Transitions Online_Around the Bloc-Turkmen Gas Industry Reaches Out to Russia
A series of disputes with its neighbors has left Turkmenistan reliant on China to purchase its gas.
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A series of disputes with its neighbors has left Turkmenistan reliant on China to purchase its gas.
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Although no longer endangered, snow leopards remain on the list of threatened species.
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The necessity of transition to sustainable development of the urban territories is proved. Theconcept of the natural-socio-technical model of urban territories is offered. Green building as one ofthe aspects of unity in urbanized areas and the natural environment is presented. The basicprinciples of the paradigm of safe and comfortable urban environment that is compatible with thebiosphere are formulated. The structure of the humanitarian balance and the methodology forquantifying them are described. The model of sustainable development of the environment throughthe comparison of human capacities and parameters of the environment is simulated. The criteria forthe compatibility of urbanized territories with the biosphere were formulated as a measure of thesustainability of their development. The example of calculation of an indicator of biosphericcompatibility of urbanized areas in relation to transport construction and road infrastructure of thecity is given. It shows the economic efficiency of realization of the concept of sustainabledevelopment and the creation biospherically of the urban environment on the example of roadinfrastructure of the city.
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The article concerns the analysis of the results of surveys conducted by the author in Lower Silesia region in Poland. The results of the research presented in the article have been narrowed down for the stimulants (benefits, advantages and reasons) of the renewable energy sources (RES) investment in agricultural holdings. Author also studied economic and social phenomena contributing to the RES increase in sustainable agriculture. The aim of the article is to identify and analyze the renewable energy investment stimulants in polish agricultural holdings as a part of supporting sustainable agriculture. At the beginning the term of sustainable agriculture was defined as well as sustainable energy system. In the second part of the article the general overview on renewable energy sources in the Polish and the UE agriculture was presented. In the third part there was methodology, including sampling and purpose of the survey introduced. Next parts of the article concerned the results of conducted survey. The agricultural holdings investigation mainly were focused on the advantages of RES use in rural areas in Poland in the light of meeting sustainable agriculture goals. One of the most important aspects of sustainable agriculture is the use of sustainable energy systems, including RES. Investigated agricultural holdings emphasized: improving energy security, ensuring energy supply, as well as to be less dependent on future energy price increases, gaining health benefits (clean air and environment), using the local energy potential and enhancing energy security in the country and first of all, increasing opportunities for agricultural development. In the article there were used such research methods as statistical data analysis of conducted survey, synthesis, evaluation and observation.
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Dalmatien, das bis zum Jahre 8/9 n. Chr. Teil der Provinz lllyricum - einschließlich Pannonien war, war an verschiedenartigen Bodenschätzen reich, die mit kleineren oder größeren Unterbrechungen schon seit dem Eneolithicum gefördert wurden. Die Bodenschätze waren neben den strategischen einer der Hauptgründe für die Eroberung der dalmatinischpannonischen Gebiete durch die Römer. Die Bodenschätze des näheren und weiteren ostadriatischen Hinterlandes zogen bereits seit dem 7. und 6. Jh v. Chr. hellenistische, umbrische und etruskische Kaufleute an, die vor allem an Gold und Silber interessiert waren. Das Silber, das vorwiegend in Verbindung mit Zink, Blei, Quarz und Pyrit gefunden wurde, wurde in beträchtlichen Mengen bereits seit dem Ende des 5. Jhs. v. Chr. ausgeführt. Im Laufe des 4. Jhs. v. Chr. erschienen in den ägeischen Gebieten größere Mengen Silbermünzen und Schmuck. Für ihre Herstellung wurde zum großen Teil auch dalmatinisches Silber benötigt. Die Macht der balkanischen politischen Organisationen, an deren Spitze die Herrscher Bardylis, Monounios, Mytilos, Genthios und Ballaios standen, gründete sich großenteils auf dem Reichtum der dalmatinischen Edelmetallbergwerke. Das Silber von den dalmatinischen Gebieten wurde zweifellos für die Prägung der Silbermünzen der illyrisch-griechischen Siedlungen an der Ostadria verwendet.
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Economy, society, environment and sometimes indicated institutional and political system – on these pillars is based the idea of sustainable development. The necessity for a global balance in these dimensions hinders the multidimensional approach of ideas. These difficulties increase when the attempt is taken on a macro scale. At that time, detailed monitoring of the performance of countries in terms of sustainability was started, which next would allow for some adjustments. These adjustments aim at identifying the achievable level of norms at the lower economic and social levels, thus creating a more matched system. In this paper was presented selected aspects of sustainable development in the form of indicators, which are referring to Poland in comparison with the maximum, minimum and average results achieved in the European Union. Presenting and analyzing data by identifying disparities between regions is to contribute ultimately to achieve the article goal, that is to confirm the need to introduce appropriate levels of standards in a way that is more matched to the situation of the area and not purely from above, covering larger territories.
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Corporate social responsibility is a complex concept, where ecology is one of the key elements. From the point of view of logistics, care for the environment and respect for non-renewable resources is a particularly important issue. The essence of logistics is the movement of people and cargo, that is possible only by using a certain amount of energy. Companies operating in this sector, by definition cannot, therefore, be neutral with respect to the environment. They can, however, minimize the ecological footprint. In practice, it turns out that the involvement of businesses in this area is varied. The aim of the article is to assess ecological facet of logistics companies’ activity and their differentiation in this area according to their specialization. Statistical analysis of selected environmental aspects shows a weak ecological score of logistics companies compared to other industries. What is more, ecological score of logistics businesses is varied between specialization groups. In overall, the leading group of companies is transportation infrastructure which reached the highest average score. The only sector which significantly lags behind the others is road and rail. It turns out that the most problematic ecological aspects for assessed companies are: reduction of hazardous waste and air emissions other than GHG, and environmental requirements in relation to suppliers.
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CO2 emissions are a global problem. This means that nothing or very little will change if only particular countries are involved. The purpose of this paper is the attempt to show the real CO2 emissions of the Poland as well as the impact of its trade on CO2 emissions in other countries in the world and in the EU in 2015. This study was conducted on the group of countries that are the major emitters of CO2 in the world including most of the EU members. Actual CO2 emissions were achieved by applying the actual emission factor. This takes into account the transfer of CO2 in export products and services as well as those imported by particular countries. It has turned out that the real CO2 emissions in the Poland are significantly lower from the gross values which represent the CO2 emissions in the particular countries. It is also important to indicate that isolated actions of a single country within the European Union itself do not deliver the intended global and regional target - positive changes in CO2 emissions reduction. The approach presented in this paper significantly influences the level of realization of the UE energy policy objectives.
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Climate change is perceived as a threat to future human well-being and a challenge to sustainable development of local communities and economies world-wide. While some countries and regions are expected to experience slight gains from the climatic changes the other are exposed to major losses. Ever more frequent natural disasters come as warning symptoms of the changes. However, for the sake of effective and efficient adaptation in various world regions answers to the following questions are important: do people notice this changes, do they experience their negative effects, are they satisfied with the climate change mitigation and adaptation actions taken by the governments, are they willing to participate to contribute to these actions. The perceptions and attitudes towards these issues are important factors in effective and efficient implementation of climate policies. In order to contribute to this important goal a research was designed to elicit people’s perceptions of and attitudes towards climate change as well as related mitigation and adaptation policies in Poland and in Turkey. These two countries were chosen to cover the variety of climate conditions. The aim of the paper is to present and analyse the outcomes collected from the conducted national Internet surveys (N=156) on perceptions of climate change as well as social expectations regarding climate change solutions in both countries. Analysis of the survey results help to understand the problems and social needs related to climate change. The results were confronted with the state-of-the-art scientific literature as well as strategic policy documents and their evaluations’ reports to discuss the policy relevance of the findings and conclusions.
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The hypothesis, that the emission of greenhouse gas in the whole EU,as well as in particular member countries is decreasing, was verified in this article.Due to the fact that emission depends on the number of inhabitants, it was calculated with regard to 1000 people and then the similarities of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU countries with various economic sectors were researched. Another hypothesis, concerning the fact that emission depends on the geographical position and historical conditions was verified. Czekanowski’s Method was used to make adivision for homogeneous countries as regards the greenhouse gas emissions from various economic sectors.The analysis proved that the greenhouse gas emissions are decreasing in the whole EU, except for two countries where the emissions are rising. The conclusions were drawn after the division with the use of Czekanowski’s Method, the emission of greenhouse gas neither depends on geographical position, nor on historical conditions.
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The development of industry and municipal infrastructure is a cause of increased emissions of malodorous substances into the atmosphere. These substances have a negative impact on human health and the environment. To protect the natural environment and human health, innovative methods of reducing emissions to the atmosphere are sought. These methods should be part of sustainable development principles. The work was carried out to assess the effectiveness of biofiltration in the reduction of odorous gas concentrations based on the measurements of biofilter efficiency in a sewage treatment plant. A mathematical simulation of the pollutant emission range in the environment was made to verify its change resulting from the use of a biofilter.
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The problematic pipeline is set to celebrate a major milestone. Or is it just a mirage?
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The aim of this article is to analyse the strategic goals of the energy policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Key political motives behind Germany’s energy policy strategy The aim of this article is to analyse the strategic goals of the energy policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Key political motives behind Germany’s energy policy strategy are reviewed, with the author applying the geo-economic approach. Noting that energy security and competitive economy of the Federal Republic of Germany rest on its energy partnerships with the Russian Federation, energy infrastructure and EU climate policy, the author reiterates the significance of stable political partnerships, determination to build a position as a distribution centre for energy and energy resources in Europe, as well as export of technology and imposition of national preferences on other countries. The American announcement of a renegotiation of the climate agreement may exert an unfavourable impact on the geo-economic interests of Germany in the area of energy.
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A consistent growth of energy efficiency is one of the three pillars of Austria’s energy policy,alongside a development of renewable energy sources and a reduction of environmentallyhazardous emissions. Austrian policy aims at establishing a stable and effective energy systemthat guarantees secure energy supply, at the same time minimising environmental hazardswhile remaining economically efficient. Austria is a good example of a state that successfullyimplements energy efficiency measures, as it has the highest number of passive houses perresident in Europe and a sound policy on waste management. The text outlines the challengesfacing Austria with respect to energy efficiency and consumption reduction and examines thestrategies for the future, taking into account the country’s specific natural conditions.
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Achieving the long-term goals of the European Union in the area of decarbonisation consists in lowering emissions and creating a low carbon economy offering new opportunities for economic growth. In this article, the author’s attention is focused on issues related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An essential element of the European Union’s climate policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the establishment of the European Union Emissions Trading System which obliges the sectors subject to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore the aim of this article is to signal the problem of greenhouse gas emissions in the context of modern ways of reducing the total volume of emissions. The analysis focuses on one of the basic tools of the European Union’s climate policy to reduce emissions, which is mentioned already the European Union Emissions Trading System. The European Union Emissions Trading System is a cornerstone of the EU’s policy to combat climate change and its key tool for reducing green house gas emissions cost-effectively. It is the world’s first major carbon market and remains the biggest one.
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Presented gloss concerns the theme of the admissibility of imposing a fine by the President of URE on energy company, which admittedly has submitted to regulatory authority tariffs for approval, but did so within the time limit that does not ensure its compliance with the provisions of approval, publication and entry into force before the end of the period for which previous tariff has been approved. In this judgment the Supreme Court advocates the use of language interpretation of rules and changes the point of view expressed in its earlier judgment of 2004. Gloss is critical of the decision taken by the Supreme Court. It discusses the views of doctrine and jurisdiction, pointing to the flaws in the reasoning of the Supreme Court in the grounds of the judgment.
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The article deals with the origin and purpose of the exchange obligation related to natural gas (an obligation to sell some of the natural gas on an exchange), it shows specifics of this regulation as well as related requirements. Further the paper presents what effects it had to implement exchange obligation and what was the reason to introduce it. According to the author the regulation is a right solution in the Polish law but its level should be less than 10%. The exchange obligation was introduced already in 2012 and this is considered as unpremeditated action with the main aim to weaken the dominant role of the gas company PGNiG. The regulation is a step in the right direction to liberalize gas market in Poland though this tool wasn’t appropriate for the market at the time it was introduced. However, notwithstanding the introduction of exchange obligation, diversification of routes and sources to supply natural gas will have the major impact on gas trading via exchange.
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The economic costs of electricity generation in Poland differ significantly from its accounting costs. Overt and covert forms of public support and taxation obscure the picture of the relationship between the public sector and the energy industry, and give rise to speculations whether one generation technology is privileged over another, i.e. used more often than other technologies with lower economic costs. The analysis presented in this article shows that there are significant differences in terms of impact of individual electricity generation technologies on public finances in Poland.
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The article describes quality parameters of coffee grounds and tea grounds, as main components of a potential sustainable fuel. Samples were tested to determine the calorific value, humidity content, amount of sulfur and ash produced in the subsequent process. The research has shown that biomass consisting of coffee and tea grounds may become a high-energy, sustainable solid fuel. Additionally, the possibility of producing pellets from such materials has been tested and a suitable binder, which would allow forming granules of appropriate size, has been selected.
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Paper presents the possibilities of investments financing scheme within energy efficiency using ESCO financing model, in the context of obligations related with Directive 2006/32/EC. The purpose of this paper is to analyze ESCO model as a part of public-private partnership (PPP). Article discusses benefits and potential risks associated with ESCO model investments. Cited are also good practices.
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