Transnational environmental standards in Eastern Europe: an assessment of companies in Lithuania and their adoption motives

During the last few decades, many environmental certification schemes were developed to enhance transparency and traceability within commodity chains. Most of them are transnational schemes, which means that they were created by non-governmental organizations and/or the private sector, independently from governments. This article aims to examine how local certified companies assess the functioning of such private environmental certification. It presents the results of an empirical research about the expectations and satisfaction of certified companies in Lithuania. Empirical data were collected through a survey with 90 companies certified by one of the three major transnational environmental standards: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for the forestry and logging, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for fishing and aquaculture, and Oeko-Tex for the production of textiles. The results revealed that most companies have adopted these standards quite recently, indicating that it is generally a new trend in Lithuania. The findings suggest that the overall expectations with the standards’ functions, such as sending signals to clients or getting more market share, were higher than the satisfaction in all cases. The main transnational environmental standard adoption motive was the client demand. It turned out, however, that later after the certification procedure the majority of the companies were most satisfied with the market opportunities that opened up. Furthermore, the companies expected certification to operate best as a market-based mechanism; but most satisfactory performance was accredited to the signalling mechanism. Research suggests that certification provides various benefits for the companies, but the expectations might be rather exaggerated.     

A Method to Consider Whether Dams Mitigate Climate Change Effects on Stream Temperatures

This article provides a method for examining mesoscale water quality objectives downstream of dams with anticipated climate change using a multimodel approach. Coldwater habitat for species such as trout and salmon has been reduced by water regulation, dam building, and land use change that alter stream temperatures. Climate change is an additional threat. Changing hydroclimatic conditions will likely impact water temperatures below dams and affect downstream ecology. We model reservoir thermal dynamics and release operations (assuming that operations remain unchanged through time) of hypothetical reservoirs of different sizes, elevations, and latitudes with climate‐forced inflow hydrologies to examine the potential to manage water temperatures for coldwater habitat. All models are one dimensional and operate on a weekly timestep. Results are presented as water temperature change from the historical time period and indicate that reservoirs release water that is cooler than upstream conditions, although the absolute temperatures of reaches below dams warm with climate change. Stream temperatures are sensitive to changes in reservoir volume, elevation, and latitude. Our approach is presented as a proof of concept study to evaluate reservoir regulation effects on stream temperatures and coldwater habitat with climate change.     

Biocenotic self-regulation of productivity and quality of mixed agrocenoses with broadleaf herbs

Specific features of biocenotic self-regulation of productivity and phytomass quality in mixed agrocenoses with perennial broadleaf herbs in the mountain zone were analyzed experimentally. The dynamics of phytomass accumulation and decomposition and the course of succession were determined in an agrocenosis constructed on the model of plant communities typical for the mountain and piedmont zones of the Central Northern Caucasus.     

Health, safety, self-regulation and the older driver: It's not just a matter of age

Problem

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of age and health on patterns of driving and self-regulation among older adults who still drive.

Method

This analysis presents the results of a nationwide survey of drivers who are 50 + (N = 3,824, 53.11% response rate), focusing on questions about the impact of their self-reported health on attitudes toward and self-regulation of driving.

Results

The data indicate that as age increases, so too does reported self-regulation of driving, increasing sharply among those ages 70 and older. The data also indicate that respondent's reported confidence in driving and their enjoyment of driving decline as they age. Health status bears a significant relationship with all three of these variables, positively related to confidence in driving skills and to enjoyment in driving, but negatively related to self-regulation reports. As self-reported health declines, respondent's report engages in greater voluntary restrictions of their driving.

Discussion

All too often, the driving decision is linked primarily to chronological age. Analysis done here indicates that age alone is not the best indicator of self-regulation and how older adults change their driving behaviors.

Summary

This research presents the results of a nationwide survey of 50+ drivers and their self-reported driving, self-regulation behaviors, and health status. Strong support was found for the argument that chronological age is not an adequate measure of self-regulating behaviors and driver safety among those 50+. In particular, it was found that a person's health status and the interaction between age and health are essential considerations in the decisions around self-regulation and driving. People tend to self-regulate more with age, but the effect becomes much more pronounced as health status declines.

Impact on industry

In the coming years, if older adults can't get to where they want to go and continue to be viable consumers in our national fabric, all industries will eventually suffer. Transportation is a key component to the nation's social contract with older individuals and their families.     

The Role of Water Doctrines in Enhancing Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture in Alabama1

Abstract: Alabama is a water rich state. Yet, agriculture is limited in both scale and productivity and the state regularly suffers from drought. Climate variability adds to this paradox even while water users, particularly farmers, have few coping mechanisms. In this paper, we argue that more significant than the water resource itself in Alabama is the governance structure of that resource. The riparian doctrine, as it stands, stymies effective management. The role of water doctrines, and resultant policy, is, therefore, crucial to enhancing decision‐making opportunities for agricultural end‐users in Alabama. After exploring different doctrine types as applied across the states we conclude that a move towards “regulated riparianism” consistent with the American Society of Civil Engineers Regulated Riparian Water Code (2004) would enhance opportunities for both the state and agriculturalists to cope with variable water supply conditions while maximizing environmental benefits. The paper then concludes with a review of the primary objectives of the Water Code and key places where Alabama’s Water Code would need revision to meet these objectives.     

排污许可制下企业自证守法的法理定位、现状及完善

2021年3月起施行的《排污许可管理条例》是中国排污许可制改革的重要成果。排污许可制自改革之初便对自证守法理念予以关注,其后又以法律形式对相应管理要求进行了规定。但现实中对企业自证守法的理解却存在争议,需确定其含义并进一步运用规制理论进行法理定位。在此背景下,本文通过规制标准、守法监督和违法应对三方面探析企业自证守法机制之现状,并试图提出增加激励性规制和优化企业组织建制的完善建议,以期透视“受规制的自我规制”模式在中国法上的成长空间,为排污许可制的功能增进提供智力支持。     

环境公民诉讼的程序规制

赋予公民和环境NGO环境公益诉权,目前已成为我国法学界的一个共识。但是,环境公民诉讼制度不能仅仅赋予人们一项权利了事,还应该有完善的程序规则来规制和保障权利的行使。具体来说,应当建立以下程序规则:一是合理界定"诉的利益";二是合理设置起诉的前置程序;三是建立公益诉讼和私益诉讼双轨制;四是建立有效的诉讼成本控制机制;五是建立诉讼时效保障机制。     

德国废物管理立法的制度特色与启示

自然资源的过度消耗和废物排放引起环境退化与污染。资源节约利用和有效的废物管理是循环经济的应有之意。德罾建立了以绿点计划为代表的较为完善的废物回收、循环利用系统。废物再生利用率居世界首位，积累了发展循环经济的有益经验。德国废物管理立法主要有以下制度特色和环境政策蕴涵：“与环境相协调”的环境政策导向，延伸生产者责任，政府与民间社会分工合作的废物管理体制，生产者责任组织的成功运作。立法设定包装物回收、循环利用的目标和时间表，一次性饮料包装的强制性押金制度。     

The Sensitivity and Adaptation of Ecosystems to the Disturbances: A Case Study in Northeastern Estonia

The study focused on the problem of the response and adaptation of an ecosystem to natural fire in case of greenhouse warming. The palaeoecological approach was used and reconstructions were made for timeca 6000 years ago, when the human impact in the studied area was absent or very weak and the summer temperatures were about 2.4 degrees higher than at the present time. The palaeoreconstructions were compliled using the charcoal, pollen and diatoms data from the sediments of a northeast Estonian lake. The results show that forest fires influenced the biota of the lake mainly through evapotranspiration and the accompanying erosional changes. The impacts of the fire directly to the lake ecosystem were short-term and the primary diatom association was restored after 10–15 years. The pollen influx was influenced by the fires mainly through the changes in the openness of the landscape and the composition of the pollen spectra was restored over a period of 50–60 years. The data demonstrate the high ability of the studied ecosystem to adapt to the impact of natural fires in the climatic environment comparable with that predicted for the future.     

Climate change and its consequences for water and wastewater management

Life, in combination with solar radiation and abiotic processes, is most probably the reason why liquid water has existed on Earth for over billions of years, and the global mean temperature has remained in a lifeenabling range. Efforts to limit or even reverse global warming must be derived from the knowledge of the Earth’s complex life-support system. In this context, the balance between liquid and gaseous water plays a crucial role, and water management becomes an important field of innovation and action, globally, on the scale of watersheds but also on the very local level. Cascading use, reuse, and temporary storage of water in urban settings must be considered to limit over-extraction of water from natural resources, and to maintain the life supporting function of ecosystems. At the same time, public health requirements, cost efficiency, and reliability demands are to be met.