Implementation of European Union environmental policy : the case of the Packaging Waste Directive

This thesis provides a critical review of the processes shaping the implementation of European Union (EU) environmental policy. It focuses on two aspects of this dynamic, the interpretation of EU law by Member States and the use of legislative and price-based policy instruments to achieve policy objectives. The overall aim of the study is to examine the extent to which price-based regulation can contribute to the EU's policy objective of sustainable development. The focus for the research is the formulation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and its implementation in two Member States, Britain and Germany. A variety of research methods were employed, including literature and document searches, personal correspondences, telephone interviews, and postal surveys. The latter stage included a survey of British and German businesses affected by national packaging waste legislation. The first major finding was that the methods used by Member States to implement EU requirements are a major determinant of the sustainability outcomes achieved. By adopting command-and-control legislation and punitive environmental charges, Germany has achieved high recycling rates and significant reductions in packaging consumption. Britain's market-led approach has struggled to achieve its environmental targets but has produced a relatively cost-efficient recycling system. However, the second major finding was that environmental charges have not altered industry behaviour significantly. Whilst German firms were found to be more actively involved in preventative waste management than their British counterparts, this has been brought about primarily by legislative provisions and the readiness of national authorities to resort to constrictive regulation. The main contribution of price-based regulation has instead been the generation of hypothecation revenue for pollution control. From these findings, a conceptual model outlining the sustainability outcomes produced by legislation and price-based regulation is developed and discussed. From this evidence, it is concluded that the use of price-based regulation alongside state-determined implementation has led to some divergence in the sustainability outcomes achieved by EU environmental law. Moreover, the economic approach to environmental problems does little to resolve the fundamental conflicts of priorities between the EU's environmental agenda and its other policy domains. Some options for greater co-ordination of economic instruments at the EU level are suggested and evaluated. The thesis therefore provides a wide-ranging analysis of the practical application of price-based environmental regulation. Its primary contribution is that it assesses how political and practical issues combine to influence the implementation of environmental policy. Furthermore, by assessing EU policy in terms of its contribution to sustainable development, the study has sought to provide a holistic examination of the forces determining the success of the EU's environmental programme

Elemental depth profiling of thin film chalcogenides using MeV ion beam analysis

The comprehensive characterisation is one of many technical challenges in the fabrication of photovoltaic devices from novel materials. We show how the application of recent advances in MeV ion beam analysis, providing the selfconsistent treatment of Rutherford backscattering and particle induced X-ray emission spectra, makes a new set of powerful complementary elemental depth profiling techniques available for all thin film technologies, including the chalcopyrite compound semiconductors. We will give and discuss a detailed analysis of a CuInAl metallic precursor film, showing how similar methods are also applicable to other films of interest

Making sense of the green economy

This special issue editorial explores potential research interfaces between human geography and the rapidly unfolding concept and practices of the "green economy". The article outlines a range of critical issues about the green economy that are particularly pertinent and suited to geographical analysis. The first concerns questions around the construction of the green economy concept and critical questioning of current, largely hegemonic neoliberal, growth-focused and technocentric definitions of the green economy. The second broaches the spatial complexities of green economic transitions, while the third discusses the need for critical appraisal of the logics and mechanisms of governance and transition that see the green economy as a key mechanism for economic, social and environmental change. The fourth focuses on the crucial issue of micro-level and individual practices and behaviour, and on links between individual behaviour and wider economic-environmental governance and economic systems. Finally, the article discusses the need for scholars to engage in imaginative consideration of alternatives to current, growth-focused paradigms and conceptualizations of the green economy

End-to-end beam simulations for the new muon G-2 experiment at Fermilab

The aim of the new muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab is to measure the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon with an unprecedented uncertainty of 140 ppb. A beam of positive muons required for the experiment is created by pion decay. Detailed studies of the beam dynamics and spin polarization of the muons are important to predict systematic uncertainties in the experiment. In this paper, we present the results of beam simulations and spin tracking from the pion production target to the muon storage ring. The end-to-end beam simulations are developed in Bmad and include the processes of particle decay, collimation (with accurate representation of all apertures) and spin tracking

Realistic undulators for intense gamma-ray beams at future colliders

The baseline designs for the ILC and CLIC require the production of an intense flux of gamma rays in their positron sources. In the case of CLIC the gamma rays are produced by a Compton backscattering source, but in this paper we concentrate on undulator-based sources as proposed for the ILC.We present the development of a simulation to generate a magnetic field map based on a Fourier analysis of any measured field map. We have used a field map measured from the ILC helical undulator prototype to calculate the typical distribution of field errors, and used them in our calculations to produce simulated field maps. We show that a loss of gamma ray intensity of ~8% could be expected, compared to the ideal case. This leads to a similar drop in positron production which can be compensated for by increasing the undulator length

‘it's all a question of business’: investment identities, networks and decision‐making in the cleantech economy

Cleantech has emerged in the last decade as a major new investment sector at the forefront of the green economy. It responds to the need for innovative technologies to combat the impact of global environmental, climate and resource trends. Focusing on the cleantech sector, this article explores the central importance of relationality within the financial domain of the green economy. The central aim of this article is to deepen understandings of the operation of cleantech investment by examining the decision-making processes of cleantech actors, how these are influenced by (and influence) cleantech investment networks, and the relationships between these factors and the macro-level drivers and discourses focused on the cleantech sector. A relational economic geography approach is used in conjunction with other frameworks (spanning the cultural, structural and actor-network dimensions of cleantech investment) to investigate: how cleantech investors define the sector; the macro- and micro-level drivers of cleantech investment; and how cleantech networks form and operate to create and disseminate cleantech discourses and to generate the mutual trust and information sharing needed to secure cleantech investments. In so doing, the article seeks to shed greater light on the micro-level processes contributing to the creation and growth of cleantech investment markets as an essential catalyst and component of the green economy

Re-evaluation of the age model for North Atlantic Ocean Site 982 – arguments for a return to the original chronology

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleRecently, the veracity of the published chronology for the Pliocene section of North Atlantic Ocean Drilling Program Site 982 was called into question. Here, we examine the robustness of the original age model as well as the proposed age model revision. The proposed revision is predicated on an apparent mis-identification of the depth to the Gauss-Matuyama (G/M) polarity chronozone reversal boundary (2.581 Ma) based on preliminary shipboard paleomagnetic data and offers a new chronology which includes a hiatus between ~3.2 and 3 Ma. However, an even more accurate shore-based, u-channel-derived polarity chronozone stratigraphy for the past ~2.7 Ma supports the shipboard composite stratigraphy and demonstrates that the original estimate of the depth of the G/M reversal in the Site 982 record is correct. Thus, the main justification forwarded to support the revised chronology no longer exists. We demonstrate that the proposed revision results in a pronounced anomaly in sedimentation rates proximal to the proposed hiatus, erroneous assignment of marine-isotope stages in the Site 982 Pliocene benthic stable oxygen isotope stratigraphy, and a markedly worse correlation of proxy records between this site and other regional paleoclimate data. We conclude that the original chronology for Site 982 is a far more accurate age-model than that which arises from the published revision. We strongly recommend the use of the original chronology for all future work at Site 982

Possible uses of gamma-rays at future intense positron sources

The baseline design of the ILC (International Linear Collider) positron source requires the production of an intense flux of gamma rays. In this paper we present an investigation of using the gamma ray beam of the ILC for additional applications, including nuclear physics. As a result of changing the collimator shape, as well as the parameters of the undulator magnets, we obtained spectra from numerical simulations using the HUSR/GSR software package. We present results from simulations and a discussion of possible future investigations in this paper

Improving Student Success: Arkansas State’s Partnership With Credo and Regional High Schools

In this “out of the box” session, two librarians from Arkansas State University (A-State) and Credo’s chief content officer discussed their innovative collaboration in which A-State and Credo are working together to bring information literacy resources and instruction to local high schools in support of college readiness. The session covered several issues, including how the library engaged and garnered administrative support, the challenges in establishing meaningful partnerships with local high schools, and developing and tracking the right metrics to validate progress. Topics of discussion included ways in which the library is working to do more to enhance its strategic importance relative to administration goals; an overview of the established project goals and how success will be tracked in areas, including college preparedness, retention, graduation rates, grade point average (GPA), and recruiting; and why this matters to the A-State Library. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences and provide feedback