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.     

后疫情时期全国碳市场政策对经济和排放的影响

新冠肺炎疫情暴发一年多以来,国际国内形势仍面临极大不确定性。疫情显著降低了短期排放水平,但是经济恢复政策和疫情发展形势的不确定使得对未来经济发展和碳排放的判断变得复杂,碳排放是否会反弹对实现《巴黎协定》目标造成挑战,已经投入运行的全国碳市场能多大程度发挥政策效果等问题值得关注。本文首先定量评估了疫情对经济和环境的短期和长期的影响,基于此分析疫情后全国碳市场政策的实施效果。结果显示:疫情造成中国经济活动以及碳排放短期显著下降,2020年中国全年的GDP增长较基准情景下降3.84%,能源消费和碳排放分别较基准情景下降4.47%和5.12%。但是,接下来的十年内,GDP会逐渐恢复至基准情景,累计碳排放较基准情景增加0.06%。在没有其他气候政策干预的情况下,疫情带来的短期减排效应不足以保障中国各项气候目标的实现,落实碳市场政策十分必要。疫情之后启动全国碳市场,可以促进投资、减少能源使用和碳排放,到2030年,能源消费将下降7.44%,碳排放下降10.49%,碳价为229.73元/t。国外疫情若在2021年还不能得到控制,将会继续影响中国的对外贸易,使得中国GDP损失略有提高,但不会改变国内疫情之后经济恢复的大趋势。     

Environmental federalism and environmental liability

Environmental federalism considers what level of government should optimally regulate pollution. This paper addresses this question for accidental pollution, which government regulates through the ex post liability regimes of either negligence or strict liability. We find that decentralizing the choice between these regimes does not, in general, induce the socially optimal outcome. When firms can pay all damages, all regions may choose negligence and impose an overly strict standard of due care. When firms may be bankrupted by damages, all regions may choose strict liability, which induces too little care. In addition, asymmetric equilibria are possible in which some regions choose negligence, others strict liability. Combining negligence with a Pigovian tax, or strict liability with a bonding requirement can align regional authorities' incentives with those of a central government.     

污染环境罪司法适用争议问题研究

《刑法修正案（八）》颁布实施后,污染环境罪适用已经一年有余,然而一些争议问题仍未厘清,尤其是主观罪过形态以及严格责任问题,理论界和司法实践中还存在不同的认识。笔者认为,将污染环境罪认定为过失犯罪不存在理论上的不恰切,相反更符合刑法罪责刑相适应的原则。同时严格责任在我国刑法中没有适用的空间。     

水污染侵权中因果关系的认定

水污染侵权中的因果关系成立与否决定着民事责任的有无,对受害人的利益影响甚巨,关于因果关系的理论纷繁复杂,水污染侵权中的因果关系认定难度更大,试图在分析各种学说的基础上找到认定水污染侵权中因果关系的可行方法。     

河南省煤化工行业环境风险等级划分研究

基于目前国家建立环境污染责任保险制度的规划需求和河南省当前新发展形势需要,选择以河南省典型高污染、高风险行业(即煤化工行业)为研究对象.在对相关理论进行分析的基础上,识别影响河南省煤化工行业的环境风险因子,并确定指标的评估标准(权重及评分结果).遵照指标体系的建立原则,采用层次分析法,从内在性和外在性两方面因素构建煤化工行业环境风险等级划分指标体系,进一步将评分结果与环境风险等级比对,最终将煤化工行业的环境风险等级划分为5个等级,为河南省环境污染责任保险制度的建立奠定基础.     

环境民事法律责任与环境损害赔偿

环境民事责任是环境法律责任的一种形式,是解决和处理环境损害赔偿中重要的法律依据。     

城市生态足迹计算中温室气体环境责任的区域分配法

针对生态足迹方法应用于城市尺度时对温室气体处理上的不足,提出了除存在能源贸易调整的缺陷外,还应对城市的温室气体环境责任重新定义和划分,城市可持续发展应依照城市自身的区域特征来制定标准.在对城市尺度与国家尺度上生态足迹核算体系温室气体环境责任分配内涵的不同进行分析后,基于城市等级的划分和经济联系强度等概念,构建了在城市尺度上温室气体环境责任的区域分配法,使生态足迹方法应用在城市尺度的可持续评价上更加真实可靠.     

Framing the Long-Term <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Liability Issue for Geologic Carbon Storage in the United States

This paper examines how legal standards of liability may apply to geologic carbon storage. The liability regime governing geologic carbon storage will shape the technology's cost-effectiveness and overall attractiveness. We classify potential sources of liability into operational, in situ, and climate liability. As a first step, we explore in situ liability in the United States. After summarizing legal standards of liability including negligence, breach of implied warranty, strict liability, and product liability, we discuss how liability may be addressed at the level of the federal government, state government, industry, and the firm. Finally, we address the implications of judicial treatment of liability for carbon storage, including the apportionment of liability and the adequacy of current regulations.     

土壤污染治理与开发的环境经济调控对策研究

尝试从环境经济角度出发,对比分析国内外土壤污染治理与开发过程中的经济责任认定体系,指出我国存在着土壤污染责任主体不明确、污染治理费用无人负担、市场化机制有待完善等问题,提出在土壤污染治理与开发过程中明确政府、污染者、新地块开发商以及当地社区和居民的经济责任、建立污染治理基金管理模式以及完善土壤污染治理资金筹措与管理机制等方面的调控对策。