Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences. RAJ GROVER, JEFFREY D. WOLT, ALLAN J. CESSNA, AND H. BRUNO SCHIEFER: Environmental Fate of Trifluralin JEFFREY D. WOLT: Environmental Fate of Ethalfluralin ALFONSO V. BOTELLO, SUSANA VILLANUEVA F. AND GILBERTO DIAZ G.: Petroleum Pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
In this article, we demonstrate how the contemporary international system has collapsed due to its institutions inability to respond to both economic and environmental crises. We argue that guided by economic and individualistic principles, matured during the 1980s according to economy-oriented neoliberalism paradigm, institutions were unable to implement policies and actions that would meet real social demands and environmental limits. Institutional mentality of the organizations at domestic and international level is based on the neoliberal paradigm, and proved to be obsolete and counterproductive in combating the current crises. One of the main characteristics of this inability to respond institutionally is environmental degradation, whose growth is mainly due to the primacy of economic growth over the social and environmental dimensions.
The environmental law enshrined as a fundamental principle in article 66 of the Portuguese Constitution. The Environmental Liability Directive establishes a framework of environmental liability, based on the "polluter-pays" principle, to prevent and remedy environmental damage. The Decree-Law 147/2008, of 29th July came transpose into Portuguese law Directive 2004/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21st April 2004. The Law 67/2007, of 31st December, establishing in Portugal the regime for tort liability arising from losses caused by third parties, due to the acts of public management in relation to all the functions of the State, i.e. i) administrative, ii) legislative, and iii) jurisdictional. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
The environmental law enshrined as a fundamental principle in article 66 of the Portuguese Constitution. The Environmental Liability Directive establishes a framework of environmental liability, based on the "polluter-pays" principle, to prevent and remedy environmental damage. The Decree-Law 147/2008, of 29th July came transpose into Portuguese law Directive 2004/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21st April 2004. The Law 67/2007, of 31st December, establishing in Portugal the regime for tort liability arising from losses caused by third parties, due to the acts of public management in relation to all the functions of the State, i.e. i) administrative, ii) legislative, and iii) jurisdictional. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n10p439
In: State politics & policy quarterly: the official journal of the State Politics and Policy Section of the American Political Science Association, Volume 9, Issue 4
In this article, I examine the environmental race-to-the-bottom argument by studying whether state susceptibility to interstate economic competition helps explain which U.S. states engage in environmental regulatory competition. Specifically, I create a susceptibility index using four state economic attributes: overall growth, unemployment, manufacturing growth, and manufacturing employment. Studying state enforcement of federal environmental programs, I find little evidence that states, which are theoretically more susceptible to interstate economic competition are more likely to respond strategically to the regulatory behavior of economic competitor states. These results cast doubt on the idea that the environmental regulatory competition predicted by race-to-the-bottom theory is mediated by intrastate economic conditions. Adapted from the source document.
Transnational actors and transnational governance now form core elements of global environmental politics alongside intergovernmental diplomacy and institutions. This article explores how and under what conditions this transnationalism has arisen, as well as its implications for world politics. It considers what effects transnational actors and governance have had on political outcomes, their relation to states and intergovernmental institutions, and normative questions around their legitimacy and accountability. The critical role of transnational actors and institutions in environmental politics has made the field a laboratory for broader questions concerning the evolution of global governance in world politics more generally. As global environmental challenges continue to magnify and affect other spheres of political activity, understanding these dynamics will become increasingly important.
Fifteen years after its implementation, the North American Free Trade Agreement has been subject to evaluations from different perspectives, including environmental assessments. According to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), results of these evaluations show that at the aggregate level, the environmental impacts of free trade are marginal. This article presents relationships between corn trade and environment through an ex post evaluation. I show a quantification of the land‐use change and connections with deforestation and biodiversity loss in Mexico, as poor farmers expanded their agricultural activity into marginal forest and jungle areas to compensate for lost income. I also analyze the impact on land‐use change in the United States resulting from increased corn exports to Mexico.Related Articles: Ibarrarán. 2007. "Climate Change Research and Policy in Mexico: Implications for North American Security."http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2007.00080.x/abstractVanNijnatten. 2007. "The Security and Prosperity Agreement as an 'Indicator Species' for the Emerging North American Environmental Regime."http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2007.00079.x/abstract?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=Related Media: Annan. 2005. "Message of Kofi Annan."http://www.maweb.org/en/Videos.aspxMillennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005b. "Ecosystems and Human Well‐being."http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdfQuince años después de su implementación, el TLCAN ha sido sujeto a muchos estudios desde diferentes perspectivas, incluyendo evaluaciones ambientales. De acuerdo con la Comisión para la Cooperación Ambiental (CCA), los resultados de estas evaluaciones muestran que a un nivel agregado los impactos ambientales del libre comercio son marginales. Este artículo presenta la relación entre el comercio de maíz y el medio ambiente a través de una evaluación ex post. Se muestra una cuantificación del cambio de uso de suelo y su conexión con la deforestación y la pérdida de biodiversidad en México; a medida que agricultores de escasos recursos expandieron sus actividades agrícolas hacia los márgenes de áreas con bosques y selvas para compensar pérdidas en su ingreso. También se analiza el impacto de un cambio en el uso de suelo en los Estados Unidos como resultado de un aumento en las exportaciones de maíz a México.
The existing literature on environmental attitudes is dominated by two theoretical frameworks: cultural and rational choice explanations. This article proposes and examines two additional explanatory models: elite opinion leadership and media diffusion explanations. Compared to the dominant models, the two hypotheses introduced in this article have received little attention in the literature. Using the 1989 Harris survey, this article seeks to explore whether and how well public environmental attitudes are determined by elite opinion leadership and media diffusion in a cross-national context. The results of multiple regressions at both aggregate and individual levels demonstrate strong and significant direct elite influence on public environmental attitudes but challenge the direct media effect views in recent public opinion research.
This article provides an analysis from a European perspective of the influence of environmental objectives on American energy policy. It describes how environmental legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, NEPA and the Surface Mining Act, constrains growth in the energy sector by way of cost increases in energy production and use and interference with, the pursuit of energy security (e.g., through constraints on coal extraction and use, nuclear development and off-shore exploration). At present, despite the Bush Administration's restrained position on the greenhouse effect, environmental objectives appear to have a high priority in the setting of energy policy. Thus, even before the current Gulf crisis, there was a growing interest in energy conservation as a policy objective.
The European Union International Organization for Standardization management system for the environment (ISO 14001) is established by European Commission Regulation 1221/2009. This legislates a voluntary system where organizations can register in a community eco-management and audit scheme. In the literature, this standard is recognized as an instrument of international environmental protection law, introduced by soft law regulations. ISO 14001 has been implemented by many global and European organizations, and it strives to improve the quality of their environmental resources. It was considered that the ISO 14001 eco-management and audit scheme enforced protection of environment in EU countries by imposing the obligation to implement appropriate legal regulations in this area. This article aims is determine what legal solutions in chosen UE countries enable the effective implementation of ISO 14001 and what positive effects it has on the state of the environment in these countries. The results demonstrated that the number of certified organizations is increasing despite the many difficulties and costs of implementing and organizing required environmental protection areas. The implementation of ISO 14001 was described using the example of Poland and Italy compared to other EU countries. The uptake identifies improved environmental quality, and this is confirmed by indicators of decreasing gas emissions and increasing waste recycling which improve global air, soil and water quality. The higher implementation index of the ISO 14001 standard in Italy translates into higher environmental quality indicators in this country than in Poland. ; The European Union International Organization for Standardization management system for the environment (ISO 14001) is established by European Commission Regulation 1221/2009. This legislates a voluntary system where organizations can register in a community eco-management and audit scheme. In the literature, this standard is recognized as an instrument of international environmental protection law, introduced by soft law regulations. ISO 14001 has been implemented by many global and European organizations, and it strives to improve the quality of their environmental resources. It was considered that the ISO 14001 eco-management and audit scheme enforced protection of environment in EU countries by imposing the obligation to implement appropriate legal regulations in this area. This article aims is determine what legal solutions in chosen UE countries enable the effective implementation of ISO 14001 and what positive effects it has on the state of the environment in these countries. The results demonstrated that the number of certified organizations is increasing despite the many difficulties and costs of implementing and organizing required environmental protection areas. The implementation of ISO 14001 was described using the example of Poland and Italy compared to other EU countries. The uptake identifies improved environmental quality, and this is confirmed by indicators of decreasing gas emissions and increasing waste recycling which improve global air, soil and water quality. The higher implementation index of the ISO 14001 standard in Italy translates into higher environmental quality indicators in this country than in Poland.
Care for the environment is everyone's responsibility for the protection, preservation and sustenance of environmental resources for well-being of biodiversity. Currently, many nations face enormous environmental challenges. This paper offers a critical insight into environmental challenges in Nigeria and proposes corresponding solutions for just and supportive attitudes towards the environment. Various factors are said to be responsible for that environmental problems in Nigeria. This ranges from not being patriotic, poor environmental awareness, non-implementation of national environmental policies, and the persistent lack of commitment to focused environmental management and development strategies. The most popular among the prescriptions for tackling the phenomenon of environmental challenges emphasized national policies, cultivation of environmental ethics, transparency and accountability in agencies directly involved in environmental management. Presently, these solutions have not been able to adequately address Nigeria's environmental challenges. However, the crucial role of the regulatory bodies, especially their oversight functions and personal aggrandizement have arguably been the ado for environmental care and the missing link in enforcing national policies and environmental development in Nigeria. The paper therefore recommends that Nigerian government should developed practical and effective laws and policies at all levels to address biodiversity issues which include careful and systematic planning based on comprehensive framework of laws that define processes, obligations and responsibilities. Again, Non-Governmental Agencies as well as individuals should committedly join the force to ensure safe environment for all.
Because of the interrelating, cross‐media character of many environmental problems, development of comprehensive and coherent policies for their abatement or management is difficult. This is particularly true where, as in the United States, there has been a strong tendency to focus on single issues of complex problems. Nowhere is this problem of policy and program integration more difficult than in the Environmental Protection Agency. This article uses the lead contamination issue to illustrate the obstacles to integration of policy and procedure even for a single environmental pollutant. Given the holistic and ramifying character of environmental problems, how can appropriate policies and regulations be developed in a political system characterized by sectoral, specialized structure and special interest clientele? At the time of this writing, the effects of elevating the EPA to a cabinet level department cannot fully be foreseen. The expansion of EPA to the administration of nonregulatory responsibilities will doubtless bring new problems of policy to this agency. Problems of program integration may increase unless EPA is authorized to devise and adapt more effective integrative procedures.
