International environmental agreements between developing countries only: learning from the Brazil–Uruguay case over the suspicion of acid rain

This article is about the process of negotiation and implementation of a bilateral environmental agreement between two developing countries. It analyzes the case of the Act of Jaguarão between Brazil and Uruguay on assessing the risk of transboundary air pollution by the President Medici (UTPM) coal-powered thermo-electrical facility in the Candiota region of southern Brazil. The article adds to the scarce literature on international environmental conflict resolution and negotiations between developing countries, especially in Latin America. First, it explains that even with the asymmetry of power between Brazil and Uruguay, negotiation was possible due to a series of factors, such as the interest of Brazilian environmental agencies in improving the monitoring of emissions from UTPM and the international scrutiny of Brazil prior to the upcoming Rio-92 Earth Summit. Both states obtained mutual gains from the agreement by developing ‘joint fact finding’ research and monitoring. Second, different from most of the mainstream literature, the research reveals that weaknesses in institutional agreements, such as a lack of sanctions or deadlines, were not an implementation impediment. In fact, the very weaknesses of the agreement actually enabled authorities in both countries to cooperate in the development of an acid rain monitoring program in the Candiota region, and as a result, to improve air monitoring capacities in both countries. Third, this research shows that the implementation process (1991–2003) produced different results and impacts: it helped to develop technical capacities of environmental agencies in both countries, increased the political power of Brazilian environmental agencies to control UTPM, and pushed for behavioral changes to enable UTPM to respond to the demands of both governments.     

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation and North American Migratory Bird Conservation: The Potential of the NAAEC Citizen Submission Procedure

This article examines the citizen submission process laid out in Articles 14--15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the 1993 environmental NAFTA “side agreement.” These articles set out a process by which nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or individuals may file a submission alleging that one of the Parties to the agreement “is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law.” The paper traces developments set in motion by two submissions alleging failure to enforce migratory bird legislation. The first targets the United States, the second, Canada. Developments in these and other Article 14--15 cases have enfeebled an instrument that, from the outset, many regarded as having quite limited potential. These cases indicate, nonetheless, that the procedure still has some limited usefulness as a way of highlighting implementation failures. NGOs that do choose to invest in pursuing a citizen submission process would be advised to combine these efforts with other approaches to mobilizing public pressure.     

论惩罚性赔偿在环境侵权中的适用

随着我国经济的高速发展,环境污染和生态破坏事件也愈加频繁。这些损害后果一旦造成,将严重侵害到不特定多数人的人身权益、财产权益和环境权益。环境侵权的特征和客体决定了惩罚性赔偿具有可适用的必要性和可能性。我国立法层面针对既损害私人利益(主要是人身权益),又损害公共利益的行为已经引入了惩罚性赔偿,但其适用范围太窄,环境侵权领域也应当适用惩罚性赔偿。     

我国环境审判专门化的探索与发展——基于环保法庭的法律分析

环境审判专门化在生态文明建设的大背景下具有正当性和必要性。我国设立的各种环保法庭是对环境审判专门化的有益探索。但是我国的环保法庭还存在审判模式不统一、管辖权缺少法律依据、组成人员不专业等问题。环境审判专门化的制度建构应该从合理确定环保法庭的管辖权和受案范围、放宽原告诉讼资格推进环境公益诉讼、实现环保法庭组成人员的多元化、促进环保法庭诉讼与非诉讼程序的衔接等方面进行。     

论新《环境保护法》与生态补偿制度的法制化

新《环境保护法》明确规定了生态补偿制度,标志着我国生态补偿制度步入法制化进程。我国生态补偿制度法制化方面存在不足,如生态补偿的专门立法缺乏以及现有的生态补偿的立法规定缺乏系可操作性,探讨新《环境保护法》中有关生态补偿制度规定的立法,进而提出推进生态补偿制度法制化进程的建议意义重大。     

关于制定《湖南省环境教育条例》的思考

环境教育是环境保护的"前奏",是国家实行环境保护的重要组成部分,也是全民教育的重要一环。制定《湖南省环境教育条例》是建设"绿色湖南",弘扬绿色文化的客观需要;是环境教育法制规范化的要求;也是2014年新修订《环境保护法》的要求。借鉴我国台湾地区《环境教育法》和《宁夏回族自治区环境教育条例》,《湖南省环境教育条例》的内容应该从立法目的、主管机关、环境教育对象、环境教育保障和推广等方面进行具体设计。     

应然与实然的博弈——环境犯罪危险犯设立之必要性问题探讨

从1979年新中国首部刑法颁布到刑法修正案（八）的出台，我国刑法法制建设不断发展与完善。刑法颁布的这三十年同时也是我国经济建设日新月异的三十年。而伴随着经济的发展．环境问题已经成为我们必须面对的一项重大挑战，我国法律特别是刑法该如何来适应保护环境的需要是现今法学界必须面对的问题。从长远角度来看，设立环境犯罪的危险犯是人类发展的必然选择；而具体到我国的实际情况，就会发现现阶段设立危险犯的条件还远未成熟，暂时不应大量设立环境犯罪危险犯。     

浅析我国环境税立法问题

环境税在西方发达国家有较长的发展历史.我国长期以来环境税缺位对经济社会发展和国际地位提升的负面影响日渐明显.党的十八大报告首次单篇论述生态文明,使开征环境税再次成为人们关注的焦点.雾霾治理、水污染防治、土壤修复的现实压力也倒逼环境税改革步伐加快.我国环境税在立法层次、立法原则和具体制度设计等方面需要进一步完善.     

论破坏性采矿罪的地位及转向

为保护国有矿产物权而设置的"破坏性采矿罪",一直闲置而没有进入司法程序。主要是该罪的理论性和法定性犯罪构成不能独立而包含于非法采矿罪之中,本不应该存在的破坏性采矿罪长期处于尴尬地位。资源与环境的压力,凸显破坏性采矿罪占着立法位置而妨碍了制度创新。出路是解体和重构"破坏性采矿罪",转向设置"破坏矿业环境罪"。新增的罪名有独立的犯罪构成,为遏制矿业环境严重破坏的现实所急需。