What can microblog exchanges tell us about food safety crises in China?

The affordance of microblogging services has made them an ideal tool for communicating risk and crisis. However, research on social media and risk communication is still in its infancy. This study, following the uses and gratifications framework, attempts to give some insight into the way micro-bloggers communicate about risk by investigating food safety communications on the microblogging service in China. A content analysis was conducted on 6186 microblog posts relating to 12 recent food safety incidents in China. A series of bivariate chi-square tests was conducted to test the association between micro-bloggers and gratifications. The results indicate that different types of micro-bloggers gratify different needs. Compared to other types of micro-bloggers, the general public tends to use microblogging to express opinions on food safety incidents, regulation and/or policy, rather than simply disseminating information; members of the public enjoy fewer multimedia affordances in their microblog posting but express more negative feelings. Although we anticipate growth in the use of social media in environmental health communication, caution is still needed: communication in China still follows a traditional top-down pattern.     

The New Spatial Planning Act in Taiwan: A Messy Shift from Economic Development-Oriented Planning to Environmental Conservation-Oriented Planning?

On 18 December 2015, the spatial planning bill was finally passed by the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. That was a special moment for planning community and authority since they had anticipated this moment for more than two decades. However, this is not the end of the story. On the contrary, the battle between the economic development promoters and environmental conservation supporters just starts. The Act introduces several new changes to secure its goal of nationwide sustainable development, but the introduction also raises some tensions. This article reviews the tensions and their socio-political context, and gives some suggestions to the Taiwanese government.     

薇拉·凯瑟拓荒小说之于生态环境的观照

美国女作家薇拉·凯瑟的<啊,拓荒者>和<我的安东妮亚>两部作品出版于美国第一次环境保护运动期间,都是以19世纪末20世纪初内布拉斯加平原为背景,展现了美国拓荒时代人类对土地那种开拓、认同、融合的关系,传达出了朦胧的自然环境保护意识.     

公民环境公益诉讼的动力机制

在分析公民环境公益诉讼的外在价值和内在价值的基础上,对公民提起诉讼动力不足的因素进行分析表明,动力不足的内在结构缺陷表现为经济理性满足度缺乏、生态理性缺失和法律理性先天不足等方面。应着力开发公民公益诉讼动力。     

The Impact of the Physical Home Environment for Family Carers of People with Dementia: A Qualitative Study

Background: The majority of people with dementia are cared for by their families at home. This study aimed to elicit family carers' perceptions on home environmental aspects and strategies with the view to identify barriers and facilitators when caring for a person with dementia at home.

Design and methods: Thirteen co-resident family carers were engaged in semi-structured in-depth walking interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Home environments can pose a number of challenges and opportunities. Aspects of the architectural and interior environment (e.g. size, condition, layout and accessibility, familiarity) are perceived as important (Theme 1) as well as a plethora of environmental strategies that encourage independence and comfort at home (Theme 2). Carers' scepticism, timing, costs, property characteristics and mistrust to services are some barriers to implementing environmental strategies (Theme 3).

Conclusions: Carers improvised solutions via trial and error and need further education on strategies to create an enabling and comfortable home environment.     

Accounting for the Performance of Environmentally Significant Behavior: The Symbolic Significance of Recycling

The scientific community has pronounced climate change unequivocal and its consequences disastrous. Yet Americans' behavioral response to the global social problem of environmental degradation has been largely confined to the individual act of recycling. This article examines why Americans are not doing more to address climate change and other environmental issues. Taking a cognitive sociological perspective, I describe how Americans think about environmental issues and pro‐environmental behavior. I draw on Swidler's concept of a “cultural tool kit,” to examine the cultural narratives Americans use to account for the small amount of pro‐environmental behavior they perform. The act of recycling functions as a synecdoche for pro‐environmental behavior in general, allowing individuals to over‐claim the significance of a modest amount of pro‐environmental behavior. I argue that Americans' failure to engage with environmental issues at a collective level is rooted in the individualized culture of American environmentalism.     

中国城市环境治理信息型政策工具设计的模式——公共行政隐喻的视角

从公共行政作为科学隐喻的视角看,理性设计是中国城市环境治理信息型政策工具设计的模式。从公共行政作为艺术隐喻的视角看,渐进设计是中国城市环境治理信息型政策工具设计的模式。从公共行政作为社会设计隐喻的视角看,社会设计是中国城市环境治理信息型政策工具设计的模式。实际上,依赖于科学隐喻、艺术隐喻和社会设计隐喻的中国城市治理主体综合运用理性设计模式、渐进设计模式和社会设计模式对环境治理的信息型政策工具进行规划。     

环境金融的法律原则探讨

环境金融的出现,是对传统金融业的突破和创新,其实质是通过政府配额与市场机制的双重作用,将环境负外部性内部化从而实现环境利益经济化的过程。中国和世界一样,都面临着以环境为发展成本的巨大代价和应对气候变化的双重挑战。目前的国际交易规则基本上是由发达国家发起制定的,要在与发达国家的利益博弈中得以保全,创建中国的环境金融市场就显得尤为迫切。有市场的存在就离不开法律的调整,而要设计出科学合理的环境金融法律制度,首要问题就是研究并制定国际通行的立法原则。     

WTO环保例外条款解读

贸易与环境问题是一个涉及国际社会多层面、多领域的复杂而重大的问题,已成为WTO新一轮多哈回合谈判的重要议题。WTO环保例外条款承认了各国国内环境政策的合法性,但运用不当易演变成贸易保护手段,从而阻碍国际贸易的发展。     

公民权利和政治权利语境下的环境权探究

环境权作为一项重要的人权散见于一系列人权公约当中。它分散在与公民权利和政治权利有关的人权公约中,也存在于同经社文权利相关的公约中。在与公民权利和政治权利相关的公约所规定的一些权利中,潜含着环境权或者环境保护的内容。这些权利包括生命权、家庭和财产不受干预权、公正审判权和信息自由权。这些权利的存在,揭示了人权与环境密不可分的联系;人权的实现必须依赖于适当的环境,良好的环境能够让人权得以更加充分地实现。