Environmental regulation and competitive performance: new evidence from a sectoral study

Economic theory provides different perspectives on the relationship between environmental regulation and company environmental and competitive performance. A frequently analysed issue refers to the impact of environmental regulation on company performance. Using qualitative data collected within the recently completed Environmental regulation and Market forces Providing Incentives for Resource Efficiency (EMPIRE) project, we analysed the relationship between environmental regulation and company competitiveness, operating in the building and construction (B&C) sector. Empirical evidence from the correlation analysis emphasises that environmental regulation can be an important driver of competitive performance improvements in relevant segments of the European B&C sector.     

含石棉制品(ACM)应限制使用

石棉在建筑、制动等行业应用的弊端早已得到重视,由此引起的国际性的环境及制品污染事故均以无法弥补的生命、健康损失和天价赔偿为最终代价。根据当前各国针对含石棉物质的限量要求、检测方法和法令,提出中国应采取的积极应对措施,重点在法令、标准的宣贯、新产品的开发以及检测方法的普及。     

地方安全生产条例与《安全生产法》比对分析

对全国31个省、自治区和直辖市的安全生产条例进行了收集整理,并与《安全生产法》进行了逐条对比分析。从安全理念、安全规划、监管模式、机构和人员、管理制度和方法、安全经费、处罚和其他8个方面,对地方安全生产条例中具有代表性的、新的提法或改进的做法进行了总结。在此基础上,从建立"以人为本"安全理念、将"综合治理"纳入安全生产方针;明确要求各级政府编制安全生产规划,并将其纳入国民经济和社会发展规划;清晰界定政府综合监管、行业监管和其他监管部门的职责分工;细化各类企业安全管理机构和人员配备要求;明确注册安全工程师法律地位,并在高危行业强制配备;明确劳务派遣人员的培训职责,完善从业人员培训制度;建立安全生产信息系统,构建安全生产诚信体系;明确工伤保险基金、安全生产风险抵押金、安全生产责任险等费用的缴纳及管理要求;加大对尚未导致事故发生的违法行为的处罚力度;将隐患排查治理纳入《安全生产法》10个方面提出了对《安全生产法》的修改建议。     

新常态下山东省环境规制对工业结构调整及其大气环境效应研究

论文利用动态面板的系统GMM估计方法、LMDI分解模型、历史值外推模拟及线性规划约束模型等探究了新常态下山东省环境规制对工业结构调整的影响及其大气环境效应,得到以下结论：1）2001—2013年,山东省工业比重呈现先上升后下降的趋势,污染密集型行业比重整体呈现先下降后上升的趋势,二者的环境规制强度基本呈上升趋势;2）环境规制对山东省工业比重、污染密集型行业比重和高新技术产业比重的影响系数分别为-0.043、-0.451和0.523,说明山东省环境规制的实施对工业结构的优化调整具有正向作用;3）随着山东省环境规制强度的增加,工业结构效应和技术效率效应抑制了大气污染物排放量的增加,而污染密集型行业结构效应虽然是工业结构减排的主要原因,但其减排绝对量较小;4）对比宽松、适度、严格3种环境规制情景下的预测结果,新常态下山东省工业结构的调整力度和大气污染物减排潜力依次增大。值得指出的是,适度环境规制下山东省工业结构调整更有利于经济社会的可持续发展。     

Do EPA regulations affect labor demand? Evidence from the pulp and paper industry

Any opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Census Bureau or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. All results have been reviewed to ensure that no confidential information is disclosed. We thank Wang Jin and Shital Sharma for excellent research assistance; we also thank Jim Davis at the Boston Research Data Center for his continued help, and Reed Walker and participants at the 2011 AERE Summer Conference and the Environmental Economics seminar at Harvard University?s Kennedy School for helpful comments. Any remaining errors are ours.     

铜陵市河湖水系功能连通性评估

以铜陵市河湖水系为研究区,利用土地利用类型、植被覆盖度、降雨侵蚀力、地形等数据,分别计算了针对总氮、总磷通量的功能连通性指数,对比分析了不同流域及其河湖水系的连通性情况,并提出相应的水文连通调控措施.结果 表明:基于总氮的功能连通性指数的平均值在菜子湖、岱冲湖、连城湖、白荡湖、枫沙湖、陈瑶湖、顺安河和黄浒河分别为0.9...     

How to address data privacy concerns when using social media data in conservation science

Social media data are being increasingly used in conservation science to study human–nature interactions. User-generated content, such as images, video, text, and audio, and the associated metadata can be used to assess such interactions. A number of social media platforms provide free access to user-generated social media content. However, similar to any research involving people, scientific investigations based on social media data require compliance with highest standards of data privacy and data protection, even when data are publicly available. Should social media data be misused, the risks to individual users' privacy and well-being can be substantial. We investigated the legal basis for using social media data while ensuring data subjects’ rights through a case study based on the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The risks associated with using social media data in research include accidental and purposeful misidentification that has the potential to cause psychological or physical harm to an identified person. To collect, store, protect, share, and manage social media data in a way that prevents potential risks to users involved, one should minimize data, anonymize data, and follow strict data management procedure. Risk-based approaches, such as a data privacy impact assessment, can be used to identify and minimize privacy risks to social media users, to demonstrate accountability and to comply with data protection legislation. We recommend that conservation scientists carefully consider our recommendations in devising their research objectives so as to facilitate responsible use of social media data in conservation science research, for example, in conservation culturomics and investigations of illegal wildlife trade online.     

The price of innovation: An analysis of the marginal cost of green buildings

Energy efficiency plays an important role in reducing the carbon externality from buildings, but economic analyses of more efficient, green building have thus far ignored input costs. This paper finds that the average marginal cost of green-labeled construction projects is smaller than the value premiums documented in the literature. However, design fees, representing just a fraction of development costs but paid largely up-front, are significantly higher for green construction projects. These projects also take longer to complete. The results provide some insight into the market barriers and market failures that may explain the relatively slow adoption of otherwise economically rational green construction practices.     

Recent Evolution of Natural Hazard Management Policy in France,the Example of Serre-Chevalier (French Alps)

Since the 1960s, the development of the Serre-Chevalier winter and summer resort has led to a rapid extension of the urban fabric on the territory of the village of St-Chaffrey. On July 9, 1981, the new neighborhoods built on the alluvial fan of the Verdarel torrent were partly devastated by a channeled debris flow. This disaster prompted the civil authorities to set up an extensive fluvial regulation system, which rapidly contributed to recreating a climate of confidence and security favorable to continuing urban expansion. The combination of catastrophic floods in July 1995, and a new security-oriented national policy on natural hazards, nevertheless led to a return to precautionary measures. The St-Chaffrey town council has therefore been forced by the State to accept a building-free zone on the land-use plan. This measure is perceived as a real denial of the local efficacy of the flood and landslide risk management policy as carried out by the council of St-Chaffrey during the previous 20 years.     

关于修改我国环境保护法的思考

当前,我国资源破坏和环境污染问题相当严重,要实现中国跨世纪环保政策目标和可持续发展战略,必须有健全的环境保护法律制度作保障。我国现行《环境保护法》制定于20世纪80年代末,已经不能适应现阶段的经济发展要求。本文从环境保护法的立法目的、基本原则、环境法律制度等方面对《环境保护法》的修改进行了论述。