Corporate Ethics in the Era of Globalization: The Promise and Peril of International Environmental Standards

The growing assumption thattransnational corporations (TNCs) will apply``best practice' and ``international standards'in their operations in developing countries hasseldom been checked against close observationof corporate behavior. In this article, Ipresent a case study, based on field research,of one voluntary initiative to useinternational standards and best practice forenvironmental protection in the AmazonRainforest, by a US-based oil company,Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) in Ecuador. The moststriking finding is that the company refuses todisclose the precise standards that apply toits operations. This, and the refusal todisclose other important environmentalinformation, make it impossible to verifyindependently Oxy's claims of environmentalexcellence, or assess the effectiveness of theinitiative. At the same time, Oxy uses theinvocation of international standards to wrapitself in a veneer of corporate responsibility;reassure government officials and localresidents; cultivate confusion about standardsand practices that apply to the operations;deflect meaningful oversight and transparency;and arbitrarily legitimize norms that have beendefined by special interests. In short,international standards offer great promise forneeded environmental improvements; but can alsobe used to impede, rather than advance,corporate responsibility and the development ofeffective environmental law at the nationallevel. These findings suggest that for theapplication of international standards to bemeaningful, the international community needsto move beyond statements of principle anddevelop mechanisms that can be used toevaluate, verify, and monitor independentlyenvironmental claims by TNCs.     

我国旅游安全预警体系的构建研究

指出我国应建立分区域、分层次且体系深入的旅游安全预警体系,其预警结构包括突发事件预警、环境污染预警、旅游容量预警和旅游业务预警等4个模块。提出建立由外交部和国家旅游局相互协作的出境旅游预警机制,建立由国家旅游局作为信息发布主体的全国性和区域性旅游预警机制,建立由省级旅游主管部门进行信息发布的区域内旅游预警机制,并可在省级行政区域之间建立相互间的旅游安全风险预警机制。     

煤矿瓦斯爆炸事故特征与耦合规律研究

分析瓦斯爆炸事故的瓦斯积聚原因、引爆火源和引爆地点等事故特征及其分类,统计并分析1988—2008年发生的563次瓦斯爆炸事故的基本特征和耦合规律,结果表明:通风混乱等通风系统问题导致瓦斯缓慢积聚的瓦斯爆炸事故占90.6%;电火花和放炮火焰引爆瓦斯占事故的78.6%;发生在采掘工作面的瓦斯爆炸事故占69.4%;通风系统问题导致瓦斯积聚的瓦斯爆炸事故主要发生在采掘工作面和巷道,占81.3%;通风系统问题导致瓦斯积聚的事故其引爆火源主要是电火花,占72.8%;电火花和放炮火焰引爆瓦斯主要发生在采掘工作面和巷道,占73.2%。有效预防和控制煤矿瓦斯爆炸事故需切实加强通风管理、电气管理和严格放炮操作与程序。     

A traffic safety evaluation of California's traffic violator school citation dismissal policy

Introduction

This study evaluated California's traffic violator school (TVS) citation dismissal policy.

Method

This study identified and compared two large samples of drivers either completing a TVS (N = 210,015) or convicted of a traffic citation (N = 168,563).

Results

Prior to adjudication, the TVS group had characteristics (e.g., lower prior conviction rate and smaller proportion of males) that were predictive of a lower subsequent crash risk. However, the TVS group exhibited significantly more crashes than did the convicted group in the subsequent one-year period. The difference (4.83%) increased to 10% after adjusting for the more favorable characteristics of the TVS group. The TVS group also had a higher adjusted subsequent crash rate at each prior driver record entry level, reflecting a loss in the general and specific deterrence of the non-conviction masked status of TVS dismissed citations. It was reported that the TVS dismissal policy results in approximately 12,300 additional crashes annually with economic costs of approximately $398,000,000.

Conclusions

The avoidance of licensing actions resulting from the dismissal policy assists in explaining why the driving public is exposed to an increased crash risk. A number of recommendations are offered to reduce the negative traffic safety impact of the TVS citation dismissal policy.     

选矿废水中醚胺的某些环境化学特性研究

通过降解,吸附及土柱淋滤试验等手段,对选矿废水中醚胺的降解规律,降解能力,吸附能力,分配特征以及在土壤中的垂直迁移规律等环境化学特性进行了试验研究。结果表明：（１）醚胺在水体中的降解规律服从一级生物化学反应方程ｃ－ｃｏｅｓｐ（－Ｋｔ）,温度和ｐＨ值是影响降解系数Ｋ的两个主要因素;（２）土壤对醚胺的吸率在９２％以上,吸附方程为ｑ＝５．３３５＋６３．３ｇｃ;（３）醚胺在土壤中的垂直迁移规律为ｃ＝ａｅｘ     

稳定塘污泥降解的静态模拟研究

通过人工控制下的实验室内静态模拟,研究了稳定塘污泥降解过程中的pH值变化趋势?有机物浓度?淤积时间?温度对污泥降解速率的影响以及污泥降解的数学模型?结果表明:污泥降解过程的pH值先降低?后回升,继而趋于稳定;有机物浓度对污泥降解速率无影响,污泥降解速率与降解时间的关系为r∝t-α;温度对降解速率常数的影响符合Arhenius指数关系式;实验室内的污泥降解符合零级反应规律?      

流域环境司法机制的发展：从环境法庭到环境法院

为促进流域的司法保护,我国一些地方法院成立了专门的流域环境法庭。但从流域环境法庭和流域环境巡回法庭的实践情况来看,还不能满足流域整体性保护的需要,也不能适应流域法的发展需求。我国流域司法机制建设,宜从流域环境法庭逐渐转到流域环境法院。流域环境法院的建立在我国环境司法专门化进程中具有必要性和可行性。按照流域法的保护理念和环境司法专门化的要求,流域环境法院的建设首先要合理设置审判机构,其次要科学设计程序制度,为流域生态环境保护提供强有力的司法保障。     

垃圾渗滤液中DEHP与DBP的迁移演化规律研究

采用一维土柱下渗实验和垂向入渗模型相结合的方式,研究垃圾渗滤液中邻苯二甲酸二乙基己基酯（DEHP）和邻苯二甲酸二正丁酯（DBP）在土壤中的垂向迁移演化规律。结果表明：原状土和混有石英砂土的土柱对DBP的吸附能力均强于DEHP,而混有石英砂的土柱中DEHP、DBP均出现不同程度的穿透现象,且DEHP的穿透速度比DBP要快2倍;做或不做防渗处理,DEHP和DBP渗出量均呈前期快速增长而后期归于稳定的趋势,防渗对DBP效果较DEHP好;垂向入渗模型与一维土柱实验结果一致,该模型可用于其他区域有机污染物在土壤中垂向迁移的研究。     

安全生产执法监察规范化过程及评价标准研究

对安全生产执法监察工作认识的不足,严重制约安全生产执法监察规范化建设的进程。根据安全生产执法监察工作实情,探讨安全生产执法监察运动规律,从目标、方案和内容制定,系统与现状分析,规范化研究,规范审核,规范执行和评估等六个环节全面分析其规范化过程的要点。以发展、平衡I、创新、平衡II等四个阶段描述规范化建设的发展过程,明确各个阶段的内容和特征;进而提出规范化成熟度概念,从结构设计、执行过程和结果三个方面设计其评价标准和评价方法,并对评价结果的运用进行讨论,为安全生产执法监察规范化建设及评价提供依据。     

Patronage politics,plantation fires and transboundary haze

Since 1982, haze pollution has become an almost annual occurrence in Southeast Asia, with the worst episodes being in the period of 1997–1998 and in 2006–2007. Haze originates from peat and forest fires, mostly in Indonesia. The negative effects of haze can be observed at the global level, with increased carbon emissions exacerbating climate change, and more importantly at the regional level, with serious environmental and socioeconomic effects in Indonesia and its neighbouring countries. Most of these fires are manmade, and can be traced back to land-clearing activities of commercial oil palm plantations. This article questions why these companies have been able to burn with such impunity, even though using fire for land clearing is against Indonesian law. It argues that local and foreign plantation companies have cultivated strong patronage linkages with key patrons among the ruling elite. Hence, patrons are encouraged to protect their clients from the repercussions of their actions. This weakens the power of the state in terms of law enforcement, where national laws against the use of fire are thus rendered useless in the face of powerful economic interests. Well-connected companies therefore continue to use fire as a cost-efficient way to clear land while disregarding its serious environmental and socioeconomic implications.