Applying Stone in a Western Landscape: Ranchers,Conservationists, and Causal Stories in the “American Serengeti”

As the emergence of nongovernmental conservation efforts generates conflict among various stakeholders, the causal story that each party articulates regarding conservation and the causes of land degradation reflects their unique interests. This study uses existing literature to evaluate causal stories surrounding a contemporary conservation effort: Montana's American Prairie Reserve. Through qualitative review of web‐based documents and newspaper articles, it generates a preliminary account of key stakeholders' causal stories. The case study suggests that parties who might be disadvantaged by ascribing responsibility for environmental harms in an adversarial fashion may instead elect to articulate causal stories that are more neutral than existing approaches might forecast. The study concludes by suggesting that further development of causal story literature may enable it to better address contemporary conservation efforts.     

From ‘Green Laggard’ to Regional Leader: Explaining the Recent Development of Environmental Policy in Chile

Environmental policy in Chile has developed rapidly in recent years, and the country has become a regional leader in renewable energy, climate change policy, recycling, and nature conservation. This contrasts with the previous neglect of environmental issues in the country and its depiction as a ‘green laggard’ (Orihuela, 2014: 251) within Latin America. In this article the recent development of environmental policy in Chile is reviewed and five factors affecting this development are analysed: international influences, institutional legacies, a window of opportunity opened by environmental movements, policy entrepreneurship, and business power.     

Three cheers for liberal modesty

ABSTRACT

Many liberals have been immodest in postulating that their own progressive, secular liberalism is the only one that can be justified in public reason. In Liberalism’s Religion, I articulate a more modest theory of liberalism and religion. While I personally endorse progressive secular liberalism, I argue that it is only one of the reasonable conceptions of liberal justice. This liberal modesty has profound, hitherto unnoticed implications for (i) the role of religious arguments in the public sphere, (ii) the legitimacy of religious establishment, and (iii) the justifiability of religious exemptions. In this article, I defend these three claims by providing replies to my critics.     

From discourse to policy: US policy communities’ perceptions of and approaches to climate change and security

ABSTRACT

Increasingly, a diverse set of policy communities, including those with defence, development and environmental mandates, frame climate change as a security threat. Most often this discursive formation labels climate change as a ‘threat multiplier’. This framing, however, is vague, linear and leaves many questions unanswered regarding how institutions can develop and implement policy that addresses the joint challenges of climate change, conflict and security. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, and grounding data collection in US policy communities, this article examines how policy actors and institutions integrate climate-security discourses into policy processes. The objective of this research is to provide direct insight into how the discourses and technical understandings of climate-security transition into policy priorities and implementation realities. This research identified three common approaches to climate-security: (1) A challenge of adaptation and resilience; (2) A potent political argument; and (3) An issue of limited importance and feasibility. These approaches, however, are inconsistent across sectors and within organisations, suggesting a lack of cohesion and considerable challenges in identifying and responding to climate change as a ‘threat multiplier’.     

漓江旅游业可持续发展与水生态保护

漓江是桂林的母亲河,是桂林旅游业的精华和精品。要更好地治理漓江,经营漓江,促进漓江旅游业的可持续性发展,必须注重水生态的保护与修复。     

环境权:一种新兴的现代人权

人权是最基本的权利,环境权来自人权。生存权位于人权的核心,而环境权作为一项基本人权是不可剥夺、不可放弃和替代的权利。如果没有环境权,传统人权体系中的生存权就不可能得到完善的保障。环境权源于生存权,但超越了生存权,因此它是一种新兴的现代人权。     

环境税收制度的价值定位及改革方向

伴随着工业化进程所带来的严重的生态危机,人类不断探寻更为有效的保护环境的新举措。建立环境税收制度,将税收和环保结合起来,可以发挥税收在控制污染、调节资源配置方面的作用;应以可持续发展为核心,以生态利益为本位,以实现代际公平为主要目标;应改革传统排污收费制度、调整资源税和消费税、完善税收优惠政策和征管制度,从而构建我国新型的环境税收制度。     

国际环境争端解决机制研究

解决和避免国际环境争端已成为近年来备受关注的论题。无论是在1992年联合国环境与发展大会期间还是新近多边环境协定的谈判和实施过程中,国际环境法的遵守问题都引起了各国政府和国际法学者的关注。多边环境条约、联合国海洋法公约以及WTO规则,是国际环境争端解决机制的主要法律渊源。在一定范围内,这些多边条约和条约体系相互影响、相互推动,又相互矛盾和冲突,呈现出国际环境争端解决机制的独特发展形态。     

俄罗斯生态犯罪的立法评析及借鉴

俄罗斯刑法通过生态犯罪的设立保护生态环境,俄罗斯生态犯罪立法的价值取向、范围及处罚方式等,值得中国刑法立法的借鉴。中国刑法应设立生态犯罪以取代传统环境犯罪;中国生态犯罪应将生态法益作为保护的必要要件,其立法范围也要予以拓展。     

论公民环境权及其法律保障

公民环境权是一项新型基本人权,应该成为法律上的权利和公民实有权利。从其内容体系和性质分析,公民环境权是一种复合型权利,兼具公益性和私益性双重属性。