关于我国环境侵权起诉资格要件改进和被诉对象的建议

环境侵权行为对受害人的侵害一般具有间接性,因而适用传统法律规定便阻却受害人诉讼途径。许多国家为制裁这一现代社会的新型侵权行为,在法律上放宽起诉资格和扩大被诉对象。我国现行法律仍表现出对环境侵权受害人维护自身合法权益、制裁环境侵权行为人违法行为的司法请求限制过多和有关规定条文含义模糊而难以实施,因而我国亦应适当放宽起诉资格要件和扩大被诉对象范围。     

环境公益诉讼的理论基础探究

环境不可能成为权利的对象,环境权论和公共信托理论都无法为环境公益诉讼提供理论支撑.多人利益意义上的环境公益诉讼以公民财产权、人身权等为根据,无须再虚构其他的理论根据.私人检察总长理论、私人实施法律理论是国家论、权力论,这种理论和我国法律中的公民检举权都以"积极公民"的存在为前提."积极公民"存在于个体与利益共同体关系中.国家、民族、自然环境决定的特定区域中的人的集合等都构成一个共同体.共同体成员对共同体的责任是公民担当"私人总检察长"、公益起诉人的理由.集体利益环境诉讼的理论基础是作为环境共同体成员的公民对共同的环境利益的责任.多人利益环境诉讼实际上是私益诉讼,只有集体公益的环境诉讼才是需要我们努力建设的环境公益诉讼.     

论环境侵权的诉讼时效

鉴于环境侵权的潜伏性，确定诉讼时效期间的起算至关重要。传统诉讼时效理论不能很好地保障环境侵权受害人的诉讼权，便产生了环境侵权诉讼接触理论，发现理论和症状暴露理论。从这三种理论的实践情况得出结论。发现理论为各国环境立法或司法判例援引，反映出现代法学理论正从保护受害人的传统思考模式向以救济受害人为第一要旨转变。     

A scoping study on the costs of indoor air quality illnesses: an insurance loss reduction perspective

The number of indoor air quality (IAQ)-related health complaints in commercial buildings, and the frequency of litigation over the effects of poor IAQ is increasing. These increases have ramifications for insurance carriers, which pay for many of the costs of health care and general commercial liability. However, little is known about the actual costs to insurance companies from poor IAQ in buildings. This paper reports on the results of a literature search of buildings-related, business and legal databases, and interviews with insurance and risk management representatives aimed at finding information on the direct costs to the insurance industry of poor building IAQ, as well as the costs of litigation. The literature search turned up little specific cost information, but indicated that there is a strong awareness and growing concern over the “silent crisis” of IAQ and its potential to cause large industry losses. The source of these losses includes both direct costs to insurers from paying health insurance and professional liability claims, as well as the cost of litigation. In spite of the lack of data on how IAQ-related health problems affect their business, the insurance industry has taken the anecdotal evidence about their reality seriously enough to alter their policies in ways that have lessened their exposure.     

The Science of Politics/The Politics of Science: Examining the Snowmobile Controversy in Yellowstone National Park

The snowmobile controversy in Yellowstone National Park not only pits snowmobilers against environmentalists, but it also pits the Bush Administration against the Clinton Administration. Caught in the middle are the National Park Service, scores of natural and social scientists, and Yellowstones permanent residents—the flora and fauna. The controversys political aspects are the focus of this paper; specifically, the tenuous relationship among research scientists, whose job it is to inform management and policy decisions; politicians, whose job it is to formulate those same decisions in the public arena; and public land management agencies, whose job it is to implement the decisions. The crux of the paper concerns the politicization of natural resource policy and ways in which research scientists tend to get caught up in it. Lessons learned from this Yellowstone episode regarding the role of science in policy-making processes are also considered. Two recent federal court rulings shed additional light on the politics surrounding Yellowstones snowmobile controversy, as does the importance of governmental checks and balances in resolving natural resource management disputes.     

论我国构建环境公益诉讼制度的必要性

以政府为核心的环境行政行为、现行的诉讼法、现行的环境法律法规皆不能实现对我国环境公益的有效保护,在环境法的全球化与趋同化形势下,论我国有必要构建环境公益诉讼制度来保护环境公益。