环境司法专门化下的特殊环境诉讼规则

我国的环境司法处于发展初期,有关环境纠纷的司法救济程序散落在不同的部门法中。为了维护国家环境安全和公共环境利益,构建环境司法专门化势在必行,但是在特殊的环境保护法院进行专门化的环境审判过程中,出现环境诉讼保护对象的争议性、生态环境损害责任承担的特殊性等问题亟待解决,环境民事公益诉讼和生态环境损害赔偿诉讼等特殊环境诉讼规则应运而生,虽然目前还面临着一些困境,但是整体上构建环境司法体系的进程依然在不断推进。     

中国生态环境科技创新体系建设研究

分析国内外生态环境科技创新的发展现状,相比较国外以市场机制为导向、以企业为创新主体、政府通过政策和管辖支撑创新的体系特征,我国已形成四大类环境类科创载体,但尚未形成成熟有效的技术成果产业化机制以及市场与政策协同促进科技创新的发展模式。本文根据生态环境科技创新的强政策驱动性、技术验证放大周期长以及集成性强的特点,重点通过环境技术研发、技术成果转化、技术放大与赋能、产业拓展与推广四个方面阐述了生态环境科技创新体系建设的主要环节：环境技术的研发由以科研机构为主的传统自发性研发、企业迭代性研发和联合应用型研发组成;技术成果的转化经历挖掘发现、技术识别与判断、知识产权评估评价后进入已成立的企业或新设公司,在这一过程中,成果转化专业队伍起着至关重要的作用;技术放大与赋能旨在为有创新技术的企业提供科技创新政策、二次研发中试验证、首台套工程案例、投融资等资源的对接,以协助初创企业成长;产业的拓展与推广则通过为解决环境问题形成集成方案、孵化平台为企业背书和产业政策匹配等方式助力企业长期发展。最后从加强专业化创新平台、技术评估体系、成果转化人才培养体系建设以及疏通投融资渠道等方面对中国未来生态环境科技创新发展提出相关建议。     

Environmental forensic investigation of the air pollution from a cement manufacturing unit

Abstract

Cement manufacturing is a process that results in the emission of significant quantities of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to the ambient air. An environmental forensic investigation was carried out in the surroundings of a major cement manufacturing unit at a place called Coimbatore in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The investigation was carried out to identify the contribution of the cement manufacturing unit to the SPM concentration of the surrounding air environment. The sampling points’ selection and sample collection were done following the principles outlined in the INTERPOL Manual for Pollution Crime Forensic Investigation. On-site monitoring of the air samples was carried out using Mini Laser Aerosol Spectrometer (GRIMM, Mini-LAS Model 11R). The instrument was capable of measuring particles ranging from 0.25 to 32 µm and classifying them into 31 size channels. The test results at majority of the monitoring locations were well above the limits specified in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of India. Microscopic studies of the dust samples were carried out for surface texture and particle shape. The spatial distribution of particles was analysed using geographic information system (GIS) for the visual identification of the extent of the pollution by keeping the cement factory as the focal point. The results from the GIS and microscopic analysis established the role of the cement factory in the particulate matter pollution of its surroundings, specifically in the areas North-West of the factory. The successfully adopted procedure can serve as a guideline for the environmental forensic investigation of similar pollution incidences.     

浅谈如何开展环境监测类设施公众开放日活动

随着城市工业化的快速发展,突发性环境污染事故逐渐增多,因此,环境公众开放日活动显得尤为重要。本文结合实际情况,探讨如何开展监测类公众开放日活动。     

Monitoring of a Coastal Mediterranean Area: Culturable Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Environmental Factors and their Relationships in the Southern Adriatic Sea

Culturable heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplanktonic densities were investigated at four sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Brindisi, S. Cataldo, Otranto and S. M. di Leuca) over an annual cycle. The main phytoplankton groups, the bacterial biodiversity, as well as the faecal contamination indicators were determined. Culturable bacterial numbers averaged 4.8 ± 0.2 log CFU ml⁻¹ whereas phytoplankton numbers averaged 2.1 ± 0.4 log cells ml⁻¹. Relationships between culturable bacteria, phytoplankton and the environmental factors were established. Bacterial and phytoplankton densities usually depended significantly on temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrite only in the S. Cataldo transect. In all the examined transects phytoplankton showed a bloom during the January–February period followed by a bacterial peak during the February–March period. Thus we can suppose that the phytoplankton winter bloom is responsible for the availabily of organic matter for bacterial populations in the following months in this oligotrophic ecosystem.     

A Rapid Method for Assessing the Environmental Performance of Commercial Farms in the Pampas of Argentina

The generation of reliable updated information is critical to support the harmonization of socio-economic and environmental issues in a context of sustainable development. The agro-environmental assessment and management of agricultural systems often relies on indicators that are necessary to make sound decisions. This work aims to provide an approach to (a) assess the environmental performance of commercial farms in the Pampas of Argentina, and (b) propose a methodological framework to calculate environmental indicators that can rapidly be applied to practical farming. 120 commercial farms scattered across the Pampas were analyzed in this study during 2002 and 2003. Eleven basic indicators were identified and calculation methods described. Such indicators were fossil energy (FE) use, FE use efficiency, nitrogen (N) balance, phosphorus (P) balance, N contamination risk, P contamination risk, pesticide contamination risk, soil erosion risk, habitat intervention, changes in soil carbon stock, and balance of greenhouse gases. A model named Agro-Eco-Index was developed on a Microsoft-Excel support to incorporate on-farm collected data and facilitate the calculation of indicators by users. Different procedures were applied to validate the model and present the results to the users. Regression models (based on linear and non-linear models) were used to validate the comparative performance of the study farms across the Pampas. An environmental dashboard was provided to represent in a graphical way the behavior of farms. The method provides a tool to discriminate environmentally friendly farms from those that do not pay enough attention to environmental issues. Our procedure might be useful for implementing an ecological certification system to reward a good environmental behavior in society (e.g., through tax benefits) and generate a commercial advantage (e.g., through the allocation of green labels) for committed farmers.     

Community-Based Environmental Management in Atlantic Canada: The Impacts and Spheres of Influence of the Atlantic Coastal Action Program

The Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) is a unique, community-based program initiated by Environment Canada in 1991 to help Atlantic Canadians restore and sustain watersheds and adjacent coastal areas. ACAP is the eastem-most Environment Canada Ecosystem Initiative. The ACAP family is currently made up of 14 ecosystem-based organizations in the four Atlantic provinces. Each one of these non-profit organizations operates independently, but is formally linked under the umbrella of ACAP to represent a force stronger than the individual parts. In Environment Canada's experience, the program consistently demonstrates the value of a community-based approach and produces results on an ecosystem basis. This paper will examine some of the impacts of ACAP in terms of economics, credible community science, and environmental results which most often align with Environment Canada's objectives. It will explore the influences of the community-based approach to environmental management on multiple scales (local, regional, etc.). Through examples, the paper will demonstrate the effectiveness of ACAP in influencing some of the policies, programs and attitudes of various levels of government and industry in the region, as well as describe how the community-based model has been exported internationally. The paper will conclude with a discussion on a planned path forward for ACAP.     

A Characterization of Selected Endocrine Disruptor Compounds in a Portuguese Wastewater Treatment Plant

Anthropogenic compounds that are able to disrupt the endocrine system of wildlife species are a major cause for concern and have led to a demand for new screening methods. The identification and quantification of endocrine disruptor compounds at wastewater treatment plant is of major interest to assess the endocrine activity of wastewater treatment plant discharges into the environment. This study consists of a preliminary survey of concentrations of previously selected endocrine disruptor compounds, undertaken to establish environmental concentrations and to support a biological program assay exposing freshwater fish to them. Selected endocrine disrupting chemicals (APEs, bisphenol A and 17 β-estradiol) were measured in samples from a wastewater treatment plant located in Lisbon (Portugal), using recent commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits and also LC-MS/MS. The results show that the wastewater treatment plant treatment process is efficient on the removal of target endocrine disruptor compounds. However, environmentally significant concentrations are still present in the treated effluent. The results also show that enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit is suitable for routine analysis of the selected compounds. The results are also useful since the wastewater treatment plant is located in a Mediterranean region, which results in an effluent with its own characteristics.     

Simple Model of Dissolved Oxygen Consumption in a Bay within High Organic Loading: An Applied Remediation Tool

San Vicente Bay is a coastal shallow embayment in Central Chile with multiple uses, one of which is receiving wastewater from industrial fisheries, steel mill effluents, and domestic sewage. A simulation model was developed and applied to dissolved oxygen consumption by organic residues released into this embayment. Three compartments were established as function of: depth, circulation and outfall location. The model compartments had different volumes, and their oxygen saturation value was used as baseline. The parameters: (a) BOD₅ of the industrial and urban effluents, (b) oxygen demand by organic sediments, (c) respiration, (d) photosynthesis and (e) re-aeration were included in the model. Iteration results of the model showed severe alterations in Compartment 1, with a decrease of 65% in the oxygen below saturation. Compartment 2 showed a small decline (10%) and compartment 3 did not show apparent changes in oxygen values. Measures recommended for remediation were to decrease the BOD₅ loading by 30% in the affected sector. Iteration of the model for 200 h following recommendations derived from the preceding results produced an increase in saturation of 60% (5 ml O₂ L⁻¹), which suggested an improvement of the environmental conditions.     

Targeted Sustainable Development: 15 Years of Government and Community Intervention on the St. Lawrence River

From 1988 to 2003, the St. Lawrence Action Plan, a Canada – Quebec cooperation agreement on the St. Lawrence River, helped to mobilize a still-growing number of stakeholders in the conservation and protection of this great river and generated tangible results in a number of areas of intervention. The successes enjoyed in the area of industrial, agricultural and urban clean-up, in protecting plant and animal species and their habitats, and in acquiring new knowledge on the state and trends of the ecosystem reflect the sustained efforts of government and non-government partners over the course of those 15 years. The committed involvement of local communities provides assurance of the sustainable development of this vast ecosystem.The Canadian Crown reserves the right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright.