Fairness aspects of linking the European emissions trading scheme under a long-term stabilization scenario for CO2 concentration

Climate equity is a crucial but difficult element in negotiations on a post-2012 climate regime. With respect to the trading of greenhouse gas emissions the equity aspect is considered in the Kyoto Protocol which demands that emissions trading should be supplemental to domestic abatement efforts. The question arises whether a linking of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to non-EU emission trading schemes or the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) could have an impact on principles of climate justice and thus potentially affect ongoing negotiations. In this study, we present the results of a three step analysis: In a first step, it estimates mid-term greenhouse gas emission entitlements for Annex B and Non-Annex B countries for the year 2020 which keep within reach a stabilization of the CO₂ concentration at 450 ppmv in the long-term. In the second step, the resulting emission entitlements are used as an input to an economic partial-equilibrium model in order to assess the shift of abatement efforts under different scenarios of linking the EU ETS. In a third step, we analyze the outcome of the economic model with respect to the future trend of European per capita emissions under the current EU ETS relative to different scenarios of linking the EU ETS. The model results indicate that European per capita emissions have to be reduced to a considerably smaller extent if a linking of the EU ETS is accompanied by an optimal design of the National Allocation Plans and if low-cost CO₂ permits became available via the CDM to a large extent.

水体富营养化问题中外政策措施透析

富营养化问题正在污染地球上宝贵的饮用水资源。因此,防治和解决富营养化问题是全球的一项紧急任务。早在上个世纪,很多欧洲国家在富营养化的控制方面已经做了很多研究,尤其是对欧盟的立法与国家政策方面的研究。目前,很多欧洲国家都建立了相对完善的综合政策。中国太湖也面临着严重的水体富营养化问题。文章选取荷兰和英国作为案例分析,通过与太湖水体富营养化防治中存在的问题的对比和分析,提出一些可行性建议,对太湖水域的该问题的缓解起到一定的借鉴作用。     

Ecotoxicological Assessment of Sediment, Suspended Matter and Water Samples in the Upper Danube River. A pilot study in search for the causes for the decline of fish catches (12 pp)

Goals, Scope and Background Fish populations, especially those of the grayling (Thymallus thymallus), have declined over the last two decades in the upper Danube River between Sigmaringen and Ulm, despite intensive and continuous stocking and improvement of water quality since the 1970s. Similar problems have been reported for other rivers, e.g. in Switzerland, Great Britain, the United States and Canada. In order to assess if ecotoxicological effects might be related to the decline in fish catch at the upper Danube River, sediment, suspended matter and waste water samples from sewage treatment plants were collected at selected locations and analyzed in a bioanalytical approach using a battery of bioassays. The results of this pilot study will be used to decide if a comprehensive weight-of-evidence study is needed. Methods Freeze-dried sediments and suspended particulate matters were extracted with acetone in a Soxhlet apparatus. Organic pollutants from sewage water were concentrated using XAD-resins. In order to investigate the ecotoxicological burden, the following bioassays were used: (1) neutral red assay with RTL-W1 cells (cytotoxicity), (2) comet assay with RTLW1 cells (genotoxicity), (3) Arthrobacter globiformis dehydrogenase assay (toxicity to bacteria), (4) yeast estrogen screen assay (endocrine disruption), (5) fish egg assay with the zebrafish (Danio rerio; embryo toxicity) and (6) Ames test with TA98 (mutagenicity). Results and Discussion The results of the in vitro tests elucidated a considerable genotoxic, cytotoxic, mutagenic, bacteriotoxic, embryotoxic and estrogenic burden in the upper Danube River, although with a very inhomogeneous distribution of effects. The samples taken from Riedlingen, for example, induced low embryo toxicity, but the second highest 17β-estradiol equivalent concentration (1.8 ng/L). Using the fish egg assay with native sediments, a broad range of embryotoxic effects could be elucidated, with clear-cut dose-response relationships for the embryotoxic effects of contaminated sediments. With native sediments, embryotoxicity was clearly higher than with corresponding pore waters, thus corroborating the view that – at least for fish eggs – the bioavailability of particle-bound lipophilic substances in native sediments is higher than generally assumed. The effect observed most frequently in the fish egg assay was a developmental delay. A comparison of our own results with locations along the rivers Rhine and Neckar demonstrated similar or even higher ranges of ecotoxicological burdens in the Danube River. Conclusions The complex pattern of ecotoxicological effects caused by environmental samples from the Danube River, when assessed in an in vitro biotest battery using both acute and more specific endpoints, showed that integration of different endpoints is essential for appropriate hazard assessment. Overall, the ecotoxicological hazard potential shown has indeed to be considered as one potential reason for the decline in fish catches at the upper Danube River. However, based on the results of this pilot study, it is not possible to elucidate that chemically induced alterations are responsible for the fish decline. Recommendations and Perspective . In order to confirm the ecological relevance of the in vitro results for the situation in the field and especially for the decline of the grayling and other fishes, further integrated investigations are required. For linking the weight of evidence obtained by in vitro assays and fish population investigations, the application of additional, more specific biomarkers (e.g. vitellogenin induction, EROD and micronucleus assay) has been initiated in fish taken from the field as well as in situ investigations.     

水体富营养化问题中外政策措施透析

富营养化问题正在污染地球上宝贵的饮用水资源.因此,防治和解决富营养化问题是全球的一项紧急任务.早在上个世纪,很多欧洲国家在富营养化的控制方面已经做了很多研究,尤其是对欧盟的立法与国家政策方面的研究.目前,很多欧洲国家都建立了相对完善的综合政策.中国太湖也面临着严重的水体富营养化问题.文章选取荷兰和英国作为案例分析,通过与太湖水体富营养化防治中存在的问题的对比和分析,提出一些可行性建议,对太湖水域的该问题的缓解起到一定的借鉴作用.     

Territorial politics and the success of collaborative environmental governance: local and regional partnerships compared

The paper explores the role local governments and territorial proximity play in the efficiency of collaborative environmental governance. It develops the hypothesis that the representatives of local authorities involved in partnerships possess resources to diminish the pitfalls of sustainable governance, facilitate coordination, and contribute to the success of shared policy-making. Four French and English partnerships are presented. They include a diversity of stakeholders such as fisheries, ports, farmers, yachting associations, environmental NGOs, or local authorities. Thereby, the paper develops whether and under which conditions local governments play a positive or negative role, as well as comparing territorial levels of implementation and the effects of geographical proximity. It is shown that collaboration at the regional level prevents the integration of decision-making in organisational networks, the inclusion of citizens, and the development of social responsibility for stakeholders – the partnership acting as a formalisation of pre-existing lobbying. Locally, governments assume inter-organisational leadership and do contribute to the institutionalisation of the new forums. Yet, local successes of partnerships answer logics of social, rather than environmental, regulation. The local attenuation of usage conflicts does not necessarily reduce the negative effects of those usages on the environment. By stressing a collaborative definition of environmental problems, the partnerships tend to sideline substantial policy changes, and possibly conflict with the goals and long-term temporality of sustainable governance.     

欧盟水环境标准体系

分析了欧盟水环境标准体系的发展变革,概述了其中的标准及政策,阐述了欧盟环境标准的直接适应效力、优先于成员国法的效力和从属原则等法律特征,归纳了欧盟环境标准指令在各成员国内的实施要求和欧盟水环境标准的特点,并对中国水环境标准的制定与实施提出了建议.      

晋江流域工业环境风险评价研究

为了预防由于工业企业危险物质泄漏引发的环境突发事故,保护流域水环境安全.本研究选用基于Seveso III指令模型的方法进行流域环境风险评价研究,并对模型进行适应性改进,选择工业企业分布较为密集的泉州晋江流域进行了示范研究.利用高程、企业分布、危险物质储存量等数据,得到企业内在风险;叠加区域易受损性后得到子区域的环境风险.结果表明,南安市是晋江流域环境风险最高的子区域,风险值高达108,安溪县和泉州市区风险水平居中,晋江市为低度危险子区域.在此基础上,根据评价结果提出了具有针对性的流域环境风险控制建议.