Fiscal transfers for biodiversity conservation: The Portuguese Local Finances Law

Biodiversity loss is a serious and ongoing global environmental problem. Economic instruments in biodiversity policies can contribute towards reconciling the conservation costs encountered at local level with the benefits of biodiversity conservation at higher levels of governance, from regional and national levels up to the global level. This paper outlines the theoretical foundations of fiscal transfers in conservation policies and also offers a concise account of existing international experience and future prospects. The recently amended Portuguese Local Finances Law (LFL) of 2007, with its groundbreaking new article on the promotion of local sustainability, is analysed in terms of the significance of fiscal transfers for municipal budgets. It is compared with its predecessor law, highlighting changes in fiscal revenues for selected municipalities in the country in relation to their designated conservation areas. The analysis shows that these ecological fiscal transfers can be significant for those municipalities with a large proportion of land under protected status. However, because it also introduces a considerable number of changes to the Portuguese fiscal transfer scheme, the ecological impact of the new LFL is difficult to grasp due to the presence of several crossover effects. The results obtained offer significant insights both for improving the Portuguese LFL and for designing new ecological fiscal transfer schemes.     

Economic impacts of conservation farming in a marginal environment: the case of ‘Landcare’ in the Philippines

In the marginal, upland regions of the Philippines, soil erosion and poverty are significant problems. The Landcare Programme has sought to address these twin problems. We assess the economic impacts of the Landcare Programme in the Province of Bohol. We first explore whether the adoption of Landcare practices, particularly those of contour farming and tree planting, in a highly degraded landscape has resulted in improved livelihood outcomes for upland farming families. Second, we analyse the potential for the piecemeal adoption of these measures to deliver tangible benefits at the watershed scale. Finally, using a benefit–cost approach, these outcomes are compared with the costs of research and extension projects that have helped achieve them. We conclude that the net economic impact of the Landcare Programme in Bohol is positive, with the primary beneficiaries being the individual households that adopt the Landcare practices. These benefits are largely generated by productive opportunities that arise once the hillsides have been stabilized. Although the downstream impacts of land-use changes associated with the Landcare Programme are positive, they are of marginal economic importance. Hence, the focus and primary justification of the Landcare Programme should be on improving the productivity and livelihoods of upland farming households.     

Employee workplace spirituality and pro-environmental behavior in the hotel industry

Pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace are less investigated than those in the public and private spheres. With this in mind, and through the values framework of workplace spirituality (WPS), synthesizing the theories of connectedness and organizational citizenship, the current study proposed a theoretical model to gauge the influence of WPS, a relatively new area of inquiry in organizational research and a neglected field in tourism and hospitality, on hotel employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE). In this framework, the emerging concept of connectedness to nature (CNS) – a strong cognitive and affective predictor of pro-environmental behavior – was depicted as a mediator, and the construct of environmental awareness (EA) was deemed a moderator. The intended model received support through empirical testing, and results confirmed that WPS is significantly associated with employees’ OCBE, and CNS indirectly affects the relationship between WPS and OCBE, while EA functions as a booster. The theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed, and a series of contributory managerial implications were described accordingly.     

An empirical analysis of air pollution emissions policy for the U.K. residential sector

In this paper an analysis of the U.K. government's air pollution emissions policy for the residential sector is undertaken. The analysis covers emissions arising from water and space heating, electric appliances and cooking appliances. Using an integrated economic-engineering model, the effects of the Energy Savings Trust and the imposition of Value Added Tax on residential fuel will be evaluated in terms of energy consumption and pollution emissions. It is found that the initial proposed policy was not sufficiently stringent to meet the government's environmental objectives, and that subsequent events have undermined the government's programme even further. Unless alternative policies are introduced, emissions from the residential sector will play an important role in jeopardizing the ability of the U.K. government to meet its international obligations.     

论冷战结束后美国的"人道主义干预"

冷战结束后,尤其是20世纪90年代末,美国提出"新干涉主义",其核心是进行"人道主义干预".一方面,美国在今后相当长的时期内仍将继续推行"人道主义干预",另一方面,在国际社会包括国际性组织和主权国家的共同努力下,美国以人权谋求霸权的阴谋必将破产.     

从唐甄的旅游观看中国文化的转型

本文从人们较少注意的旅游这种特殊的行为方式及其相应的观念意识上去探讨文化转型的具体进展。认为唐甄提出的“好游者人之恒情也”的旅游观具有自然人性论的哲学基础,是对农本社会和儒家传统伦理束缚旅游的否定,是在明清之际中国手工商业（原初工业化）发展的经济土壤上,在市民阶级兴起和大众化产生的社会关系和生活方式中,形成的一种带有近代倾向的旅游观念,具有文化转型的意义。     

我国热电联产的新发展

概述了我国热电联产的发展现状,集中分析了热电联产的发展趋势。以北京市为例,叙述了热电联产在改善环境方面的作用。指出发展热电联产应是今后实施"优化发展煤电"的重点方向,展示了热电联产与分布式能源市场的广大前景。     

市场经济运行中的人与自然和谐问题研究

以私人占有制为基础的资本主义市场经济运行机制造成了人与自然关系的对立。中国自改革开放以来,逐步建立起社会主义市场经济,也出现了人与自然不和谐的现象。但由于社会主义与资本主义制度的本质区别,通过发挥以公有制为基础的制度优势,能够实现人与自然的和谐相处。     

略论教育本性之异化与复归

教育,就其本质来讲,作为使人成为人、使人实现全面而自由发展的活动,无论是在古代中国还是在古代西方,都保留着完整的自由本性。但在工业化、现代化的进程中,教育却走向了模式化、制度化。随之而来的,必然是教育本性的迷失和异化,以及教育对人的本性的束缚和压抑。教育成了塑造满足社会需要的人的手段,而不是以成就人、发展人的全面性为目的。对此,只有重新树立大教育理念,实行大教育改革,重构大教育格局,才能克服教育本性之异化,实现教育本质之复归。     

日本的环境立国战略及其启示

2007年6月,日本内阁会议通过了《21世纪环境立国战略》。该战略进一步明确了通过发展环境、能源技术和改革社会经济系统以实现经济发展与环境保护的双赢,走经济社会可持续的发展道路,奠定了日本对内对外环境政策的基础。环境交流与合作是我们与环境先进的发达国家互利共赢的一个结合点。因此,我们应当充分利用国际环境合作的平台,积极引进环境先进国家的环保节能技术和经验,以推动我国资源节约型和环境友好型社会建设。