Carbon Taxation and Policy Labeling: Experience from American States and Canadian Provinces

A vast economics literature embraces taxation of the carbon content of fossil fuels as the superior policy approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, experience around the world suggests that carbon taxes face exceedingly difficult political hurdles. Federal experience in the United States and in Canada confirms this pattern. This article reviews sub‐federal policy development among American states and Canadian provinces, a great many of which have pursued climate policy development. With one major exception, explicit carbon taxation appears to remain a political nonstarter. At the same time, states and provinces have been placing indirect carbon prices on fossil fuel use through a wide range of policies. These tend to strategically alter labeling, avoiding the terms of “tax” and “carbon” in imposing costs. The article offers a framework for considering such strategies and examines common design features, including direct linkage between cost imposition and fund usage to build political support.     

Biofuel Investments in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Review of the Early Legal and Institutional Framework in Zambia

Concerns about domestic energy security and global climate change mitigation have led the European Union, the United States, and others to introduce policies to enhance the use of biofuels in the transport sector fuel mix. While countries throughout the global South are positioning themselves to capture the economic benefits of this fuel transition, their capacity to do so is highly variable. This paper reviews the early evolution of the biofuel sector in Zambia to explore the extent to which the country is positioned to leverage future benefits of the emerging industry while forestalling negative social and environmental costs. In doing so, it sheds light on an under‐researched dimension of the ongoing debate over large‐scale land acquisitions and foreign investment: the role of legal and institutional frameworks in host countries in shaping outcomes. The analysis draws on the following: policy documents; stakeholder interviews with government departments, investors, and civil society stakeholders; and published and reported data on investments. Findings suggest that while existing and incipient policies and legislation provide an important foundation for attracting investors and achieving diverse sector aims, a number of gaps remain that are likely to hinder efforts to leverage meaningful benefits while minimizing negative impacts.     

Policy Tool Interactions and the Adoption of State Renewable Portfolio Standards

We contribute to extant policy theory by focusing on interrelationships between existing policies and innovation. In particular, we call attention to the link between supply‐side incentives and demand‐side innovation, which has not been systematically investigated. Our research expectation is that supply‐side policies generally will complement demand‐side policy, leading to a positive impact on the adoption of demand‐side innovations. We test this idea by examining adoptions of renewable portfolio standards (RPS), a demand‐pull approach targeted to renewable energy generation by utilities, in the American states from 1991 to 2008. Event history models show that an index of supply‐side financial incentives has a strong positive influence on RPS adoption. We do not find support for the hypothesis that this effect is contingent on in‐state carbon‐based energy generation. In conclusion, we argue that the study of policy adoption needs to give greater consideration to the interrelationships among policy instruments.     

能源市场准入许可制度法律规制刍议

在能源市场里,能源企业同时处于纵向的管理关系与横向平等的法律关系中。而能源市场准入制度则处于这两种能源法律关系的联接点,是监管机构对能源企业的规制的依据。能源许可是能源市场准入制度的核心,许多国家在能源基本法中采取概括的立法模式规定许可制度。从概括立法的角度对能源市场准入许可制度进行梳理,并提出以供讨论的改进意见。     

Fracture patterns on the infant porcine skull following severe blunt impact

The objective of this study was to document patterns of fracture on infant porcine skulls aged 2-28 days (n = 57) because of a single, high energy blunt impact to the parietal bone with rigid (nondeformable) and compliant (deformable) interfaces. Fracture patterns were mapped using Geographic Information System software. For the same generated impact force, the rigid interface produced more fractures than the compliant interface for all ages. This study also showed that this increased level of impact energy versus an earlier study using a lower energy resulted in new sites of fracture initiation and also caused previously defined fractures that propagate into an adjacent bone. Several unique characteristics of bone and diastatic fracture were documented as a function of specimen age, impact energy, and interface. These data describe some baseline characteristics of skull fracture using an animal model that may help guide future studies from forensic case files.     

基层民警心理问题的深层原因

面对常用的心理治疗措施难以解决民警群体特有心理问题的困境,课题组把弗洛伊德的潜意识观点与心理动力学原理相结合,在基层民警心理健康状况调查数据的基础上,对民警心理能量的形成和转化过程进行分析,从中寻找心理问题形成的深层原因。     

能源法视角下的环境安全观

能源环境安全日益成为能源安全不可剥离的伴生因素。能源环境安全的实质是化石能源的生产、消费带来的外部性问题。解决能源环境问题必须融入能源政策、法律规范。我国能源立法应当扩展能源安全价值视角,确立能源环境安全价值观,以此奠定建立环境友好型与资源节约型社会的法律价值基础。     

日本能源立法执行情况及对我国的启示

能源立法的生命力在于执行。日本已形成较为完善的能源立法体系，并采取了多种措施保障实施，包括建立统一管理体制、注重法规的灵活性和可操作性、通过制度安排内化法律目标、明确经济激励措施等。日本能源立法及其执行的经验，对我国能源法具有重要的借鉴作用。     

欧盟能源法律政策及其对我国的启示

欧盟能源法律与政策以可持续性、竞争性和供应安全性为主要目标，其法律制度由涉及能源问题的各类条约、条例、指令、决定及建议和意见等组成。它们对中国能源安全的维护具有重要的借鉴作用。