Support for the environment post-transition? Material concerns and policy tradeoffs

Though many individuals are aware of the need to address environmental concerns, fewer are willing to pay for climate action or think the environment should be a priority for government spending. One compelling reason is that they prioritize using scarce resources to address immediate material concerns. This is particularly likely for individuals facing absolute material scarcity or for those who think they are relatively economically worse off, especially in contexts characterized by rapid transformation and volatility in the levels and quality of social welfare provision. To test these expectations, we analyze survey data from formerly Communist economies, which today find themselves with vastly different fortunes. Empirical findings suggest that absolute and relative material scarcity affect opinions regarding government spending on, and the willingness to pay more for, environmental action. However, willingness to pay more for government public services, inclusive of anti-poverty initiatives, has an impact on willingness to pay more for climate action, but in counter-intuitive ways. Overall, the results appear to suggest that explicitly addressing and relating individual living standards and inequality with environmental concerns may expand support for climate action.     

人工影响天气权解析

人工影响天气是气候资源开发利用的重要方式,国家行使人工影响天气权力往往会和相关利益群体发生冲突。人工影响天气权是一种国家的行政管理权,在对人工影响天气诉求存在冲突的情况下,应运用利益衡量原则,平衡各方利益,并就因人工影响天气而受损的合法权益进行适当补偿。     

“管理极端气候事件和灾害风险特别报告”对我国的启示

政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)最新发布的"管理极端气候事件和灾害风险促进气候变化适应特别报告决策者摘要(SREX)"从"极端气候事件+脆弱性+暴露程度"的角度剖析了灾害风险的根源,综合考虑了气候、环境、社会经济条件等因素,提出了管理灾害风险和适应气候变化的各种政策选项,对于我国把风险管理纳入应对气候变化行动的整体框架提供了重要的科学依据。本文基于特别报告的主要结论,结合我国防灾减灾工作的实际情况,提出加快社会经济发展、实现社会系统重构、发挥政策协同效应是今后防灾减灾工作的重要着力点。     

气候变化对我国经济、社会和可持续发展的挑战

气候变化问题已经成为人类社会和各国政府及民众关注的焦点问题之一。气候变化给我国的经济、社会和可持续发展也带来了挑战。如何客观地认识当前以全球变暖为主要特征的气候变化,以及它所产生的诸多方面的影响和我们应当如何面对气候变化及其影响?本文表达了当代气象科学家的最新观点,并且对中国政府及民众应采取的措施提出了建议。     

关怀型伦理环境对员工亲组织非伦理行为的影响 —— 基于医药企业的调查

工作场所中的员工亲组织非伦理行为违背了社会伦理准则,但其亲组织性却可以促进组织获取利益,综合而言,该行为兼具了利己与利他动机。基于情感事件理论框架,构建以情感承诺为中介,以积极情绪为调节的中介模型,检验关怀型伦理环境对员工亲组织非伦理行为影响的内在机制。收集来自北京和哈尔滨6家医药企业的调研数据,运用多层次线性回归分析和验证性因素分析法进行实证分析。研究结果表明,关怀型伦理环境对员工的亲组织非伦理行为具有显著的正向影响;情感承诺在关怀型伦理环境与亲组织非伦理行为的关系中发挥部分中介作用;积极情绪在关怀型伦理环境与情感承诺的关系中发挥正向调节作用;积极情绪在情感承诺与亲组织非伦理行为的关系中发挥正向调节作用。     

从气候变化到气候安全：国家的安全化行为研究

安全化是非传统安全问题形成的必经过程。在非安全领域的问题能够造成(潜在)威胁并已成为国际社会重要议程的前提下,国家所处的安全环境、本国独立维护安全能力所受威胁的认知以及国家与该问题起源地之间的地理距离,是决定该国是否将该问题安全化的主要因素。其中,国家有关自身独立维护安全能力所受威胁的认知是核心因素。英美两国在气候变化安全化上的行为表明:若某非安全领域问题具有全球性,那么国家与该问题起源地之间的距离可以等同于零。在这种情况下,如果国家安全环境受到较大威胁,那么国家认为其独立维护安全的能力也受到较大威胁,本国将该问题安全化的可能性增大。如果国家安全环境受到威胁较小,这将出现两种情况:第一,若国家认为其独立维护安全的能力未受较大威胁,那么本国将该问题安全化的可能性小。第二,若国家认为其独立维护安全的能力受到较大威胁,那么本国将该问题安全化的可能性大。为了限制国家在安全化行为上的反复变化给全球气候治理造成的障碍,联合国可以通过发挥集体安全机制的作用促使气候变化"集体安全化"。     

Geoengineering the climate and ethical challenges: what we can learn from moral emotions and art

ABSTRACT

Climate change is an urgent problem, requiring ways and approaches to address it. Possible solutions are mitigation, adaptation and deployment of geoengineering. In this article we argue that geoengineering gives rise to ethical challenges of its own. Reflecting on these ethical challenges requires approaches that go beyond conventional, quantitative methods of risk assessment. Quantitative methods leave out important ethical considerations such as justice, fairness, autonomy and legitimacy. We argue that emotions and art can play an important role in ethical deliberation about geoengineering. Emotions can point out what morally matters. We also examine the role that works of art can play. Recently, artists have become involved with risky technologies. We argue that such artworks can contribute to emotional-moral reflection and public deliberation on geoengineering, by making abstract problems more concrete, letting us broaden narrow personal perspectives, exploring new scenarios, and challenging our imagination.     

Climate change policy discontinuity and its effects on Australia's national electricity market

Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) became unstable in 2016/2017 after 20 years of consistent performance. The South Australian grid collapsed on 28 September 2016 – Australia's first black system event since 1964. Wholesale prices in the region trebled to $120+/MWh; soon after Hazelwood power station announced its exit with just 5 months’ notice. The problem spread as prices elsewhere doubled to $89/MWh from a long‐run average of $42.50. The NEM is experiencing a supply‐side crisis. Consistent with the requirement to decarbonise the system, aged coal‐fired generators are exiting but decades of climate change policy discontinuity has frustrated the entry of new plant. Long‐dated capital‐intensive asset industries like electricity supply anticipate a conventional policy cycle. What they have experienced instead is consistent with garbage can theory. Policy clarity may be emerging for only the second time in two decades. As with the NEM, its durability will depend on cooperative federalism.     

Utilizing Hyperlink Network Analysis to Examine Climate Change Supporters and Opponents

Hyperlink network analysis, which utilizes the links between websites to map online communication structures, offers an emerging methodology for studying the networks of supporters and opponents of public policies. Reasons for the methodology's appeal include the ability to utilize web crawlers to collect large amounts of data and the ability to apply quantitative and qualitative methods to examine network interactions. While the methodology has been utilized by diverse disciplines it is relatively new to the fields of political science and public policy. Utilizing a mixed‐methods research design, this article examines the applicability of using hyperlink networks to study opposing groups in the Colorado climate and energy policy subsystem while drawing increased attention to the methodology's strengths and weaknesses. The results demonstrate the methodology's considerable potential, but highlight the need for greater adoption of a collection of best practices designed to increase the validity, reliability, and generalizability of hyperlink research.