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The trading of carbon emissions is a crucial regulatory method to address environmental pollution issues. This study takes China's carbon emission trading pilot policy established in 2013 as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the DID model to empirically test the urban panel data from 2006 to 2019. The results show that the carbon emission trading pilot policy can effectively reduce urban environmental pollution, and this effect is more noticeable in mid-western cities, northern cities, cities with fewer resources, and large-scale cities. In addition, to address the urban environmental pollution problem through this policy, the government is encouraged to raise its environmental protection awareness and put more effort into the innovation of technology. In general, this study uses carbon emission trading policies from China to confirm that market-based incentive environmental regulation tools can effectively reduce environmental pollution in urban areas. These findings can provide more theoretical support and empirical evidence for the government to use mechanisms of the market to effectively solve pollution problems, improve ecological environment quality, and accelerate the realization of green economy. • The DID model is used to track pilot policy impact on urban environmental pollution. • Carbon emission trading pilot policy can reduce urban environmental pollution. • The government's environmental awareness is the channel of action. • The government's technological innovation efforts are the channel of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas emissions are a worldwide concern, especially in China, who has become the largest greenhouse gas emitter. In 2013, China initiated pilot emissions trading schemes (ETS) in seven regions with the aim of creating a national system by 2017 to reduce carbon emissions at low cost. We provide a systematic overview of the practice, performance, and problems of China's ETS pilots during the first stage, which lasted from 2013 to 2016, and highlight some proposals for the forthcoming national system. We depict the features of the pilots by focusing on the core elements of the ETS: scope, cap setting, allocation, MRV, and compliance. The performance of China's ETS pilots is characterized by low carbon prices with severe temporal fluctuation, and low levels of liquidity with high compliance rates. The problems include over-allocation of emission allowances, inadequate legal and regulatory infrastructure, underdevelopment of the carbon financial market, and poor market transparency. Accordingly, we propose recommendations from the perspective of legislation, cap setting, transparency, price management, and policy coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement establishes provisions for using international carbon market mechanisms to achieve climate mitigation contributions. Environmental integrity is a key principle for using such mechanisms under the Agreement. This paper systematically identifies and categorizes issues and options to achieve environmental integrity, including how it could be defined, what influences it, and what approaches could mitigate environmental integrity risks. Here, environmental integrity is assumed to be ensured if the engagement in international transfers of carbon market units leads to the same or lower aggregated global emissions. Four factors are identified that influence environmental integrity: the accounting for international transfers; the quality of units generated, i.e. whether the mechanism ensures that the issuance or transfer of units leads to emission reductions in the transferring country; the ambition and scope of the mitigation target of the transferring country; and incentives or disincentives for future mitigation action, such as possible disincentives for transferring countries to define future mitigation targets less ambitiously or more narrowly in order to sell more units. It is recommended that policy-makers combine several approaches to address the significant risks to environmental integrity. Key policy insights Robust accounting is a key prerequisite for ensuring environmental integrity. The diversity of nationally determined contributions is an important challenge, in particular for avoiding double counting and for ensuring that the accounting for international transfers is representative for the mitigation efforts by Parties over time. Unit quality can, in theory, be ensured through appropriate design of carbon market mechanisms; in practice, existing mechanisms face considerable challenges in ensuring unit quality. Unit quality could be promoted through guidance under Paris Agreement Article 6, and reporting and review under Article 13. The ambition and scope of mitigation targets is key for the incentive for transferring countries to ensure unit quality because countries with ambitious and economy-wide targets would have to compensate for any transfer of units that lack quality. Encouraging countries to adopt ambitious and economy-wide NDC targets would therefore facilitate achieving environmental integrity. Restricting transfers in instances of high environmental integrity risk - through eligibility criteria or limits - could complement these approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tradeable permit systems for allocating rights to impact the environment have become an important part of the regulatory toolkit over the last 35 years. Informed by elegant neoclassical economic thought, these regulatory markets promise lowest-cost environmental benefit by delegating decision-making to market participants. This article examines tradeable permits systems, including cap-and-trade carbon markets, tradeable water quality permits, and individual transferable quotas for fisheries, to understand the actual outcomes of attempts to transfer environmental governance to markets. Drawing on heterodox economic thought and the neoliberal natures literature, this article examines the institutional forms tradeable permit systems engender in conjunction with a neoclassical definition of ‘market’ to provide an internal critique of environmental marketization. In general, tradeable permit systems do not facilitate highly liquid financial markets that might signal the increasing importance of regulatory markets as an accumulation strategy for capital. Instead, market-based regulation tends to behave rather differently, acting as performance standards, quotas, or environmental taxes. The article concludes by reflecting on the political possibilities afforded by the recognition that regulatory markets, for the most part, bear little resemblance to high-flying financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several decisions issued by U.S. federal and state courts between October 1, 2016, and September 30, 2017 concerning toxic tort and environmental law. It reports several cases including "Petitpas v. Ford Motor Co.," that held no duty was owed to an allegedly exposed worker's girlfriend; Supreme Court's distinction between misfeasance and nonfeasance in "Riedel v. ICI Americas Inc.; and "Georgia Pacific, LLC v. Farrar" related to product containing asbestos.

Since the beginning of the millennium, heavy industrial companies in the EU must face the threat related to duty of emissions trading. The aim of this paper is to assess an impact of selected indicators of the emissions trading system (EU ETS) - number of grandfathered permits (allowances) to a company for free and emissions price for different type of permits. That is enabled by the parameterization and sensitivity analysis of the simple linear programming model which maximizes the total profit margin of the company. Analyses in this paper are performed using the data of one real iron and steel producing company in the Czech Republic. The influence of the chosen factors is explored for the second and the available part of the third trading phase of the EU ETS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic regulatory institutions are essential components of emissions trading systems (ETS). Not only do they shape the ways that markets operate, they also condition the environmental value of the carbon credits they produce. However, the literature on global carbon politics has paid little attention to local ETS regulators. In a decentralized system increasingly based on a noodle bowl of diversified environmental markets, the study of carbon markets must integrate the institutions in which they operate. This article focuses on China, which, due to its size, is both keen to and expected to have a significant impact on the global system of market-based instruments. We examine how China's regulatory institutions have worked to implement the seven ETS pilots launched since 2012, and tease out some implications regarding how China's national ETS may contribute to global climate change governance. In this study, we analyze both formal and informal regulatory institutions, through the practice of local actors. The main finding is that the tension between the state and markets in China's ETS implementation has resulted in a reinforcement of state domination rather than the emergence of robust regulatory institutions. The contribution that the ETS makes to China's emissions reduction is also limited by more pressing environmental and industrial policies that local regulators must prioritize. Local nonregulatory implementation practices could undermine the long-term objective to integrate China's ETS with others under article 6 of the UNFCCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of the present paper is to investigate the robustness of the well-known result that pre-set default options determine people''s choices. We do so by conducting a field experiment among environmental economists attending a large international conference on environmental economics. The participants were, at the time of registration, randomly allocated to different treatments related to carbon offsetting. What differs from earlier default studies is that our subjects have good knowledge about the good at hand. We investigate whether the choices of these experienced individuals are affected by a pre-set default option, and we also study the effect of a treatment with no pre-set default option. Our results, together with previous findings, indicate that the effect of a default option attenuates with experience. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on the European Union (EU) Directive on Industrial Emissions reforms for pollution control. It mentions that the directive aims to implement a holistic integrated approach for pollution control in industrial activities and seeks to address issues faced by the Directives on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. It states that the directive requires Members States to strengthen the policy of issuing permits for industries.

The article discusses the panel discussion "New Zealand at Paris Climate Talks: Leader, Follower or... Laggard?" at the 2015 Paris climate change conference held on December 4 at the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) in New Zealand. Topics discussed include the development of the independent scientific analysis global Climate Action Tracker (CAT), global climate change mitigation, and New Zealand's administration of emissions trading scheme.

The United States faces a potential turning point in the relationship between state and federal regulation of environmental issues. With the election of President Barack Obama, who has signaled a commitment to taking action in the area of carbon emissions regulation, the national government may step into an arena where the states are already playing, setting up a federalism debate to determine the better actor to enact meaningful and efficient environmental protection. Effectiveness in this area depends on the balance between quick enactment to prevent increased emissions (and further harm) and the comprehensiveness required to address this national and global issue. This Comment examines the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to illustrate how the use of a seldom-examined constitutional tool-consent under the Compact Clause-could enable states to form efficient and effective regional regulatory schemes that could be meaningful units within the greater system of federalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission trading systems (ETS) have been or will be implemented in more and more states and regions around the world. The objectives of such trading systems, however, can only be reached to full extend if a worldwide ETS comes into effect. Therefore, ETS are forced to join. Against that backdrop, linking of two or more ETS can be an important step towards a global ETS. This article examines whether differences between existing and planned ETS are obstacles for successful linking; to that end, it provides an analytical framework for discussion. It starts with an overview of the development of different ETS (I.), presents evaluation criteria for the assessment of linkages (II.), describes possible types of links (III.), categorises the basic decisions regarding the substantive requirements and scope of application of an ETS (IV.), and examines how different ETS designs affect the chances of a link (V.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriateness and importance of market-based environmental governance systems vary according to different cases. Although so-called 'market trading' regimes can be useful in some circumstances, a false belief in the inevitability of their cost-effectiveness compared with so-called 'command and control' systems has allowed policy distortions to occur. So-called 'command and control' policies are being underemphasised, despite the fact that they may achieve reductions in carbon emissions that are cheaper than those likely to be achieved through emissions (or 'certificate') trading regimes. I address theoretical arguments which I then place in context with analysis of some features of the British Renewables Obligation and the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three Kyoto flexible mechanisms-emissions trading, the clean development mechanism (CDM), and Joint Implementation (JI)-have always been controversial. Proponents saw the mechanisms as clever tools to ensure environmental outcomes were achieved at least cost. Reducing the costs of compliance, they argued, would make righter environmental targets possible, and certainly more politically feasible. Detractors have argued that the flexible mechanisms commoditize Earth's atmosphere in a manner that will allow dubious projects and the exchange of ‘hot air’ to substitute for serious engagement on climate change. This chapter reviews the Kyoto flexible mechanisms, which will become fully operative during the period 2008 to 2012. The review assesses their progress and success to date, examines the problems that have emerged, and considers suggestions for future developments in climate policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tradable permits are increasingly becoming part of environmental policy and conservation programs. The efficacy of tradable permit schemes in addressing the root cause of environmental decline—economic growth—will not be achieved unless the schemes cap economic activity based on ecological thresholds. Lessons can be learned from the largest tradable permit scheme to date, emissions trading now being implemented with the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol caps neither greenhouse gas emissions at a level that will achieve climate stability nor economic growth. If patterned after the Kyoto Protocol, cap-and-trade schemes for conservation will not ameliorate biodiversity loss either because they will not address economic growth. In response to these failures to cap economic growth, professional organizations concerned about biodiversity conservation should release position statements on economic growth and ecological thresholds. The statements can then be used by policy makers to infuse these positions into the local, national, and international environmental science-policy process when these schemes are being developed. Infusing language into the science-policy process that calls for capping economic activity based on ecological thresholds represents sound conservation science. Most importantly, position statements have a greater potential to ameliorate biodiversity loss if they are created and released than if this information remains within professional organizations because there is the potential for these ideas to be enacted into law and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a legal analysis of some of the key issues that arise in examining the system for allocating emissions allowances under the EU's emissions trading scheme directive (EU ETS). There is a strong series of arguments in support of the view that the free allocation of allowances under the various national allocation plans (NAPs) involves an element of State aid, which has neither been formally notified to, nor cleared by, the Commission under the EC Treaty. Even if it is found properly to have been notified, there are serious doubts as to whether the extent of aid granted satisfies the proportionality principle. As a result, the operation of the EU ETS may be subject to some legal uncertainty with regard to possible legal challenges to the current allocation of allowances. Going forward, proposals to amend the operation of the EU ETS must take into account similar State aid considerations (particularly proportionality) and the experience gained from the working of the EU ETS in phase I. The structural outline of a possible legislative package has been suggested, which could achieve the safeguarding of commercial and legal certainty under the current allocation regime, while at the same time providing a basis for amendment of the allocation mechanism under the EU ETS for phase II and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to assess the likely allocation effects of the current climate protection strategy as it is laid out in the National Allocation Plans (NAPs) for the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The multi-regional, multi-sectoral CGE-model DART is used to simulate the effects of the current policies in the year 2012 when the Kyoto targets need to be met. Different scenarios are simulated in order to highlight the effects of the grandfathering of permits to energy-intensive installations, the use of the project-based mechanisms (CDM and JI), and the restriction imposed by the supplementarity criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article discusses the ideal design features of a domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading program that are critical to the cost-effective implementation of future U.S. climate change policy. The discussion of a properly designed domestic GHG trading program is coupled with an analysis of both the European Union's Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions Trading Directive and the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003, proposed by Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. The Article begins with the argument that climate change policy does not necessarily entail huge compliance costs. Rather, implementation of well-designed domestic climate change policy will have the effect of aligning energy development and environmental protection goals while minimizing its short-term economic impacts. By encouraging reduced fossil fuel usage, climate change policy has the potential to integrate sustainability concerns into all levels of economic decision making, thereby producing ancillary societal benefits such as improvements in existing air quality and public health. In light of the large number of pollution sources and the relative ease in measuring CO2 emissions, this Article argues that emissions trading or a carbon tax system should be an essential part of any successful climate stabilization strategy. However, it is unlikely that a carbon tax will be politically acceptable in the United States despite the tax's theoretical appeal. Based on prior experiments with emissions trading programs in the United States, the Article discusses the ideal design features of domestic GHG emissions trading. These features include early reduction credits, banking and borrowing, opt-in, offset trading, international emissions trading, and effective monitoring and verification. During the course of discussion, the Article examines the program elements of the European Union's CO2 Emissions Trading Directive and the Climate Stewardship Act. Lastly, this Article briefly introduces several studies that have estimated the economic effects of the Climate Stewardship Act. The Article concludes that domestic climate change policy can be implemented in a cost-effective manner and stresses the need for the United States to take domestic action on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews the environmental law in Germany. Germany implemented the European Emissions Trading Scheme relating to a mechanism for the trade of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Community into national law. On July 15, 2004, the Draft of the Ordinance concerning solvent-based paints and varnish has been approved. The Renewable Energy Sources Act entered into force on August 1, 2004. On April 1, 2004, the Federal Administrative Court decided a crossing over the river Mosel between Belgium and Germany. The German government decided the Draft of an Amendment to the Packaging Ordinance on November 3, 2004. On July 1, 2004, the government agreed to the draft of an Act on Improving Preventive Flood Protection.

Identifies the lessons that can be learned from an allowance trading program aimed to cut sulfur dioxide emissions, implemented under the U.S. Clean Air Act. System and performance of the allowance trading program; Lessons for design and implementation of tradable permit systems; Lessons for judging effectiveness of tradable permit systems; Application of the tradable permits to the task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Presents several abstracts of research on environmental policy. "The Making of the 2003 EU Emissions Trading Directive: An Ultra-Quick Process Due to the Entrepreneurial Proficiency," by Jørgen Wettestad; "A Herd Mentality in the Design of International Environmental Agreements," by David G. Victor and Lesley A. Coben; "Governing GMOs in the EU: A Deviant Case of Environmental Policy-Making," by G. Kristin Rosendal.

The EU emissions trading scheme has been characterized as one of the most far reaching and radical environmental policies for many years, and "the new grand policy experiment." Given the EU's earlier resistance to this market-based instrument with no international track record and with US origins, the EU decision- making process, which took less than two years, can be characterized as a puzzlingly ultra-quick political "pregnancy." In order to understand this, it is necessary to take three explanatory perspectives--and the interaction between them--into account. First, the emissions trading issue was more mature within the EU system than immediately apparent, given that emissions projections were worrying and no effective common climate policies had been adopted. Second, the Commission acted as a strong and clever policy entrepreneur, dealing with other basically positive EU bodies. Third, when the US pulled out of the Kyoto process in March 2001, it provided a window of opportunity for the EU to take the reins of global policy leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate protection policy, it has been suggested that global CO2 emissions should be reduced significantly (contraction) and that per capita emissions should gradually be equalized across countries (convergence). This paper uses an intertemporal multi-region computable general equilibrium model of the world economy to assess the economics of “Contraction and Convergence” (C&C). Upon comparing a regime of tradable and non-tradable emission rights for implementing C&C, we find that international emissions trading increases crucially the political feasibility of the C&C proposal. The reason is that the distribution of the total efficiency gains from permit trading not only improves the economic well-being of all regions as compared to strictly domestic action, but in particular raises economic welfare of major opponents to carbon restrictions from the developing world even beyond non-abatement baseline levels. A decomposition of the general equilibrium effects associated with C&C shows that changes in the terms of trade constitute a key determinant of the overall welfare effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

On 9 December 2002 the (Environment) Council of the European Union unanimously agreed on a common position on a Commission's proposal for a Directive establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading. This follows the idea that a common European emissions trading system should be preferred above a collection of national emissions trading systems. The European framework for emissions trading needs to he filled in by the Member States. One of their main tasks will be to allocate the greenhouse gas allowances according to a National Allocation Plan. The use of new regulatory instruments as emissions trading will raise new legal questions, which not always can be foreseen before the real application of the instrument in practice. It does not seem to he that the relevant institutions in the European Community already have a clear insight in all the necessary provisions for a well-functioning and just emissions trading, scheme. Especially the allocation of the tradable emissions rights can be questioned. With the present criteria, the allocation of the transferable rights will likely be a complicated and probably time-consuming task for the national governments. The European politicians seem to be willing, to take this risk with emissions trading, in order to build experience [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the gradual strengthening of environmental supervision, how to coordinate the relationship between environmental protection and full employment has become an urgent problem. This paper takes China's carbon emission trading policy as the research subject, and evaluates the employment effect of carbon emission trading policy from the perspective of micro enterprises under the premise of considering the spatial spillover effect. This paper aims to verify and evaluate the spatial spillover effect of China's carbon emission trading pilot policy on labor demand of enterprises, and study the effect of environmental policies on the employment market in China. Firstly, from the theoretical point of view, comparisons among the differences of the average employment effect, spillover effect and total effect coefficient of carbon trading right policy are conducted under the condition of spillover effect or not. Secondly, from the empirical perspective and relaxing the STUVA conditions, a Triple Difference Model is constructed to evaluate the impact of carbon emission trading policy on the labor demand of enterprises by using the panel data of China A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2008 to 2017. Thirdly, this paper further uses the synthetic control method to analyze the employment effect differences of carbon emission trading policies in different pilot areas of China. The results show that the carbon emission trading policy in China has an about 10 percent positive spillover effect on the neighboring provinces in pilot areas. Moreover, the results indicate that China's carbon emission trading policy has generated some employment dividend, and the total effect is about 11.5 percent when the ratio of individual sample is considered. In addition, the impact of carbon emission trading policy on employment is gradually increasing, and the employment effect of carbon trading policies in different pilot areas of China is quite dissimilar. The findings of this paper confirm the positive employment effect of China's carbon emission trading policy, and have important policy implications for the further promotion of the national carbon emission trading market. At the same time, it helps to clarify the relationship between environmental protection and full employment. • Verifies and evaluates the spatial spillover effect of carbon trading policy. • Constructs a Triple Difference Model for evaluating the impact of carbon trading policies on the labor demand of enterprises. • Finds about 10% positive spillover effect of the carbon emission rights trading policy in China. • Shows about 11.5% total employment effect of carbon emission trading policy when the individual sample ratio was considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a report on the Climate Policy reports at the Aspen Institute's Climate Change Policy Dialogue which occurred during November 2003. How the report was commissioned by the Pew Center and was issued to participants in May 2003 under the title Designing a Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program; Introduction of the report by Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Change; Controversies surrounding the Kyoto mechanisms and emissions trading practices; Focus of the report on a U.S. unilateral mandatory scheme to be launched outside the Kyoto Protocol; Efficiency of U.S. action on climate change.

The article presents updates on the environmental policy of European Union (EU) countries as of July 2015. It notes on the two decisions to ratify the second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol, the so-called Doha amendment, adopted by the Council of the EU on July 13, 2015. A proposal called COM(2015)337 was published by the European Commission for a Directive amending the EU emissions trading system (ETS) on July 15, 2015.

The article reports on the deforestation issues which will be discussed at the global carbon emission control forum. According to the report, European companies seek to offset their greenhouse-gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol for it is generating billions of dollars into clean-energy projects in the developing world. However, the policy does not include funds to prevent deforestation, which is responsible for some 20% of global carbon emissions. Environmental experts ensures that deforestation will be part of the meeting's agenda as the international negotiators of United Nations will be gathered for climate change in Bali, Indonesia.

Presents observations about the international efforts to track climate change and instill laws which protect the environment. Consideration of how Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; How the goals of the convention were to set framework for intergovernmental efforts to fight the challenges of climate change; Ways in which the Kyoto Protocol would reduce developed-country greenhouse gas emissions by at least 4 percent; Details provided on the laws at the UNFCCC Web site.

Reports developments involving government agencies concerning laws and regulations on environmental protection and control in Hungary. Provisions established by the Common Regulation No. 7/2002 of the Ministry of Economics and Transportation, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Management with regards to emission control of vehicles; Detailed technical rules contained in the Common Regulation No. 43/2003 of the Ministry of Environment and Water Management and the Ministry of Defence for noise protection at airport; Activities of the Regulation No. 16/2001 related to municipal waste that mainly deals with solid municipal waste.

The article reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for the plants in the gasoline distribution area source category. According to the author, two regulations have been added which includes requirements for bulk distribution facilities and for loading of storage tanks at gasoline dispensing industrial sites. Meanwhile, EPA also reports that its effort completes the decision not to regulate these sites under Clean Air Act section 112.

The article focuses on the efforts of nine U.S. states to cut emissions of power plants. Several public officials have reached into a preliminary agreement to freeze power plant emissions at their current levels and reduce them by 10% by 2020. The cooperative action came after the decision of the government not to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Significantly, the regional initiative would set up a market-driven system that would control emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from various electric generators in the nine states. On the other hand, various city mayors have signed to meet the emissions reductions standards.

The article focuses on the decision of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) to tackle the environmental consequences of modern living in Australia. The key goal of EPHC was to get manufacturers involved in recycling their products. Significantly, ministers reported strong progress in the recycling of tires, televisions, mobile phones, and newspapers. Furthermore, the EPHC emphasized the need to reduce their plastic bag use. Moreover, the EPHC has adopted clearer application trigger for the National Environment Protection Measure which supports the National Packaging Covenant. A National Action Plan on dioxins was adopted by Ministers to address dioxin emissions.

The article features the United Nations Climate Change report which suggested increased greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. The report have indicated that the country's greenhouse gas emissions have risen 23.3% on 1990 levels. Spain topped the list of emission increases over the 1990-2003 time period. Overall, greenhouse gases is down 5.9% in 2003 compared to the 1990 levels in the industrialized countries. Major reductions of greenhouse gas emissions occurred in central and eastern Europe which resulted from economic restructuring. Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell contended that the emissions figure was misleading since it failed to take into account changes in land use.

The article focuses on the results of the ambient air quality NEPM (National Environment Protection Measure) initiated by the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) in Australia. The overall purpose of the NEPM review is to evaluate the performance of the current NEPM in achieving the desired environmental outcome of the measure. Significantly, the next step in the process will involve the development of a range of Discussion Papers by the Project Team on proposed ways to address specific issues. The next step in the NEPM process will involve the preparation of a draft of the variation and an Impact Statement.

Comments on the desired framework for the successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Reaction of the Protocol's supporters to the pronouncement of British Prime Minister Tony Blair stressing the role of technology development in cutting emissions; Recommendation for developing countries like China and India to take action under the Protocol; Challenges with the existing carbon-trading system.

The article provides observations regarding the reputation of the Republican Party for supporting environmental policy. At the presidential level, this record goes back at least to Theodore Roosevelt's leadership in protecting more than 350,000 square miles of natural areas. Republican presidents appointed some of the most outstanding civil servants ever to advance the cause of environmental quality in America: Russell Train, William Ruckleshaus, Lee Thomas, and William Reilly come readily to mind. The nation's environment has also historically benefited from the leadership of enlightened Republican legislators, ranging from John Saylor's pioneering work on the Wilderness Act, through Barry Goldwater's promotion of solar energy, to John Chaffee's championing of safe drinking water. The behavior of contemporary Washington's Republican establishment can only be described as a radical departure from the party's traditions. One example, the current Bush administration is pushing an energy strategy that violates traditional Republican values at every turn: It would expand federal authority over land use, restrict states' rights to hold polluters accountable, and increase federal subsidies. Other administration initiatives on toxic pollutants, forest reserves, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are equally radical departures from the precedents set by an earlier generation of truly conservative and conservation-minded Republican leaders. Against this unrepresentative, radically antienvironmental record of the majority of Washington's current crop of Republicans, a small, beleaguered band of "Green Elephants" has continued to stand for traditionally conservative principles of conservation and environmental protection.

The article discusses how a recent study of three proposed plans to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants in the United States rated the Bush administration's Clear Skies Act the weakest of the three. The report, Dirty Air, Dirty Power, commissioned by the government and conducted by the international research firm Abt Associates, found that although the Clear Skies Act would save 14,000 lives, the most aggressive of the three, a bill introduced by Senator James Jeffords (I-VT), would save as many as 22,000 lives. The third plan, Senator Thomas Carper's (D-DE) bill, would save 16,000 lives. Industry representatives, along with the administration's chief environmental policy adviser, attacked the report for focusing on just one emission source. According to the report, pollution from power plants kills nearly 24,000 Americans each year under current policies. Reauthorization of the Clean Air Act, the report says, will save 4,000 more lives than the proposed Clear Skies Act. However, congressional action may be far off, as the 2004 election campaigns have put a hold on major legislation this year.