Pollution Legislation Research Articles

An Improved RRT Path-Planning Algorithm Based on Vehicle Lane-Change Trajectory Data

The Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm faces issues in path planning, including low search efficiency, high randomness, and suboptimal path quality. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes an improved RRT planning algorithm based on vehicle lane change trajectory data. This algorithm dynamically adjusts the sampling area based on road environment and trajectory change laws, allowing the random tree to sample within an effective area, thereby improving the algorithm’s sampling efficiency. After determining the sampling area, a sampling point optimization strategy is used to enhance sampling quality, resulting in a smoother and more executable path. Finally, the vehicle is processed in a standardized manner to further improve path safety. Simulation results indicate that, compared to the original RRT algorithm, the improved version reduces nodes, planning time, and path length by 12.77%, 64.79%, and 12.87%, respectively. It also improves path smoothness and more closely aligns with actual lane-change trajectories, demonstrating the effectiveness and executability of the improved algorithm.

Unlocking the secrets of Neapolitan pizza: A concise review of wood-fired, electric, and gas pizza ovens.

This review explores the Neapolitan pizza baking process in a traditional wood-fired oven, employing visual color analysis and IR thermal scanning to detail heat exchange mechanisms. During cooking, the oven floor temperature in the pizza area decreased proportionally to the pizza's mass, whereas the free area maintained a constant temperature of 439±3°C. An IR thermal camera indicated that the oven dome temperature reached approximately 480°C with a weak flame and 500°C with a strong flame. The pizza's bottom achieved a maximum temperature of 100±9°C, facilitated by the Pizzaiolo's skill in lifting and rotating the pizza for uniform cooking. Top temperatures varied: up to 180°C for white pizza and 84°C and 67°C for tomato and Margherita pizzas, respectively. IRIS electronic eye analysis revealed more browning and blackening on the pizza's top compared to its bottom, with peaks of about 26% and 8% for white pizza, respectively. Rapid baking is pivotal in Neapolitan pizza-making, necessitating precise heat and mass transfer management to influence sensory attributes. European Commission Regulation No. 97/2010 mandates wood-fired ovens for true Neapolitan pizza, but environmental concerns prompted the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana to certify gas or electric ovens when wood-fired ovens are impractical. Operating costs vary: liquefied petroleum gas ovens are the costliest, with costs ranging from €5.38 to €6.19/h, whereas natural gas and electric ovens have operating costs between €2.70 and €4.10/h. At €0.15/kg, firewood is the most economical, supporting traditionalist views. However, natural gas and electric ovens present competitive costs under stringent antipollution laws, making them viable alternatives.

Net Zero and Natural Resources Law: Sovereignty, Security and Solidarity in the Clean Energy Transition (Oxford University Press, 2024)

The IBA’s Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law is advised by the Academic Advisory Group (AAG), a group of leading academics from around the world. Every two years, the AAG publishes a book about a key topic of interest to the entire Section. This year’s book focuses on the legal issues involved with the clean energy transition. In response to the climate emergency, several countries, corporations and other actors worldwide have announced programmes aimed at reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change to net zero by the year 2060 or earlier. While the need for a clean energy transition is clear, incoherently designed transition programmes could produce complex environmental, social and governance risks, including legal liability and protracted disputes. At the same time, the growing rush for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies raises fundamental questions. Most crucial is how to ensure the exploration and development of energy transition minerals in a manner that does not exacerbate resource conflicts, resource nationalism, human rights violations, protectionism, energy insecurity, social exclusions and inequity, especially in conflict-affected and high-risk regions. These scenarios raise the need for net-zero and climate-aligned natural resource contracts, legislation and investment agreements to drive a just and inclusive energy transition. With presentations from some of the expert contributors to the latest AAG book, Net Zero and Natural Resources Law, this panel session reflected upon innovative legal drafting, contract negotiation and policymaking approaches needed to address the wide range of resource sovereignty, security and solidarity questions posed by the net zero transition.

An Evaluation of the Vehicular Pollution Law in India

An Evaluation of the Vehicular Pollution Law in India

Green Economy Through Financial Sector Development: The Mediating Role of Economic Freedom and Green Legislation

Employing a structural equation modeling and focusing on the Republic of Djibouti, the article investigates the effect of financial sector development on green economy when it is mediated by both the level of economic freedom and green legislation. The findings unveil a threefold revelation: (1) a resilient financial sector positively steers the green economy, (2) an effect augmented by the dimensions of economic freedom, (3) while the involvement of Djiboutian green legislation in mediating remains minimal.

Harmonizing International Environmental Law and National Sovereignty

International environmental law is an important legal tool to deal with the global environmental crisis. In recent years with the increasingly serious and global environmental problems the speed and depth of environmental problems are also increasing. In this process the relationship between state sovereignty and international environmental law and its conflict become the object of study. "To do a systematic analysis this paper attempts to destroy the conflict between national sovereignty and environmental rights and on the basis of in-depth discussion of the background concept formation and development stage of international environmental law to explore whether the two can be coordinated. In particular the concept of "soft standards" is proposed to analyze its actual status and role in international environmental law and its dialectical relationship between legal significance and legal effect in non-binding international instruments. On the basis of respecting national sovereignty the document said that strengthening the supervision of international mechanisms and improving the national responsibility system can promote the effective coordination of international environmental law and safeguard national sovereignty and realize the mutual benefit and win-win situation of environmental protection and national interests. At the same time it puts forward a more cautious attitude towards the criticism and modification of the soft law of the international environment and emphasizes that the universal basis of the law should be paid attention to in the practical application so as to avoid the marginalization of legal research due to excessive dependence on social analysis methods.This paper aims to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the further development and practical application of international environmental law.

Engagement of forest-dependent communities in the sustainable management of Akure forest reserve

Sustainable forest management is linked to stakeholder involvement, openness, accountability of decision-makers, adherence to the rule of law, predictability, efficient and effective management of natural resources. It is essential in accomplishing the goal of good governance. This study was conducted to evaluate the involvement of the forest-dependent people in the management of the Akure forest Reserve in Ondo state, Nigeria. Two-hundred structured questionnaires were distributed to respondents in four specifically chosen communities out of the twelve communities bordering the Reserve. A total of fifty structured questionnaires were distributed to respondents in each of the four chosen localities. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The results revealed that the majority of the community's population consists of males (72.5%) and individuals aged 43 and above (38.5%), followed by individuals aged 31-36, accounting for 28.0% of the population. The majority of the residents (40.5%) visit the reserve on a daily basis, while thirty percent (30%) visit weekly to collect firewood and for agricultural production. The level of participation of community dwellers in Forest Management and Conservation is significantly influenced by their age (χ²= 9.456, df = 6, p = 0.024), marital status (χ² = 11.873, df = 2, p = 0.003), and occupation (χ²= 44.237, df = 4, p = 0.000). The primary endeavours undertaken by the inhabitants of the reserve are agricultural in nature. Age, household size, marital status and monthly income were the primary factors influencing their decision not to participate in forest governance in the Reserve

Analisis Dampak Hilirisasi Terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Di Indonesia

The processing and utilization of natural resources aims to meet all human needs in each country, both in the agriculture, fisheries, and mining sectors. Natural resource law focuses more on exploitation and utilization, while environmental law focuses on its preservation, indeed these two laws seem to contradict and there is a difference. But this is always related to each other and cannot be separated. Downstream which refers to the development or transformation of the added value of a product or commodity from raw materials upstream to semi-finished products or finished products downstream. In other words, through the downstream program, Indonesia has the opportunity to increase revenue by managing the production process from upstream to downstream. Downstream is the main focus of the government because downstream has significant added value potential for the country's economy. The government said the key to Indonesia's economic growth reaching 6-7% lies in downstream. One of the downstream industry programs is predicted to be an important step to support the momentum of golden Indonesia 2045.

Assessing Drifting Fish Aggregating Device (dFAD) Abandonment under International Marine Pollution Law

AbstractThis article asks whether the abandonment of drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) is illegal under international marine pollution law. To answer this question, it provides a brief overview of the general international legal framework for the protection of the marine environment as well as specific legal regimes, namely the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (LC), its 1996 Protocol (LP), and Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). The article concludes that the abandonment of dFADs contravenes the LC/LP and/or, depending on the preferred interpretation, MARPOL Annex V. The decision as to which of the two regimes is applicable depends on whether dFAD abandonment can be classified as ‘incidental to, or derived from the normal operations of vessels … and their equipment’ or not. The negligent loss of dFADs always violates MARPOL Annex V. The article also shows that certain state practice and opinio juris suggests a parallel applicability of the two regimes with respect to deliberate dFAD abandonment. While such a development would ensure more comprehensive coverage of the relevant standards and prohibitions, a clear regulatory decision as to which of the two regimes is the correct one would be preferable from an implementation and enforcement perspective.

Environmental Protection through Criminal Law Practical Parallelism Between Directive 2008/99/EC and Albanian Criminal Law

Environmental crime is the fourth largest criminal activity in the world, after drug trafficking, human trafficking and falsification, growing between 5%-7% per year (Assessment from Interpol of the United Nations Environment Programme). Our criminal code provides numerous of offenses with a focus on environmental protection. These criminal acts, regardless of the immediate needs for investigation and prosecution, have been not taken seriously rather in investigation and further in judgment. This is due to various factors, among the most important being the neglect from almost all responsible structures on environment protection. Today, as the consequences of these crimes have taken an unstoppable consequence, the focus of policymakers and legislative body, must turn to environmental protection through various mechanisms, but especially through criminal sanctions. Within this protection, which has already reached the levels of a challenge, there is a need for new legal provisions. In this regard, in this paper, we address shortly the legal regulation and evolution of environmental crimes in Albania, various aspects of the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes in Albania, referring to statistics, analyzing them and drawing recommendations, which are still valid and more, taking into consideration the initiation of work for drafting the New Penal Code, as well as the practical parallelism between Directive 2008/99/EC on environmental protection through criminal law and Albanian criminal law in environmental protection.
 
 Received: 20 December 2023 / Accepted: 29 February 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Study on fracturing fluid return pattern and production characteristics of shale gas wells

We innovatively propose a research method through micro-experiment + macro-measurement, combined with onsite proppant return test. This method can solve the problem of unclear impact of the return shut-in time, return rate control and return effect on production. We carried out a specific applied research for Fuling shale gas Jiangdong block, specifically determined the mineral composition, overburden pressure physical properties before and after fracturing fluid percolation, the changing law of resistance environment of gas production channel inside the reservoir before and after fracturing fluid percolation, and explored the settlement problem of proppant’s size, type and nature in the fracture through the situation of sand return. This study concludes that the reservoir testing process can be divided into pure fluid production stage, gas breakthrough stage, and stable production stage. The optimal contact time between shale and fracturing fluid promotes the hydration of clay minerals to produce microfractures and the formation of a complex network of intercommunicating seams facilitated by external dynamics, which promotes gas production. And the wrong return after fracturing will affect the hydraulic fracture conductivity.

Micronesian States Natural Resource Law Features

The object of the study is the relations of environmental management in the Micronesian states, the subject is the legislation and doctrine in the field of exploitation of natural resources of the countries of Micronesia: Wake Island, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariinsky Islands, the Territory of Guam, the possessions of the United States of America. The author examines the features of the state natural resource mechanism in the listed jurisdictions. The article examines the institution of ownership of natural resources, the permissive procedure for the use of natural objects. In addition, the author addresses the problems of implementing the norms of international maritime law, explores the legal regime of the Micronesian waters. The work completes the "Oceanic Sonata" in the theory of natural resource law of foreign countries and takes it to the next scientific level, qualitatively raising the "bar" for followers. The relevance of the research is due to the theoretical and practical significance of the content of the article, which reflects domestic interests in Oceania. The author in the article operated with dialectical, logical, historical, formal legal, comparative legal, deduction, induction and other methods of cognition. The scientific novelty of the presented work lies in the originality of the conclusions and the work itself, which contains fundamentally new information on the subject of research. Legal publications about Micronesia are insignificant, "living classics" is presented to your attention - one of the few Russian scientific articles about this Pacific region, while the available works are largely outdated, and some jurisdictions are covered in the domestic sciences for the first time. The author discusses with foreign scientists, analyzing foreign doctrine and legislation, and suggests using the experience of the United States of America in the Russian Federation. At the same time, violations of the norms of international maritime law in the Pacific Ocean are noted, as well as cases of declaring the existence of an exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf of the United States of America in the waters of sovereign States and unoccupied atolls, but also their inclusion in the American Empire as possessions of the United States of America, acting as a possessor of other States.

The modern state of regulatory and legal support for plant protection and its improvement in the context of legislative activity

The relevance of the chosen topic lies in the fact that in recent years in Ukraine, there has been a tendency to work on changes to the valid legislation in the field of plant protection, which is due to the need to adapt Ukrainian legislation to the legislation of the European Union. The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the modern and prospective state of regulatory and legal support for plant protection in Ukraine. Research methods used in the work include comparative legal, systemic-structural, formal-logical, and doctrinal methods. The system of legislation regulating environmental and economic security in the agricultural sector of Ukraine is based on constitutional and general norms, environmental legislation, international treaties, as well as subordinate acts that ensure their practical implementation. The research results have established that the modern state of regulatory and legal support for plant protection in Ukraine requires revision and updating due to the presence of outdated, imperfect, and Soviet-influenced legal norms in the field of plant protection, as well as Ukraine’s European integration prospects. Conclusions have been drawn regarding the need to revise conflicting and overlapping provisions of the draft Law of Ukraine “On State Regulation in the Field of Plant Protection” and to make relevant amendments during the preparation of the bill for the second reading. Emphasis is placed on the need to focus specifically on the further implementation of such a bill and the inexpediency of adopting the Draft Law of Ukraine “On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine to Eliminate Inconsistencies in the Areas of Legislation on Plant Protection and State Control”. The research materials may serve as a theoretical basis for filling gaps in Ukrainian legislation and may also be useful for students and teachers in the process of preparing for disciplines such as “Environmental Law of Ukraine”, “Natural Resource Law of Ukraine”, “Floristic Law of Ukraine”, etc

Application Comparison of the Lex Loci Delicti Commission Theory between the Oil Spill Case in the Gulf of Mexico and the Carbon Emissions Case in the Netherlands

The event of a disastrous oil spill from British Petroleum's offshore drilling installation on the 20th of April 2010 was caused by a leaking underwater pipeline, which polluted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Subsequently, there was the Carbon Emission Case in the Netherlands, which required Shell to reduce their carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from the carbon emissions generated in 2019. Both events were deeply concerning and directly effected the citizens of the respective countries. In the first case, the spill of approximately 5,000 barrels or 210,000 gallons (795,000 liters) of crude oil spread extensively due to ocean currents where the contaminated area ended up covering 9,933 square kilometers of ocean (77 x 129km). This oil spill, which was a result of British Petroleum's negligence, lead to legal action taken against the company for violations of international environmental laws, due to environmental pollution. In the second case, Shell, was deemed to have contributed significantly to climate change in the Netherlands. The company was responsible for twice the amount of greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands. The research method employed in this journal uses a normative juridical research approach, focusing on legal norms within the decisions for Case MDL No. 2179 and the Verdict issued by the Haugue District Court. In this journal, the author concludes that both British Petroleum and Shell have been proven to commit unlawful acts against the international environment laws through environmental pollution.

The Future of Mineral Development on Federal Lands, chapter in The Evolution of Natural Resources Law and Policy (MacDonnell and Bates, eds., 2010) <br>

The Future of Mineral Development on Federal Lands, chapter in The Evolution of Natural Resources Law and Policy (MacDonnell and Bates, eds., 2010) <br>

Multimodal linguistic landscape ecological optimization strategy for Nanchang urban area based on big data analysis

Abstract How to better coordinate construction development and regional landscape ecology in the process of urbanization is a realistic problem to be solved. This paper firstly constructs a multimodal language landscape ecological analysis and prediction model based on the patch-corridor-substrate theory for the urban geographical characteristics of Nanchang city and analyzes the urban dynamic data and landscape element change transfer by Markov transfer matrix combined with the entropy weight method to realize the analytical functions of land use change, landscape ecological pattern, spatial measurements, and landscape ecological health risk evaluation. It has been found that the landscape ecological condition of Nanchang City has generally deteriorated from 2005 to 2023, and the average value of the landscape ecological index has decreased. With the improvement of ecological environment laws and regulations, the city will develop in a more scientific, orderly, and sustainable direction, the degree of damage to the landscape will gradually decrease, and the landscape patches become more regular. The degree of forest land separation decreased from 1.932 to 1.228. The area of unutilized land continued to decrease, the degree of disturbance increased to 0.994, and the degree of loss increased to 0.342. The area of the lower ecological risk zone continued to decrease to 1,364.96km2. The proportion of the medium ecological risk zone decreased from 33.42% to 5.26%, and the area decreased by 1,996.77km2. The area of the high ecological risk and high ecological risk zones decreased by 400.72% respectively. Higher ecological risk and high ecological risk areas were reduced by 400.72km² and 31.91km², respectively, according to which this paper puts forward three landscape ecological optimization strategies, such as constructing an ecological network system, strengthening monitoring and early warning, and rationally planning land space. This paper is of great significance in carrying out a regional landscape ecological evaluation, regulating the spatial pattern of Nanchang, optimizing the use of regional land resources, and guaranteeing the sustainable development of the region.

Regulatory Gaps in Pharmaceutical Waste Management: A Case Study of Malaysia

Recent scientific studies emphasise the detrimental effects of pharmaceutical residues, such as antibiotics and endocrine disruptors, on aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. Improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste poses several risks, including the development of antimicrobial resistance and hormonal imbalances. This paper reviews Malaysia’s federal regulations on pollution and waste management to identify gaps in addressing pharmaceutical pollutants. A content analysis approach was employed, involving transcribing, reading, coding, categorizing, and identifying themes within the textual data. Recurring themes were then used to highlight gaps and opportunities for improving pharmaceutical waste management within the existing legal framework. The study discovered that while the current legal framework effectively manages pharmaceutical waste from point sources like healthcare facilities and manufacturing sites, there is a significant regulatory gap concerning household pharmaceutical waste. Such waste is neither regulated under environmental pollution laws nor included in hazardous or solid waste management regimes, posing a considerable risk to the country’s environment. The study recommends adopting extended producer responsibility to improve household pharmaceutical waste management and highlights the potential role of solid waste legislation in achieving this goal. By prioritizing pharmaceutical waste regulation and adopting proactive environmental protection measures, Malaysia can safeguard public health, ensure a cleaner ecosystem, and strengthen its commitment to sustainable environmental management. The study also noted that many developed nations have already integrated pharmaceutical markers into their water quality monitoring standards. Therefore, Malaysia should begin monitoring emerging pharmaceutical pollutants as well. Updating the National Water Quality Index to include pharmaceutical residues will further enhance efforts to protect the environment.

Air pollution legislation in the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea: an overview

Air pollution legislation in the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea: an overview

Taxonomies of "sustainable development" and "green" projects as legal instruments for achieving sustainable development goals and "green legislation"

The article is devoted to a new tool of Russian legislation and law enforcement practice – the taxonomy of "sustainable development" and "green" projects. The subject of the study is the understanding of the prerequisites for the adoption and regulatory content of the taxonomy, determining its significance for the development of legal regulation in the light of the concept of sustainable development, as well as its practical value for increasing investments in "green" and "sustainable" infrastructure, improving social and environmental indicators of the population. The relevance of the study is related to the lack of precisely the normative tools for the qualification of "sustainable development" projects, "green" and "climate" projects has long been considered one of the main barriers hindering the development of the Russian market of "sustainable" and "green" financing, as well as increasing demands for streamlining approaches to such projects. The main research methods were general scientific methods - formal-logical, systemic and functional. Special attention is paid to the comparative legal analysis of the taxonomies of Russia, Kazakhstan and China. The Russian taxonomy has laid the regulatory foundation for the market of sustainable, including green financing in the Russian Federation, and has the potential to contribute to the expansion of its scale. And although through its adoption, the fundamental problem of ensuring sustainable development has not been solved in the legal field. Nevertheless, it introduced terminological (conceptual) certainty, reduced the asymmetry of the goals and objectives of legal regulation of investment and environmental relations, which is also an extremely important task of legal regulation. In the absence of clear goal-setting and normative definitions, new legal and economic categories are given different meanings, which negatively affects the emerging regulation of this sphere of relations. Future tasks related to the development of optimal legal structures for regulating relations arising from the preparation and implementation of projects of "sustainable" development and "green" projects will be solved more effectively, largely due to the foundations laid by the Russian taxonomy.

Proliferation of noise pollution: Implication on health and community perception in coastal slums

Noise pollution's impact on human health and community perceptions is explored in this study. This study employed a mixed method approach, including survey, documentary, in-depth interviews, and noise meter measurements. Noise readings were measured at 15-minute intervals for each site using a precision-grade sound level meter. Descriptive and inferential statistics (SPSS version 20.0) and a geospatial information system-based Kriging technique (ArcGIS) were used for data analysis. The average mean value of noise levels (67.5 ± 3.0, 67.2 ± 2.2 75.0 ± 4.3, 66.7 ± 0.0 and 66.2 ± 2.2 dBA) from five locations exceeded WHO and NESREA standards of 65 and 55 during the day permissible limits in wet season; while during dry season (67.2 ± 5.8, 71.6 ± 0.7, 70.6 ± 0.0, 71.9 ± 0.0, 68.8 ± 0.0, 75.1 ± 0.0, 74.2 ± 0.2 and 79.4 ± 0.0 dBA) from eight locations surpass the recommended limits. Socio-demographic profiles showed that females were more impacted by noise pollution than males, and people between the age group of 40–59 years also expressed concern about noise pollution's impact. Additionally, 52.5, 42.5, and 40 % of the married respondents across the study area revealed high levels of proneness to noise pollution. Primary and secondary educational levels, as well as employment status (civil servant or unemployed), were identified as good predictors of noise-related health problems. Sources of noise pollution, as reported by the slum dwellers, include generator sets (37.5 %), religious worship centers (42.5 %), grinding machines and public address systems (60 %), moving vehicles (62.5 %), marketplaces (67.5 %), and motor parks (75 %).Contributory factors attributed to reported noise pollution levels are an increase in community population, duration of stay, and periods of extreme noise pollution. Perceived auditory and non-auditory health effects of noise exposure include hearing loss, hypertension, poor sleep quality, disturbances in mental health, nervousness, and myocardial infarction.Correlations were found between the reporting of noise impact and factors relating to the quality of life. Hence, 65% of those seeking better job opportunities and 75% of those seeking more affordable and cheaper living costs reported noise impact. Noise pollution performance measures, as reported, had connections between the respondents' attitude and knowledge. However, 67.5% indicated negative effects of noise pollution, 70% indicated reduction through creating awareness, and 72.5% reported reduction through government intervention. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of aggressive public education regarding the dangers of noise pollution to human health, as well as the strict implementation and enforcement of noise pollution laws.