Understanding the drivers of expert opinion when classifying species as extinct

The criteria as laid out by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List are the gold standard by which the extinction risk of a species is assessed and where appropriate biological extinctions are declared. However, unlike all other categories, the category of extinct lacks a quantitative framework for assigning this category. Given its subjective nature, we surveyed expert assessors working on a diversity of taxa to explore the attributes they used to declare a species extinct. Using a choice experiment approach, we surveyed 674 experts from the IUCN Species Survival Commission specialist groups and taskforces. Data availability, time from the last sighting, detectability, habitat availability, and population decline were all important attributes favored by assessors when inferring extinction. Respondents with red-listing experience assigned more importance to the attributes data availability, time from the last sighting, and detectability when considering a species extinction, whereas those respondents working with well-known taxa gave more importance to the time from the last sighting. Respondents with no red-listing experience and those working with more well-known taxa (i.e., mammals and birds) were overall less likely to consider species extinct. Our findings on the importance assessors place on attributes used to declare a species extinct provide a basis for informing the development of specific criteria for more accurately assessing species extinctions.     

美国环境执法特点及其启示

从美国环保局的权力、地位、守法援助、守法激励、守法监督、民事与刑事执法、经济处罚额计算以及公众参与和执法协调等方面总结了美国的环境执法经验,得出兼顾环境和市场经济目标,执法与守法相结合,恩威并重、科学执法,民主、公平执法4条执法启示,供我国环境执法借鉴.      

The Power of Legitimation: The Role of Expert Networks in Global Environmental Governance

As part of the debate on the legitimacy of governance networks in global environmental politics, this article investigates the conditions under which policy solutions can be transferred worldwide as a result of a particular type of interaction within transnational expert networks and technical committees. To this end, the article hypothesises that policy solutions can be legitimised in governance networks meeting four cumulative criteria: participation, flexibility, horizontality and inclusiveness. This hypothesis is then tested by means of two heuristic case studies dedicated to the worldwide transfer of environmental standards via United Nations specialized agencies. The empirical work partly strengthens the validity of the hypothesis but also underscores the limits of legitimation strategies in the face of strong heterogeneity of interests. In such cases, environmental policy networks may adopt fairly “vertical” features and resort to classical bargaining and constraint strategies whereby compromises are exchanged and power asymmetries are mobilised.     

我国生物质能源立法的可行性分析

生物质能源作为可再生能源的一种,具有许多优点。我国对于生物质能源的研究,也只有20多年的时间,而且我国的学者和科学家大多集中在对生物质能源利用技术的研究,对于生物质能源立法方面的研究则屈指可数。本文在前人研究成果的基础上,对我国生物质能源立法的可行性进行探讨,提出自己的一些浅薄见解,以填补我国学术界在这方面的空缺。     

炼油污水处理装置恶臭气体源强估算方法的比较

以某炼油污水处理装置为例,根据其运行现状及恶臭气体的监测结果,使用卫生防护距离反推法、源强经验估算法以及地面浓度反推法3种方法对恶臭气体源强进行估算,并利用AERMOD模式进行预测,对预测值与监测值进行方差分析。实验结果表明：在监测得到的NH₃和H₂S的平均质量浓度分别为0.113,0.006 mg/m³的条件下,卫生防护距离反推法得到的NH₃和H₂S的无组织排放源强分别为2.395,0.127 kg/h。源强经验估算法得到的NH₃和H₂S的源强分别为0.255,0.080 kg/h,地面浓度反推法得到的NH₃和H₂S的源强分别为3.120,0.250 kg/h;源强经验估算法为炼油污水处理装置气体源强估算的最优方法。     

界遗产“突出的普遍价值”及其游客感知研究

成为世界遗产仅是遗产保护和价值阐释、传播的起点,但世界遗产“突出的普遍价值”(OUV)的评价问题一直存在着全球视野和本土意境下的阐释差异.文章以中国进入世界遗产名录和预备名录的三清山、九寨沟、江南水乡为例,阐释突出的普遍价值OtV(概念+十项评估标准+完整性和/或原真性+足够的保护和管理机制),提出了将国际语境与本土语境有机结合的OUV评价新标准.首先,OUV虽然是联合国教科文组织UNESCO在评选世界遗产时的主要依据,但在挣脱国家界限特别是要求当事国按照OUV的标准、惯例进行管理的过程中,存在价值丢失的问题.其次,虽然OUV是由UNESCO的专家委员会进行评价和比较分析得出(显然定性、无分值的),但通过强化量表设计过程的逻辑判断和理性对待信度和效度问题,OUV可以通过liket量表进行测量,结果显示OUV能够被公众理解和欣赏.再次,OUV的专家评价和公众评价既存在共性特征,亦存在差异特征(即价值丢失部分),并表现为不同的用途,遗产地的管理者如能将OUV的世界语境与本土化语境有机结合,能够避免价值丢失问题的出现.建议三清山在“奇峰怪石、峡谷幽云、植被生态、高空栈道”的OUV世界语境基础上,同样需要重视“道教名山”的本土化语境.建议江南水乡严格保护水乡古镇的外围水乡地域环境,它们对于理解江南水乡的OUV,特别是其完整性、原真性的必然要求都是不可或缺的.遗产地的管理者同样需要综合看待专家评价和公众评价.江南水乡案例生动的诠释,专家评价有其科学性和严肃性,“建构的原真性”、“后现代的原真性”,亦或是“存在的原真性”,它们永远不可能替代“客观的原真性”.考虑到OUV的阐释,公众评价同样有着重要的用途,特别是其社会教育意义、精神信仰和国家认同意义等.     

国际油气管道运输企业环境管理的先进经验及启示 ── 以Enbridge公司为例（二）

以加拿大Enbridge公司为例,从环境要素、环境应急管理等几方面,详细介绍了北美油气管道运输行业环境管理工作先进经验。在此基础上,对我国相关企业的环境管理提出了建议。     

Proposal for a Transatlantic Platform for Consumer Concerns and International Trade

Consumer concerns pop up. They are relatedto the safety of agrifood products for people, foranimals, and for the environment as well as the socialand ethical implications of certain agrifoodproduction methods. At first sight, the WTO agreementand the SPS and TBT agreements appear to offersufficient legal scope to deal with these concerns andresolve trade conflicts. The events of recent years,however, have shown the limitations of theseagreements in dealing with cultural differencesbetween nations and in dealing with the social andpolitical pressure on national governments to lay downrestrictive, trade distorting measures. It is vitalthat we consider the dynamic relationship betweennational governments, civil society, and the market.In the United States, Canada, and Europe, thisrealization is growing. We propose that these issuesshould be studied by experts in several disciplines:technical experts, hygiene experts and veterinarians,public administration experts, lawyers, philosophers,ethicists, sociologists, and, of course, economists.To unite these disciplines and provide a platform fordiscussion in the light of international tradeliberalisation, the cultural identity of distinctcommunities, and the functioning of the democraticnation state an international network is needed. Wetherefore propose establishing a network to explorethe issues and dynamics described above. The networkshould be international and interdisciplinary withparticipants, initially, from science and government.The purpose of the network would be to present newperspectives to the negotiating parties in the nextWTO round. The first steps to development of thisnetwork have since been taken and an initial group hasbeen established.     

美国联邦财政环保支出经验借鉴

为应对当前环境保护工作所处的新阶段、新形势、新任务,在分析美国联邦财政环保支出特征的基础上,从加大环保专项资金投入、提高环境科技支出占比、强化重点领域环保支出、注重建立环保基金等方面,提出优化我国中央财政环保支出可供借鉴的四点经验。     

新中国成立70年来我国大气污染防治历程、成就与经验

自20世纪70年代以来,我国在经济持续增长、能源消耗不断增加的同时,及时缓解了各类主要的大气环境问题,有效避免了欧美发达国家曾经出现的严重大气污染灾害.然而,目前我国仍然面临着大气污染尤其是二次污染的严峻挑战.为此,非常有必要全面梳理与分析新中国成立70年以来,特别是自20世纪70年代至今,我国大气污染防治的历程、成就与经验.结果表明:我国在各阶段的大气污染防治过程中均取得了较为明显的环境空气质量改善成就与较为丰富的污染防控经验,并在此过程中形成了具有中国特色的大气污染防治理论与管理模式,构建了系统科学的大气污染综合防控体系.今后我国大气污染治理工作应进一步明确各级政府主体责任,强化重点污染源治理,继续调整优化四大结构,统筹兼顾,强化区域联防联控,强化科技能力建设,注重大气环境问题预测,加强环境科学与技术研究,共同推进大气污染防治,打赢蓝天保卫战.