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Like most countries globally, COVID-19 continues to have a demonstrable health, economic, and environmental impact on Russia. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible ramifications for environmental quality in Russia during and following the coronavirus pandemic. Our work builds on the framework of Elinor Ostrom, as we argue that the pandemic and subsequent lockdown in Russia has highlighted the need for a more polycentric, de-centralized approach to environmental protection. We provide evidence for this point using a novel econometric strategy: given the tight centralization of environmental policymaking, we proxy for de facto decentralization using the amount of influence a regional governor has at the federal level. Using timely data on pollution in major Russian cities both before and during the pandemic, we employ an instrumental variable analysis which shows that pollution in a particular Russian region is negatively related to the amount of influence a Russian governor has at the federal level. Thus, the more powerful a governor is in their ability to set their own course, the better results they have in environmental quality. We conclude that Russia's environmental policy needs a fundamental rethink – and extensive decentralization – in a post-COVID-19 world.

Like most countries globally, COVID-19 continues to have a demonstrable health, economic, and environmental impact on Russia. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible ramifications for environmental quality in Russia during and following the coronavirus pandemic. Our work builds on the framework of Elinor Ostrom, as we argue that the pandemic and subsequent lockdown in Russia has highlighted the need for a more polycentric, de-centralized approach to environmental protection. We provide evidence for this point using a novel econometric strategy: given the tight centralization of environmental policymaking, we proxy for de facto decentralization using the amount of influence a regional governor has at the federal level. Using timely data on pollution in major Russian cities both before and during the pandemic, we employ an instrumental variable analysis which shows that pollution in a particular Russian region is negatively related to the amount of influence a Russian governor has at the federal level. Thus, the more powerful a governor is in their ability to set their own course, the better results they have in environmental quality. We conclude that Russia's environmental policy needs a fundamental rethink – and extensive decentralization – in a post-COVID-19 world.

This paper proposes a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate environmental policies. While effectiveness is measured as the reduction of different pollutants aggregated to a damage index, all the other effects apart from pollutant reduction are monetarised and expressed as cost. The damage index is based on the ‘Umwelt-Belastungs-Punkte’ (UBP)-method (Environmental Impact Points) and is extended to include the different geographical ranges of various pollutants. The method is then applied to assess the cost-effectiveness of nitrogen reduction measures in Switzerland. The results indicate that a less nitrogen-intensive agricultural production and the use of a new generation of low nitrogen oxide burners are very cost-effective.

This paper proposes a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate environmental policies. While effectiveness is measured as the reduction of different pollutants aggregated to a damage index, all the other effects apart from pollutant reduction are monetarised and expressed as cost. The damage index is based on the ‘Umwelt-Belastungs-Punkte’ (UBP)-method (Environmental Impact Points) and is extended to include the different geographical ranges of various pollutants. The method is then applied to assess the cost-effectiveness of nitrogen reduction measures in Switzerland. The results indicate that a less nitrogen-intensive agricultural production and the use of a new generation of low nitrogen oxide burners are very cost-effective.

Complex National Park (NP) Management Problems often requires a multidisciplinary approach in the process of business decision-making involving various stakeholders from the region. In the decision-making process, the methodology, based on combining SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and the Analytical Network Process (ANP) methods, has been proved as a very useful tool in numerous surveys as it is being presented in this paper on the example of the National Park Djerdap (NPDJ). In the conducted research, aimed to achieve business vision of this company, a four-phase decision making approach was defined. In the defined model, the situation SWOT analysis was used as the baseline in the analysis of the situation on the ground. Hence, four scenarios were generated by experts using the ANP method of multi-criteria decisionmaking. The results obtained within the research identified the scenarios of the highest priority - sustainable development and environmental protection - which would enable the National Park Djerdap to achieve its vision. The proposed model is flexible in the sense that its network structure and rules allow minor adjustments for its application to similar problems in the environmental management in other protected natural areas.

Although market-based environmental measures like uniform CO2 taxes reach a given standard at minimal cost, they do not prevail in real world policies. An efficiency oriented environmental policy fails, as it involves a redistribution of pollution rights, resulting in a strong and generally effective opposition of the groups that forego economic rents. The present paper analyzes the trade-off between efficiency and political feasibility of several CO2 tax and reimbursement schemes, using a computable general equilibrium model of Switzerland. The simulation results indicate that a policy combining a uniform CO2 tax with differentiated labor subsidies preventing intersectoral redistribution is a better solution for the tradeoff than the presently existing tax schemes in various countries.

Currently informal and formal international negotiations on climate change take place in an intensive way since the Kyoto Protocol expires already in 2012. A post-Kyoto regulation to combat global warming is not yet stipulated. Due to rapidly increasing greenhouse-gas emission levels, industrialized countries urge major polluters from the developing world like China and India to participate in a future agreement. Whether these developing countries will do so, depends on the prevailing incentives to participate in international climate protection efforts. This paper identifies ancillary benefits of climate policy to provide important incentives to attend a new international protocol and to positively affect the likelihood of accomplishing a post-Kyoto agreement which includes commitments of developing countries.

This paper discusses the integration of material flux analysis and agent analysis as the basis for a transition towards improved regional wood management in Appenzell Ausserrhoden (AR), a small Swiss canton located in the Pre-Alps of Switzerland. We present a wood flow analysis for forests, wood processing industries and consumption in AR, accounting for different wood products. We find that the forest is currently significantly underutilized although there are sizeable imports of wood and fuel to this small region. The underutilization of the forest contributes to a skewed age distribution, jeopardizing long-term sustainable development of the forest, as the fulfillment of its protective and production function are likely to be at risk. The wood resources, however, are capable of satisfying current wood demand among the population of AR and wood could even be exported. Underutilization has two main causes: first, wood prices are so low that harvesting trees is a money-losing proposition; second, consumer wood demand and the current supply from forest owners are not aligned. Furthermore, cultural values, lifestyle trends and traditions make an alignment of supply and demand difficult. Consensus and strategy building with the relevant stakeholders on the basis of the results obtained from the wood flow analysis and agent analysis is a reasonable next step to take. We conclude that wood flow analysis combined with agent analysis provide a useful and straightforward tool to be used as the basis of a transition process towards improved regional wood flows, which in turn should contribute to sustainable forest management.

Although market-based environmental measures like uniform CO2 taxes reach a given standard at minimal cost, they do not prevail in real world policies. An efficiency oriented environmental policy fails, as it involves a redistribution of pollution rights, resulting in a strong and generally effective opposition of the groups that forego economic rents. The present paper analyzes the trade-off between efficiency and political feasibility of several CO2 tax and reimbursement schemes, using a computable general equilibrium model of Switzerland. The simulation results indicate that a policy combining a uniform CO2 tax with differentiated labor subsidies preventing intersectoral redistribution is a better solution for the tradeoff than the presently existing tax schemes in various countries.

This paper discusses the integration of material flux analysis and agent analysis as the basis for a transition towards improved regional wood management in Appenzell Ausserrhoden (AR), a small Swiss canton located in the Pre-Alps of Switzerland. We present a wood flow analysis for forests, wood processing industries and consumption in AR, accounting for different wood products. We find that the forest is currently significantly underutilized although there are sizeable imports of wood and fuel to this small region. The underutilization of the forest contributes to a skewed age distribution, jeopardizing long-term sustainable development of the forest, as the fulfillment of its protective and production function are likely to be at risk. The wood resources, however, are capable of satisfying current wood demand among the population of AR and wood could even be exported. Underutilization has two main causes: first, wood prices are so low that harvesting trees is a money-losing proposition; second, consumer wood demand and the current supply from forest owners are not aligned. Furthermore, cultural values, lifestyle trends and traditions make an alignment of supply and demand difficult. Consensus and strategy building with the relevant stakeholders on the basis of the results obtained from the wood flow analysis and agent analysis is a reasonable next step to take. We conclude that wood flow analysis combined with agent analysis provide a useful and straightforward tool to be used as the basis of a transition process towards improved regional wood flows, which in turn should contribute to sustainable forest management.

Currently informal and formal international negotiations on climate change take place in an intensive way since the Kyoto Protocol expires already in 2012. A post-Kyoto regulation to combat global warming is not yet stipulated. Due to rapidly increasing greenhouse-gas emission levels, industrialized countries urge major polluters from the developing world like China and India to participate in a future agreement. Whether these developing countries will do so, depends on the prevailing incentives to participate in international climate protection efforts. This paper identifies ancillary benefits of climate policy to provide important incentives to attend a new international protocol and to positively affect the likelihood of accomplishing a post-Kyoto agreement which includes commitments of developing countries.

International audience, According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), states have to provide indicators in order to assess the performance of their initiatives for halting the loss of biodiversity. Sixteen headline indicators have been identified for monitoring the CBD targets. Of these indicators only one, "Trends in the abundance and distribution of selected species," is a direct headline indicator of "non-exploited" biodiversity. In France, the implementation of this indicator is completely dependent on data collected by volunteers. Since this investment of volunteer time is equivalent to savings in administrative costs, we attempt in this paper to assign it a monetary value. This enables us to estimate how much the French administration saves thanks to volunteer efforts and how much public funding would have to be invested if volunteers were no longer willing to participate in these biodiversity monitoring schemes. We estimate this amount to be between 678,523 and 4,415,251 euros per year, depending on the scenario selected. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.