Chinese Update: China to issue air pollution warnings in Beijing, Tianjin (2 Oct 2013)

China to issue air pollution warnings in Beijing, Tianjin

Xinhua, October 2, 2013 (China.org.cn)

China plans to pilot an air quality warning system in the heavily-polluted cities of Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas next month amid the country's increasing efforts to tackle the much-concerned problem.

A man walks on a smog-shrouded road in Beijing on Sept. 29. [Photo/Xinhua]

China Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection has jointly released the plan that put the alert system at three levels -- I being the highest and III the lowest.

When the air quality index is set to go beyond 500, a level I warning will issued, and level II and III are for the index to be at between 300 to 500, 200 to 300, respectively, for three consecutive days.

The plan came as China has been under growing pressure to address the causes of air pollution after heavy smog smothered large swathes of the country early this year.

The government aims to cut the density of inhalable particulate matter by at least 10 percent in major cities nationwide by 2017.

PM 2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, should fall by about 25 percent from 2012 levels in Beijing and surrounding provincial areas by 2017, according to a recent government plan.

source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/02/content_30188790.htm

Read More

New Publication: Selecting Policy Instruments for Better Environmental Regulation: a Critique and Future Research Agenda

Selecting Policy Instruments for Better Environmental Regulation: a Critique and Future Research Agenda

1. Christopher Taylor, 
2. Simon Pollard^*, 
3. Sophie Rocks,
4. Andy Angus

Article first published online: 8 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1002/eet.1584

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Issue

Environmental Policy and Governance

Volume 22, Issue 4, pages 268–292,July/August 2012

ABSTRACT

There is a lack of evidence on regulatory effectiveness available to support policy makers with the selection of appropriate instruments to deliver better environmental regulation. We identify the types of evidence required to enable regulatory reform, characterize evidence gaps, and explore how these may be filled through future research. A typology of regulatory instruments is presented, and evidence of what has worked when and why is examined, drawing on international experience and recent cases from the United Kingdom (UK). Evidence of the capabilities of good environmental regulators for regulatory effectiveness is lacking, and it is proposed that ethnographic research that captures the nuances of regulatory practice will prove necessary to address this. This paper is of value to policy makers and regulators around the world considering the selection and deployment of the full range of environmental regulatory instruments to respond to environmental risks and in support of economic growth. It can inform the selection of suitable approaches and the design of institutions capable of delivering them. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

For more information: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eet.1584/abstract

Read More