A Review of the Monograph by T. Pimonenko, O. Lyulyov, N. Letunovska “Circular and Carbon-Free Economy: The Roadmap for Harmonizing National and European Standards for Energy Market"

Author(s): Tatjana Tambovceva / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2021

The monograph examines the essence of a circular and carbon-neutral economy and the mechanisms of their implementation to accelerate the development of the European society according to these approaches. The authors analysed the energy market of Ukraine and calculated the degree of convergence of national energy policy and the European climate strategy. The experience of the European Union member states in compliance with the standards of energy market regulation and the implementation of transformational changes in this area is studied. There have been examined the bottlenecks and attractors, which determine the dynamics of an increase or decrease of the country's energy efficiency in the forecast periods. The complex material will help to make rational management decisions in the field of energy production and energy saving. The works of the authors can be used in developing a roadmap for harmonization of Ukrainian and European standards of energy market regulation.

A Review of the Monograph by Yu. Bilan, O. Chygryn, S. Kolosok “Environmental and Economic Impacts of Energy Transformation: Concepts Innovation and Business Models”

Author(s): Radosław Miśkiewicz / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2021

In recent decades, there have been dramatic changes in the energy sector, which significantly influence other areas of activity. It is widely believed that traditional energy sources are the leading cause of air pollution, although they play the most prominent role in electricity generation. Such dependence on fossil energy sources is a significant challenge on the path to sustainable development. The introduction of sustainable business models and innovative concepts in the energy sector is a tool for transitioning from traditional to "green" energy to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Therefore, it is essential to estimate the effects of energy transformations and identify the environmental and economic effects of the deployment of such solutions. Sustainable business models can solve environmental problems associated with harmful emissions from the energy sector. These models are more environmentally friendly and are part of "green" growth. They ensure the creation and maintenance of the organizations’ values and provide competitive advantages in the industry. Although moving to sustainable business models is quite complex, they contain alternative solutions to avoid a global collapse due to energy shortages and climate change. In this regard, the priorities are to improve regulatory policy in the energy sector, the formation of environmentally friendly competitive advantages of energy companies, the description of opportunities to deploy smart energy networks, development of sustainable business models for energy sector transformation, optimization of energy financing.

A STUDY ON ADVANTAGES AND VIEW OF HYDROGEN ECONOMY

Author(s): Sharan Burak / Language(s): English Issue: 44/2019

This study was carried out to provide an overview of hydrogen energy, which is increasingly used in the world. While environmental problems require the use of hydrogen, the limited availability of fossil fuel reserves makes this development compulsory. There are ready-made technologies developed for the production, transportation, storage and usage of hydrogen, which is the product of contemporary technology, and the first applications have been made. In the long term, the problems in the hydrogen production area should be solved and it should be determined which hydrogen will be an appropriate energy source in the future. The development, advantages and production methods of hydrogen energy are examined, the amount of energy required for the production and distribution of hydrogen by various methods and the reviews for 1995 and 2020 are given. In addition, fuel costs of hydrogen-supply systems and internal combustion cars for fuel cell cars were given considering external costs and compared with other fuels.

A System of Unconnected Vessels: The Gas Market in the Baltic States

Author(s): Kinga Dudzińska / Language(s): English

An internally integrated gas market that is independent from Russia is a permanent element of the Baltic States’ energy policies. This goal in the regional dimension was to be achieved by the launch of an LNG terminal in Klaipeda, Lithuania, at the end of 2014. However, Latvia rejects the opportunity to import gas from Lithuania, and Estonia would benefit only slightly. Instead, to cooperate effectively, including in the implementation of joint infrastructure projects, all three act individually. This hinders the creation of a regional market and the EU should actively resist it.

A view from the region

Author(s): Nargis Kassenova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The German Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007 inspired great hopes regarding the development of relations between the European Union and the states of Central Asia. In Brussels and other European capitals, it was expected that Germany, as an EU political and economic heavyweight and one of the key promoters of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, would be able to foster a coordinated Central Asian policy giving direction and coherence to European engagement in the region.

A world transformed by climate justice

Author(s): Madita Standke-Erdmann,Alina Viehoff / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2020

What will the world look like in 2040 and how did we get there? How will climate change, one of, if not the most pressing issue of our times be tackled on a global scale? With these questions in mind, this article invites the reader to perform a thought experiment into the future. Following an imagined snapshot of the year 2040, the reader is guided through major global developments regarding climate change, social movements and, eventually, climate justice from the 2020s to 2040s. By imagining social, political and economic consequences of climate change and responses to them, this article paints a picture of what the future could look like if climate justice became a guiding principle in the struggle of mitigating the effects of climate change. Suggesting a paradigm shift from securitizing climate change to securing climate justice, this ‘future’ calls for a discursive turn of the manner in which climate change is thought of and acted upon. It requires different entities, including academia, to recognize their role as political actors within society. Consequently, it is crucial to reflect upon whose security is (not) considered but also which responses are taken into account in what way to mitigate security risks related to climate change. The article concludes that imagining a future of climate justice is pivotal to finding solutions to the challenges we are confronted with, that is, keeping the metaphoric ship from crashing into the cliffs.

AB’NİN ENERJİ BAĞIMLILIĞI ve RUSYA

Author(s): Mete Alpkan Karahasanoglu / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 47/2020

Energy resource supply, which is a vital factor fort he continuation of the high production power reached by developed countries, caused strategic connections between countries In this study, I underlined that the EU’s import of energy raw materials from Russia reached up to 80% and this dependency is a vital problem waiting to be resolved before Europe’s economic freedom. I also tried to explain the EU’s effort to minimize this dependency through reports and analysis. I have detailed and expanied the cost that should be spent for resource searches in a table. Reminding that the EU is the most important market for Russia, I tried to find an objektive assessment.

Abuse of Dominance in the Case-law of the Hungarian Competition Authority – a Historical Overview

Author(s): Ákos Réger,Andor Horváth / Language(s): English Issue: 21/2020

This paper provides a historical overview of the case-law and practices applied by the Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA) in abuse of dominance cases. The paper is co-written by practitioners of complementing antitrust fields, which ensures that both legal and economic considerations are explored. The paper identifies the unique characteristics of Hungarian legislation and case-law and critically evaluates them in light of EU competition law and economics principles. We analyse (i) the reasons for the high number of exploitative cases before 2010, (ii) the general principles applied by the HCA in exclusionary cases, (iii) the cost allocation assessments in dominance cases, and (iv) the issue of significant market power of retailers. The general starting point is that, judging by the number of dominance investigations, there is less antitrust enforcement by the HCA in recent years. However, the article concludes that less enforcement does not mean weaker enforcement. In fact, the quality of dominance cases, considering both legal and economic aspects, has increased over time. This tendency has also led to higher legal certainty in Hungary, which is beneficial for market players. Stronger criticism is only formulated against the concept of significant market power of retailers.

Acidita zrážok a jej dynamika vo vŕbovom ekosystéme

Author(s): Ján Machava,Jaroslav Demko,Gabriela Hrkľová,Eduard Bublinec / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 2/2018

The work was aimed at monitoring the chemistry of precipitation after passing through the willow ecosystem. Precipitation samples were evaluated for 2 years. Most of the observed rainfall was acidic. The highest acidity of precipitation was recorded in an open area in continuous open collector (pH = 5.51). The lowest acidity was measured at throughfall willow ecosystem (pH = 5.77). Chemical analyzes of atmospheric precipitation have shown a slight increase in acidity. The great extremity of values (3.72 to 7.04) was found in pH results collected over the course of two years. According to the precipitation scale, the lower extreme pH falls to very acidic and the upper value to a neutral range. The lowest bottom pH was recorded in December in the open collector and the highest upper value in November in the same colletor. Except for actual acidity, the extremity of values has certainly a negative impact on the stability of forest and soil ecosystems. As for the individual annual periods, most acidic precipitation fell in the winter to the part-covering collector. In other seasons, precipitation were less acidic. The average pH values in individual seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) have occurred in the interval from 5.22 to 5.83 in the part-covering collector (K1), 5,01 – 5.81 in the opened collector (K2) and 5,32 – 6.00 in the collector in the willow ecosystem (K3). At assessing the resulting pH in the individual collectors, it can be concluded that the acidity of precipitation has not changed significantly. This natural relation is also confirmed by the average figures for the whole period. All average pH values lie in a slightly acidic region.

Activities of Gazprom in Asia and the "Eastern Dimension" in Russian Energy Policy

Author(s): Hedvika Koďousková / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

In the 1990s and at the beginning of the 2000s, there were practically no major efforts of Russia to diversify its oil and gas exports beyond Europe. Except for some preliminary agreements between Russian private players with potential Asian consumers (see below), there were no gas purchase and sale contracts concluded as well as no major infrastructure constructed, which would connect Russian vast but untapped Eastern Siberian and the Far Eastern gas resources with Asian market.

Activities of Rosatom in Asia

Author(s): Hedvika Koďousková / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

As far as civil nuclear power development is concerned, we identified several diverse groups of players in the Asian market: a) mature countries with their nuclear technology and services export programs (e.g. Japan, South Korea, newly followed by China); b) countries which operate nuclear power plants, but had otherwise limited participation in nuclear sector due to being outside of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (India until 2008, Pakistan); c) newcomers to the sector, who decided to address their rapidly growing energy demand by developing their nuclear power-generating capacity (e.g. Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.).

Activities of the Local Government During a State of Natural Disaster

Author(s): Małgorzata Czuryk / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2021

As one of the states of exception, a state of a natural disaster often makes public administration, including local governments, take actions that restrict the sphere of human rights and civil liberties. One-person bodies are entrusted with being in charge in matters related to a state of natural disaster. Actions taken during a state of natural disaster to prevent or remove its effects are managed by the commune executive body when the state of a natural disaster was introduced only in the territory of the commune. However, if the state of a natural disaster was introduced in more than one commune in a district, then the starost is in charge of the operations. As a monocratic body is entrusted with executive powers, decisions can be taken faster and time is essential from the point of view of the effects of a natural disaster. Due to a formalized method of decision-taking, a collegial body may not respond adequately to a dynamically developing threat.

Adapting fiscal polities for the Covid 19 pandemic

Setting up a fiscal system appropriate for the digital world

Author(s): Lilian Florescu,Daniela Florescu / Language(s): English Issue: 02/2021

In the current context generated by the Covid 19 pandemic, Member States need secure tax revenues to invest in people and businesses affected by the health crisis. At the same time, we need to remove the tax barriers and make it easier for EU businesses to innovate, invest and grow. To achieve this, in July 2020, the EU Commission adopted the Action Plan, which includes measures to reduce the administrative burdens, improve tax compliance and combat fraud. The Action Plan is helping to create a more fair, easier tax system to be used and adapted to our digital world. In case of this article there were used tools like as: classification, synthesis, comparative analysis, induction and deduction methods, graphic representation of events and investigated phenomenons. The article is addressed to the university and the academic world, as well as to fiscal administration officials and to the decision-making factors for correcting inequalities, created by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Adapting to climate change in New York City and regulatory background

Author(s): Elif Çolakoğlu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

The catastrophic effects of climate change can be seen in New York City (“NYC”) today. As of now, the NYC as a coastal city has faced different climate risks such as heat waves and storm surges, which affect everyday life citywide, and, if current trends continue, they will become more frequent and severe. Hurricane Sandy which has devastated the East Coast is just the latest example. To strengthen its resilience, the NYC Administration comes forward particularly in this regard to commissioning expert scientific advice, formulating policy goals, setting standards and developing new institutions for environmental governance and sustainability. Locally, through PlaNYC, the City’s sustainability plan, the NYC Administration has pursued several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with mostly 30 percent below current levels by 2030. Since 2002, the Administration stands out challenging climate change and its initiatives which are the examples of best practices at the municipal level. In this framework, this study describes the comprehensive effort to reduce GHG emissions, as well as provides NYC’s climate change projections and some of the potential risks to the NYC’s critical infrastructure posed by climate change. Also local legal documents determining the City’s climate policy and offering significant opportunities for implementation is examined.

Administrative and Legal Conditions for the Development of Wind Power Generation Industry in Poland

Author(s): Anna Ostrowska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

On July 15, 2016, a legal act entered into force, which electrified the business community, especially the unconventional energy industry, local government authorities, and all those who saw the development of the alternative energy sector as the only solution for the global energy crisis. This is about the Act of 20 May 2016 on Investments in Wind Power Plants, which set out the conditions, rules and procedures for the location and operation of wind farms with a power greater than the power of a micro installation, as well as the conditions for the location of housing developments (residential buildings and mixed-use buildings) in the vicinity of wind farms. This Act has been named, both by scholars of law and the media, “another special legislation”, although it is not a typical special legislation. Although it is a lex specialis in relation to the Act of 7 July 1994 – Construction Law, as well as the Act of 27 March 2003 on Spatial Planning and Land Development, its provisions, unlike any “special legislation”, do not introduce preferential conditions for investors with regard to identifying location and authorization for the project covered by it. On the contrary, they introduce a number of significant constraints in the process. The legislature’s goal of increasing the transparency of the wind farm building permit process has come at too high a cost; at the expense of violating basic constitutional standards, notably the principle of proportionality and the principle of protection of property.

Administrator danych w polskich parkach narodowych (wybrane aspekty prawno-administracyjne)

Author(s): Jarosław Dobkowski,Jakub Goerick / Language(s): Polish Issue: 45/2019

The article presents an outline of the problem of determining personal data administrator in the public sphere on the example of one of the forms of nature protection in Poland – national parks. The research focused on the differences between legal definitions of a data controller that has an essential impact on the process of separating a data controller in a national park. The whole is finished with de lege ferenda postulates, which would solve this problem.

Adoption of Green Innovations on Office Markets in Poland

Author(s): Michał Głuszak / Language(s): English Issue: 113/2020

Purpose – In recent two decades, several important innovations have emerged and been adopted in the built environment across the world. Amongst the most prolific technological innovations are green (sustainable) and intelligent (smart) buildings design. The adoption of that innovation was particularly visible in the commercial property market. In the case of sustainable design, the process has been facilitated by the emergence of independent third party governance institutions and the development of green building certification systems. In many cases, the process of innovation diffusion is a spatial phenomenon that manifests as hierarchical/cascade or contagious dispersion of given technological advancements.. Design/methodology/approach – We analyze the spatial diffusion of sustainable innovation across commercial property markets in major cities in Poland. Using a city-level panel data we trace the diffusion of green building innovation diffusion. We focus on major green building certification scheme - LEED developed in the US, In the empirical part, we investigate the adoption of new technologies by analyzing the fraction of innovative (green) office space in particular office markets. Findings – The diffusion of green innovation was particularly fast between 2010 and 2020 in all selected cities. Nonetheless the explorative research suggest that the dynamics of adoption of green technologies is different in selected cities. The adoption rate was the highest in Wroclaw, and the lowest in Krakow. Limitations – The study focuses on diffusion of LEED certificates, and as such it does not cover all sustainable buildings. Many office projects have different green building certificates (mainly BREEAM).

AFIRMIRANJE I ZAGOVARANJE ENERGETSKE POLITIKE U FUNKCIJI EKONOMSKOG RASTA I RAZVOJA

Author(s): Emir Tahirović / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 2/2019

One of the most crucials and most important sectors in contemporary countrys is energetic sector. Development of energetic sectors and energetic potencials deeply depends on one countrys position on the global scale. Countrys with well developed energy sector are key players and global actors of all events in the world. Countrys as such clearly and precisly formulated and implemented energetic politics into practice realising in the right way their importance for future growth. However, energetic politics althou crucial and important for countrys developments, especially those less or non developed in new times find themself in front of constant obsticles. External effects that take place when energetic potencial is activated got into global policys eye. Advocates of enviormental protection are strongly against growth and developments of energetic sector because of external effects that sector produces. This problem is only posible to solve by adequately harmonising energetic politicsand enviormentl protection politics,since both of those public sector policys are important to one country. Conclusion is that how by adovacy of energetic public policys should be present, but with requierd respect for other public policys, mainly enviromental protection policy. Adequete implementing depends on theyr synchronisation of sustainable life.

African Response to Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes

Author(s): Jean Chrysostome Kanamugire / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2017

Control or management of trans boundary movement of hazardous wastes is a global challenge. The industries in the developed states generate hazardous wastes in their activities. Developed states have stringent laws and regulations for the disposal of hazardous wastes. The industries have to dispose hazardous wastes in an environmentally sound manner. It is cost effective to dispose wastes in developed states. They target developing states mostly in Africa where they can dump their hazardous wastes. African states do not possess strict laws and policies for the protection of the environment and human lives. They also lack information to make an informed consent in the disposal of hazardous wastes. Basel convention regulates the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes on an international level. However, the African states want a total ban on the movement of hazardous wastes from developed states on their territories. Bamako convention precludes the movement of hazardous wastes on the African continent from the other countries. The paper opines that each state should dispose its hazardous wastes in an environmentally sound manner on its territory.

AGAINST THE DESERT IN THE KARST. A PARADIGMSHIFT FROM RUINED LANDSCAPE TO CULTURAL SAVANNAH

Author(s): Aleksander Panjek / Language(s): English Issue: 14/2018

In questioning the traditional degradationist narrative about the history of the Classical Karst woodland, the article demonstrates the rationality of the forms of use by the peasant population. In the first chapter interpretations about the actors and factors of Karst »deforestation« are presented and discussed. Reducing the subjects responsible for the »destruction of forests« to Venice and the local peasants appears simplistic, since the factors of forest resources consumption were numerous in a pre-industrial economy. In the second chapter the early modern peasants’ woodland and pasture land-use system is presented, demonstrating how the Karst inhabitants did not destroy the woods and trees, but used them. Every single tree was there with a specific purpose. In determining their use peasants based on the characteristics of the karstic terrain, the climatic conditions and the experimented vegetative capacity of the species. According to their practical knowledge, they considered that a »real forest« was not economically justified in the Karst. Only the trees necessary to cover domestic and agricultural needs were allowed to grow, and coppice was the chosen form. The third chapter reconstructs a long-run historical parable of the Karst forests, connecting research results in historiography and archaeology. The barren landscape famous in the 19th c. was indeed the result of a process going on through the early modern period, but it had antecedents in earlier historical and prehistorical periods. Attention is drawn to the fact that the early-modern Karst landscape closely resembles the form of a manmade (cultural) savannah, as the expression of an agro-silvo-pastoral system. In the end, a so-far unknown statute of the village community of Rihemberk (mid-16th c.) certifies and dates intentional sustainable forestry practices by the rural population. At the end of the 19th c. the Karst ecosystem was still vital, demonstrating that local people knew how to exploit this vitality and preserve it over time, albeit in a modified environment. The traditional Karst landscape was the result of a rational use of its natural assets, based on the environmental potentials and deeply rooted local ecological knowledge, put into service of the local population’s economic and social system, values and goals.