Hasil untuk "Environmental law"

Geraldo Willson Fernandes, Gabriel Arvelino de Paula, Mariana G. Bender et al.

Brazil’s General Environmental Licensing Law (No. 15,190/2025) redefines environmental governance under the banner of “simplification” but effectively dismantles preventive safeguards. The law introduces self-declared licensing, automatic license renewals, and broad exemptions for agriculture and livestock, while restricting public participation. Although partial presidential vetoes removed some unconstitutional provisions, these vetoes may still be overturned by Congress. Key omissions, such as the absence of vetoes on Articles 7 and 9, preserve mechanisms that weaken oversight and accountability. Within Brazil’s decentralized system, where most authorizations are issued by state agencies, the law consolidates existing permissive practices and deepens regulatory asymmetry. This new framework lowers the national baseline for environmental protection, threatens biodiversity, and jeopardizes Brazil’s ability to meet international climate and biodiversity commitments. Instead of modernizing procedures or strengthening institutional capacity, the law normalizes shortcuts that externalize environmental costs and undermine democratic participation.

Carlotta L. E. D. Wilke, Reiner Gschwendtner, Volker Linnemann

Abstract The increasing prevalence of anthropogenic trace substances and organic micropollutants in wastewater necessitates advanced treatment stages in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to effectively remove these pollutants. Ozonation has proven to be an effective method for this purpose but poses the risk of generating toxic by-products like bromate, especially when treating bromide-containing wastewater at high ozone dosages. Bromate is classified as a possible human carcinogen (IARC Group 2B) and presents both acute and chronic health risks, along with various ecotoxic effects. With the new European Union Urban Wastewater Directive (2024/3019) mandating advanced treatment for micropollutant removal, the occurrence and monitoring of bromate will gain increasing relevance. Although no threshold value for bromate in wastewater has yet been established, the proposed environmental quality standard indicates ongoing regulatory efforts, resulting in the need to monitor bromate concentrations in WWTPs effluents to safeguard public health and the environment. This review systematically examines the toxicological and ecological relevance of bromate and evaluates existing analytical approaches for its detection in wastewater. Methods developed for drinking and surface waters, such as ion chromatography (IC) with conductivity (CD) or post-column reaction and ultraviolet detection (PCR-UV), as well as mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques, have been applied to wastewater matrices with varying levels of success. Reported quantification limits range from 70 µg/L using IC-CD to as low as 0.1 µg/L using IC-MS/MS. Wastewater presents a significantly more complex matrix than drinking water, introducing interferences from dissolved organic matter, anions, and fluctuating compositions. These challenges reduce accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of results. However, none of these methods have been standardized by ISO, ASTM, or CEN or validated through interlaboratory trials for wastewater analysis. Among the evaluated methods, IC-PCR-UV as well as IC-MS-based approaches appear most suitable to provide the required sensitivity and robustness. Developing a harmonized methodology tailored to wastewater matrices is essential for regulatory compliance, environmental protection, and safeguarding public health.

Lu Bai, Yue Xin

IntroductionBronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease predominantly affecting preterm infants, often requiring mechanical ventilation and supplemental oxygen. The pathogenesis of BPD involves a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental insults, such as oxidative stress and mechanical ventilation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic option for BPD due to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of the publication landscape surrounding MSC therapy for BPD to identify research trends, collaborative networks, influential research clusters, and emerging research frontiers from 2004 to 2024.MethodsA bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) as the primary database due to its comprehensive citation indexing and standardized metadata. To ensure data integrity, we included publications from January 2004 (when the first relevant MSC studies for BPD began appearing) to November 2024. The search query combined terms related to BPD and MSCs, focusing on English-language articles and reviews. After retrieval, data were cleaned through duplicate removal and relevance verification processes. Quantitative analysis was performed on publication counts, authors, journals, institutions, and countries. Visual analysis tools, VOSviewer ( 1) and CiteSpace ( 2), were employed to map collaboration networks and identify research clusters through co-citation and co-occurrence analyses. Statistical validation of bibliometric distributions was conducted using Bradford's law and Price's law. Citation metrics were normalized by publication year to account for citation accumulation bias.ResultsA total of 353 publications were analyzed, including 216 articles and 137 reviews, from 555 institutions across 35 countries. Time-series analysis revealed a significant acceleration in publication output after 2015 (p < 0.01), with a compound annual growth rate of 18.2%. The United States was the leading contributor (131 publications, 37.1%), followed by China (72 publications, 20.4%) and Canada (54 publications, 15.3%). Network analysis identified five distinct collaborative clusters, with limited cross-cluster collaboration. Citation analysis, normalized for publication age, revealed that the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine had the highest field-weighted citation impact (3.8). Keyword co-occurrence analysis demonstrated a significant shift from whole-cell therapies to extracellular vesicle research after 2018, with “microvesicles” and “exosomes” emerging as high-intensity burst terms (burst strength >5.0). The co-citation analysis identified three primary research clusters: stem cell therapy mechanisms (42.3% of citations), respiratory physiology and pathology (38.1%), and clinical neonatology (19.6%).ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis maps the evolving landscape of MSC therapy research for BPD over the past two decades, revealing distinct research clusters with limited cross-disciplinary integration. Our findings demonstrate a clear shift from whole-cell MSC investigations toward MSC-derived exosomes as a cell-free therapeutic approach, particularly since 2018. Despite the growing body of preclinical evidence, visualization of publication patterns reveals significant gaps between laboratory findings and clinical applications, with only 8.2% of publications reporting clinical outcomes. The analysis further highlights geographical imbalances in research contributions and collaborative networks, suggesting opportunities for broader international engagement. These findings provide a foundation for directing future research efforts toward addressing knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding precise mechanisms of action and establishing standardized clinical protocols.

Boris Goncharov, Shubhit Sardana, Alberto Sesana et al.

Abstract Constraining the origin of the nanohertz gravitational-wave background necessitates precise noise modelling to avoid parameter estimation biases. In this work, we find the inferred properties of the putative gravitational wave background in the second data release of the European Pulsar Timing Array to be in better agreement with theoretical expectations under the improved noise model. In particular, our improved noise models show consistency of the background’s strain spectral index with the value of  −2/3, favoring the population of supermassive black hole binaries as the origin of the background. Our results further suggest that the observed gravitational wave emission is the dominant source of the binary energy loss, with no evidence of environmental effects or eccentric orbits. At the reference gravitational wave frequency of yr−1, we also find a lower power-law strain amplitude of the background than in previous data analyses. This mitigates some of the tensions of the strain amplitude with the expected number density and mass scale of binaries discussed in the literature. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of accurate modelling of radio pulsar pulse profile variations, hierarchical properties of noise across pulsars, as well as noise model averaging, when inferring properties of the gravitational wave background.

Leena Riekkola, Simon Childerhouse, Rochelle Constantine et al.

Abstract Long‐term monitoring programs based on individual identification have provided a sound basis for monitoring the status of endangered and recovering species. However, the impact of such research needs to be understood relative to the benefit gained. Here, we present a case study of a population that has been studied using genetic monitoring since 1995, the New Zealand southern right whale (Eubalaena australis; tohorā). Tissue samples for genetic monitoring were collected using a remote biopsy system, an approach used widely in marine mammal research. Under most ethical frameworks, this is considered a minor impact of short duration, but perceived or potential impact limits sampling of some demographic classes (e.g., calves). We used data collected during surveys from 2020 to 2022 to measure short‐term behavioral impact of biopsy sample collection, with 748 responses collected over 52 days in the field from 524 individual whales. Biopsy sampling was overwhelmingly of minimal impact: the majority (90%) of biopsy responses were classified as either ‘no response’ (46%, n = 341) or ‘weak response’ (44%, n = 326). This study also supports previous work that calves do not show a greater reaction to biopsy sampling than adults. The behavior of the whales prior to being approached for biopsy sampling significantly affected the response elicited, but there was no measurable cumulative impact of multiple sampling, based on within‐year (n = 113) or between‐year (n = 21) comparisons. Genetic data from this monitoring project has been used to revise the conservation status of the population, to demonstrate the effectiveness of conservation polices and to understand circumpolar stock structure. Overall, this study confirms that biopsy sampling is a minimally invasive, data‐rich collection method that provides a wealth of information for conservation and management of whales. It typically causes only a minor, short‐term behavioral disturbance with wounds that, based on other studies, heal quickly and without discernible adverse health effects.

Matteo Roggero, Jan Kilian Fjornes, Klaus Eisenack

Cities have taken center stage in the fight against climate change. Research identified key conditions shaping how cities tackle climate change but hasn't yet addressed how such conditions interact in order to reduce emissions. The present paper contributes to filling this gap through a crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 34 CDP-reporting cities, identifying combinations of institutional and socioeconomic factors that are systematically associated with emission reductions. Results show emission reductions both in presence and in absence of favorable socioeconomic conditions. Under favorable socioeconomic conditions, institutions seem central to the task of steering the capacities of the local business community and reaping scale benefits. Under unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, institutions seemingly play a key role in gathering resources, reaching out to broader networks on the international stage. Implications for policy and research are explored.

Tina Bartelmeß, Sarah Jasiok, Elias Kühnel et al.

Dinara KADYRBEKOVA, Aza YEVLOYEVA, Albina BEIKITOVA et al.

The article examines the components contributing to the tourist appeal of cultural sites in the Republic of Kazakhstan, exploring the intricate relationship between their attractiveness and cultural significance. This is vital for promoting sustainable tourism, fostering cultural exchange, and preserving shared cultural heritage for future generations. Understanding what makes a place attractive to tourists is crucial for destination marketing, sustainable tourism planning, and revenue generation. The study was conducted in the context of the search for ways to popularize cultural heritage in domestic tourism. Fifteen distinct variables were identified to delineate the allure of these sites, encompassing criteria such as historical significance, aesthetic and architectural value, integration of a cultural object with the natural landscape and environment, involvement of the local community in the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage, among others. A comprehensive questionnaire was devised based on these variables, serving as the foundation for a survey where participants rated the significance of each variable on a 5-point scale. The survey garnered responses from 1,728 residents spanning all regions of Kazakhstan. Through correlation analysis, the acquired ratings were scrutinized, unveiling interconnections among variables and elucidating the primary factors shaping the attractiveness of cultural sites, namely safety and security at the site, the historical significance, accessibility for people with special needs, aesthetic and architectural value, as well as the availability of amenities such as restrooms, information centers, and guided tours.

Taufik Wijoseno, Aullia Vivi Yulianingrum, Elviandri Elviandri

Peatland management in Kutai Kartanegara faces major challenges, especially due to the expansion of the coal mining industry. Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2016 is designed to protect peat swamp ecosystems and support the welfare of local communities, but its effectiveness is questionable amid the rapid exploitation of natural resources. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2016 Regional Regulation in maintaining ecological and social balance through normative juridical law analysis that includes related laws and John Rawls' distributive justice theory approach. The Normative Juridical Citation Method and data are collected from primary legal sources, including Law Number 26 of 2007 concerning Spatial Planning, Law Number 3 of 2020 concerning Amendments to Law Number 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining, as well as Kutai Kartanegara Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2016 itself and secondary legal sources in the form of relevant literature, such as books, journals, articles and internet sources as well as mass media, both print and online and allow data triangulation to be carried out. The study results show that weak supervision and the absence of strict sanctions for mining companies hinder the optimal implementation of the Regional Regulation, causing adverse impacts on the environment and community welfare. The analysis shows that these regulations are not entirely fair to local communities that are vulnerable to the negative impacts of the mining industry. This study recommends the revision of the Regional Regulation to add strict environmental sanctions provisions and strengthen community participation in peatland management to achieve ecological justice that is in line with regional economic development.

A. Steynor, L. Pasquini

A better understanding of the decision context within which climate services are used is likely to be central to designing user-relevant climate services for adaptation action. As climate change presents a risk, one entry point to better understand the decision context is through an exploration of the perceptions of climate change risk. How risky climate change is perceived to be will influence whether action is taken on climate change, what decisions are made and the types of information that are used when taking action, providing valuable insights into the decision-context. This study quantifies and explores climate change risk perceptions, and its determinants, amongst policy decision influencers in east Africa. Climate change risk perceptions are found to be heightened, driven by observance of social norms, perceptions of climate change as a proximal risk, frequent experience of extreme weather events and a predominantly self-transcending (outward looking) value system among policy decision influencers. By drawing on known principles from environmental psychology, the study’s results lead to a set of suggestions about how currently available climate services could be aligned to the east African decision context to better encourage uptake and action.

Inese Mavlutova, Dzintra Atstaja, Sandra Gusta et al.

This study aims to investigate to what extent the construction and demolition waste generated by households is managed by the principles of circularity and to identify the main influencing factors in the behavior of households regarding the circularity-based management of construction waste in Latvia. The current research presents principles of circularity of household-generated waste based on a systematic literature review, and the data obtained from a survey were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This study clarifies the circular economy rationale for construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in Latvia and proposes further development to promote the achievement of sustainable development goals and increased energy efficiency. The results reveal that the observance of circular economy principles in construction and demolition waste management among Latvian households does not correspond to good circular economy practices due to attitudes toward environmental issues, expenses, and logistics; thus, compliance with these principles and legislation as well as closer cooperation between municipalities and households can promote significant economic benefits.

Silvia Berkner, Ute Brandt

Abstract Information on transformation and persistence of chemical substances in the environment is important for hazard and risk assessment within a regulatory context or as a decision criterion in a safe and sustainable by design framework. Half-lives for human and veterinary medicinal products available from marketing authorization applications were compared between soil (OECD 307) and aquatic water/sediment systems (OECD 308). The comparison shows, that there is no obvious correlation between the total system half-lives in the two different compartments and that surpassing persistence criteria is compartment-specific in 45% of the cases.

Moutaz A W Abdul Mounam

Background: Nowadays, a lot of food products are produced in large quantities in factories. Milk and its derivatives are among the most important and well-known things that may be mentioned. Due to the industrialization of many nations, heavy metals are regarded as the most significant contaminants and have an impact on the presence of these substances in milk and dairy products. The toxicity of different heavy metals on human health, as well as their sources in milk and other dairy products are all represented in the current review paper, which focuses on methodologies and regulatory constraints for heavy metals in milk. The study also examines the frequency of heavy metals detected in milk samples from Iraq, a few other nations in Asia, South America, the United States, and Africa, as well as a few instances from Europe. strategies to lessen the number of heavy metals in milk and its products or stop them from contaminating such foods. Conclusion: Heavy metals have several health risks. Heavy metal exposure is especially prevalent in young age and the elderly due to milk drinking. Due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, law enforcement, and less restrictions, developing countries have high heavy metal levels in milk. Wealthy countries have less heavy metal pollution. Milk samples had significant lead and cadmium levels, requiring strict environmental and health protections.

Darika Phothiruk

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is well-known and widely used as an essential tool for environmental management. Over the past 40 years, there have been problems and obstacles in law enforcement and prosecutions in many cases under the EIA laws related to national development projects in Thailand. For this reason, this article aims to present the results of a study of the legal measures on the EIA process in Thailand. This study was conducted through reviewing concepts and theories concerning the EIA and related laws both in Thailand and abroad. The main objective of this study was to analyze the condition of problems and obstacles caused by attempts made in the law enforcement. The importance of the study would result in revision of the laws related to the EIA process to achieve sustainable development goals.

Francesco Munari

(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2020 5(1), 461-467 | European Forum Insight of 28 May 2020 | (Table of Contents) I. The lockdown of passenger air transport as a response to COVID-19 and the questions it raises to policymakers. - II. Concerns from the competition law viewpoint of State aids to rescue airline companies in a post-emergency scenario. - III. Environmental concerns and air transport policy: a sharp decrease in the offer of air passengers' services should be considered. - IV. Freedom of market access in the passenger air transport industry: negative economic externalities and the need to rethink mobility of persons vis-à-vis other values and priorities. - V. A brief history of de-regulation of the airline industry in the EU: what's left after more than three decades. - VI. Will the pandemic be able to lift the veil from our eyes? - VII. Industrial policy concerns for the future of air transport. - VIII. "Back to the future": regulating the aviation industry to cope with market failures, environmental goals and industrial policy needs. - IX. Concluding remarks: COVID-19 as a "didactic momentum". | (Abstract) Based on the assumption that the COVID-19 pandemic might provide the occasion to re-think the role of aircraft passenger transportation, this Insight advocates a re-evaluation of the market models developed over the past decades to deregulate the airline industry. The first aspect on which the Insight focuses is the unfeasibility of a long-term generally subsidized air transport sector under EU law, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic: the likely decrease of both supply and demand casts in doubt the consistency of significant distortions necessarily caused by public subsidies in this sector with EU competition law. Moreover, under environmental law and policy perspectives, the Insight highlights the inconsistencies between the negative externalities of the current air transport policy and the climate goals fostered by the EU. In this vein, the Author underlines that, in lieu of increasing subsidies, an EU transport policy consistent with climate goals should reduce them. This, however, would decrease again the supply of air transportation, in line with the need to reduce the unsustainable levels of emissions of aircrafts. In this scenario, the resulting diminished volume of air transport services is assessed against the rationale originally supporting the deregulation of this sector decided some 30 years ago at EEC level, i.e. the abolition of national monopolies preventing freedom to provide services. In particular, the Author questions whether such a rationale still justifies both the deviations from climate goals and the risk to perpetuate the competitive model in a substantially changed industry. After all, deregulation has led to a substantial concentration in the market but at the same time, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows, a situation of sudden deprivation of the existing transportation network for millions of passengers. And because an airline transportation industry (albeit in more limited size) is essential for industrial policy concerns, the Author proposes thorough reflection in which the coronavirus crisis can be seen as an opportunity for a (modern) re-regulation of this sector.

Hai-Bin Zhang, Han-Cheng Dai, Hua-Xia Lai et al.

Applying qualitative and quantitative methods, this article explains the driving forces behind U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, assesses the impacts of this withdrawal on the compliance prospects of the agreement, and proposes how China should respond. The withdrawal undercuts the foundation of global climate governance and upsets the process of climate cooperation, and the impacts are manifold. The withdrawal undermines the universality of the Paris Agreement and impairs states' confidence in climate cooperation; it aggravates the leadership deficit in addressing global climate issues and sets a bad precedent for international climate cooperation. The withdrawal reduces other countries' emission space and raises their emission costs, and refusal to contribute to climate aid makes it more difficult for developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Cutting climate research funding will compromise the quality of future IPCC reports and ultimately undermine the scientific authority of future climate negotiations. China faces mounting pressure from the international community to assume global climate leadership after the U.S. withdraws, and this article proposes that China should reach the high ends of its domestic climate targets under the current Nationally Determined Contributions; internationally, China should facilitate the rebuilding of shared climate leadership, replacing the G2 with C5. Meanwhile, China needs to keep the U.S. engaged in climate cooperation.

Maciej Jabłoński

The organization of environmental protection in Poland and the European Union is a mutual connection of competencies and a correlation of systems and rights according to national and EU laws. The legal system of the EU is the result of decades of cooperation undertaken by the will of the Member States known as the acquis communautaire. EU law has primacy over national law, which in practice means that in the event of a conflict between the provisions of national law and EU law, the national law is deemed inapplicable and needs to be adjusted by the Member State.

宮文祥 Wen-Hsiang Kung

科學在環境規範上扮演極為重要的功能；但對於科學的使用，礙於科學本身的特性（不確定性、變異性、資訊缺口），使得程序上對於運用科學作為決策基礎的規範也往往呈現不足、甚至不當的情形，如此提供行政機關、甚至是利益團體有機會得以介入、並操控規範制定的程序以及規範制定的結果。這也是美國當前環境法上在面對科學及其使用，亟待解決的爭議。固然人們質疑美國環保法律充斥著利益權衡的色彩，但是相關法制在因應這些現代環境保護的問題上，確實也提供值得我們參考的研究課題。本文對美國法 制的初步探討，希望能提供國人在問題討論上的一點助益。 Science has an important role in enacting, implementing, and enforcing environmental law. Science can be used to restore the public confidence in the agency and provide good rational for its decisions. However, environmental issues are interdisciplinary in character and raise a variety of legal, social, economic, and ethical questions. These conflicts are not easy to be resolved only by science. In the 1960s, Rachel Carson had questioned the government’s manipulation of science to support the toxicological safety of pesticides, which therefore launched the beginning of the environmental movement in U.S. Even today, the continuing debate on regulatory reform has not yet reached consensus on how governmental institutions and procedures should be structured to make decisions better and more broadly acceptable for environmental protection. When science has been playing more important and complicated role in decision-making, what should we do to right the wrongs of the pasts and better environmental protection for our future? In this paper, I would like to discuss the role science plays in environmental protection and propose suggestions for its future development. As I believe, this study focusing on U.S. legal perspective will be definitely helpful for our environmental protection in Taiwan.

Alessandra F. N. Pereira, Manfred Fehr

The environmental question is of complex nature. It involves knowledge of diverse subjects and makes possible the accomplishment of studies under the optics of different specialties. The philosopher Heller apud Carvalho (2001) contents that the world-wide civilization is in crisis, understands that the solution of the most serious problems is urgent, lest social and political chaos or even human self-destruction will result.Environmental Law is a science that appeared at a historical moment designated by the crisis. This science has been appraised as being a set of principles, norms and rules that have the objective of protecting the environment, maintain the ecological balance, conserve cultural assets and contribute to harmonic development and social justice. For the application of this concept, administrative and legal measures are used beyond repairing the actual damages to the environment and ecosystems (CARVALHO, 2001).The law itself is one of the tools used by the Science of Environmental Law. To command the social and cultural life in an effective process of adjustment in the light of the evolution of society is, in ample direction, the dynamics of the law. It can be observed that it also expresses the necessity of living beings to share one determined space of time and place, without the need for foreign orders devoid of adaptations.

Sarita Soraia de Alcântara Laudares, Luís Antônio Coimbra Borges, José Luiz Pereira de Rezende et al.

ABSTRACT The conservation of natural resources within rural properties is a constitutional obligation. Among the social function criteria required for the exploitation of rural properties, besides the rational use and respect of working conditions, there is a need to ensure environmental protection. The current guidelines regarding the exploration and the environmental adequacy of the rural property are in the Native Vegetation Protection Law (NVPL - Law no. 12,651/2012) also known as Forest Code of 2012. This study aims to analyze different aspects of the Brazilian forestry legislation, with emphasis on the main points of the new legislation regarding the use and conservation of rural properties, highlighting the Rural Environmental Registry replacing the old model of Legal Reserve Registration. It is an update of the article “Ambient protection areas inside rural properties: the APP and RL case” published by Floram in 2011.