Coping with Complexity,Uncertainty and Ambiguity in Risk Governance: A Synthesis

The term governance describes the multitude of actors and processes that lead to collectively binding decisions. The term risk governance translates the core principles of governance to the context of risk-related policy making. We aim to delineate some basic lessons from the insights of the other articles in this special issue for our understanding of risk governance. Risk governance provides a conceptual as well as normative basis for how to cope with uncertain, complex and/or ambiguous risks. We propose to synthesize the breadth of the articles in this special issue by suggesting some changes to the risk governance framework proposed by the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC) and adding some insights to its analytical and normative implications.     

环境治理中府际合作的逻辑

公共事务的积累只是为制度化解决提供了必要性,当政者维护政权的根本利益需要决定了公共事务处理的优先序列。客观问题的属性和解决的迫切程度只有在政府最高层统治集团认为维系权力存续的手段具备充分的支撑条件时,才会愿意在正式制度上进行调整,为解决问题提供制度供给。新中国成立后很长一段时间内,我国环境问题并不突出,中央政府根据社会主要矛盾需要制定了以发展经济为重心的制度体系。这种制度结构使地方政府和辖区企业形成了利益共容关系。为适应竞争的需要,地方政府庇护辖区企业环境行为,机会主义地执行环境管理制度,使环境问题积累成为影响安全价值的显著因素。在国内外政治压力下,中央政府最终做出了战略调整,地方政府在中央政府制度调控下,自发地合作治理环境问题。     

Public Discourses of Climate Change in Hong Kong

The changing political environment in Hong Kong is likely to accelerate the transition in environmental policy discourse. Opportunities for critical public involvement are increasing and new environmental discourses are emerging. Yet, previous social surveys did not explore the range of these discourses and few focused on climate change. The paper outlines the public discourses of climate change in Hong Kong. Using Q-methodology, four distinctive discourses were identified, namely Pure Environmentalism, Political Pragmatism, Popular Optimism, and Fair Rationalism. While the first one is climate-centric, the other three are political or social in nature and do not indicate a clear or coherent climate orientation. This suggests that the climate change concern of the Hong Kong public is not tightly embedded into a coherent narrative of social and institutional transformation. Effective climate change governance and policies require strengthening the link between such concern and the public desires for social and institutional transformation. Bringing together the ongoing social movements and environmental campaigns will be instrumental to nurture an active climate citizenry.     

Adapting a holistic approach to flood management in the Hawkesbury–Nepean region: complexities and perceptions of the agencies involved

This paper looks into the complexity of managing flood risks in the Hawkesbury–Nepean catchment, Australia. Several aspects are explored: (1) the complexities created by the way different agencies are involved in assessing flood risks; (2) different perceptions on acceptable flood risk level; (3) community engagement in defining acceptable flood risk level; (4) views on a holistic flood risk management plan; and (5) challenges of a centralised information system. This study concludes that the complexity of managing a large catchment is exacerbated by the difference in the way professionals perceive the problem. This has led to (1) different standards for acceptable risks; (2) inconsistent attempt to set up a regional-scale flood management plan beyond the jurisdictional boundaries; (3) absence of a regional-scale agency with licence to share and update information; and (d) lack of forums for dialogue with insurance companies to ensure an integrated approach to flood management.     

城市天然气加气站噪声影响分析及噪声控制技术简

城市天然气加气站位于城市道路和居民区周边。由于加气站地理位置特殊,声源复杂,与周边道路对环境的影响叠加,还要考虑通风散热等问题,噪声治理难度大。目前,国内关于城市天然气加气站的噪声控制研究的报道较少。本研究以合肥市长江西路天然气加气站为例,根据城市天然气加气站加气工艺噪声源及邻近交通噪声对周围环境进行叠加影响预测,根据预测结果和通风散热等工艺要求设计冷却塔安装进风、出风消声器和隔声罩,压缩机安装局部通风隔声罩及压缩机房东墙内安装隔声墙及通风隔声窗等措施。经检验,研究结果好于《工业企业厂界噪声排放标准（GB12348-2008）》中的2类标准的夜间50 dB（A）的标准。该研究设计技术工艺、参数先进合理,费用低且实际简单,为国内天然气加气站噪声预测及治理提供较好的示范作用。     

Balancing urban growth and ecological conservation: A challenge for planning and governance in China

China has high biodiversity and is rapidly urbanizing. However, there is limited understanding of how urban expansion in the country is likely to affect its habitats and biodiversity. In this study, we examine urban expansion patterns and their likely impacts on biodiversity in China by 2030. Our analysis shows that most provinces are expected to experience urban expansion either near their protected areas or in biodiversity hotspots. In a few provinces such as Guangdong in the south, urban expansion is likely to impinge on both protected areas and biodiversity hotspots. We show that policies that could facilitate the integration of natural resource protection into urban planning exist on paper, but the prevailing incentives and institutional arrangements between the central and local governments prevent this kind of integration. Removing these obstacles will be necessary in order to safeguard the country’s rich biodiversity in light of the scale of urbanization underway.     

The four faces of the environmental state: environmental governance regimes in 28 countries

The primary task for the environmental state is to address problems related to the market’s externalisation of environmental costs. It has four main resources at its disposal: regulation, redistribution, organisation, and knowledge generation. The way these four resources are deployed make up a state’s environmental governance arrangements. Using data on environmental regulation, taxes, public administrations, and knowledge production from 28 countries, and a hierarchical cluster analysis, four different types of environmental states are identified: established, emerging, partial, and weak. This is followed by some suggestions for further research on the environmental state in a comparative perspective.     

Legal Framework for Biosphere Reserves as Learning Sites for Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis of Ukraine and Sweden

The Biosphere Reserve (BR) concept aims at encouraging sustainable development (SD) towards sustainability on the ground by promoting three core functions: conservation, development, and logistic support. Sweden and Ukraine exemplify the diverse governance contexts that BRs need to cope with. We assessed how the BR concept and its core functions are captured in national legislations. The results show that the core functions are in different ways reflected in legal documents in both countries. While in Ukraine the BR concept is incorporated into legislation, in Sweden the concept is used as a soft law. In Ukraine managers desired stronger legal enforcement, while in Sweden managers avoided emphasis on legislation when collaborating with local stakeholders. Hence, BR implementation have adapted to different political cultures by development of diverse approaches. We conclude that a stronger legal support might not be needed for BRs, rather SD needs to be recognized as an integrated place-based process at multiple levels.     

关于习近平生态文明思想的理论与制度创新问题的探讨

习近平生态文明思想源自于三个方面的理论与实践,包括马克思主义关于人与自然关系思想、全面深化改革和依法治国思想,以及相关自然科学和社会科学理论,由此确立了生态文明建设的基本理念和方略、路径保障以及方法、目标和制度。本文从总体上探讨了习近平生态文明思想的理论与制度创新问题,重点剖析了"两山论"与环境经济规律、"生态环境民生福祉""全民行动"与环境社会规律、山水林田湖草生命共同体与生态系统理论之间的内在联系和实践脉络,梳理了共谋全球生态文明建设与全球环境治理的思想和实践进程,进一步明确了习近平生态文明思想与社会主义生态文明建设总布局的关系和重大意义。     

白城市环境保护“十三五”规划思路与主要任务

白城市是吉林省重要的防风固沙屏障,但是受客观存在的不利因素与多年来人为的不合理开发影响,生态环境仍然较为脆弱.“十三五”期间,立足白城生态环境实际,以提升环境质量为主线,以突出的环境问题为导向,以生态保护与修复为重点,实施河湖连通工程、造林绿化工程、土地整理工程、湿地保护工程、草原治理工程等5大工程.针对关系百姓切身利益的环境问题,以大气、水、土壤为重点,实施蓝天工程、清水工程、土壤恢复治理工程.健全生态制度,推进生态文明建设,实现区域环境质量得到较大提高和生态脆弱环境得到明显改善.