Fundamental issues and solutions in the design of China's ETS pilots: Allowance allocation,price mechanism and state-owned key enterprises

This paper analyzes the three main fundamental issues in the design of China’s ETS pilots,including allowance allocation,price mechanism and state-owned key enterprises,and proposed suggested solutions.For the issue of allowance allocation,we suggest that the gradual hybrid mode could be applied at the beginning,which starts with mainly free allocation and then increases auction ratio gradually.And grandfathering is a suitable method of free allocation.For the issue of price mechanism,we suggest a price floating zone with open market operation to reduce the uncertainty of prices.For the issue of state-owned key enterprises,we suggest a good coordination with SASAC,defining the state-owned property right and supervision right when state-owned key enterprises are involved into the carbon market,and the local government can set rules of allocation and transaction to limit their potential market power.     

Application of Tradable Emission Permits in Europe

Abstract

The purpose of this study is merely to review the current situation in the designing and implementation of the emission trading programs in Europe. Historical data show that although there is a series of shortcomings in their current functioning, employing such instruments for GHG reduction policy making is strongly expected to be efficient and effective. The European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) are just a few examples of the ambitious EU initiative that heavily relies on such instruments. We dwell on their operations and achievements by far and all the content in this article is expected to convince the Chinese government and regional public authorities to take positive actions and attitudes in promoting these instruments.     

国外环境政策评估体系研究——基于美国、欧盟的比较

为了进一步明确环境政策评估体系在识别环境政策实施绩效、评价环境政策社会经济影响、推进环境政策改革与创新中的作用,文章以美国、欧盟的环境政策评估体系为研究对象,建立了评估主体、评估对象、评估标准等要素的基本分析框架,分析总结了国外环境政策评估体系的基本构成要素及运行模式,在此基础上,结合我国环境保护现状与形势,对推进我国环境政策评估工作提出了几点思考。     

保护臭氧层谈判中的美欧博弈

臭氧层损耗是重要的全球环境问题之一。最早认识到臭氧层危害的美国率先在国内立法控制相关物质,然而另一大经济体——欧共体,在这一方面却行动迟缓。在保护臭氧层的国际谈判中,美欧之间相互妥协,最终达成了对氟氯烃化合物(CFCs)进行限控的《蒙特利尔议定书》。美欧之间的分歧来自国内化工业巨头的影响,国际经济变动影响外交决策。国际环境问题背后隐藏的经济关系与大国的领导作用是影响国际环境合作的主要因素。     

欧盟和美国温室气体排放监测对中国的借鉴意义

欧盟出台的《第2003/87号指令:温室气体监测和报告指南》和美国环保署颁布的《温室气体强制性申报:最终条例》中,监测计划、监测技术装置、一般监测方法、最佳可用监测方法、不确定性分析、数据验证、经济成本分析等内容都对中国进行温室气体监测和报告具有借鉴意义。在此基础上,提出了温室气体监测的作用和对中国进行温室气体监测、报告的建议。     

欧洲有关国家关于执行欧盟废旧电子电气指令的措施

随着全球高科技工业的迅猛发展、人类消费水平的不断提高和消费结构的变化，电子废弃物快速增长，并造成日益严重的环境污染问题，因此引起了全球各国高度关注并制定了相关环境管理对策。2003年2月13日，欧盟公布了《废旧电子电气设备指令》（简称WEEE指令）和《限制某些有害物质在电子电气设备中使用指令》（简称ROHs指令）。欧盟各国实践表明，欧盟成员在欧盟指令公布之前已经制定了关于收集和适当处理电子电气废物的规定，这些规定基本上与欧盟新指令有着相同的内涵。因此，欧盟成员政府并不需要为了满足欧盟指令的新要求而对目前国内的电子电气处理体制做太大的修改，故可以预期欧盟各国执行欧盟关于废旧电子电气设备指令过程中将不会导致过多问题产生，并且执行成本相对较小。     

The importance of compatible beliefs for effective climate policy integration

ABSTRACT

European climate policy faced increasing constraints during the economic and Eurozone crises (2008–2014). The European Commission subsequently refocused policymaking toward integrating climate objectives into other policy areas such as energy and the 2014–2020 European Union (EU) budget. The conditions for successful climate policy integration (CPI) are analyzed, focusing on the compatibility of key actors’ beliefs. In renewable energy policy, CPI was successful as long as the co-benefits and related policy-core beliefs of energy security, rural economic development and climate action coexisted harmoniously. Once conflict among these policy-core beliefs emerged during the biofuels controversy, CPI was weakened as actors with competing economy-focused beliefs controlled the decision-making process. The case of EU budget climate mainstreaming illustrates how actors can add climate objectives into legislation despite meaningful discussion being ‘crowded out’ by other priorities. The findings highlight the importance of low conflict between departments, compatible beliefs and policy priorities for successful CPI.     

Environmental policy evaluation in the EU: between learning,accountability, and political opportunities?

ABSTRACT

Policy evaluation has grown significantly in the EU environmental sector since the 1990s. In identifying and exploring the putative drivers behind its rise – a desire to learn, a quest for greater accountability, and a wish to manipulate political opportunity structures – new ground is broken by examining how and why the existing literatures on these drivers have largely studied them in isolation. The complementarities and potential tensions between the three drivers are then addressed in order to advance existing research, drawing on emerging empirical examples in climate policy, a very dynamic area of evaluation activity in the EU. The conclusions suggest that future studies should explore the interactions between the three drivers to open up new and exciting research opportunities in order to comprehend contemporary environmental policy and politics in the EU.     

Gas-phase organics in environmental tobacco smoke: 2. Exposure-relevant emission factors and indirect exposures from habitual smoking

Sorption of emitted gas-phase organic compounds onto material surfaces affects environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) composition and exposures indoors. We have introduced a new metric, the exposure relevant emission factor (EREF) that accounts for sorptive uptake and reemission to give the mass of individual ETS constituents available for exposure over a day in which smoking occurs. This paper describes month-long experiments to investigate sorption effects on EREFs and potential ETS exposures under habitual smoking conditions. Cigarettes were smoked in a 50-m³ furnished room over a 3-h period 6–7 days per week, with continuous ventilation at 0.3, 0.6, or 2.1 h⁻¹. Organic gas concentrations were measured every few days over 4-h “smoking”, 10-h “post-smoking” and 10-h “background” periods. Concentration patterns of volatile ETS components including 1,3-butadiene, benzene and acrolein were similar to those calculated for a theoretical non-sorbing tracer, indicating limited sorption. Concentrations of ETS tracers, e.g. 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) and nicotine, and lower volatility toxic air contaminants including phenol, cresols, and naphthalene increased as experiments progressed, indicating mass accumulation on surfaces and higher desorption rates. Daily patterns stabilized after week 2, yielding a steady daily cycle of ETS concentrations associated with habitual smoking. EREFs for sorbing compounds were higher under steady cycle versus single-day smoking conditions by 50% for 3-EP, and by 2–3 times for nicotine, phenol, cresols, naphthalene, and methylnaphthalenes. Our results provide relevant information about potential indirect exposures from residual ETS (non-smoker enters room shortly after smoker finishes) and from reemission, and their importance relative to direct exposures (non-smoker present during smoking). Under the conditions examined, indirect exposures accounted for a larger fraction of total potential exposures for sorbing versus non-sorbing compounds, and at lower versus higher ventilation rates. Increasing ventilation can reduce indirect exposures to very low levels for non-sorbing ETS components, but indirect routes accounted for 50% of potential nicotine exposures during non-smoking periods at all ventilation rates.     

欧盟环境立法对国际环境合作的影响

在共同的全球利益之下,因社会性因素的紧密联结而结成的较为成熟的区域性组织可以说在环境保护利益上更具有可协调性,并已成为国际环境合作的一种途径.本文通过分析区域性组织-欧洲联盟内部的环境立法,来探析国际环境合作领域.