of the degree of environmental monitoring that has taken place through the efforts of U.S. government agencies. I examined changes in environmental conditions by examining time-series data sets that extend back at least into the 1980s, a period when frog populations were declining. The data include forest cover; annual mean, minimum, and maximum daily temperature; annual rainfall; rain and stream chemistry; and atmospheric-dust transport. I examined satellite imagery and air-chemistry samples from a single National Aeronautics and Space Administration aircraft flight across the Caribbean showing patches of pollutants, described as thin sheets or lenses, in the lower troposphere. The main source of these pollutants appeared to be fires from land clearing and deforestation, primarily in Africa. Some pollutant concentrations were high and, in the case of ozone, approached health limits set for urban air. Urban pollution impinging on Puerto Rico, dust generation from Africa ( potential soil pathogens), and tropical forest burning ( gaseous pollutants) have all increased during the last three decades, overlapping the timing of amphibian declines in eastern Puerto Rico. None of the data sets pointed directly to changes so extreme that they might be considered a direct lethal cause of amphibian declines in Puerto Rico. More experimental research is required to link any of these environmental factors to this problem.     

Biological invasions: recommendations for U.S. policy and management.

The Ecological Society of America has evaluated current U.S. national policies and practices on biological invasions in light of current scientific knowledge. Invasions by harmful nonnative species are increasing in number and area affected; the damages to ecosystems, economic activity, and human welfare are accumulating. Without improved strategies based on recent scientific advances and increased investments to counter invasions, harm from invasive species is likely to accelerate. Federal leadership, with the cooperation of state and local governments, is required to increase the effectiveness of prevention of invasions, detect and respond quickly to new potentially harmful invasions, control and slow the spread of existing invasions, and provide a national center to ensure that these efforts are coordinated and cost effective. Specifically, the Ecological Society of America recommends that the federal government take the following six actions: (1) Use new information and practices to better manage commercial and other pathways to reduce the transport and release of potentially harmful species; (2) Adopt more quantitative procedures for risk analysis and apply them to every species proposed for importation into the country; (3) Use new cost-effective diagnostic technologies to increase active surveillance and sharing of information about invasive species so that responses to new invasions can be more rapid and effective; (4) Create new legal authority and provide emergency funding to support rapid responses to emerging invasions; (5) Provide funding and incentives for cost-effective programs to slow the spread of existing invasive species in order to protect still uninvaded ecosystems, social and industrial infrastructure, and human welfare; and (6) Establish a National Center for Invasive Species Management (under the existing National Invasive Species Council) to coordinate and lead improvements in federal, state, and international policies on invasive species. Recent scientific and technical advances provide a sound basis for more cost-effective national responses to invasive species. Greater investments in improved technology and management practices would be more than repaid by reduced damages from current and future invasive species. The Ecological Society of America is committed to assist all levels of government and provide scientific advice to improve all aspects of invasive-species management.     

环境物品的经济价值评估方法:条件价值法

系统地介绍了西方国家常用的１种评价环境物品（公共物品）的方法——条件价值法。在大量文献和作者已有研究的基础上,解释了环境物品的特征和价值含义,综述了条件价值法的概念、特点和总体框架内容,分析了该方法中出现的偏差类型,总结了该方法在国际国内的已有应用,提出其应用潜力和应用前景     

Environmental quality and its impact on the local economy: A case study from Dongguan,South China

Industries that pollute the environment developed in the early 1990s in Dongguan City, especially those in the middle and lower valley of the Dongjiang River (waterside area) have seriously affected water and air quality and hence have affected soil quality through polluted water irrigation and precipitation. Investigation of the economic growth and environmental pollution in the 32 township units in the City from 1990 to 2000 also reveals that environmental pollution has affected the history of the development of the towns or townships in the waterside region in the delta of the River Dongjiang, especially the towns near the river mouth, and has prevented their industry from upgrading and hence has slowed down their economic growth. The impact of environmental pollution on economic growth is most severe in the towns along the lower valley, or in down-wind regions. In contrast, economic development in the protected area of the upper valley of the waterside region indicates that environmental protection that strictly controls the discharge of pollutants does not restrict the development of the local economy.     

Beyond Biogeography: a Framework for Involving the Public in Planning of U.S. Marine Protected Areas

Abstract:  Planning of marine protected areas (MPAs) is highlighted in the conservation literature but is not explored in much detail. Many researchers acknowledge the importance of involving the public in MPA planning, but there is limited guidance on how to do this in an effective manner. I present a framework for involving the public in planning of U.S. MPAs. Derived from empirically and theoretically based research on public participation in U.S. natural resource management, this framework is composed of factors that influence the success of participatory processes: active participant involvement, complete information exchange, fair decision making, efficient administration, and positive participant interactions. Processes incorporating these factors will produce decisions that are more likely to be supported by stakeholders, meet management objectives, and fulfill conservation goals. This framework contributes to the MPA social science literature and responds to calls in the conservation literature to increase the use of social science research to inform conservation decision making.     

Rural and Suburban Sprawl in the U.S. Midwest from 1940 to 2000 and Its Relation to Forest Fragmentation

Abstract:  Housing growth and its environmental effects pose major conservation challenges. We sought to (1) quantify spatial and temporal patterns of housing growth across the U.S. Midwest from 1940–2000, (2) identify ecoregions strongly affected by housing growth, (3) assess the extent to which forests occur near housing, and (4) relate housing to forest fragmentation. We used data from the 2000 U.S. Census to derive fine-scale backcasts of decadal housing density. Housing data were integrated with a 30-m resolution U.S. Geological Survey land cover classification. The number of housing units in the Midwest grew by 146% between 1940 and 2000. Spatially, housing growth was particularly strong at the fringe of metropolitan areas (suburban sprawl) and in nonmetropolitan areas (rural sprawl) that are rich in natural amenities such as lakes and forests. The medium-density housing (4–32 housing units/km²) category increased most in area. Temporally, suburban housing growth was especially high in the post-World War II decades. Rural sprawl was highest in the 1970s and 1990s. The majority of midwestern forests either contained or were near housing. Only 14.8% of the region's forests were in partial block groups with no housing. Housing density was negatively correlated with the amount of interior forest. The widespread and pervasive nature of sprawl shown by our data is cause for conservation concern. Suburban sprawl has major environmental impacts on comparatively small areas because of the high number of housing units involved. In contrast, rural sprawl affects larger areas but with less intensity because associated housing densities are lower. The environmental effects per house, however, are likely higher in the case of rural sprawl because it occurs in less-altered areas. Conservation efforts will need to address both types of sprawl to be successful.