A legal assessment of private land conservation in South America

Privately protected areas (PPAs) are a potentially innovative conservation tool. Legal recognition is necessary for their success, especially where there are institutional challenges to nature conservation, such as in South America. Although PPAs have increased in South America since the early 2000s, there is a critical information gap pertaining to their legal frameworks. We analyzed the level of landowner commitment to and governmental support for PPAs across countries in South America that officially recognize PPAs. We analyzed the legal framework governing PPAs and reviewed literature on them. This process was done in English and Spanish. The information we gathered was validated by 16 conservation experts from 10 South American countries. Because Peru is 1 of only 2 South American countries where local communities create and manage PPAs, we studied Peruvian PPAs in more detail by examining official creation documents and interviewing 13 local conservation professionals. We found inadequate minimum duration of PPAs and vague guidelines for conducting economic activities within them and a lack of governmental support (e.g., financial and technical support) for PPAs. Support was limited to the exemption from rural property taxes, which are relatively low compared with countries outside South America. In Peru, PPAs run by individuals and communities needed different legal frameworks because they were created with different objectives and had different sizes and duration of commitments. The prompt improvement of legal frameworks across South America is necessary for PPAs to achieve their aim of being places for enduring nature conservation in the region.     

碳中和立法的国际经验与启示

为应对气候变化,实现《巴黎协定》,国际社会纷纷做出碳减排相关承诺,设立碳中和目标.多个国家和地区通过设立或修订气候变化法律,将碳中和目标明确为硬约束.中国实现碳达峰、碳中和愿景任务艰巨,通过梳理典型国家和地区碳中和相关立法,分析国际碳中和立法的要点,针对国内现状需求,提出适合中国制定应对气候变化法律的建议.     

我国70年环境立法：回顾、反思与展望

70年的中国环境立法,总体上分为三个阶段,即起步阶段、发展阶段和进入生态文明新阶段。起步阶段是从1949年10月新中国成立到1978年底党的十一届三中全会召开之前,发展阶段是从1979年到2012年党的十八大召开之前,进入生态文明新阶段是从2012年11月党的十八大召开至今。历史表明,在毛泽东主席和周恩来总理等老一辈党和国家领导人的关心和有关部门的共同努力下,我国的环境立法在新中国成立后已经提到工作日程,并取得一定成绩。党的十八大以来我国的环境法制建设取得历史性进步。在充分肯定成就的基础上,通过反思,发现我国环境立法依然存在立法质量不高、立法体制机制不够合理、实施效果不理想等问题。为此,应当根据习近平生态文明思想和党的十九大、十九届四中全会精神,明确新时代环境立法的指导思想和原则,加快环境法律的立改废释工作,切实提高环境立法质量,补齐生态保护立法的短板,积极推进相关法律的生态化,加强配套环境法规和规章的制定,加快健全完善生态环境保护法律体系,实现环境治理体系与治理能力的现代化。     

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。     

日本《废弃物处理法》对我国城市生活垃圾分类立法的启示

住房和城乡建设部发布《生活垃圾分类标志》新标准,城市生活垃圾分类工作逐步推进,但是仍然存在尚待完善之处。日本《废弃物处理法》是日本生活垃圾分类治理的立法依据,其成功经验颇值得借鉴。在总结《日本废弃物处理法》的立法概况和分析其城市生活垃圾分类立法特征的基础上,探讨我国城市生活垃圾分类立法现状,从立法目的与原则、城市生活垃圾分类标准、各主体的法律责任及惩罚措施4个维度提出具体优化路径。     

医疗废物管理对环境影响的初探

医疗废物的传染性可能对人类和环境造成不良影响,因此医疗废物管理是非常重要的.首先概述了医疗废物处理在各国的立法情况,以及医疗废物的收集和分类情况,进一步讨论了焚烧和高压釜处理医疗废物方法的优缺点,焚烧会造成二恶英、呋喃和汞排放,造成不利的健康和环境影响,而高压釜处理不能处理所有类型的医疗废物.控制医疗废物的最佳手段是减少产生量,可以通过对医护人员进行良好的培训以及实施标准化医疗废物分类和收集来实现,并研究改进传染性医疗废物处理方法.     

我国的环境立法

本文对我国环境立法的产生与发展，目的与功能，法律体系及其制定、实施，面临的挑战与发展趋势进行了全面的阐违。     

美国“棕色区域”的治理法律介评

“棕色区域”问题是经济发展到一定阶段带来的环境问题。一些国家逐渐开始应对。棕色区域问题涉及到各种因素，如法律，税收，财产权，土地开发等多种因素，所以是一个复杂的，较难解决的问题。以起步较早的美国为例，以联邦立法为重心，论述了美国在“棕色区域”治理中的政策和法律制度，并对其进行了简要的评述。以期对这个问题有清醒的认识。棕色区域问题实质上是土壤污染的治理问题，这对中国缺位的土壤污染立法有重大的借鉴意义。     

A summary of environmental legislation targeting disposable diapers and review of related literature

In recent years state and local governments, as well as private citizens, have become very concerned about the mounting solid waste disposal problem facing our nation. Special concern has been expressed over the presence of disposable diapers in the solid waste stream. Responding to the concerns, legislators in at least 25 states proposed actions regarding disposable diapers between 1990 and 1992. Several factors contributed to the number of legislative proposals regarding disposable diapers over the past few years. First was the public's and legislators' misconception about the contribution of disposable diapers to the solid waste stream. Second was an erroneous assumption held by the public and some legislators that biodegradation readily occurs in landfills. Third was the desire to increase demand for agricultural products by requiring the use of degradable products. These contributing factors and other issues surrounding the proposal and passage of environmental legislation pertaining to disposable diapers are presented in this paper and the relevant literature is summarized. To provide the necessary context, the paper contains a review of the literature concerning disposable diapers, their composition and usage; and their environmental impact and fate and a comparison of their performance and cost to those of cloth diapers.     

试论加强城乡结合部的环境保护

随着我国城市化进程的不断加快 ,城乡结合部经济、社会飞速发展。在发展过程中 ,城乡结合部环境污染和资源破坏问题日益突出 ,为此 ,必须完善城乡结合部环境保护立法和执法 ,切实做好环境规划工作 ,实现环境保护与经济、社会的协调发展。