Risk Aversion, Liability Rules, and Safety

This paper investigates the performance of liability rules in two-party stochastic externality problems where negotiations are feasible and side payments are based on the realized level of externalities. Results show that an increase in polluter liability does not necessarily increase safety or efficiency in cases where the polluter is risk neutral. Complete polluter liability is found to yield Pareto optimality. When either party is risk averse, an increase in polluter liability may sometimes reduce safety and efficiency. If the polluter is risk neutral and the victim is risk averse, Pareto optimality is only achieved by assigning full liability on the polluter, i.e. giving the victim complete property rights to a clean environment. If the polluter is risk averse and the victim is risk neutral, no level of polluter liability is optimal. In this case, optimality can only be achieved through a contract on abatement activities, such that the risk-averse polluter receives a guaranteed payment regardless of the stochastic outcome.     

Governing Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction: The Case of Pennsylvania

Over the past decade, directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing enabled an unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE) boom in many regions of the United States, including parts of Pennsylvania. This revolution has created serious concerns about the capability of existing institutions to govern important societal outcomes associated with UOGE. We present a conceptual framework for assessing key societal outcomes influenced by UOGE governance. In applying this framework to Pennsylvania, we discern certain institutional strengths that have allowed the Commonwealth to reap appreciable short‐term economic growth from rich resource endowments. We also find, however, that several institutional weaknesses have allowed costs externalized to the environment, public health, and community integrity to offset some proportion of those economic benefits. Likewise, we find that governance of UOGE in Pennsylvania has contributed to a bifurcated sociopolitical landscape wherein adversarial coalitions dispute the legitimacy of the industry and its governance.     

信息污染的表现形式及其防治措施

由于信息服务体制不健全,信息市场的无序和失控,直接导致了虚假信息、重复信息、过载信息、缺损信息、误差信息,这种现象被称为信息污染。信息污染扰乱市场秩序,会给国民经济造成巨大损失,我们有必要对信息污染的表现形式、成因、防治措施进行研究。     

论环境侵权责任不以“行为违法性”为要件

环境侵权责任是私法调整手段在环境保护领域的运用。构成要件是确定环境侵权责任的依据，通观目前我国学界对环境侵权责任构成要件的争论，其聚焦点主要是污染环境的行为是否必须具有违法性。从我国相关法学理论、现有法律规定及司法实践中可以看出：“行为违法性”不应成为环境侵权责任的构成要件。     

污染源普查:官方主导抑或排污方主动申报——评《全国污染源普查条例》及其实施方式

全国性污染源普查——覆盖全国范围内全部污染源的调查——是必要的。但如何普查才能使效果既显著、花费又最低则是必须考虑的首要问题。《全国污染源普查条例》所规定的普查方式与本文设计的调查流程具有相同的机理：信赖排污方，相信其填报数据的真实性。但是前者调查成本远远高于后者，而调查效果和效率都不及后者。因此需要彻底反思现有的普查体制，废止该实施方式。     

污染环境犯罪案件实务问题探析

污染环境犯罪刑法条文的修改及司法解释的出台为依法严厉打击污染环境犯罪提供了强有力的保障,但是由于该类犯罪主观形态模糊、行政与刑事司法衔接不畅、相关证据标准不明确、检察机关提前介入机制不健全等因素,致使在实践中出现立案难、认定难、定罪难等问题,从而直接影响到刑法惩治预防价值功能的发挥,以及执法办案社会效果、法律效果和政治效果的实现。因此,实务部门必须吃透刑法条文本意,遵循司法运作规律,健全相关机制,提高办案质量,为本地经济社会的科学发展保驾护航。     

中国环境污染责任保险制度的构想

在工业化过程中,环境污染的发生不仅频繁而且后果严重。单个污染企业承担责任的能力有限,致使污染受害者和公共环境损害往往得不到应有的赔偿。为分散企业环境污染赔偿责任,最大限度的保护受害者,尽量减少社会和国家的损失,有必要借鉴国外环境保险的经验,探索建立我国的环境污染责任保险制度。     

构建公平和可持续的上下游河流污染价值补偿机制

该文依据环境经济学物质平衡理论的概念框架，以污染者付费原则的环境经济政策为指导，研究上游河流水污染引发下游污染事件所致经济损失成本和事故技术等级关联系数，进而提出以公平和可持续的价值补偿标准为基础的上下游河流水污染经济补偿模型及其运作机制，并为环境会计的相关计量提供参考依据。     

试论船舶油污损害赔偿制度在我国的确立

油轮溢油事故一旦发生,后果往往不堪设想。国际上已形成了一套比较完善的油污损害赔偿机制。然而我国尚未建立专门的油污损害赔偿制度,种种弊端突显。我国亟待建立适合我国国情的油污损害赔偿机制,充分借鉴国际经验,逐步与国际接轨。     

空间碎片造成空间环境污染的国际责任

空间碎片是人类发射空间实体在外空留下的太空垃圾,其造成空间环境污染是一特殊种类的环境污染问题.空间实体发射国在外空留下空间碎片违背了其应承担的国际法义务,在外空的空间碎片无法辨认其归属的情况下,清扫外空的空间碎片和预防产生新的空间碎片应该是国际社会所有的空间实体发射国的共同国际责任.