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Since the activity of public administration is based on the constant processing of information and it is one of the primary functions of the state, it is necessary to define new areas of activity of public authorities in the field of informing the public about the situation concerning them, including those affecting the protection of values protected by law. From the perspective of environmental law, the information activities of public authorities significantly go beyond the actual activities to date. My goal is to redefine the catalogue of legal forms of public administration operation, considering new formulas of cooperative cooperation with administered entities, which would correspond to contemporary phenomena and challenges in administration, taking the form of an act of information. This analysis was carried out based on the area of public tasks related to the environment and its protection. The leading research method is the dogmatic and legal method, based on the analysis of the legal text, as well as desk-research analysis based on the review of the temporal findings of the doctrine in the field of legal qualifications of public administration activities. The study is based on the findings of the national science of law, but in terms of new proposals, I refer to the findings of the German science of administrative law.
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W grudniu 2016 r. spółkom z grupy PGNiG udało się na drodze sądowej doprowadzić do zawieszenia stosowania decyzji Komisji Europejskiej i zmienionych przez niemieckiego regulatora – na korzyść Gazpromu – zasad eksploatacji gazociągu OPAL. Mimo to Gazprom zwiększył wykorzystanie gazociągu do maksimum. O ile jego postępowanie nie może zostać uznane za sprzeczne z prawem unijnym i niemieckim, o tyle działania niemieckich organów naruszają unijną zasadę lojalnej współpracy. Polska powinna skłonić Komisję Europejską do tego, by zagwarantowała, że do czasu zapadnięcia ostatecznych rozstrzygnięć sądowych nie będą stosowane nowe zasady korzystania z gazociągu.
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Many environmental problems can only be addressed through international agreements with domestic legislation. This acts both globally and locally. Many Multilateral Environmental Agreements – MEA are classified in soft law in international public law. Sustainable development is a principle of law. Genetically Modified Organisms are imported in agriculture, food productions but not accepted by the human population. Human rights to the environment must in future be used like hard law.
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The events of the Arab Spring and the resulting increase in instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has been a significant factor in the revival of the activities of jihadist groups. One of the effects of the Arab Spring has been an increase in the political influence of extremists in the countries of the region and an increase in their operational capabilities, also on a global scale. Changes in the political systems encouraged the growth of Salafism and the emergence of new fundamentalist organizations. The strengthening of the position of conservative Islamic parties, the release from prison of criminals convicted of terrorism, or the uncontrolled smuggling of weapons have consequently influenced the degree of military and operational capabilities of terrorist organizations. Jihadist activity is largely focused on foreigners, and the terrorist threat extends to European tourists, who in much of the Arab world constitute the largest group of local tourism customers. The MENA region is also a key supplier, as well as an important transit zone for global energy resources. Consequently, the stability of this area is also a crucial issue in the context of global energy security. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of the Arab Spring on the activities of al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb and other organizations. This article is based on scientific publications and information
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The aim of this paper is to identify the scale of ambient air pollution in Poland and to assess the threats it poses to human security. Answering the research questions posed: (1) the concentrations of which pollutants pose the greatest threat to the life and health of Poles, and what are the sources of their emissions?; (2) what acts of law have been introduced by the national authorities in order to ensure that air quality conforms to European standards as concerns the pollutants posing the greatest threat to the life and health of Poles?; (3) are the solutions adopted sufficient, and if not – what course of action should be taken into account to ensure human safety in terms of clean air? leads to the conclusion that low quality air is among the major environmental threats to Polish people. Admittedly, the constitutional duty of the public authorities to take adequate measures aimed at limiting the level of air pollution and its negative effect on human life has not fulfilled at a sufficient level yet.
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In December of 2017 the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump announced a fundamental change in the U.S. energy policy. Capitalizing on the rapid changes in oil and gas extraction technologies called the shale revolution, the U.S. will attempt to dominate the world market of hydrocarbons. The plan calls for regulatory changes, building new infrastructure and creating trade agreements that will allow the U.S. to export oil and gas abroad on a much bigger scale than previously.This article examines the possible impact of this decision on the geopolitics of oil-exporting countries, with a particular focus on Russia and Saudi Arabia. Both of those countries have economies heavily dependent on oil and gas exports. Without them, their budgets may have difficulty in financing state operations and economies – staying afloat. At the same time, they both present the type of foreign policy that is fi nanced from the sale of hydrocarbons. Without those profi ts, it may be challenging for them to continue this approach. In the case of Russia, it may result in problems with maintaining its aggressive stance towards the U.S. In the case of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh may not be able to guarantee the balance of powers in the region vis-a-vis hostile Iran, growing Turkey, assertive Israel and active jihadist rebels of various kind in neighbouring countries.Paper concludes that a combination of the U.S. energy dominance plan together with radical shifts in the automobile industry – which is transitioning from gasoline engines to electrical ones – will significantly decrease the ability of Russia, Saudi Arabia and others using similar policy combinations to transform their oil and gas revenues into international influence. The United States will be in a unique position to use tools of selective pressure on their economies to alter their behaviour. Both Moscow and Riyadh without the hydrocarbon profits will lose their ability to: maintain support for the regime, pacify dissent as well as projecting power outside. As a result, Washington’s position in the world will increase, despite the growing role of China and despite the world that is becoming more assertive towards the U.S. power.
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The war against Ukraine has brought U.S.-Russian relations to their lowest point in modern history. Russia is demonstrating that it has no regard for human rights, nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, or nations’ right to determine their own future. Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly has imperialist ambitions. Ukraine did not provoke the war, and Putin likely would prefer to convert Ukraine into Russian territory once again. This is not another Cold War. There is nothing “cold” about naked, violent aggression. This is a new kind of war and the U.S. and its friends allies in the transatlantic community are going to learn how to fight.
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Intellectual Property (IP) has become one of the most important assets of knowledge-based economies in the present world. In this sense Patents can be seen as the outcome indicators of applied research and technological advancement. The nano-world is full of surprise and potential. Like other present technologies, nanotechnology is not merely a part of a distant future, but also a significant technology, and its patenting system is much more complex than any other objects in the area of science. As it is a nascent technology, it may pose problems and opportunities for IP regimes. Nanotechnology patents are not treated differently than other patents, but it is true that more complex technology usually creates more complex problems within the patent system. This article surveys the different application of nanotechnology and human rights issues and tries to address its complex patenting system and future challenges in the European context.
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The EU and Canada represent the largest market in the world for the sale of ecological products attracting exports from many third countries and recording a total sale of 95% of the worldwide total market. The European market for ecological products – also known as “bio” / “eco” – in absolute figures – is somewhere around 20 billiards euro/year, and in the case of Romania, the market for those products varies around 200 million euro/year. According to European legislation, there are harmonized provisions and procedures for the import of ecological products which can be implemented in two ways: either by complying with the EU legislation on ecologic products, or based on the equivalence between the existent standards and control systems. In many European countries, the operators on such a market obey the rules established by Legislation for ecologic productions strictly. In Romania, a sanctioning system against those economic operators who fraudulently use product labels suggesting they are organic products has just recently been considered. Taking into consideration all these aspects, the present paper relies on the most recent bibliographic and statistical references in this field.
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The article appraised the licensing regime under the newly enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. It adopted a doctrinal approach by examining or evaluating some of the relevant clauses of the PIA as they relate to licensing in the Nigerian upstream petroleum operations. The study discovered that a number of innovations have been introduced by the PIA as a form of regulating operations in the Nigerian petroleum upstream sector. Findings in the research also revealed inter alia, that the new statute has not only repealed a number of laws which hitherto regulated the upstream sector but has also rechristened the licensing regime from the old oil exploration licence, oil prospecting licence, and oil mining lease, respectively to petroleum exploration licence, petroleum prospecting licence and petroleum mining lease. Petroleum operations in the upstream sector without due authorisation is penalised by the PIA. The article concluded that the relevant clauses of the extant PIA on licensing regime are capable of engendering good governance, transparency, accountability and fostering favourable business environment for the upstream petroleum operations. Thus, it is recommended that the Nigerian government, agencies created under the PIA and other relevant stakeholders must adhere to the provisions of the Act if the worthy goals of the statute must be achieved.
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The paper presents results of research into municipal waste treatment expenditures efficiency in the Czech Republic. In this paper we construct a method for current municipal waste expenditures efficiency analysis which, based on inputted variables, calculates “minimal value” of expenditures per municipal waste ton that municipality should spend.
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Energy has been a concern since the creation of the European Union, as a result of which numerous studies, regulations, directives, and action plans have been developed. The interest in creating an internal energy market has always been fundamental, but over the years, energy challenges have led to the need to shape a coherent external energy policy aimed at diversifying energy sources, routes, and suppliers. The most important instrument of foreign policy is diplomacy, which is manifested even in the energy sector. And at the EU level, since 2015, the directions for action on energy diplomacy have become clear. Thus, supported by a demonstration dedicated to the meanings that can be attributed to the concept, the research will aim to provide an approach to how the EU is involved in theorizing and applying diplomacy in the energy sector.
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Worldwide, Brazil is the seventh largest contributor to greenhouse gases emissions. Public transport, which is highly dependent on fossil fuels, accounts for 17% of all emissions from the Brazilian energy sector. This paper aims to identify the carbon dioxide emissions reduction potential by switching Curitiba's public transport bus fleet from diesel fueled buses to electric buses. The calculation, which was based on data collected from the system management company and from the literature, was applied into three scenarios. In the first, we estimate the system's CO2 emission for the current fuel choice, diesel; in the second, we consider the adoption of electric buses, by meeting the energy demand with the national energy matrix; and in the third, the demand would be fed by photovoltaic systems. The results indicated a CO2 emission reduction potential of about 81%, 90% and 93%, considering three different analysis: (1) buses energy demand supplied by the national electric matrix in a context of a rainfall worst-case; (2) buses energy demand supplied by the national electric matrix in a context of a rainfall best-case; and (3) energy demand supplied by solar energy. It would represent a reduction of, respectively, 68, 75 or 78 thousand tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere per year. The results suggest that a switch from fossil fuel run buses to electric buses has a great potential to contribute to decarbonising transport, especially in cities with a large bus fleet and distance traveled.
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Purpose: The purpose of the present study, which was based on the increasing relationship between sports and the environment and the importance of this relationship, was to calculate the carbon footprint of Sarıkamış Ski Facilities in the city of Kars, Turkey. To do this purpose, an answer was sought to the following study question: What is the carbon footprint of Sarıkamış Ski Facilities? Methodology: The study was conducted within the scope of quantitative research methods design, which are used frequently in social sciences in recent years. The amount of electricity consumed on the cable car line in Sarıkamış Ski Facilities in Kars and the natural gas consumption amounts of the three hotels that have the highest bed capacity and overnight stays in the hotels area were used as the dataset in the study. To answer the study question, the carbon dioxide emission amount (carbon footprint) of the ski Facilities was calculated by using the calculation methodology (Tier 1 Method) that was put forward by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Results/Findings: The carbon dioxide emission (carbon footprint) occurring because of the natural gas consumption of three accommodation facilities and the electricity consumption of the cable car lines on the ski slopes in the 2022 ski season in Sarıkamış Ski Facilities was calculated as 12.140.58 tons. According to these calculations, 86% of the carbon footprint of the ski facilities occurred because of electricity consumption. This can be associated with the increasing demand in Sarıkamış Ski Facilities and the intense use of cable car lines to cover this demand. These results, which were limited to Sarıkamış Ski Facilities in Kars in Turkey, indicate that it is necessary to turn to renewable energy sources in Sarıkamış Ski Facilities. Also, it can be argued that the increasing demands on skiing should be covered in an environmentally friendly manner with increasing awareness of environmentally friendly energy. It is inevitable to develop sustainable environmental and sports policies to resolve environmental problems such as climate change, global warming, and carbon footprint. This study, which was limited to only Sarıkamış Ski Facilities, is expected to prepare the ground for a study throughout Turkey, and it is also aimed to help the development of an environmentally friendly sports concept in Turkey.
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Urban lifestyle, stressful work, a large number of daily obligations significantly affect the occurrence of stress. If stress reduction is not addressed, adverse effects on human health may occur. This paper proposes a model of smart healthcare service based on the Internet of Things. The main goal is to develop an IoT system that will enable real time monitoring of citizens’ stress in a smart city, during their everyday lives. Users of this system can monitor stress level and receive notifications and recommendation how to low down stress via their mobile phones. Depending of the detected stress level, users of the proposed system can be provided with relaxation materials in the form of short relaxing video or audio contents. After the stress level is normalized, the user receives a notification and can continue with normal activities. Unlike well-known solutions for stress management, this solution is wearable and can provide biofeedback to both, users and therapist or healthcare workers. The proposed IoT system is developed using intelligent devices such as mobile phones, Raspberry Pi microcomputer, Arduino microcontroller, and sensors for monitoring heart rate and skin conductivity. As a support for monitoring stress level a responsive web application is developed. All the measured data are stored in the cloud. Based on obtained and analyzed data, users can manage the stress level and prevent disease. The obtained results could serve as a good basis for adoption and implementation of stress management as a smart city service.
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The water supply Project by pipes from Anatolia to the island of Cyprus 250 m. below sea level through Mediterranean Sea is named “Peace Water” by the Republic of Turkey and TRNC governments. The water from Anatolia to Cyprus will overcome the millenniums long draught, scarcity of water and depressed agriculture and stock breeding in the island, together with a long lasting solution based on equal partnership, causing to end the dispute between Turkish and Greek communities of the island. The political effects of the “Peace Water” is quite negative on the Greek side, believing that the water supply from Anatolia with strengthen the hands of the Turkish Cypriots on the negotiation table, while will cause Greek side to lose a considerable amount of political superiority.
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The purpose of the economic analysis presented was: (1) calculating the losses caused by the introduction of the so-called Distance Law and inhibition of the development of domestic onshore wind energy; estimating the potential for domestic onshore wind energy growth, following a reasonable amendment to this law, which was planned for early in the fourth quarter of 2020. The author has attempted to gather as much source data as possible obtained directly from wind farm investors and developers, as well as internal cost and financial findings of the Polish Wind Energy Association. According to conservative calculations, the slowdown of wind power in 2017–2019 resulted in a reduction of investment projects by 3400 MWe, which in turn reduced potential demand and ultimately resulted in a loss of 9.317 billion PLN. The expected resumption of domestic onshore wind development between 2021 and 2030 was estimated under three scenarios: (1) reference – no changes to the Distance Law, (2) gradual growth – assumes an amendment to the law and a moderate rate of new investment, (3) comprehensive development – assumes the amendment of the law and acceleration of new investments. In the reference scenario, investments locked in during the crisis period (2017-2019) would be realized between 2021 and 2025, but onshore wind growth would be extinguished in the second half of this decade. In the gradual growth scenario, the additional increase in installed capacity will amount to 3,000 MWe, which would generate 9.545 billion PLN of direct domestic economic benefits (GDP growth). In the comprehensive development scenario, the additional installed capacity would be twice as large (6,000 MWe), and the GDP growth would amount to 19.732 billion PLN. In conclusion, the author points out that further delays in unblocking the development of onshore wind energy in Poland pose a real threat to the completion of national goals in terms of the EU climate and energy policy.
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Transport is one of the most difficult sectors to control CO2 emissions. Increase in traffic and present trends in the automotive industry and individual driving style are an increasing source of CO2 emissions that cause climate change despite technological advances in the automotive field. Thanks to the integrated development plans, transport sector can clearly contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy. Development of transport, from the perspective of the objectives of the climate and energy policy, requires the use of a variety of policies and instruments that will lead to the reduction of CO2 emissions generated by this sector.
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The study analyzes the resolutions of communal councils regarding the introduction of zones free from tobacco smoke, electronic cigarettes vapor and substances released by means of an innovative tobacco product use, enacted between September 2016 and August 2018. The activity of commune councils in creating local anti-tobacco legislation has been very low, despite the resolution of the municipal council issued on the basis of art. 5 par. 4 of the Act on Health Protection Against the Consequences of Using Tobacco and Tobacco Products is an act of high importance to health. At the same time, it was pointed out that the analyzed resolutions of municipal councils do not fully fulfill the competences granted in art. 5 par. 4 acts or are imprecise in their content. It was also found that these acts repeatedly banned ex lege bans. Due to the importance of pro-health action, the activity of municipal councils in the studied area is strongly advocated.
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