scholarly journals Prioritizing Environmental Protection: Regulating Sulfide-Ore Mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Northeastern Minnesota

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Meintsma

This paper examines the environmental policy implications and environmental risks of engaging in copper-ore sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota. The re-instatement of mining leases in the area within the past year has generated significant controversy within the state. Concern over limiting environmental risk through effective regulation sits at the forefront of the prominent debate taking place at the federal, local, and state levels. Currently, Minnesota is not equipped to properly and effectively regulate these mines for environmental protection. With that goal in mind, this analysis argues that regulations must return to—and continue beyond—the status quo ante, established in 2016, by implementing stricter command and control design & performance standards; mandating severance taxation; establishing research and development programs; improving transparency; addressing information asymmetries; and ensuring liability standards for adequate compensation of incurred costs caused by environmental degradation and displaced industries. Implementation of these policy mechanisms will ensure prioritization of environmental preservation of the Arrowhead region of northeastern Minnesota.

Author(s):  
Van Hoa Hoang ◽  
Manh Dung Tran ◽  
Thi Van Hoa Tran ◽  
Vu Hiep Hoang

This study was conducted to investigate the status of regional linkage in tourism development in in the Midlands and Northern Mountains of Vietnam. The data was collected from a survey of 755 people, including officials from State management bodies in charge of tourism, officials and staffs at tourism resorts, tourism firms, tourism scientists and tourists. In addition, we conducted 10 group discussions, interviewed 30 State tourism agency officials and tourism firms in the Midland and Mountainous provinces of Vietnam. The results show that tourism development in Vietnam in general and the Northwest region in particular is extremely fragmented, not yet forming a regional linkage; Regional and national tourism development programs are just formalistic. The main cause of the situation is the limited regional integration policy in Vietnam, the lack of appropriate regional governance mechanisms and inactive participation of the private sector in regional integration. Based on the findings, we propose a tourism sector linkage model; besides, policy implications are given for fulfilling the linkage policy in the Midlands and Northern Mountains area.


1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 197-205
Author(s):  
Lj Jeftié ◽  
L. J. Saliba

Increasing concern over the deterioration of the Mediterranean sea as a result of increasing pollution by untreated sewage and industrial wastes, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers and oil discharges, led to a series of meetings between 1970 and 1974, and finally to the UNEP-sponsored Mediterranean Action Plan, adopted by governments of the region in 1975 and ongoing since that time. The legal component of the Plan includes a framework Convention and four protocols; the environmental assessment component (the MED POL programme) consists of national pollution monitoring programmes, and research projects conducted by Mediterranean institutions; the environmental management component consists of the Blue Plan (a prospective study combining socio-economic development with environmental preservation) and the Priority Actions Programme (a series of sub-region sectoral projects in defined areas). The Plan has been financed by Mediterranean States since 1979, and is managed by UNEP with the cooperation of other competent UN Agencies. During the last ten years, activities undertaken have improved knowledge of the state of pollution of the Mediterranean sea, and facilitated joint regional action in the form of preventive and control measures.


Author(s):  
J. P. Lakher ◽  
M. K. Awasthi ◽  
J. R. Khan ◽  
M. R. Poyam

The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of Ovsynch and Ovsynch plus protocol in postpartum (day 60) Sahiwal cows (n=18). Animals were randomly divided into three equal groups, viz., Ovsynch group Ovsynch plus group and Control group. Animals of group I (n = 6) were treated with traditional Ovsynch protocol. The animals (n = 6) of group II were treated with Ovsynch plus protocol which consisted of an initial intramuscular injection of eCG (Folligon) @ 250 IU on day 60 postpartum followed 3 days later by GPG (Ovsynch) protocol. In group-III Control, no treatment was given to animals (n = 6). Treated animals were inseminated at a fixed time between 14 and 20 hrs after second GnRH injection, irrespective of estrus detection. Blood samples were collected from each animal on days 50 and 60 postpartum to determine the status of cyclicity in animals based on serum concentrations of progesterone (P4). A third blood sample was collected on the day of prostaglandin treatment to determine the response of first GnRH injection. Four animals each were cyclic, and two were acyclic in both treatment groups. Four animals each responded to first GnRH treatment in both treatment groups. Similarly, two animals each got conceived giving conception rate of 50% (2/4) in each treatment. In the control group, one out of 6 animals got conceived yielding 16.66 % conception rate (1/6) during the study period. It may be thus concluded that Ovsynch and Ovsynch plus protocol may be used during the early postpartum period to improve the reproductive efficiency in postpartum Sahiwal cows.


Global Jurist ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayalew Abate

Abstract This article argues that the bulk of the bilateral investment treaties (BITs) that Ethiopia has ever concluded, to regulate its bilateral foreign investment relations, don’t contain an environmental provision that require investing corporations to discharge responsibility towards environment and there is a pressing call for either to re-negotiate, update or engage in concluding of environmental side agreements (ESA). To substantiate the argument the trends of BIT making is assessed, the status of Ethiopian BITs have been evaluated through content analysis, environmental responsibility of Ethiopia has been examined both from domestic and international perspective, relevant reasons for the regulation of environment in foreign investment through BIT have been discussed and justifications for the need to renegotiate, update or make ESA in Ethiopia have been highlighted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 06059
Author(s):  
Xiaowen Zhang ◽  
Jiguang Wang ◽  
Zhenyu Bai

The project team collected more than 1 million in-use vehicles environmental protection regular inspection data for analysis, the data of annual inspection in Tangshan area are sorted out and analyzed, the conclusion is as follows: 1. The weighted average qualification rate of each inspection method for in-use vehicles in Tangshan was 87.9%. 2. The weighted average qualification rate of different emission stages of VMAS is 88.7%, the weighted average qualification rate of different emission stages of TSIC is 93.9%, the weighted average qualification rate of FRAC in different emission stages is 98.3%, and the weighted average qualification rate of LUGDOWN in different emission stages is 77.8%. 3. After the implementation of the new standard, the qualified rate of TSIC and LUGDOWN in Tangshan will be greatly reduced, but it has little influence on the qualified rate of VAMS and FA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000648
Author(s):  
Swetha Bindu Velaga ◽  
Muneeswar Gupta Nittala ◽  
Michael S Ip ◽  
Luc Duchateau ◽  
SriniVas R Sadda

Background/aimsOASIS is a Phase IIIb trial (NCT01429441) assessing long-term outcomes in subjects with symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (VMA). The purpose of this study is to report on the frequency, severity, location and time course of ellipsoid zone (EZ) alterations in ocriplasmin-treated and sham control eyes in the OASIS study.Methods220 patients (146 ocriplasmin, 74 sham) subjects with VMA were enrolled in this masked post hoc analysis phase IIIb, randomised, sham-controlled double-masked multicentre clinical trial. A masked post hoc analysis of OCT images was performed at the Doheny Image Reading Center from subjects enrolled in the OASIS trial. The status of the EZ band was assessed in three different macular regions: the central subfield (CS) (≤1 mm diameter), the parafoveal area (PAA) (>1 to ≤3 mm) and the perifoveal area (PEA) (>3 to ≤6 mm). The EZ band was rated as normal/intact, full thickness macular hole (FTMH), abnormal but continuous, discontinuous/disrupted or absent at visits from baseline (pretreatment) to week 1 (day 7), month 1 (day 28), month 3, month 6, month 12 and the final follow-up at month 24. EZ band status was compared in both study and control eyes.ResultsA total of 208 patients (138 ocriplasmin, 70 sham) were included in this analysis. At baseline, FTMH was present in 48.6%, 8.0%, 0% and 52.8%, 2.9%, 0% in the CS, PAA and PEA of the ocriplasmin and sham groups, respectively. The EZ was graded to be abnormal but continuous, discontinuous/disrupted or absent at Baseline in 21.0%, 4.3%, 2.8% in the CS, PAA and PEA, respectively, of the ocriplasmin group; and 12.9%, 10.0%, 4.3% in the CS, PAA and PEA of the sham group. For the ocriplasmin group in the PAA, this frequency increased to 6.6% at week 1, was 9.8% at month 1, but improved to 3.8% at month 3, and remained stable to 1.6% at month 24. These differences, however, were not statistically significant.ConclusionsOcriplasmin treatment for symptomatic VMA was associated with EZ abnormalities in a small percentage of patients that was best assessed in regions (PEA) relatively unaffected by the VM interface disease at baseline. The EZ abnormalities were apparent by week 1, persisted at month 1, and appeared to resolve in the majority of cases by month 3.Trial registration numberNCT01429441


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Su ◽  
Yang Cao ◽  
Jingkai He ◽  
Waibin Huang

Existing studies have traced China’s high political trust to three sources: traditional culture, the state’s success in fostering economic growth, and ideological propaganda. We identify a fourth source: perceived social mobility. We argue that when people perceive a reasonable chance for upward mobility based on personal initiatives and efforts, the status quo becomes more justifiable because individuals are responsible for their own successes and failures. Perceived social mobility thus instills a sense of optimism and fairness and exonerates the regime from many blames, thereby enhancing political trust. Regression analysis of the China portion of the 2007 World Values Survey data shows that respondents who saw themselves as having choices and control in life were indeed more likely to trust the ruling communist party. The respondents’ overall level of perceived social mobility is also high, which is consistent with the massive shake-up of the preexisting social order in China’s reform era.


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