Institutional, Legal, and Economic Instruments in Ghana's Environmental Policy

The environmental situation in Ghana is characterized by desertification, land degradation, deforestation, soil erosion, and inadequate water supply in the northern regions of the country. The population as a whole is growing at a rate of 3% per annum, with even greater urban growth rates, due to rural out-migration. Large parts of the coastal zone in the south are rapidly developing to become one large suburbanized area. Water quality is particularly threatened in the urban and industrialized areas, which are mainly located in the southern part of the country. The coastal lagoons and coastal waters are moderately to heavily polluted. Erosion extends along the whole Ghanaian coast with excesses, for example, in the Keta area, where during the last century over 90% of the original buildings have been washed awayby the sea. The obvious environmental consequences of the mining sector are illustrative of the environmental threats caused by a fast growing industry and industrializing agriculture, in a country where environmental policy is only in its formative years. Desertification, food insecurity and coastal erosion all contribute to an increasing number of environmental refugees. Environmental policy in Ghana is a post-Rio phenomenon. Environmental laws, a Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, an advisory National Committee for the Implementation of Agenda 21, and a fully mandated environmental administration have been established. This administration advocates a progressive attitude towards environmental legislation and points out the specific utility of economic and legal instruments in environmental management in this relatively fast developing country. The choice of instruments for environmental management is increasingly influenced by the specific state of African environmental and technological capacity and by a call for the recognition of the role of traditional customs in nature conservation. This African perspective on environmental management is further intensified by an unmet need for regional, transboundary cooperation in the West African subcontinent. This specific West African context calls for an elaboration of an effective capacity-building program for environmental management in the area.     

中国环境侵权救济法律制度的现状及其完善

对中国环境侵权救济法律制度的现状进行了系统分析和评价，包括其法律依据和救济途径。对其法律制度的完善提出相应建议。     

关于修改《水污染防治法》的几点思考

以现代环境伦理观为指导分析修改水污染防治立法目的,然后以水权体系构建水环境管理权体系来完善水污染防治管理体制,最后从法律责任方式角度提出了完善水污染防治法律责任制度的建议,以期促进水污染防治法的完善,保障和改善我们赖以生存的水环境。     

试论国际环境民间组织在国际法中的法律地位

国际环境民间组织已成为国际社会中一种重要的行为体,它对全球环境保护和国际环境法发展有着巨大的推动作用.因此,有必要对国际民间组织在国际法中的法律地位进行研究.国际法律人格者与国际法主体之间的法理区别是国际环境民间组织获得国际法律地位的前提,无论从实证,还是理论方面进行分析国际环境民间组织在国际法中都具有一定的法律地位,在一定范围内可以成为国际法的主体.     

试论全面建立我国环境影响评价的法制化体系

在综述我国环境影响评价体系的法制化现状的基础上，剖析了现有评体系存在的问题及其产生的根本原因，提出了制定我国环境评价的必要性，进而从完善评价的监督机制和环评技术导则系统等方面，阐述了如何全面建立我国的环境影响评价法制化体系。     

企业改制中的环境管理思考

企业改制带给环境管理新的课题。产生于计划经济时期的环境管理体系须作出发变适应形势的发展，在目前的情况下，应从有序的，合法化的环境管理方法入手，实现企业改制对保护环境和控制污染的正面成效。     

Regional environmental assessment (REA) and local Agenda 21 implementation

The implementation of sustainable development requires several support instruments. One of the major instruments in the Rio Declaration to support this process has been environmental assessment that has been given considerable emphasis as to its potential ability to help achieve more sustainable forms of development. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting local sustainable development process. Selected environmental assessment methods have been␣used to improve the REA exercise and provide reliable data for decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement Agenda 21 (AG21) plans and projects.     

Game theory and environmental disputes

The courts have provided the traditional battleground for conflicts between environmental interest groups and those whose actions in some way have an adverse impact on the environment The judicial process is a time-consuming one in which all sides usually must concede to some points. Environmental disputes involve complex scientific issues which the court system is not set up to comprehend, so that the process gives the parties to a dispute the sense of having lost control of their own destinies. An increasing number of parties to environmental disputes are turning to negotiation, or mediation, as an alternative in which they can be active parties in the settlement-making process rather than the victims of a court-imposed solution When do the parties to a dispute choose a negotiated settlement over a court battle? To what extent does each party make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement? These questions can be answered by the game theory that provides a model for analyzing the negotiation process. This paper will apply game theory to two environmental conflict cases A series of questions pertinent to the analysis of all environmental disputes will be raised     

Drink driving deterrents and self-reported offending behaviours among a sample of Queensland motorists

Problem

The efficacy of drink driving (driving under the influence, DUI) countermeasures to deter motorists from driving over the legal limit is extremely important when considering the personal and economic impact the offending behavior has on the community. This paper reports on an examination of 780 Queensland motorists' perceptions of legal and non-legal sanctions and their deterrent impact on self-reported offending behavior. Method: The data were collected via a telephone survey of motorists recruited from a random sample of all listed telephone numbers in the state, adjusted according to district population figures. Results: The results indicated that there were a range of legal and non-legal factors that were significantly associated with self-reported DUI including: the perceived risk of apprehension and license loss (legal factors); and concerns relating to the possibility of being involved in a crash and hurting another person (non-legal factors). However, additional multivariate analyses indicated that while both legal and non-legal factors significantly predicted self-reported DUI, higher alcohol consumption levels and more favorable attitudes to the behavior also appear to increase the likelihood of DUI. Discussion: The paper will outline the direct implications of the research project such as the development and promotion of countermeasures that both effectively deter motorists and address pro-offending attitudes. Impact on industry: The findings also highlight that DUI remains a relatively common behaviour among some motoring groups and that there is a need to extend current levels of enforcement as well as adopt innovative strategies to enhance the impact of these operations on the offending behaviour.     

扶梯乘员坠落的法律归责思考与对策

扶梯乘员坠落事故已经发生多起,如何进行相关风险的辨析并提出防范对策,是电梯从业者难以回避的课题.本文试从生产者、经营管理者之角度就此课题进行“归责”与“对策”的辨析与思考,希冀关注者有所借鉴,防范已经存在或可能发生的风险.