Formulating and implementing climate change laws and policies in the Philippines,Mexico (Chiapas), and South Africa: a local government perspective

Faced with the prospects of a changing climate, a small but increasing number of countries are developing legal and regulatory frameworks that explicitly address climate change. Moreover at least some of these laws and policies carve out substantial roles for local governments. The present paper surveys three countries from different regions in the Global South that have developed or are developing such laws and policies: the Philippines (Asia-Pacific), Mexico and more specifically its State of Chiapas (Latin America), and South Africa (Africa). It examines those experiences through two different lenses. The paper first reviews the steps by which those laws or policies were developed. For this review, criteria for effective consultative processes are proposed. The study then examines the three climate change laws or policies per se. To this end, a framework including four modes of multi-level urban climate governance (governing by regulation, governing through enabling, governing by provision, governing with representation and consultation) is utilised. The paper ends with synthetic conclusions as to which experiences represent promising practices, and what other lessons are relevant for countries embarking on such processes.     

Extra- and intra-European Union exchanges of recovered materials and products

On the basis of the data Comext from Eurostat, this paper presents 2001 data on the main exchanges (flows) intra-European Union (EU) and with the rest of the world (extra-EU), by countries (for the main countries which are concerned), tonnage and value, by categories of recovered materials and products. A synoptic table is established, the results are summarized, and initial comments are provided. Moreover the evolution from 1995 to 2001 is discussed.The second part of the paper examines what these data tell us:

* whether they are consistent with the main theories of international trade, and which factors explain these exchanges,

* what is the extent of foreign trade of recovered products and materials,

* to what extent the EU appears as ‘an economic entity’,

* and possible effects of the enlargement of the EU.

The social dimension of biodiversity policy in the European Union: Valuing the benefits to vulnerable communities

This paper uses GIS-based mapping tools and economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services to explore the social dimension of biodiversity policy. We investigate the linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem service values, and socio-economic vulnerability indicators in a spatially explicit framework and at different geographic scales. Our focus is on Europe, where biodiversity and ecosystem benefits have been well studied for many ecosystems, such as forests, coastal ecosystems and freshwater wetlands. The analysis focuses in particular on rural agricultural areas and remote mountainous regions accounting for the differences across various income groups, both at national and regional levels. The results of the study provide useful insights for EU policymakers in designing policy instruments that can promote biodiversity conservation and prevent natural resource degradation, on the one hand, while contributing to social stability and human livelihoods, on the other hand.     

State of the population of the European pearl mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Margaritifera margaritifera</Emphasis> (L.) (Mollusca,Margaritiferidae) at the northeastern boundary of its range (Solza River,White Sea Basin)

Only two river basins in which the European pearl mussel has survived to date are known in Arkhangelsk oblast. These are the Solza and Kozha basins. The northeastern boundary of the European range of this species passes along the watershed between the basins of the Solza and the Shirshema (the Onega Peninsula) and then along the Onega-Northern Dvina watershed. The population density and the proportion of juveniles widely vary in different parts of the Solza Basin, and, therefore, the previously conclusion concerning the ageing of the population in the Kazanka River (Bolotov and Semushin, 2003) applies only to certain parts of this river. The highest density of the pearl mussel in the Solza Basin is 68 ind./m². Fish cultivation contributes to the conservation of this pearl mussel population, as the release of Atlantic salmon juveniles ensures reproduction of the mollusk under conditions of regulated river flow.     

国外环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规现状、特征及其作用研究

对国外环保体系发达国家（包括欧盟、日本、美国）现行的环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规制度建设情况予以阐述和介绍,以期为中国环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规的完善提供借鉴.同时提出该体系的主要框架性特征,即充分保障公众环境知情权、落实环境参与权、完善诉讼权和补偿权,提出公众参与和社会监督的政策依据受到政府部门的高度重视,以法规形式固定下来,对公众参与积极性的提高具有较强的促进作用.     

深圳市夜间光污染状况调查及对策研究

首先阐述国内外光污染防控标准,然后对深圳市典型公众活动区域开展夜间光照度监测,初步探明夜间光污染状况并提出利用经济特区立法,将光环境纳入环境保护范畴,建立完善的法律、法规、技术标准和监管体系,保护夜间光环境的建议。结果表明,开展监测的区域存在不同程度的光污染,其中,商业区照度为10．4—591．41x,最大值达CIE150标准E4区域251x的限值20倍以上,照度均匀度为0．12～0．18;休闲广场照度为4．9～91．51x,最大照度均超过《城市夜景照明设计规范》（JGJ／T163-2008）中25lX上限值,照度均匀度为0．22～0．39;住商混合区照度为8．5～46．91x,最大照度均超过CIE150标准E3区域101x限值;住宅区照度为1．0～23．61x,57％小区外侧住宅窗表面照度超过CIE150标准E3区域101x限值。     

轻型车NH_3排放实验研究

用傅里叶变换紫外光谱法对4辆不同里程、不同排量、不同排放标准的轻型车NH_3排放进行测量,试验车辆包括2辆双燃料出租车。实验结果表明:里程数越高的车辆,在同一个测试循环中产生的NH_3排放越多;在高速工况下,车辆产生的NH_3要高于在低速工况时;在循环中车辆加速过程产生的NH_3浓度较高;对于天然气燃料车辆,市区运转工况下基本上没有NH_3排放,在城郊运转工况下产生的NH_3要多于用汽油燃料时。     

地方环境立法应遵循可持续发展原则

本文在分析地方环境立法形势的基础上 ,提出地方环境立法应遵循可持续发展原则 ,并从公平性、持续性、协调性、资源价值、公众参与和生态安全、区域性和发挥地方环境资源优势等几个方面进行了阐述     

Is the EU WFD suitable to support IWRM planning in non-European countries? Lessons learnt from the introduction of IWRM and River Basin Management in Mongolia

The Water Framework Directive (EU WFD, 2000/60EC, European Commission, 2000) is a comprehensive tool for water management taking Europe’s diverse national and local policy contexts into account. This has positioned the EU WFD as a potential tool to enhance the implementation of the globally-promoted integrated water resources management concept (IWRM) in developing and transition countries that to date lack comparable regulations. Using the case of Mongolia, a country that has shown interest in using aspects of the EU WFD for implementing its IWRM concept, we will discuss the extent to which the EU WFD also provides a framework for IWRM outside Europe. We find that the EU WFD may provide guidance for the implementation of ecosystem-based River Basin Management (RBM) within an existing national IWRM concept, in terms of public participation and in terms of economic analysis. However, the application of concepts EU WFD is easier if strong political will, good monitoring capacities and a legislative backbone covering key IWRM principles and the capacity for enforcement are in place. Also, the EU-WFD does not provide guidance in terms of water-related issues that are e.g. addressing gender, poverty and capacity development. Thus, the EU WFD cannot serve as a blueprint, as it requires adaptation to the different socio-economic, cultural and political contexts of the implementing country and it does not inform all aspects of IWRM.     

Cumulative impact of marinas on estuarine water quality

The purpose of this work is to present a modeling approach for assessing and managing the cumulative impact of marinas on estuarine systems. In doing so, both a water-quality model and a planning and management model are developed. The water-quality model predicts biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and fecal coliform (FC) loadings from marina sources in a hypothetical North Carolina estuary. By running the water-quality model repeatedly with varied loading input, impact coefficients are determined. These impact coefficients are used in the planning and management model, the output of which gives the sizes and locations of marinas in the estuarine system such that dissolved oxygen (DO) and FC water-quality standards are maintained.Five different estuarine development scenarios are considered. Each scenario is evaluated with respect to both maximum and uniform land development constraints. In addition, two alternative fecal coliform standards are used with each of the development options.