Since the early 1970s, experts have recognized that petroleum pollutants were being discharged in marine waters worldwide, from oil spills, vessel operations, and land-based sources. Public attention to oil spills has forced improvements. Still, a considerable amount of oil is discharged yearly into sensitive coastal environments. Oil in the Sea provides the best available estimate of oil pollutant discharge into marine waters, including an evaluation of the methods for assessing petroleum load and a discussion about the concerns these loads represent. Featuring close-up looks at the Exxon Valdez spill and other notable events, the book identifies important research questions and makes recommendations for better analysis ofâ€"and more effective measures againstâ€"pollutant discharge. The book discusses: Inputâ€"where the discharges come from, including the role of two-stroke engines used on recreational craft. Behavior or fateâ€"how oil is affected by processes such as evaporation as it moves through the marine environment. Effectsâ€"what we know about the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on marine organisms and ecosystems. Providing a needed update on a problem of international importance, this book will be of interest to energy policy makers, industry officials and managers, engineers and researchers, and advocates for the marine environment.
This remarkable book - the first in-depth examination of the civil liability regime for marine oil pollution damage from a law and economics perspective - examines the efficiency and effectiveness of the regime, with particular attention to whether it is in fact designed in the public interest or merely a distribution of risks and costs among interested parties. The question is asked: does the liability system give the potential polluter incentives to take precautionary measures to avoid pollution or to reduce the possibility of pollution? The international regime on civil liability for marine oil pollution rests on the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (Fund Convention). However, the world's biggest oil consumer and importer - the United States - has ratified neither, preferring its own Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), and China - currently the world's second oil-consuming country - has not ratified the Fund Convention. Thus it is reasonable to compare the three regimes - international, US, and China - as such a comparative study may reveal some advantages or disadvantages among the three systems. Among the issues raised and tackled head-on by the author are the following: whether the contents of international conventions can be considered as the result of the influence of the various interest groups involve; overview of the regulations of marine pollution; technical standards, rules for operation, professional criteria; to what extent a state may take action against trans-boundary polluting activities; what liability a state may incur for non-action or non-effective action; significance for liability of the charter-party, generally considered the evidence of the hire of a ship, and the bill of lading, considered the evidence of the contract of carriage of goods by sea; the crucial role of the so-called 'International Group' of 13 Protection and Indemnity (P and I) Clubs, non-profit organizations specializing in liability insurance; the main international players - the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Comit? Maritime International (CMI), and industry organizations such as INTERTANKO and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF); the particular regime on offshore facility pollution liability in the United States; port state control; criminal liability; and EU and other regional initiatives. In addition, a detailed study of the Erika case reveals some of the rationale for many of the persistent features of marine pollution liability regimes. The well-thought-out legal and economic analysis provided in this book, along with its clearly stated policy recommendations and constructive perspectives for future development of the liability system, will be immeasurably valuable to lawyers and policymakers active in this highly visible area of international law.
Marine oil pollution is one of the most damaging environmental liabilities of our time, and is taken very seriously by governments. Although international conventions take the lead in the legal regime underpinning prevention and compensation of marine oil pollution damage, national legal systems differ considerably in how they interpret and apply their monitoring and enforcement responsibilities. This is the first book to present a comparative analysis of the law with respect to marine oil pollution, with expert contributions emphasising particular solutions in Europe, the US, and China. The authors draw on the full range of legal sources, from theory and legislation to procedure and actual case studies. Written by both academics and practitioners?senior academics with a wide experience in the field, and practitioners who have extensively dealt with marine pollution issues?the work is not confined to a mere legal analysis, but offers a more inclusive law and economics perspective, solidly built on a substantial analysis (in English) of the law in the European, US, Chinese, and international contexts. Individual contributors focus on countries with which they have particular expertise or experience. This book will be of interest to corporate counsel, international lawyers, academics, and policy makers, as well as to students of (international) environmental and maritime law. In addition, the book is especially valuable to non-Chinese lawyers for its clear insight into the complex Chinese environmental legal system.
This book, from a top international group of scholars, explores the ways in which economic tools can be used to improve the quality of regulation in general and legislative tools in particular. As the role of law becomes increasingly important in China, the question arises of how effective regulatory and legislative tools can be developed to accompany the Chinese evolution towards a welfare state. China therefore provides a unique case study for scholars and policymakers interested in examining how regulation can play a role in promoting sustainable development. Economics and Regulation in China goes beyond traditional economic analysis of law by focusing specifically on the question of how economic tools can guide the quality of legislation. To this end, the book centres in on three areas: regulation as a tool of economic growth, competition policy and environmental policy. Not only are these three domains of great importance for China, but they are also relevant for a broad scholarship interested in the economic analysis of law. This volume contributes to discussions on how ex-ante evaluation of legislative proposals and ex-post analysis can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of regulation, using economic tools, offering insights that go beyond the particular case of China. The analysis offered by this book makes it an invaluable resource for academics and policymakers alike.
Many states – including European Union (EU) Member States – subsidise energy producers in order to guarantee the uninterrupted availability of affordable electricity. This book presents the first in-depth examination of how these so-called capacity mechanisms are addressed in EU law and how they affect the functioning of the EU energy markets. Focusing on the existing legal framework as well as the new provisions of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package for capacity mechanisms, the author addresses and analyses such aspects as the following: the structure and functioning of the EU electricity markets; EU’s competence to address security of supply and Member States’ margin of discretion; sector-specific rules for security of supply; legal conditions for subsidising generation adequacy; capacity remuneration under the EU State aid regime; free movement rules that address generation adequacy measures; balancing different interests of EU energy law in the context of generation adequacy; and the requirement of proportionality in State intervention to ensure generation adequacy. The analysis draws on relevant sources of EU law (treaties, regulations and directives) as well as the case law of the European Court of Justice and the General Court, together with soft law instruments such as Commission guidelines. Scholarly sources include not only legal literature but also work on energy policy, energy engineering and energy economics. As a detailed analysis of how capacity mechanisms address issues arising in the context of the enegy transition – and how the system of EU law applicable to capacity mechanisms should be interpreted to further the objectives of EU energy law – the book will help policymakers and legislators in Member States to understand the changing legal setting for capacity mechanisms. Lawyers, academics and other professionals who deal with EU electricity markets in the EU and beyond are sure to welcome its detailed description and analysis.
This book is an exemplary multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional study of contemporary Chinese law. A collective effort by a group of European and Chinese scholars, it skillfully tests the relationships between law and economics in the Chinese context. The China Journal This is an extremely valuable collection of essays on modern Chinese law viewed through the lens of the law and economics movement. China is developing very rapidly and law is now understood to provide the essential framework for economic development provided the law itself is economically rational. The essays in this volume are excellent examples of how economics can be used to clarify and guide the law applicable to the essential dimensions of the economy. I recommend it wholeheartedly and without reservations. Richard A. Posner, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and University of Chicago Law School, US This book brings together important applications of law and economics to China and covers a wide range of issues, including such basic concerns as property rights, intellectual property, and taxation, as well as competition law and corporate and securities law. Because of its breadth of coverage, its focus on the particulars of Chinese law, and the expertise of its scholars both Western and Chinese it should serve as a valuable reference work for years to come. Steven Shavell, Harvard Law School, US This book is an important step toward a Chinese scholarship in law and economics, written by leading law and economics researchers from China and Europe. Hans-Bernd Schaefer, Universität Hamburg, Germany In China everything is different, you cannot apply ordinary economics and the legal framework is idiosyncratic. In the course of time, such statements turned out to be prejudices, and the Eger/ Faure/ Zhang volume makes perfectly clear that, for instance, a law and economics approach can shed new light into the intricacies and complexities of Chinese institutional arrangements. Indeed, China creates new puzzles for economic and legal analysis. On the other hand, however, the Chinese need not invent the wheel anew and they do not try it. The book shows instances where a sophisticated law and economics approach can help to develop the legal framework which is appropriate for the transition from a planned into a market economy. The Chinese economic system is not (yet) a normal capitalist market economy, neither is the legal system adapted to a normal private property economy. Nevertheless the chapters of the book apply fruitfully law and economics theories and thus prove their general applicability. One of the outstanding achievements of the volume can be seen in the fact that it recruited more than half of its contributors with a Chinese background. They learn eagerly western approaches and they learn fast. And, of course, they have no problems with understanding Chinese culture and society. So the book combines most profitably the look from the outside and the look from within with a common theoretical framework. Hans-Jürgen Wagener, Europa Universität Viadrina, Germany This book comprises contributions on recent developments in China from a law and economics perspective. For the first time Chinese and European scholars jointly discuss some important attributes of China s legal and economic system, and some recent problems, from this particular viewpoint. The authors apply an economic analysis of law not only to general characteristics of China s social order, such as the specific type of federal competition, the efficiency of taxation and regulation, and the importance of informal institutions (Guanxi), but also to distinct areas of Chinese law such as competition policy, professional regulation, corporate governance and capital markets, oil pollution, intellectual property rights and internet games. The contributors discuss to what extent the law and economic models that have so far been employed within the context of deve
The approach throughout is both legal multi-disciplinary and comparative. The relevant international conventions are examined (particularly the 'Bunker Convention' of 2008), with particular attention to their implementation in China and Europe, as well as the independent US regime. In addition, detailed empirical data from well-known case studies provide important insights into the working of international and national prevention and compensation mechanisms.
This book focuses on liability and compensation for negligently caused pure economic loss as a general question in tort law and specifically as a question in maritime tort law, especially in cases of oil pollution damage. A substantial part of this study is dedicated to the examination of the legal status of pure economic loss caused by ship-source oil pollution incidents, the outer margins of recoverable losses as well as compensation practice, from both an international and a national perspective. The compensation practices of the IOPC Funds have been analysed carefully for this purpose.
This book presents select proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Advances in Civil and Ecological Engineering Research (ACEER 2022). The book covers a wide range of topics, including construction engineering and management hydraulic and hydrologic engineering, air quality and atmospheric pollution, ecological risk assessment and management, restoration and protection of environment, water pollution and treatment, and water recourses engineering. This book also covers state-of-the-art technologies in building sustainable city, resilient buildings, and sustainable issues in relating to civil engineering. It will be useful for researchers and engineers working in the field of civil and ecological engineering.
