International Environmental Standards Research Articles

Investigation of Thermal Adaptation and Development of an Adaptive Model under Various Cooling Temperature Settings for Students’ Activity Rooms in a University Building in Malaysia

The use of an air conditioner (AC) becomes essential, particularly in a hot and humid climate, to provide a comfortable environment for human activities. The setpoint is the agreed temperature that the building will meet, and the use of the lowest setpoint temperature to accelerate the cooling of indoor spaces should be avoided. A comprehensive field study was conducted under various cooling temperature settings in two student activity rooms in a university building in Malaysia, so as to understand respondents’ characteristics and behavior toward AC usage, to estimate the comfort at various indoor temperatures, to develop an adaptive model of thermal comfort in AC spaces, and to compare the comfort temperature with related local and international indoor thermal environmental standards. The findings indicated that water intake and clothing insulation affected personal thermal comfort. Moreover, the mean comfort temperature for respondents was 24.3 °C, which is within an indoor thermal comfort zone of 23–27 °C. The findings suggest that the preference of occupants living in a hot and humid region for lower temperatures means that setting temperatures lower than 24 °C might underestimate the indoor comfort temperature. Additionally, an adaptive relationship can be derived to estimate the indoor comfort temperature from the prevailing outdoor temperature.

First- and second-class citizens? Governance disparity in the urban development of Conakry – Republic of Guinea

This article focuses on urban development in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea, to reflect on the progress and innovation represented by the increasingly widespread application of the World Bank’s international environmental and social standards with respect to the consideration of local stakeholders in governance processes. It also examines the paradoxical fact that, within the same territory, the variable application of those standards can create strong inequalities, particularly in the treatment of people involuntarily displaced by projects of public interest. This article underlines that the funding source of a project often determines whether international standards are adhered to. These differences in the consideration of people affected by projects may thus depend on criteria that are difficult for them to understand and are largely beyond their control.

The EU Sustainable Finance Framework in Light of International Standards

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the relationship between the EU sustainable finance legal framework and the most common international environmental, social, and governance standards. We find that standards included in the EU sustainable finance legal framework partly overlap with the international environmental, social and governance standards, while diverging as to the details. This overlap creates frictions, given that financial service providers need to decide which of the overlapping, yet partly diverging, standards they apply. The EU environmental taxonomy presents unique features and a higher level of sophistication when compared to the international environmental, social and governance standards. This may result in both upsides and downsides. On the upside, the EU sustainable finance legal framework could function as a pacemaker and facilitate impact measurement across the industry, while on the downside, we see additional costs for firms and resistance against the granular EU approach. At the same time, the EU sustainable finance legal framework lacks details on the social and governance dimensions. Here, reference to the international standards compensates for the lack of an EU social and governance taxonomy. While this allows for alignment of EU and international social and governance-oriented investors, a greater degree of sophistication at the EU level could enhance the potential for impact measurement—a particularly important aspect for socially sustainable investments.

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION IN THE ARCTIC IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND CHANGES

The ongoing global processes are reorienting Russia's international cooperation in the Arctic in the field of scientific research and economic development. The SCO and the EAEU organizations are gaining significant international influence, and the formation of cooperation between the BRICS countries continues. Russia's growing interaction with non-Arctic states creates the need to search for (or develop) fundamentally new legal foundations for international environmental cooperation in the Arctic. The developed practice of regional legal regulation of certain environmental problems in the Arctic is leveled by the illegal behavior of the Arctic states. The international agreements adopted by the SCO, the EAEU and the BRICS in the field of environmental and Arctic cooperation are studied. The reasonability of developing and adopting a universal international agreement regulating the legal regime of the Arctic, capable of violating the national interests of Russia and the Arctic states, is disputed. At the same time, the elaboration of international environmental standards for navigation, fishing, development and processing of natural resources and other activities in the Arctic is of practical interest. It is noted that despite the proclamation of the Arctic vector of development by the organizations, the international legislation of the Arctic orientation is characterized by fragmentary elaboration of individual elements in the absence of integrated approaches.

Environmental properties of packaging: the life cycle is like a vicious circle

The article discusses the environmental properties of packaging, new functions, the life cycle of packaging on the market, international, interstate and national environmental standards that recommend the best practices for handling packaging waste.

Estimation of Air Pollution from Ships in Port Area: A Case Study of Yeosu and Gwangyang Ports in Korea

With the rapid development of global trade and maritime transportation, a comprehensive emission inventory is necessary to control air pollution from ships as well as to comply with international environmental standards. The purpose of this study is to calculate the volume of emissions from ships in Yeosu and Gwangyang ports in Korea based on a bottom-up approach and supported by the data from the automatic identification system (AIS) and Korean port management information system (Port-MIS). Specifically, a real set of data on specifications of all ships operating at the port in 2019 was collected and an analysis of ship movement using AIS data was conducted by the authors in this study to divide the route into cruising and maneuvering phases as well as to estimate engine’s load factor. Finally, results show that the total amount of air emissions from ships at the port area was 558 thousand tons, which is 96% from CO2 and 66% from hoteling mode. Additionally, container and tanker ships together emitted the highest volume of air pollution accounting for a share of 73%.

Implementation of Good Practices in Environmental Licensing Processes

One of the main command and control mechanisms for the environment is the environmental licensing process. However, the isolated adoption of this mechanism has not satisfactorily ensured the environmental quality of natural resources. On the other hand, an increasing number of organizations are voluntarily adhering to good environmental practices. As a result, approximating the relationship between command and control instruments (state regulation) and good practices becomes increasingly important for improving the environmental performance of organizations. Within this context, the present work proposes to evaluate how good environmental practices can strengthen and advance current environmental licensing models adopted in South America. This research consists of an exploratory case study, conducted with a qualitative approach. Several countries in South America were evaluated because of the great natural resources that the region has, as well as the European Economic Community, due to their adoption of the so-called “best available techniques” of environmental management since 1996. The results of the study indicated that voluntary adherence to international environmental management standards has evolved in the analyzed countries and that environmental agencies in South American countries could establish legal bases to consolidate the inclusion of good environmental practices in environmental licensing processes. It was also observed that some benefits could be given to organizations that implement good environmental practices, such as granting of licenses with extended terms; debureaucratization (with time gain) of administrative procedures; exemption or reduction of fees; and facilitation of financing. This study could thus support debates for the effective advancement of the current environmental licensing model. However, this hypothesis must be evaluated and consolidated through further research, carried out individually for each country analyzed.

Угольные проекты Азиатской России как драйвер развития инфраструктуры

The global decarbonisation policy, growing availability of alternative energy sources and, subsequently, intensified competition in the global energy market increase the risks for coal suppliers, including Russia, the world’s third largest exporter of this fuel. Based on the author’s database on coal projects in Asian Russia, policy documents for the fuel and energy sector development and forecasts of global fuel consumption, the study presents the development outlook of the Russian coal industry up to 2040. The scenarios took into consideration the decarbonisation rate, features of the energy transition and implementation costs. As a result, optimistic, baseline and pessimistic scenarios were created. The baseline scenario assumes that the global decarbonisation rate will be reduced and coal energy will be present in the energy balance for at least twenty years. The implementation of this scenario should be accompanied by a radical increase in labour productivity, technological modernisation of the main production processes, the launch of advanced coal processing enterprises, and achieved compliance with international environmental standards. At the same time, the export orientation of Russian coal projects, primarily to the Asia-Pacific market, will remain. This situation will stimulate transport infrastructure development in Siberia and the Russian Far East, positively affect the integrated socio-economic development of Asian territories and improve the quality of life of the population, contributing to the stability of the political and economic system. The findings can be used to assess the investment impulse of large development projects in Asian Russia.

Влияние институциональных факторов на применение экологических критериев в государственных закупках строительных работ

Public procurement entities in Russia do not have to include environmental criteria in procurement, yet the strategic priority of the Russian government implicitly calls for it. We analyse such institutional factors affecting green public procurement, as the stringency of the law and the level organisation takes in the federal–municipal hierarchy. Our sample covers all procedures in public procurement of construction works in RF in 2019. International environmental standards are widely used in construction, suggesting procurement entities might be informed about existing environmental criteria. The data revealing green procedures is rather rare, and the strictness of the law reduces the probability of including environmental criteria in procurement. Organisations at the federal and regional levels are more likely to use environmental criteria in procurement than those at the municipal level. Corporations governed by the more fl exible procurement law are more likely to use environmental criteria. With respect to energy effi ciency, where clear guidance exists, the difference diminishes or reverts. Results indicate fl exible legislation and clear guidance may reduce caution and through that contribute to wider adoption of green public procurement in Russia.

Устойчивое развитие ПАО «Газпром»: практика применения ESG-модели в производстве и экспорте сжиженного газа

Subject/Topic. The paper is devoted to analysis of ESG-model application in production and export of liquefied gas with due account of current opportunities and threats of the EU and USA green transition policy and implementation of transboundary carbon charge. Methodology. General scientific cognitive methods (analysis, synthesis, deduction, comparison, scientific abstraction, logical reasoning and fact-finding) were applied to prepare the theoretical and methodological part of the scientific publication. Specific scientific cognitive methods (static analysis, expert estimates, graphical method) were used to prepare the analytical and expert sections of the publication, to form scenarios for the development of the ESG model of Gazprom's gas business, taking into account the current challenges and threats of the EU and US green policy, the «4 Worlds» Foresight method was used. Results. The scientific study of the ESG model application by «Gazprom's» gas business showed a deep understanding of the green transition processes within the LNG production and sales business processes, which is confirmed by both substantial investments in environmental protection measures and regular business expenses on compensation of gas production and transportation impact on the environment. A comparative analysis of ESG models applied by the gas business of the key oil and gas holdings has revealed the undisputed leadership of PJSC «Gazprom» and its commitment to creating the infrastructure and market landscape for the formation of an «environmentally friendly oil and gas business». According to external stakeholders (political elite of EU and USA, foreign financial and consulting institutions) among the weaknesses of the ESG model of gas business is its use of the «environmental credit» factor (PJSC «Gasprom» buys unused quotas on carbon emissions from the state in order to improve its own rating of environmentally friendly business); presence of undisguised manipulation with environmental value of pipeline gas deliveries to the EU (creating threat of market monopolization); presence of PJSC «Gazprom» holding's own bank (being the source of potential credit risks in the part of financing «toxic projects»); use of state corporation status by the holding to lobby its commercial interests in the EU and the US. Conclusions/Significance. At the end of the research the four main scenarios of ESG-model development were plotted and the expert judgement on their influence on the further lifecycle of the green policy is given: under the extreme scenario (red world) the company is likely to exit the EU and US markets in favour of the Asian states; under the more positive scenarios a gradual decarbonization of business processes of production, manufacturing and sales of LNG, taking into account international environmental standards, will correspond to the national goals and interests of Russia, and not «blindly» following the interests of Western environmental policy. Application. Results of the scientific research can be used to develop academic competence of students on strategic management and sustainable development in the gas business, and for practitioners to generate and improve ESG-models taking into account the latest requirements of the green policy of EU and USA, and the use of green finance tools for implementation of projects on business processes decarbonization.

The green game: how digital technology is changing Russia's oil and gas business

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the gas production business for the Russian economy, and therefore ensuring sustainable and innovative development of this sector of the economy is not just important, but a strategic vector of national economic security of the country: in case of a negative technological gap the impact of sanctions in terms of high-tech imports and overall dependence of the Russian economy on the "political mood" of global technological leaders in Western Europe and the United States is exacerbated. In addition, it should be noted the growing tightening of international environmental standards of oil and gas production, which determines the importance of digitalization of the oil and gas sector in Russia for its compliance with the green strategies of the world. The article is devoted to the study of practices of green investment and digitalization of the oil and gas sector in Russia, as well as the problems and prospects of its digital transformation, taking into account the best domestic and international practices of doing business in Industry 4.0. Separately, the article considers scenarios for the implementation of green investments in the oil and gas business in Russia using the "4 worlds" foresight method.

International Legal Regulation in the Field of Environmental Protection: History, Currents Situation, Prospects for the Future

The international agreements and treaties in the field of environmental protection, concluded in the 19th — first half of the 20thcentury, resulted most commonly from the compromises ofnecessity; they merely intended to deal with urgent matters on a limited scale in the spheres where specific problems emerged or at least were a focus of attention (e.g. some species under the threat of extinction, pollution of a specific area of the marine environment). These cases were reasons for adoption of conventions, aimed at protecting endangered species or preventing marine pollution. Such a fragmented approach to the issues of environmental protection shaped a set of conventions, impressive by its amount, but extremely diverse in its content.The understanding of the ecosystems’ integrity resulted in the development of the principles, enshrined in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and in the 1992 Rio Declaration, was to a significant degree driven by the spectacular advances in science and technology. As a result, the transition has been under way from the “spontaneous” formation of the international environmental standards to their consolidation around the special principles of international environmental law.Also a notable feature of many international environmental agreements — their “framework” character — is further analyzed. The adoption of the framework agreements gives rise to the complex sets of the convention documents, consisting of several different, but in a certain way interrelated agreements.Treating a question of the effectiveness of such a legal instrument as a framework agreement, the author concludes that the origins of the lack of effectiveness of the environmental agreements lie in the foundations of the existing economic system.

Natural capital. Approaches to economic assessment

The problems of economic assessment of natural capital as the most important category of ecological economy are considered in the modern context of sustainable development. It is required to improve the procedures and methods for natural capital accounting in accordance with the international environmental and economic standards in the System of National Accounts. Historical features of transformation of the term “natural capital” are analyzed in terms of the natural resource and ecosystem approaches. The principles of economic assessment of natural resources are proposed. The compliance with these principles is a necessary condition of the quality of information received. The formation of the structure of the natural capital accounts is analyzed in the case-studies of Great Britain as one of the first countries that switched to monetary reflection of ecosystem services in the national wealth and of a region of the Russian Federation in o rder to identify the structural uniformity of natural capital calculated in monetary terms. Data on the value of the underestimate part of the national wealth generated by forest ecosystems in Russia are obtained. The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education under state contract with the Ural State Mining University, Contract No. 075–03–2021–303 dated 29 December 2020.

Environmental Management of Agricultural Enterprises in the Context of European Environmentally - Friendly Food System

Strengthening international environmental regulation, implementation of a European strategy for a sustainable food system form new environmental requirements for producers and exporters of agricultural products. To meet new environmental requirements, avoiding environmental barriers to exports, agricultural enterprises must improve environmental management. The article improves environmental management in terms of the formation of the environmental strategy of agricultural enterprises in the context of the European environmentally-friendly food system. It was found that improving the efficiency of activities, the requirements of suppliers or customers and improving the company's image among stakeholders are the main incentives for the implementation of international environmental management standards in agricultural enterprises. It has been determined that in modern conditions the tasks of environmental management are expanding in terms of ensuring the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises by reducing the chemicalization of production processes and the carbon footprint. The stages of strategic planning in the environmental management system of export-oriented agricultural enterprises have been substantiated. An economic and mathematical model of production optimization, taking into account environmental factors, has been proposed for strategic planning in the environmental management system of agricultural enterprises.

On the environmental history of chemical munitions disposal at the bottom of the Baltic Sea: “Nord Stream” projects

Bases on the example of Baltic Region, the question is raised on the conservation of water resources in the context of environmental history and international cooperation. Special attention is given to the threats and risks of anthropogenic interference in the zones of chemical weapons disposal at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The key goal of this research lies in comprehensive assessment and approach towards the problem of negative human interference into the natural environment of the Baltic water area. The article considers the instances of the emergence of a direct threat of environmental disaster, as well as a range of factors that reflect the consequences of postwar historical events. Assessment is given to the actual risks of the emergence of high level of threat to hydrological resources and adjacent territories. The novelty of this article consists in examination of the danger caused by chemical munitions disposal in the Baltic Sea in the context of construction of the “Nord Stream” and “Nord Stream – 2” export gas pipelines. The conclusion is made on the high risk of depressurization of submerged ships with chemical disposal due to inadvertent operation in the water area and neglect of the regulated environmental norms and standards. The authors note politicization of the environmental assessment of activity of the curators of the “Nord Stream” project; indicate their scrupulous compliance with the international environmental standards and territorial planning of construction in hazardous zones. The authors consider the impossibility of elimination of the negative impact of distribution of harmful substances in the Baltic Sea; however, note the possibility of minimizing the risks and maintaining the stability of the inland sea in the conditions of further anthropogenic exploitation.

Implementation of the greening process at oil and gas industry enterprises

This article provides an analysis of the main problems that affect the greening of products and their marketing systems, and considers international norms, rules and environmental standards in the field of marine fuel use. The effective solution of the problem and the development of related areas of improvement of the system of introduction of greening of fuel products and its further marketing, including external, information, technological and structural components, are proposed. The development of the market for the sale of liquefied natural gas, research on the creation of fuel with a reduced sulfur content, strengthening quality control in the organizational mechanism for the sale of finished products, as well as increasing the level of greening during transshipment, transportation and bunkering are considered as directions for implementing the goal of greening.

Transnational Corporate Liability Litigation and Access to Environmental Justice: The Vedanta v Lungowe Case

On April 10, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom released the Vedanta Resources Plc & another v Lungowe & others judgment. This case dealt with an English domiciled parent company’s possible liability for alleged environmental damage caused by one of its subsidiaries in Zambia. Based on the arguable duty of care Vedanta could owe to foreign claimants affected by the operations of one of its overseas subsidiaries, the Supreme Court ruling adopted a ‘new approach’ –regarding transnational corporate liability litigation–, which established that the parent company’s home state’s national courts might have jurisdiction to hear this case. This article seeks to explore the Supreme Court’s judgment, which is expected to have significant consequences and influence the reasoning of other domestic courts in countries where parent companies are located. Although the Supreme Court’s decision aims to give access to justice to the affected (Zambian) community, this article argues that it is questionable whether the adoption of this ‘new approach’ would encourage parent companies to adopt measures oriented towards the compliance of international environmental standards. Instead, the Court’s ruling could lead parent companies to assume less responsibility and to be less transparent regarding operations carried out by their foreign subsidiaries.

Environmental Certification Objects Role in Architectural Design

The issues of ecological design of architectural objects using international (BREEM, LEED, DGNB) and national environmental standards in construction (GREEN ZOMM, SAR-SPZS) were studied. The number of certified buildings in Russia has been determined and systematized in various areas. A graphic analysis of buildings with an international environmental certificate has been carried out. The characteristic typical features of objects that meet the requirements of environmental standards regarding the arrangement of the adjacent territory, volumetric solutions, the choice of types of glazing, and the decoration of facades are highlighted. A new classification of environmentally certified buildings by architectural and compositional features is proposed: single parallelepipeds of regular shape; twin placement of volumes; volumes of a linear form; streamlined volumes; dynamic compositions with prominent elements. The main aspects for assessing the visual environmental sustainability of the objects under consideration are identified. Today, the formation of the architectural space takes place in a complex interaction of technological and environmental solutions, as evidenced by modern design experience. As part of the author’s scientific research, ways of developing further environmental certification of real estate in Russia are outlined.

Compliance of modern agricultural tractors presented on Russian market with global emission standards

The paper discusses the problem of compliance of diesel engines of agricultural tractors that are available on the Russian market with international environmental regulations and standards. Based on the data presented on the official websites of agricultural machinery manufacturers, an analysis of modern domestic and foreign tractors is performed. The performed studies allow concluding that in Russia there is a serious problem associated with the mismatch of agricultural tractors available on the Russian market with the of Stage and Tier global emission standards; 87 % of domestically produced agricultural tractors correspond to low emission classes (Euro 0, Euro 2, Tier 2, Tier 3); 78 % of the examined imported models of tractors from leading world manufacturers comply with emission classes below Tier 4. Methods for improving diesel engines towards reducing the amount of harmful substance emissions into the environment are described: adjustable turbocharging, aftercooling, partial exhaust gas recirculation, electronically controlled Common Rail, and exhaust gas purification and aftertreatment systems are used.

Using secondary raw materials in construction of buildings with account taken of environmental standards

Introduction. The article addresses the problem of irrational treatment of solid municipal, production and consumption waste in Russia, as well as the prospects of using secondary raw materials in the construction of buildings. The research is focused on environmental standards, environmental certification systems in the construction industry, as well as recycled materials. The study encompasses the construction of buildings using recycled materials, taking into account the requirements set in environmental standards.
 Materials and methods. The article presents several types of secondary raw materials and an overview of sustainable approaches to the construction of buildings using recycled materials in Russia and abroad. Most widely spread construction technologies, used to build houses using secondary raw materials, are described. An environmentally friendly facility constructed in Russia using secondary raw materials is described as an illustration.
 Results. The state of the Russian legislative framework governing the treatment of solid municipal, construction, and consumption waste and the requirements of international and Russian environmental standards applicable to buildings are analyzed. The percent ratio of waste management actions is determined in relation to other requirements set by environmental certification systems applicable to real estate items.
 Conclusions. A new classification of construction products made of secondary raw materials is presented. Conclusions are made about the feasibility of reusing solid household, industrial and consumption waste in the construction industry. The need to revise environmental standards in Russia is identified. The Russian environmental standards should have a larger number of criteria determining the rational treatment of solid municipal, construction, and consumption waste as well as the use of products made of secondary raw materials.