Environmental Agreements Research Articles

The Relationship Between Contextual Factors and the Mobility Ability

Objective: To examine how the relationship between Mobility limitation is influenced by Contextual Factors in community-dwelling older adults. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Participants: A total of 769 persons aged 65 years or above living in the community-dwelling of the Algarve region. Methods: We study eighteen categories of Personal and Environmental Factors agreement of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) and their relationship with six categories of the Mobility domain. Multiple logistic regression was used in analyzing functional outcomes in the Mobility. Main Results: The proportion of older adults reporting disability in Mobility activities ranged from 17.4% (Moving Around Within the Home) and 53.2% (Using Private or Public Motorized Transportation). The Contextual Factors with a greater impact in explaining the limitations in Mobility outcomes were Assistance Activities of Daily Living (OR = 3.0 to OR = 11.9), JobWithout Qualification (OR=2.5 toOR=6.3), Inadequate Nr of Meals (OR = 2.6 to OR = 3.8) and Self-Rated Physical Health (OR = 2.1 to OR = 3.1). The variable sex contributed to explaining the results of the most difficult activities to perform as Moving Around Outside the Home, Climbing and Use of Transports. The contribution of age was observed only in the Use of Transports. Conclusions: Contextual Factors are important predictors of Mobility functioning, namely, those related to Behaviors and Health Events but also those related to Social and Cultural variables.

Heterogeneous Impacts in Voluntary Agreements: A Changes-in-Changes Approach to the UK Climate Change Agreements

AbstractThe limited microeconometric evidence on the efficacy of environmental Negotiated Agreements (NAs) is an obstacle to both their introduction and effective design. We help fill this gap by providing evidence on the impact of the second Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) on business electricity consumption and employment. The CCAs are NAs offering a reduction on the Climate Change Levy (CCL), an energy consumption tax, in exchange for commitments to improve energy efficiency. We use the novel changes-in-changes method to account for heterogeneity in treatment effects. Our results indicate that the second CCAs yielded improved outcomes compared to the counterfactual of full CCL with an average reduction of − 4.81% in electricity consumption. They also reveal the importance of allowing for heterogeneity, as the impact on electricity consumption at the identified deciles varied between − 9.33 and 12.54%. This is a marked difference from the first CCAs which were found to increase consumption. The heterogeneity in treatment response is corroborated when extending the study to two large industrial sectors in the sample and when studying firms selecting differing target reporting methods. Confirming the findings from earlier studies of the first scheme, our results indicate a non-statistically significant reduction in employment, about − 4.6% on average, for the second CCAs.

Treaty amendment procedures: A typology from a survey of multilateral environmental agreements

Abstract Treaty amendments constitute a critical but under-researched aspect of international law. In this article, we present a comprehensive survey of 491 amendment procedures across 691 multilateral environmental agreements. We use this data collection to build a typology of amendment procedures based on various combinations of control, adaptability, and flexibility. We introduce the property space reduction method as a valuable tool for building typology and analysing international law. We find a clear trend towards the inclusion of amendment procedures, which makes treaties increasingly adaptable. This adaptability is generally coupled with flexibility to avoid infringing on consent. As a result, amended treaties risk being increasingly fragmented into differentiated bundles of obligations split among subsets of members. We also examine how key features of treaty membership, such as power distribution, correlate with the occurrence and types of amendment procedures.

Ocean-based negative emissions technologies: a governance framework review

The model pathways of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) for the timely achievement of global climate targets, especially the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, suggest the need for safeguarding and enhancing the global carbon sink. Experts argue that the deployment of so-called negative emissions technologies for large-scale carbon dioxide removal holds potential for keeping the temperature in line with limits set by the Paris Agreement. Ocean-based negative emissions technologies (ONETs) intend to enhance carbon sequestration and storage in the ocean, e.g., by changing the ocean’s physical or biogeochemical properties. But in addition to these intended effects, ONETs may also cause unintentional impacts on the ocean’s condition and on related coastal and marine ecosystem services that are relevant for the attainment of a range of global policy goals. This article links potential direct and indirect, intentional and unintentional impacts of eight ONETs on the marine environment to the regulations and policy goals of international environmental agreements of the current global ocean governance regime. The results thereof outline a direct, implicit and indirect governance framework of ONETs. Hereby, a broader perspective of the concept of (global) ocean governance is adopted to outline a wider network that goes beyond the explicit regulation of ONETs within the realm of ocean governance. This first-order assessment derives gaps and challenges in the existing governance framework, as well as needs and opportunities for comprehensive governance of the technologies. It is determined that while the inclusion of ONETs in the global climate strategy may be deemed necessary for reaching net zero emission targets in the future, a range of potential trade-offs with other policy goals may need to be considered or dealt with when deploying ONETS for climate mitigation. Further, foresight-oriented and adaptive governance mechanisms appear imperative to bridge gaps resulting from extensive uncertainties and unknowns linked to ONET deployment in a changing ocean and. The identified ONET governance framework reiterates current challenges in ocean governance, for instance related to fragmentation, but also represents an opportunity for a synergistic and integrated approach to future governance.

Intra-EU trade-embodied carbon emissions: Is there voting for dirty comparative advantages?

I use voting outcomes from the European Parliament to construct a novel sector-specific measure for revealed environmental policy preferences for EU member states. Applying a theory-consistent structural gravity model on intra-EU carbon embodied in trade between 2000 and 2014, this study finds that binding multilateral environmental agreements successfully eliminate comparative advantages for emission intensive industries.

When do investors see value in international environmental management certification of multinational corporations? A study of ISO 14001 certification after the Paris Agreement

AbstractResearch SummaryDespite the prominence of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification as a global strategy instrument, there is persistent doubt about its effectiveness as a value‐generating tool, especially for multinational corporations (MNCs). This study draws on institutional theory to explain the varying market valuations of international environmental management certification following a strongly binding multilateral environmental agreement. We submit that ISO 14001 certification increases the market value of MNCs more strongly following the institutional pressures exerted by the strongly binding Paris Agreement. This effect varies due to institutional country‐of‐origin effects and exposure to host countries with stringent environmental regulations. We provide empirical support using a difference‐in‐differences analysis of 3193 MNCs from 60 countries with pledged commitments to emission reductions in the Paris Agreement.Managerial SummaryInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 has been recognized as pivotal for achieving sustainable development goals. Nevertheless, managers continue to seek financial justifications for adopting this prominent global standard. Our study shows that ISO 14001 increases the market value of multinational corporations (MNCs) more strongly following the binding Paris Agreement, as the global standard reassures investors about corporate alignment with global climate goals. Although the financial impact of ISO 14001 appears to be greater for MNCs from emerging economies, owing to the lower expectations associated with institutional quality in emerging economies, investors correct the (economic) evaluation of ISO‐certified MNCs according to their exposure to host countries with stringent environmental regulations. These findings inform managers of the importance of aligning corporate sustainability with geographical diversification strategies.

The survival of the weakest: the echo of the Rio Summit principles in environmental treaties

ABSTRACT This article examines the influence of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, known as the Rio Summit, on the design of subsequent international environmental agreements (IEAs). In particular, it investigates the extent to which the principles outlined in the Rio Declaration were integrated into IEAs concluded in the following years. We focus our investigation on three principles: the precautionary principle, common but differentiated responsibilities, and the polluter pays principle. Analyzing a collection of 2,211 IEAs and their 509 amendments, we find that the Rio Summit catalyzed the dissemination of these principles. However, our study also reveals that the Rio Conference was an inflection point, wherein weaker expressions of these principles became more prevalent. Stronger expressions, which were included in some IEAs prior to the Rio Summit, became relatively less common thereafter. We call this evolutionary process the ‘survival of the weakest’.

Spatial predictions and uncertainties of forest carbon fluxes for carbon accounting

Countries have pledged to different national and international environmental agreements, most prominently the climate change mitigation targets of the Paris Agreement. Accounting for carbon stocks and flows (fluxes) is essential for countries that have recently adopted the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - ecosystem accounting framework (UNSEEA) as a global statistical standard. In this paper, we analyze how spatial carbon fluxes can be used in support of the UNSEEA carbon accounts in five case countries with available in-situ data. Using global multi-date biomass map products and other remotely sensed data, we mapped the 2010–2018 carbon fluxes in Brazil, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden and the USA using National Forest Inventory (NFI) and local biomass maps from airborne LiDAR as reference data. We identified areas that are unsupported by the reference data within environmental feature space (6–47% of vegetated country area); cross-validated an ensemble machine learning (RMSE=9–39 Mg C textrm{ha}^{-1} and textrm{R}^{2}=0.16–0.71) used to map carbon fluxes with prediction intervals; and assessed spatially correlated residuals (<5 km) before aggregating carbon fluxes from 1-ha pixels to UNSEEA forest classes. The resulting carbon accounting tables revealed the net carbon sequestration in natural broadleaved forests. Both in plantations and in other woody vegetation ecosystems, emissions exceeded sequestration. Overall, our estimates align with FAO-Forest Resource Assessment and national studies with the largest deviations in Brazil and USA. These two countries used highly clustered reference data, where clustering caused uncertainty given the need to extrapolate to under-sampled areas. We finally provide recommendations to mitigate the effect of under-sampling and to better account for the uncertainties once carbon stocks and flows need to be aggregated in relatively smaller countries. These actions are timely given the global initiatives that aim to upscale UNSEEA carbon accounting.

Legal Protection of Genetic Resources Reviewed in the Convention on Biological Diversity Nagoya Protocol and Law No. 11 of 2020 Concerning Job Creation

Indonesia has a wealth of genetic resources and traditional knowledge related to genetic resources which are abundant and of economic value. Therefore it must be preserved and developed so that it can be utilized in a sustainable manner as a development resource for the greatest benefit and prosperity of the people. The research method is a study of normative legal literature, a process of searching for legal principles, legal principles and legal doctrine to answer legal questions at hand. The result of the Nagoya Protocol research is an international environmental agreement within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which regulates access to genetic resources and fair and balanced benefit sharing between users and providers of genetic resources on the basis of mutual agreement. The main problem is the limited right of access for the community to obtain the right to a good and healthy environment, be it the right to information, the right to participate or the right to justice

Environmental agreements as clubs: Evidence from a new dataset of trade provisions

Creating intergovernmental environmental clubs is a prominent policy proposal for addressing global environmental problems. According to their proponents, environmental clubs provide an incentive to join them and accept their environmental obligations by generating exclusive “club goods” for their members. Yet, the existing literature considers environmental clubs as a theoretical idea that still has to be put into practice. This article asks whether, in fact, the numerous international environmental agreements (IEAs) containing trade-related provisions provide club goods to their parties. It does so by investigating the effects of these provisions on trade flows among parties compared to flows with non-parties. We introduce an original dataset on 48 types of trade provisions in 2,097 IEAs that we make available with the publication of this article. Based on this new data and a panel of worldwide bilateral trade flows, we find evidence that existing IEAs and their trade-liberalizing content are associated with increased trade among their parties relative to trade with non-parties. We conclude from this finding that systems of IEAs provide club goods to their parties. Uncovering the existence of environmental clubs has significant methodological and policy implications. It is an important first step for future research on the actual effectiveness of clubs in attracting participation and raising environmental standards.

Evaluation Model of Environmental Sustainable Competitive Tourism Based on Entropy

Despite the valuable economic benefits of tourism, it must be highlighted that the tourism industry is an important source of stress for the environment with the main influence on tourist destinations. The aim of this study is to investigate the elements of environmental sustainability in tourism as key factors in the competitiveness of tourism using entropy methods. According to the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time that the entropy model applied to Environmental sustainability indicators, regarding entropy as a measure of non-uniformity among sustainability indicators of EU countries. The data of the EU were used and Environmental sustainability pillar of the Travel &amp; Tourism Competitiveness Index. The results show that the total entropy of the competitiveness of tourism within the environmental sustainability sub-index of the EU countries speaks in favor of the uniformity of the indicators. The study also reveals significant differences among the EU27 in the domain of the Global Climate Risk index, Baseline water stress and Forest cover loss. Furthermore, convergence has been achieved so far in the indicators Red List Index and Environmental treaty ratification. Finally, the methodological approach of this study has the potential to be extrapolated worldwide, especially in the future era of global environmental problems.

The treaty management organization established under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement: an international actor in its own right?

AbstractA peculiar treaty management organization operates under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement that does not fit established categories of international law and political science. Unlike traditional international organizations (IOs), it lacks the formal status of an IO, comprises only a limited secretariat with predominantly servicing functions, and is not even denominated as an organization. We argue that it has nevertheless become an international actor, mainly due to activities of its Conference of the Parties and several specialized organizational schemes. Theoretically, we develop an analytical framework that shows how even heavily member-dominated IOs can become international actors and what this means for global environmental governance. IOs gain the capability to influence international politics by their own action if authorized to make decisions with external effects. They gain autonomy if organizational rules and procedures shape organizational decision-making and create specific organizational rationales. Empirically, we demonstrate that the organizational component of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement has acquired both considerable action capability and autonomy. It is authorized to flesh out the skeletal provisions of the constituent treaties through far-reaching COP decisions and to decide continuously in several specialized organizational schemes, especially on climate funding, cooperation mechanisms, and compliance management. Organizational decisions are heavily influenced by autonomy-creating organizational factors, such as path dependence, fundamental organizational norms and dense sets of decision criteria. We conclude that this organization, and the organizational components of other multilateral environmental agreements, point at important organizational effects, which merit further attention.

Environmental Impacts Assessment in Suspension PVC Production Process Using Computer-Aided Process Engineering

The new demands for sustainable operation in the chemical industry due to increasing environmental regulations and agreements have generated the need to adapt existing processes to more intelligent production. The plastics sector is in a complex position due to its contribution to economic development and the climate crisis. Therefore, environmental assessment has become an important tool due to the benefits it provides by quantifying the environmental performance of processes, allowing it to balance operational and environmental needs. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most globally used polymers thanks to its resistance, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. The polymer is synthetized by suspension polymerization, which is characterized by high productivity and controllability. However, it presents problems associated with intensive energy consumption and the emission of toxic substances and greenhouse gases. Therefore, an environmental assessment of the suspension PVC production process was performed using the waste reduction algorithm (WAR). The potential environmental impact (PEI) was quantified using the generation rate and the output velocity for four cases and three different fuels. It was found that the process transforms raw materials with high impacts, such as VCM, into substances with lower PEI, such as PVC. However, the process has a high generation of PEI due to the effects of energy consumption (−2860, −2410, 3020, and 3410 for cases 1–4, respectively). The evaluation of the toxicological impacts shows that the ATP category is the only one that presents a positive generation value (75 PEI/day); the product contributes to the formation and emission of impacts. The atmospheric categories showed that the energy consumption of the process is the most critical aspect with a contribution of 91% of the total impacts emitted. The AP and GWP categories presented the highest values. It was determined that the most suitable fuel is natural gas; it has lower impacts than liquid and solid fuels (coal). Additionally, it can be concluded that the PVC production process by suspension is environmentally acceptable compared to the polyethylene or polypropylene processes, with output impacts 228 and 2561 times lower, respectively.

Return to the Yeokanta/River: Powhatan Women and Environmental Treaty Making in Early America

Return to the Yeokanta/River: Powhatan Women and Environmental Treaty Making in Early America

Self-image and the stability of international environmental agreements

In this paper we examine the stability of international environmental agreements about a (common) emissions target. By signing the agreement, the parties develop a sense of responsibility to the commitment made, gaining a self-image that contributes to their utility.We study a dynamic two-stage game where all countries act individualistically. We investigate how two fundamental components of the model, that is, the ambition of the pledge and the relative importance given to compliance to the commitment, affect the stability and efficiency of the agreement in terms of global welfare and total emissions.We find that participation is the key driver of all the results and that it is negatively related to the ambition of the pledge and positively related to countries’ level of concern about environmental issues.

A plea for more freshwater experts in IPBES

Abstract Biodiversity loss occurs much faster in the world's freshwaters than in the terrestrial or marine realms, yet worries have been expressed that freshwater systems are not given the same priority as ‘land and oceans’ in global environmental governance. The Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is mandated to provide the knowledge basis supporting international environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. To a large extent, the work of IPBES is dependent on voluntary contributions by independent experts from across the world. Here, I present an overview of the various ways in which freshwater experts can contribute to IPBES, ultimately to strengthen the representation of freshwater ecosystems in global environmental governance. Avenues to contribute include participating in the development of IPBES assessment reports that are adopted by the 139 member states, engaging in the external review process of IPBES products, filling in knowledge gaps as identified by IPBES assessment reports to inform upcoming assessments, implementing IPBES outcomes and recommendations in practice, and actively engaging with plenary meetings of government delegations to influence decisions. Actively supporting governments worldwide in making evidence‐based decisions can be intrinsically rewarding and offers several additional benefits. These benefits include the potential for enhanced professional reputation, given the authoritative nature of IPBES products; networking and collaboration opportunities with experts and stakeholders from around the world; and professional development through gaining experience in navigating the science–policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. I conclude with a call to action.

Self-enforcing international environmental agreements with third-party organizations: Initial payment, technological development, and refunding

This paper presents a new framework for international environmental agreements (IEAs) with technological development that incorporates an initial payment and refunding scheme (IPRS) in collaboration with third-party organizations (TPOs). In our IPRS, technological development is achieved by using a portion of initial payments from signatories to the TPO, with the remaining amount being refunded to the payers if they cooperate with the IEA. We examine self-enforcing IEAs using a stage game model. The results show that IEA size increases with the cost of technological development. Consequently, we provide a solution that achieves large-scale self-enforcing IEAs in collaboration with TPOs while resolving issues regarding initial participation in IEAs.

Can offshore wind energy bridge geopolitical asymmetries through cooperative sustainable development in South China Sea?

ABSTRACT South China Sea disputes pose huge energy insecurity to China and Southeast Asian nations, threatening their vital Sea Lines of Communication. This study explores the ongoing conflicts in the South China Sea through Womack’s Asymmetry theory of international relations. It contributes to the theory by suggesting ways to improve regional cooperation by adapting to new and renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind. The disparity of capacity among littorals in the South China Sea has created systemic misperception. How China can make amends with these countries by aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and bridging the asymmetry in the region becomes the key research question. This study analyses the existing international environmental agreements applicable in the South China Sea based on the issuing agency, China as a signatory, legality, and the nature of the agreement. It has been observed that the existing international agreements are ineffective in creating geopolitical symmetry. Our proposal of using offshore wind energy as a cooperative sustainable development tool to bridge the asymmetry can encourage cooperation for knowledge, technology, and practice sharing ensuring peace and cooperation in South China Sea.

Beyond intergovernmental cooperation: domestic politics of transboundary air pollution in Korea and Singapore.

This study explores why the implementation of domestic environmental policies that tackle transboundary air pollution has been undermined by comparing the cases of the Republic of Korea (Korea) and Singapore. Heavy smog recurs in Korea and Singapore every year despite various attempts to reduce air pollution through the signing of environmental cooperation agreements and the introduction of domestic measures. While existing scholarship has examined intergovernmental cooperation aimed at mitigating transboundary air pollution, this study focuses on domestic factors affecting policy implementation processes at the national level. How do domestic factors shape governmental policy actions within environmental cooperation agreements in the cases of Korea and Singapore? I employed a process-tracing method to analyze the entanglement of domestic stakeholders from the late 1990s to 2019. By drawing upon domestic politics theory, I find that domestic dynamics, intricately linked to other stakeholders, have limited the effectiveness of policies implemented to address poor air quality. This finding suggests that domestic politics play a critical role in establishing effective regional environmental cooperation in the long run.

Time to pay the piper: Fossil fuel companies’ reparations for climate damages

Time to pay the piper: Fossil fuel companies’ reparations for climate damages