On Environmental Taxation under Uncertain Environmental Damage

This paper addresses optimal taxation, when therelationship between the consumption of a`dirty' good and the resulting environmentaldamage is uncertain and treated as a randomvariable by policy makers. The main purpose isto analyze how increased uncertainty, measuredas a mean preserving increase in the spread ofthis random variable, affects the optimalcommodity tax on the dirty consumption good. Incase the only task of government is to correctthe environmental externality, and if thepreferences are characterized by nondecreasingabsolute risk aversion, we find that thecommodity tax on the dirty consumption goodincreases in response to additionaluncertainty. If, on the other hand, thegovernment provides a public good and uses alump-sum tax in addition to the commodity tax,it is possible that the commodity tax decreasesas a response to additional uncertainty, evenif the preferences are characterized bynondecreasing absolute risk aversion. A similarresult emerges, although for different reasons,if the lump-sum tax is replaced by a laborincome tax.     

Environmental Regulation and Industry Location in Europe

This paper estimates the effect of environmental regulation on industry location and compares it with other determinants of location such as agricultural, education and R&D country characteristics. The analysis is based on a general empirical trade model that captures the interaction between country and industry characteristics in determining industry location. The Johnson–Neyman technique is used to fully explicate the nature of the conditional interactions. The model is applied to data on 16 manufacturing industries from 13 European countries. The empirical results indicate that the pollution haven effect is present and that the relative strength of such an effect is of about the same magnitude as other determinants of industry location. A significant negative effect on industry location is observed only at relatively high levels of industry pollution intensity.     

Competitiveness and Exemptions From Environmental Taxes in Europe

A number of European countries have introduced a variety of environmental taxes. A common characteristic of their implementation is the inclusion of exemptions and tax relief, in particular for (some sectors of) manufacturing industry. This paper analyses the pattern and motivation of exemptions as they have developed in Western European countries, making clear the difference between the nominal and effective tax rates once the exemptions have been taken into account. The principal motivation for exemptions relates to concern about competitiveness. While particular environmentally-intensive sectors may have some grounds for concern, even these might be able to achieve cost-effective environmental improvements, such that their competitive position is not over-disadvantaged, while for an economy structured like the UK's, an environmental tax plus rebate scheme, sometimes called an ecological tax reform, would be likely to yield benefits in terms of competitiveness. The exemptions usually run counter to the environmental economic logic of using environmental taxes to internalise social costs and give economic signals that are based on the full costs of production, and they are likely to increase the costs of achieving a given level of emission reduction. With little justification for them also on the grounds of competitiveness, it would therefore be undesirable on both economic and environmental grounds for them to remain a feature of the implementation of environmental taxes in the future.     

基于聚类分析法的省级环境绩效动态评估与分析

为了有效追踪环保产出,考察环保成效,提供决策依据,指导环保工作更好开展,改善长期的重投入轻产出、重建设轻成效、重效果轻效益的管理模式,本研究采用聚类分析方法,分析了2006~2011年全国30个省份(除西藏以外)连续六年的环境绩效表现,从而为绩效变化表现相似的地区的环境管理工作提供决策参考。研究结果表明,北京、河北等省份的环境绩效指数较高地区归为一类;天津、内蒙古等环境绩效指数中等地区归为一类;山西、贵州等环境绩效指数较低地区归为一类。为保证区域环境绩效评估制度运行的长效性,要密切结合区域环境管理体系建设、区域环境安全评估、地方政府环境目标责任考核制度和绩效评估制度等先期工作基础,促使环境绩效评估工作协调、有序地进行。     

Environmental impacts of changes to healthier diets in Europe

Food consumption causes, together with mobility, shelter and the use of electrical products, most life cycle impacts of consumption. Meat and dairy are among the highest contributors to environmental impacts from food consumption. A healthier diet might have less environmental impacts. Using the E3IOT environmentally extended input output database developed in an EU study on Environmental Impacts of Products (EIPRO), this paper estimates the difference in impacts between the European status quo and three simulated diet baskets, i.e. a pattern according to universal dietary recommendations, the same pattern with reduced meat consumption, and a ‘Mediterranean’ pattern with reduced meat consumption. Production technologies, protein and energy intake were kept constant. Though this implies just moderate dietary shifts, impact reductions of up to 8% were possible in reduced meat scenarios. The slightly changed food costs do not lead to significant first order rebound effects. Second order rebounds were estimated by applying the CAPRI partial equilibrium model. This analysis showed that European meat production sector will most likely respond by higher exports to compensate for losses on the domestic meat market. Higher impact reductions probably would need more drastic diet changes.     

The Benefits of Environmental Fiscal Reforms in an Integrated Europe

This paper analyses the effects of an environmental fiscal reform where the environmental tax revenue is used to reduce the tax burden on labor in order to increase employment. The study tries to assess the benefits generated by this type of reform in an integrated Europe where different degrees of tax harmonization can be achieved. The differential impact of cooperative fiscal reforms versus noncooperative ones is quantified through the use of a newly developed general equilibrium model. The results suggest that only a high degree of harmonization, in which both revenue and expenditure policies are coordinated, can provide significant environmental and employment benefits.     

数据包络分析在安徽省环境效率评价中的应用

利用DEA模型对安徽省16个城市2010—2012年的环境效率进行了评价分析。结果表明安徽省16个城市之间的环境效率差别明显,铜陵、马鞍山、合肥、淮南和滁州位于前沿面上,其他城市均处于弱DEA有效。综合经济与环境两方面合成将全省16个市划分为四个区域,即经济高产出环境高效率区域、经济高产出环境低效率区域、经济低产出环境低效率区域和经济低产出环境高效率区域。结合环境效率的影响因素给出提高环境效率的相关政策建议。     

欧洲的城市环境再生及其启示

当前,城市环境再生已成为世界性课题.自20世纪后期以来,欧洲城市以提高市民生活质量和保证区域经济社会的可持续发展为目的,不断推进环境再生活动,并取得了显著成效.本文阐述了环境再生的意义和欧洲城市环境再生的发展过程、主要措施,以及我们可以从中获得的若干启示.     

Sustainable Power Generation in Europe: A Panel Data Analysis of the Effects of Market and Environmental Regulations

Environmental and Resource Economics - Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions have become increasingly more pressing environmental concerns in European policy agenda. Environmental energy...     

企业的环境责任与环境绩效评估

企业相关的利益团体越来越重视企业的环境责任。环境绩效评估系统可以通过企业经营者、投资人与政府等相。关利益团体的不同角度,以系统的和整体的方法体现企业可持续发展的架构。本文探讨了环境绩效评估的意义和方法,分析了环境绩效评估对企业环境责任实施的作用。     

论跨界环境损害民事责任主体

无论是从保护弱势群体,还是从保护环境抑或“风险和收益并存”原理角度,都应科以经营者严格责任。但由于其所从事的活动的特殊性,不能由其承担所有由此带来的损失,应让其他责任主体参与进来,因此,在确定经营人为首要的责任主体后,为了平衡各方利益关系,同时需规定责任保险人、基金等责任主体,但与经营者不同。其无论在赔徭范围还是赔偿顺序上承担的都只是补充责任。     

Environmental Policy and GHG Emissions: The Case of Southern Europe

International Advances in Economic Research -     

污染产业转移、区域环境损害与管控政策设计

运用数学建模和计量分析方法,利用2003-2012年中国31个省份的面板数据,研究了污染产业区际转移与环境损害地区差异变化及其影响因素.结果表明,污染产业呈现从东部沿海地区向中西部地区分散转移的时空演变特征,污染产业转移对环境损害具有正向影响,但不同地区环境相对损害状况存在显著差异,不同因素对环境损害的影响程度和作用方向不同,这为探讨中西部地区“承接产业转移但不承担沉重环境损害代价”的可行路径及管控政策提供了理论依据.     

Knowledge Spillovers in Europe: A Patent Citations Analysis

This paper addresses the pattern of knowledge flows as indicated by patent citations between European regions. Our findings support the hypothesis that there are important barriers to knowledge flows in Europe. Patent citations occur more often between regions which belong to the same country and which are in geographical proximity. Furthermore, patent citations are industry specific and occur most often between regions that are specialised in industrial sectors with specific technological linkages between them. Patent citations are also more frequent when the citing region belongs to the same linguistic group as the cited region.
JEL classification : O 30; O 33; R 19     

环境治理的经济学分析

环境资源和环境治理具有公共物品性和外部性,这导致了环境资源的过度使用和环境治理供给不足。但是市场机制无法自行解决这些困境,因此政府有必要采取措施解决。常用的经济学方法有庇古税、产权界定和国家规制等方法,但是这些方法存在一定的缺陷,应当有选择性地使用。     

环境壁垒的成因分析

本文针对国际贸易中发展中国家与发达国家之间在环保和贸易方面存在的分歧和发达国家不断通过环境壁垒来限制发展中国家的产品出口这一现象,分析了环境壁垒产生和发展的原因及其存在的社会背景,并探讨了环境壁垒存在的理论依据。     

长江流域工业环境绩效评价研究

以DEA的内生权重系统与Malmquist指数构造了一个动态的环境经济绩效指数对长江流域10省市2000~2011年的环境绩效进行了计算分析。结果表明,长江流域各省工业环境绩效的改善是相对生态效率改善与环境技术改善的共同结果,但主要原因是环境技术的改善。个别省份的工业环境绩效恶化是因为其相对生态效率的恶化。各省环境技术水平总体在提高,但工业环境技术进步效应基本接近希克斯中性。因此,首先应当加大政策支持,提高环境技术创新水平,推进技术前沿,提高最佳实践技术的水平。其次,提高环境技术推广能力,加大科技投入,促进技术进步效应的提高。再次,增加环境补贴,制定合理的激励政策,调动企业污染减排的积极性。促进最佳实践技术的应用,形成技术引领节能减排,提高环境绩效。     

我国环境责任保险的SWOT分析

源于美国的全球性金融危机,对我国经济发展和环境政策也产生了重大影响。为应对此次金融危机,加快转变经济发展模式和实现经济绿色复苏,国家紧急出台了一系列环境经济政策,环境责任保险就是其中重要一项。文章从环境责任保险的基本理论出发,通过对环境责任保险的SWOT分析,得出金融危机背景下,我国开展环境责任保险宜采用SO策略和WO策略。     

新疆工业化过程中环境污染发展状况评价分析

改革开放以来,新疆的经济发展迅速,伴随着工业化的快速发展,严重的环境污染问题接踵而来,虽然政府采取措施来改善环境状况,并取得了一定成效,但是目前新疆的环境污染到底有多严重?这些环境污染问题是由什么原因引起的?怎样才能有效治理环境?这些问题能否有效解决决定着新疆能否在新的世纪里实现环境与经济的协调发展.本文对新疆工业化过程中环境污染的发展状况及原因进行评价分析,在此基础上提出相关建议.     

我国环境库兹涅茨曲线解析

经验数据显示：我国环境污染总水平随经济发展不断加剧，且经济越发达地区的入均污染程度越重。通过计算环境污染及其经济影响因子之间的灰色关联度，本文定量剖析了我国环境库兹涅茨曲线的成因，结果表明：产出结构和GDP、收入分配和贸易结构分别是直接影响因素和所有影响因素中与我国环境污染关系最密切的因素。