Import Ban Research Articles

Hunting trophy import bans proposed by the UK may be ineffective and inequitable as conservation policies in multiple social‐ecological contexts

AbstractThe UK government is considering legislation to prohibit the importation of hunting trophies. We examine documented social, ecological, and political outcomes of two previous such bans. We find that the UK government's proposal shares the shortcomings of existing bans that have (1) failed to address, or have even amplified, key threats to hunted species, (2) imposed costs on citizens of other countries, and (3) delegitimized the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Trophy import bans are blunt policy instruments that can cause more problems than they solve.

Cheap chicken in Africa: Would import restrictions be pro-poor?

Europe’s chicken exports to Africa have long been criticised for their negative effects on local producers. However, while cheap chicken imports may hurt African poultry farmers, the same cheap imports benefit African consumers and improve their access to affordable nutrients. A few African countries have established import restrictions, but it is unclear how such policies affect different population groups and whether the potential benefits for farmers outweigh the broader social costs. We use nationally representative household data from Ghana and a partial-equilibrium framework to simulate domestic household supply, consumption, and overall welfare effects of two hypothetical policies, namely a 50% import tariff on chicken and a complete import ban. Our results suggest that both policies would lead to increased domestic chicken prices with negative consumption effects that are much larger than the positive supply effects. Average poor and non-poor households in rural and urban areas would suffer welfare losses from these import restrictions. While many households purchase and consume chicken, relatively few produce chicken and only very few sell any chicken in the market. The findings imply that chicken import restrictions are not a pro-poor and welfare-enhancing policy. To compensate the few households particularly hurt by cheap chicken imports, targeted support measures would make more sense economically and socially than general import restrictions.

Waste Import Bans and Environmental Quality: Evidence from China’s Electronic Waste Disposal Towns

Waste Import Bans and Environmental Quality: Evidence from China’s Electronic Waste Disposal Towns

The impact of the food embargo on con­sumer preferences and cross-border practices in the Kaliningrad region

The Russian food market has been a fascinating subject for researchers investigating food security risks and ways to mitigate them since the embargo was imposed in 2014. The Kaliningrad region, an exclave of Russia, responded more sensitively to the restrictions than any other territory of the country due to the heavy dependence of its food market on imported finished products and raw materials, as well as the transit from Russia via third countries. This study aims to explore how the consumer preferences of Kaliningraders changed in 2014—2021 under the food embargo. The research also investigates changes in the cross-­border mobility of the region’s residents with regard to the practice of shopping for groceries in neighbouring countries. The principal method used in the study is survey research. A survey of 1,019 respondents was conducted in September 2021. Additionally, a comparative analysis of average food prices in the region and neighbouring countries from 2012 to 2019 was carried out based on data from Kaliningradstat and the national statistics services in Poland and Lithuania. The ways to obtain embargoed food were systematised using content analysis of social media, advertising and joint purchase services, travel agency websites, regional news portals and blogs. The study found that rising prices for commodity groups falling under the import ban were the most significant change in the regional food market. As a result, the share of Kaliningrad and Belarusian manufacturers in the regional market basket of consumer goods rose dramatically, as the volume and range of products increased and new manufacturers entered the market. At the same time, the dependence of purchases of “sanctioned” goods on non-material reasons (quality, personal preferences) determined Kaliningraders’ continued commitment to the “old” strategies despite significant restrictions.

The Impact of Russian Import Ban on the International Peach Trade Network

The Impact of Russian Import Ban on the International Peach Trade Network

Ten years of coverage of trophy hunting in UK newspapers

Hunting is an increasingly contentious topic. Trophy hunting, whereby people hunt individual animals with desirable characteristics in order to keep body parts (e.g. horns, heads, hides, antlers) as mementos, is especially contested. Political pressure, often in the form of trophy import bans, is being applied in multiple nations, and campaigns to ban trophy hunting, or trophy imports, attract considerable media attention. However, trophy hunting often has conservation value, acting to protect habitat and provide income for local communities. Assuming that media coverage can influence public and political opinion, negative or simplistic media coverage of trophy hunting has the potential to cause adverse outcomes for conservation and local communities. Here, we analyse coverage of trophy hunting from July 2010 - June 2020 (five years before and five years after the death of Cecil the Lion) in the most popular UK media outlets (624 articles in total), assessing the overall sentiment of each article, and the species and countries covered. Ninety percent of all coverage occurred after the death of Cecil the lion, marking this event as a watershed moment in UK mainstream media depiction of trophy hunting. The overall sentiment of articles was largely against trophy hunting (63.1%), and this was more pronounced in tabloids (84.2%) than broadsheets (42.2%). Pro-trophy hunting articles were very uncommon overall (3.5%). Articles that described the complexity of trophy hunting decreased following Cecil and were most common in pre-Cecil broadsheets (35.7%, dropping to 30.6%) and rarest in post-Cecil tabloids (3.1%). Articles focussed mainly on charismatic but rarely hunted species including lion, elephant and rhino, with commonly hunted species (such as impala or Cape buffalo) only rarely being mentioned. When countries were mentioned, southern African nations predominated, with four nations (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana) being named in 68% of qualifying articles. We conclude that simplistic media depiction of trophy hunting has the potential to cause negative outcomes for conservation through its impact on public perception and political opinion.

Contribution of Active Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Technology to the Value-Chain of Perishable Fruits and to Rural Development: Case of Atemoya in Taiwan

Atemoya is an important tropical fruit export for Taiwan, mainly produced in Taitung, a rural area of South-Eastern Taiwan. However, it was sold to virtually a single market—China—and when that market suddenly announced an import ban on the fruit in 2021, the rural farmers and the local economy were adversely affected. They had to quickly explore new overseas markets. Unfortunately, its short postharvest life makes it infeasible for long-distance transport. This study measured the impacts of the ban on the local economy using an input-output (IO) analysis. It also tested the technical feasibility of using a controlled atmosphere (CA) preservation technology, which was necessary for long-distance exports. The benefits of this strategy for the rural economy were also assessed using IO techniques. Results reveal that the atemoya value chain accounted for 2.12% of the production value, 2.75% of the value-added, and 3.62% of the employment in Taitung. Furthermore, the CA technology successfully doubled its postharvest life; thereby allowing exports to countries as far as Canada, and easing the impacts of the earlier ban. This development, together with facilitating domestic sales, boosted the local economy’s output value by NTD 491 million and its value-added by NTD 237 million. In addition, it can also increase rural employment by 2235 people. Using a smart agriculture technology in this case protected a perishable fruit industry that has a thin domestic market, from the risk of relying only on a single export destination. Consequently, this has supported the sustainability of rural communities and helped them to remain resilient.

Land use changes and economic effects of alternative fertilizer policies: A simulation analysis with a bio-economic model for a Tank Village of Sri Lanka

CONTEXTUntil May 2021, the policy regime of the Government of Sri Lanka was to import and provide chemical fertilizer at subsidized rates to small-holder farmers. On May 6, 2021, the government imposed a ban on import of chemical fertilizers and subsidy was directed to organic fertilizers. Due to heavy protests by the farming community, the import ban was lifted in November 2021. By that time, fertilizer prices in the world market had sharply escalated making chemical fertilizers quite an expensive source of nutrients. OBJECTIVEThe objective of this paper is to assess the implications of different fertilizer policy scenarios on land use, profitability, shadow prices of resources, and environmental damages in paddy, maize and vegetable- based cropping systems in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. METHODA bio-economic model was developed and simulated for five policy scenarios for the Mahakanumulla tank village in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka demonstrating (i) conventional agriculture, (ii) enhanced availability of organic fertilizers, (iii) removal of subsidy on chemical fertilizers, (iv) premium prices for chemical fertilizer free produce, and (v) a composite shock accommodating (ii), (iii) and (iv) above. The above simulations were run “with” and “without” water constraints to depict tank village systems and similar systems under major irrigation schemes respectively under varying limits of chemical fertilizers. Paddy, maize and vegetable, cultivated using two technologies, i.e., intensive use of chemical fertilizers and intensive use of organic fertilizers, were taken as decision variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe results of the analysis showed that under the conventional agriculture scenario, paddy and maize cultivation was the preferred choice for profit maximizing farmers in the tank village. When chemical fertilizers were restricted, farmers abandoned paddy and maize cultivation. Chemical fertilizers were available in sufficient quantities, even without a subsidy, profits reduce only by 13.56%. Maximum returns from crop cultivation were reaped when chemical and organic fertilizers were available in sufficient quantities and a premium price for products cultivated with organic fertilizers is secured. The cost of restricting chemical fertilizer application is severe in agricultural systems where water is abundant. SIGNIFICANCEA policy environment that secures markets for chemical fertilizer free food products is needed to make cropping systems more financially and environmentally sustainable. Stringent restrictions on quantity limits on chemical fertilizers use can affect profitability of cropping systems with no significant gains in environmental quality.

Corporate social responsibility and firm market performance: the role of product market competition and firm life cycle

PurposeThis study empirically investigates the role of product market competition and mature-stage firm life cycle on the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and market performance in an emerging market context – Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors construct a comprehensive CSR index toward the economy, environment and society (EES) and apply both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) instrumental variables (IV) approaches to test the hypotheses of the study.FindingsThe authors find that EES-based CSR generally enhances firms' market performance; however, the level of product market competition undermines the market performance of socially and economically responsible firms. In addition, the study results indicate that mature-stage firm life cycle with more involvement in CSR activities shows better market performance. However, the endogeneity check of CSR suggests that both CSR and mature-stage firms are mutually exclusive in influencing market performance. The study findings are robust to alternative measures and different identifications of high and low default risk situations of sample firms.Practical implicationsThis study carries practical policy implications for the listed firms, regulators and stakeholders in general. For example, regulatory bodies may promote greater involvement in CSR activities by listed companies in the Malaysian stock market. Investors and other market participants should be aware of factors influencing socially responsible firms' market performance such as the corporate life cycle and the level of competition in product markets.Originality/valueThis research work responds to the call of regulatory bodies in Malaysia at a time when the Malaysian economy is under threat of environmental distraction practices by the palm oil industry and import ban by the largest export market, i.e. the European Union by 2030. The study also contributes to the theoretical literature by refining the moderating role of product market competition and mature-stage life cycle on the relationship between CSR and market performance from the perspectives of resource-based and stakeholder theories in emerging economy settings.

Beyond Multilateral Treaty Reforms

International trade law is primarily concerned with facilitating the flow of goods and services across national borders by minimizing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. However, there is a nexus between international trade and the environment. First, international trade is reckoned to have destructive environmental effects. The liberalization of global trade results in increased economic activity, including industrial processes, manufacturing, innovation of new technology, and extraction of natural resources from the earth and the sea, which inevitably results in environmental externalities such as biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change. Second, international trade law intersects environmental law whenever trade restrictive measures such as import bans, export control and border taxes are adopted by states as a means of achieving environmental goals.[1] Such measures condition market access on the fulfilment of environmental norms related to the characteristic of the product or the process of its production. The World Trade Organization (WTO) currently oversees the largest multilateral regime for international trade. WTO covered agreements expressly recognises some exceptions to trade liberalization commitments for environmental objectives, this policy space is subjected to a system of strict limitations and review procedures designed to protect the global trading system from arbitrariness and disguised restrictions on trade. This scrutinized policy space accounts for the contention that the multilateral trading system constrains environmental regulation and requires treaty reforms for the purpose of adapting to contemporary environmental concerns. Others have focused on a change of approach in the reasoning of WTO adjudicators in their review of trade-restrictive environmental measures. However, the process of multilateral negotiations for new agreements needed to effect rule change is notably complex and has been fraught with deadlocks in the last couple of decades. The stalemate over appointment of members of the Appellate Body has hampered the effective functioning of third-party adjudication in the WTO and the prospect of ‘pro-environmental’ approaches in the interpretation of WTO law on environmental measures. Meanwhile, numerous environment-related measures continue to be notified within the WTO. I argue that notwithstanding the absence of treaty reforms, international trade law continuously evolves through various formal and informal norm-generating practices by member states and trade stakeholders. Viewed through the lens of legal pluralism, these practices contest, modify and transform normative meaning in the multilateral trading system thereby creating a permissive setting for trade-restrictive environmental measures within the framework of extant international trade law.

New plant engineering techniques, R&D investment and international trade

AbstractNew plant engineering techniques (NPETs) may significantly improve both production and quality of foods. Some consumers and regulators around the world might be reluctant to accept such products and the global market penetration of these products may remain low. We develop a parsimonious economic model for R&D investment in food innovations to identify conditions under which NPET technology emerges in the context of international trade. The framework integrates consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for the new food, the uncertainty of R&D processes, the associated regulatory cost of approval, and the competition between domestic and foreign products. With generic applicability, the model enables the quantitative analysis of new foods that could be introduced in markets and then traded across borders. We apply the framework to a hypothetical case of apples improved with NPETs. Simulation results suggest that import bans and high values of sunk cost can reduce R&D investment in NPETs to suboptimal levels.

Impact assessment of the EU import ban on Indonesian palm oil: Using environmental extended multi-scale MRIO

Under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II, the EU will phase out the use of palm oil for biodiesel feedstock. Environmental concerns are the main reasons for the EU to implement this initiative. This study analyzes the economic and environmental impact of EU import ban to Indonesia at provincial level, using 2 scenarios (a direct and direct-indirect import ban). The analysis is performed using a global-subnational Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) with environmental extensions. This study shows that a direct (combined) import ban of palm oil by the EU will reduce Indonesia's GDP by −0.2 % (−0.26 %) and employment by −0.12 % (−0.54 %) from baseline. At provincial level, Riau, North Sumatra, Lampung, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan experience the highest impact on their domestic product (more than −0.5 %). Under a direct import ban, job losses mostly happen in outside Java (96.26 %) and in the oilseeds sector (75.21 %). Low and middle skilled jobs decline more than high skilled jobs and count for 95 % of the total loss. This study also shows that a direct (combined) import ban reduces national GHG emissions by −0.19 % (−0.24 %) and total land use by −0.48 % (−0.6 %). Potential carbon sequestration can be 34.55 (42.27) million tons C equivalent to 149.74 (182.67) million tons CO2e under assumption a full rewilding from the reduction of land use in oilseed. Our study shows that an EU import ban on Indonesian palm oil has relatively small economic and environmental impacts at national and provincial level. Yet, this policy can create potential carbon sequestration that can absorb CO2 by vegetation and soil.

Demonstration of feasible waste plastic pyrolysis through decentralized biomass heating business model

As the global recycling industry has collapsed since the China import ban of 2017, the amount of plastic waste has been rapidly increasing with little to no economic incentives for its utilization as a feedstock. For the first time, this work demonstrates a proof of concept, pilot-scale cogeneration system for biomass heating and plastic-derived pyrolytic oil production (MacroConverter ®). Furthermore, a disruptive techno-economic business model for decentralized plastic pyrolysis is assessed and compared with a traditional centralized industrial system through superstructure supply-chain optimization. Results of this initial assessment indicate that using a decentralized plastic pyrolysis model, combined with seasonal heating demand, profitability can be increased (1.3–2.4 x) and the process is unlikely to show a loss of profit whereas the centralized process may show losses. Furthermore, compared to centralized pyrolysis, transportation costs, and related CO2 emissions were significantly decreased by 3–10 x and 1.4–7 x respectively.

A Study on the Price and Preference for Imported Fruits by Country-of-Origin

Apples and pears are receiving relatively high attention compared to other agricultural products regarding whether or not to allow imports. As agricultural market liberalization measures such as the RCEP and the CPTPP progress, the possibility of lifting SPS measures is also increasing, along with the need for corresponding research. As part of a proactive response to the lifting of SPS measures, this study intended to analyze the potential demand for apples and pears, which are items subject to import bans.
 In this paper, it is estimated the potential prices that may occur when the SPS measures are lifted, focusing on major countries that could be import sources for apples and pears, and identified the preference for imported fruits by country of origin. As a result of the analysis, it is expected that prices of imported apples are 23.6% to 54.8% lower than for domestic apples. In the case of imported pears, the prices are expected to be 25.2% to 65.2% lower than for domestic pears. The estimated prices of the fruits were different according to their country of origin, and the ranges of price increase and decrease were different depending on the item. The analysis results imply that the preference for Asian fruits was relatively low, consumers preferred imported apples more than imported pears.

Beyond the Import Ban: Will China Tackle Its Waste Crisis?

Abstract The exponential growth of solid wastes in China has besieged its cities and villages, causing contamination of the land, water, and air and threatening public health and environmental safety. Efforts to expand safe disposal capacity by landfill and incineration have failed to catch up with the speed of waste increase. To tackle the looming waste crisis, China is shifting the focus of waste management from final disposal to waste prevention and reduction and waste to resource transformation by reuse, recycling, and recovery. This article analyses China’s waste management 2.0 under the revised Law on the Prevention and Control of Pollution by Solid Wastes and examines key regulatory initiatives including the waste import ban, the plastic ban, the extended producer responsibility scheme, and the compulsory waste-sorting program, which target the sources of waste generation. It further discusses the challenges ahead and criticizes the gaps in implementation of the municipal solid waste levy reform, green consumption, and the management of construction waste and rural waste.

Dwelling on a Wasteland: Externality, Environmental Injustice, and Materiality in Chen Qiufan’s Waste Tide

Contemporary Chinese science fiction writer Chen Qiufan begins his debut novel Waste Tide (Huangchao 荒潮, 2013; English translation, 2019) with an entry on the Basel Convention. Adopted in 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries, the Basel Convention aimed to respond to the public outcry following the discovery—in the 1970s and 1980s, in Africa, Eastern Europe, and other parts of the developing world—of deposits of toxic wastes imported from the industrialized world. In the spirit of what became known as the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome, developed countries have been exporting toxic wastes to the rest of the world where regulatory mechanisms are either much less restrictive or entirely lacking. With the accelerating manufacture and consumption of digital technology all over the globe, electronic waste has become the fastest-growing trash stream, the worldwide accumulation of which has more than doubled over the past decade, with the annual total predicted to exceed 57 million tons in 2021 (Larmer). Prior to its waste import ban implemented in 2018, China had imported about 70 percent of the world’s e-waste (Larmer; Watson). It has been reported that China’s trash import ban has shifted part of the unfolding waste crisis to Southeast Asia (Parker; Hook and Reed).

United States’ Use of Coercive Economic Statecraft in an Era of Great Power Competition

In the era of renewed great-power competition, the Unites States is expanding the use of sanctions and other restrictive measures to ratchet up political and economic pressure on its major competitors – China and Russia. Since late February 2022, in response to Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic and Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the U.S. and it allies have unleashed an unprecedented array of restrictive measures against Russia. These coordinated measures include personal and economic sanctions, financial and technology restrictions, export controls, travel and import bans. Although the restrictive measures imposed on Russia following the Ukraine crisis of 2014 failed to achieve their political objectives, the U.S. continues to escalate sanctions against Russia. Recessionary trends in the sanctioning economies (for instance, rising inflation and unemployment rates) do not stop them from looking for additional restrictive measures and tightening the existing ones. Geostrategic and geopolitical ambitions of the U.S., its allies and partners prevail over economic pragmatism. The purpose of this article is to analyze the U.S. sanctions policy towards Russia following Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Specifically, it seeks to explore the logic of decision-making by the Biden administration regarding the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool. The article also analyzes the prospects of escalation and de-escalation of the sanctions imposed on Russia. The author concludes that the U.S. sanctions, especially those that have been passed by Congress, will be in place for a long time. As the U.S. is enhancing its enforcement efforts, it will likely tighten the existing enforcement measures and introduce the new ones to punish sanctions evaders. The U.S. and its allies are likely to continue pursuing their long-term goal of containing Russia, degrading its capabilities and weakening its national power.

Gaslieferungen aus Russland k\xf6nnen kurzfristig nicht kompensiert werden

AbstractAs Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, more and more people are calling for a ban on Russian energy imports. The proponents argue that abstaining from importing billions worth of coal, oil and gas will further increase the pressure on the Kremlin. Critics, however, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, warn of what they believe to be incalculable consequences, with the gas supply being particularly at risk. This article outlines the different options for substituting Russian coal, oil, and especially gas and explains why the wait-and-see attitude of the German government towards a complete import ban is understandable.

Recycling Past and Present and the New Innovation Challenge for Materials at End-of-Life

Recycling is critical for the drive towards a circular economy and sustainable materials. More than ever, consumers, industries, governments, and academics are looking at end-of-life materials processing with the simultaneous goals of reducing emissions and energy consumption from primary materials production, encouraging sustainable practices, and securing the supply chains of key materials. However, attention on recycling practices and markets has been inconsistent over the years and critical market trends were largely unnoticed up until three years ago. Consequently, when China instituted its import ban on over 20 classes of recycled materials that failed to meet its strict low contamination limit in 2018, widespread and immediate global repercussions were felt throughout the recycling industry, particularly in the United States (U.S.). To understand the magnitude of this most recent market disruption to the U.S. recycling industry, it is instructive to trace recycling’s origins and evolution to identify where the recycling model has succeeded and where there exist opportunities for improvement. In this vein, this assessment gives a brief overview of the historical development of recycling in the U.S., the state of the industry today, and a discussion of specific materials classes where recycling has achieved varying degrees of success. By providing this context, this assessment aims to generate a discussion based on a systems-wide approach and provide examples of intervention strategies that help move communities toward more sustainable materials management.

Chemical recycling: A critical assessment of potential process approaches.

Increased media coverage of plastic pollution in the environment and import bans on plastic waste in several countries have resulted in plastic waste becoming one of the most discussed waste streams in recent years. In the European Union (EU), only about one-third of the post-consumer plastic waste is recycled; the rest goes to energy recovery and landfilling in equal parts. In connection to the necessary increase in efforts to achieve the ambitious EU recycling targets, chemical recycling is currently receiving more and more attention. The assumption is that chemical recycling processes could open up new waste streams for recycling and generate valuable raw materials for the chemical industry. Although there exists no legal definition for chemical recycling, there is more or less agreement that it covers the conversion of plastic polymers into their monomers or chemical building blocks. Techniques such as gasification, pyrolysis and liquefaction as well as solvolysis can be used for chemical recycling. So far, only few large-scale plants for chemical recycling exist worldwide. This article presents the different processes by means of examples from (formerly) running installations and their suitability for plastics recycling is assessed. However, to date, only few chemical recycling plants are in continuous operation, and further scientific evidence for the ecological and economic benefits is still necessary for final evaluation.