Роль международных организаций в сфере поддержания экологической безопасности

The conducted research aims to determine the role of international organizations in the field of maintaining environmental safety. It is concluded that the relevance of the activities of international environmental organizations, governmental and non-governmental, both individually and collectively, make an important contribution to the processes of ensuring and maintaining environmental safety throughout the world, showing the need to disseminate environmental education, invest in environmental projects, increase society’s involvement in cooperation at the national and international levels, update scientific theoretical and practical research, and preserve natural heritage for future generations.Проведенное исследование имеет целью определить роль международных организаций в сфере поддержания экологической безопасности. Сделан вывод о том, что актуальность деятельности международных экологических организаций, правительственных и неправительственных, как каждой в отдельности, так и сообща, вносят свой важный вклад в процессы обеспечения и поддержания экологической безопасности во всем мире, показывая потребность в распространении экологического образования, инвестировании в экологические проекты, привлечении общества к сотрудничеству на национальном и международном уровнях, актуализации научных теоретических и практических исследований, сохранении природного наследия для будущих поколений

The Question of the Autocephalous Status of the Polish Orthodox Church in the Documents of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church (1944-1948)

The process and stages of the acquisition of autocephaly by the Polish Orthodox Church are explored. The formation of a socialist model of public administration in Poland after the Second World War required the resolution of some problems, in particular the restoration of canonical communication between the Polish and Russian Orthodox Churches. The cause of the conflict between these Churches was the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Polish Orthodox Church by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1924. The Soviet and Polish governments were interested in abolishing this Tomos. The state and church relations in the USSR provided for the establishment of strict control over the Russian Orthodox Church, which was turned into an instrument for solving the geopolitical problems of the Soviet government. The strengthening of the Moscow Patriarchate was a part of the struggle for the future structure of the postwar world, in which the USSR was to take the lead. Concerning the Polish government, the entry of the Polish Orthodox Church into the orbit of influence of the Moscow Patriarchate was a guarantee of its loyalty in all spheres of socialist construction, including the national question. The plans of the Soviet and Polish authorities to change the canonical status of the Polish Orthodox Church in Poland in the first stage (1944 - October 1947) aimed at abolishing autocephaly and subordinating it to the Moscow Patriarchate. In the second stage (November 1947 - June 1948), the Polish government decided to preserve the autocephalous status of the Church due to the strengthening of opposing forces. It was proposed to repeal the Tomos in 1924 and grant autocephaly by the Moscow Patriarchate. Strengthening the personnel potential of the Polish Orthodox Church with the Russian clergy provided for the removal from the office of Metropolitan Deonizii of Warsaw and his followers. The creation of a plan for the realization of these tasks and their implementation belonged to senior government officials; this indicates the political nature of the proclamation of the Tomos in 1948 and the lack of its canonical justification. The resumption of canonical communication between the Churches contributed to the strengthening of the positions of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ecumenical Orthodoxy, which was soon reflected in the decisions of the Meeting of the Heads of the Orthodox Churches (July 1948) and directed against the Holy See and the world ecumenical movement

Integration of the Pochaiv Lavra into the Structure of the Russian Orthodox Church between 1830s and 1860s

A series of imperial decrees during the 1820s contributed to the spread of the autocratic and synodal system of government, and the installation of control over the Greek Uniate Church institutions in the territories of Right Bank Ukraine.1 The Greek Uniate Church was moved in “standby mode” for favorable conditions for the government to rapidly localize its activities. The accusation of the Basilian monks in support of the November Uprising of 1830-1831 in Poland contributed to the liquidation of this order and most of their monasteries. The transfer of the Pochaiv Lavra to the ownership of the Orthodox clergy in 1831 was a milestone in the liquidation of the Greek Uniate Church and the establishment of the Orthodox mono-confessional of a Russian standard. Based on archival documents, the political motivation of the emperor’s decree to confiscate the Pochaiv Lavra with all its property and capital from the Basilians was confirmed. The transfer to the category of monasteries of the First class and the granting of the status of a Lavra indicated its special role in the western region of the Russian Empire. To ensure the viability of the Lavra as an Orthodox religious center, the orders of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church outlined the following key tasks: the introduction of continuous worship, strengthening the personnel of the monastery, the delimitation of spiritual responsibilities, and clarifying the affiliation of the printing house. However, maintaining the rhythm of liturgical, financial, and economic activities installed by the Basilians proved to be a difficult task, the solution of which required ten years of hard work. To carry out rapid changes in the monastery, the emperor and senior government officials as well as government agencies at the local level made certain decisions, which required the coordination of actions of all parties to the process

Non-pollen palynomorphs and thecamoebians as proxies of environmental and anthropogenic change: a case study from Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

The distribution of aquatic microfossils and pollen in the long core from Lake Simcoe (LS07PC5) shows synchronous response since deglaciation, highlighting the potential of little-known non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) as paleolimnological indicators. Upcore variations in NPP, thecamoebians and pollen reflect hydrological and climatic variations: onset of the Main Lake Algonquin, the draining of Lake Algonquin, the early Holocene drought, the midto late Holocene climate shifts including mid-Holocene drought and the Little Ice Age, and human settlement. The distribution of microfossils in the short cores (CB1 and SB1) shows the level of eutrophication decreasing gradually from Cook’s Bay to the Atherley Narrows outflow due to differences in the extent of anthropogenic impact and cumulative retention of phosphorous within sediments. Changes in assemblages and concentration of NPP within the cores reflect the history of settlement within Lake Simcoe basin, recording temporal differences in eutrophication

Environmental controls on carbon sequestration in a saline, boreal, peat-forming wetland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

Saline boreal fens represent potential models for post-mining landscape reclamation in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) (Canada) where wetland construction is challenged by salinization. One of the key indicators of reclamation success is the accumulation of organic carbon within constructed fens, and a better understanding of the drivers of carbon sequestration in natural saline fens can be useful for advancing fen construction in this region. As such, this thesis aims to determine the main environmental controls on carbon uptake and its long-term storage in a saline boreal fen near Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada) by: 1) reconstructing past salinity change; 2) determining relations between reconstructed salinity, hydrological conditions, vegetation and organic matter accumulation rates (OMAR) over the last ~100 years in open-water areas (ponds) within the fen; 3) investigating the effects of salinity, vegetation and hydrology on the long-term apparent rate of carbon accumulation (LARCA) within the peatland; and 4) assessing CO2 fluxes within the peatland and open-water areas. Past salinity change was investigated using paleolimnological analysis of sediment cores from three ponds situated within the fen. Salinity fluctuations were reconstructed using weighted-averaging transfer functions based on diatoms and an environmental dataset from 32 saline boreal ponds. Results reveal complex “precipitation – surface water – groundwater” interactions associated with differences in the hydrologic functioning of the studied ponds, and their connectivity with shallow groundwater aquifers and adjacent wetlands. Relationships between cumulative departure from mean precipitation (CDLM) and diatom-inferred (DI) salinity suggest that precipitation may control salinity both directly and indirectly. In ponds recharged predominantly by meteoric water, precipitation may govern salinity directly by dilution of salt content in water, so that increases in precipitation result in a salinity decline. In ponds situated within a saline groundwater discharge zone, salinity may be influenced by precipitation indirectly through recharge of the saline aquifer, so increases in precipitation lead to rises in salinity. Our study suggests that complex DI-salinity response to precipitation change, coupled with notable range of DI-salinity fluctuation within natural saline fens should be considered while designing saline constructed wetlands and predicting their potential resilience under climate change. Median OMAR (181 g m-2 yr-1) of the site suggests that ponds situated within saline boreal fens OMAR comparable to freshwater boreal and subarctic ponds, and reconstructed salinity levels (3–21 ppt) did not severely affect organic matter accumulation. Strong significant positive (Lager Pond), strong significant negative (South Pond), and weak insignificant (Pilsner Pond) correlations between OMAR and DI-salinity were observed, suggesting that relations between organic matter accumulation and salt content are not straightforward, and salinity was not the main control on OMAR. Macrofossil data showed that OM accumulation was mainly driven by water level, type of primary producers and pond regime. OMAR was the highest during the transition from peatland to ponds due to low decomposition rates resulting from high inputs of relatively resistant plant litter, and anoxic conditions. A macrophyte-dominated pond regime was associated with higher OMAR relative to phytoplankton-dominated regime. LARCA within the fen was studied using two peat sediment cores. Changes in LARCA in the less saline part of the fen correlate well with water table fluctuations and seem not to be affected by low salinity (EC10 mScm-1) appear to have negative effect on LARCA. In the southern more saline part of the fen relationships between LARCA and hydrology are complicated by salinity probably through the impact on the net primary productivity. The influence of salinity on LARCA is determined by salinity level, and there is a threshold value (probably 10 mScm-1) after which salinity can significantly affect “LARCA – hydrology” links. Mean LARCA of the site (19.7 gm-2 yr-1) is lower than in western continental fens, but it is comparable to the average rate reported for western Canadian peatlands. The northern less saline part of the fen has LARCA of 29.67 gm-2 yr-1 that is close to LARCA in rich fens, but LARCA in the southern part is considerably lower (9.79 gm-2yr-1). Environmental controls on net ecosystem exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (R), and gross primary productivity (GEP) within the fen were studied using community-scale CO2 measurements along a salinity gradient. Strong positive correlations between NEE, GEP, leaf area index (LAI), and vegetation biomass within terrestrial areas and strong positive correlation between GEP and vegetation density within aquatic areas illustrated importance of vegetation properties for carbon uptake. CO2 fluxes within peatland were driven primary by water table depth, and electrical conductivity as revealed by strong negative correlations between these variables and NEE, GEP, and R. Links between CO2 exchange and environmental factors were influenced by microtopographical differences, and additional controls (e.g., soil moisture, availability of magnesium, manganese and calcium) on NEE, GEP, and R were found within depressions. Strong negative correlation between R and water table depth (WTD), coupled with strong positive correlation between R and belowground biomass within ridges and no significant correlation between WTD and R within depressions possibly suggested predominance of root and/ or root-associated microbial respiration within depressions and prevalence of microbial respiration within ridges. Within open water areas, GEP and R were related to phosphate concentration as suggested by strong positive correlation. In contrast to terrestrial areas, EC had no relations to CO2 fluxes, and higher GEP was found in mesosaline ponds comparatively to hyposaline ones. This study revealed importance of development of appropriate planting schemes for terrestrial and open-wate

Driving down the Wrong Road: The Fifth Circuit\u27s Definition of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle as a Crime of Violence in the Immigration Context.

Individuals who are not United States citizens and participate in violent or severe criminal activity are likely to be deported and become inadmissible for life. But noncitizens can also be deported for minor criminal activity which does not cause harm or serious damage. In such cases, deportation is an extreme punishment out of proportion to the offense. Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle (UUMV) is an example of a crime which can be committed without serious harm or damage. The Fifth Circuit regularly sustains decisions of lifetime reentry ban for noncitizens convicted of UUMV. Under immigration law, “aliens” who are lawful permanent residents (LPR) but who are convicted of aggravated felonies are deportable and permanently excludable from the United States. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a crime of violence is an aggravated felony for which the noncitizen is subject to deportation and a lifetime ban on reentry. Some of the most controversial issues involve whether specific crimes are crimes of violence and thus aggravated felonies. In deciding the issue, the United States Supreme Court looks to specific elements in the criminal statute at issue. These elements include the seriousness of the crime and the meaning of crime of violence under the INA. Unfortunately, the Court did not set out specific tests to determine whether offenses are crimes of violence. This gives the Fifth Circuit leeway to rule UUMV a crime of violence. Lacking a bright line test, noncitizens must rely on the Supreme Court to determine whether each new offense charged as a crime of violence is appropriately charged. The suggested guidelines for review by the court in determining whether UUMV is a crime of violence should be extended to all issues. These guidelines include how the offense has been treated in criminal law and the Sentencing Guidelines

Driving down the Wrong Road: The Fifth Circuit\u27s Definition of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle as a Crime of Violence in the Immigration Context.

Individuals who are not United States citizens and participate in violent or severe criminal activity are likely to be deported and become inadmissible for life. But noncitizens can also be deported for minor criminal activity which does not cause harm or serious damage. In such cases, deportation is an extreme punishment out of proportion to the offense. Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle (UUMV) is an example of a crime which can be committed without serious harm or damage. The Fifth Circuit regularly sustains decisions of lifetime reentry ban for noncitizens convicted of UUMV. Under immigration law, “aliens” who are lawful permanent residents (LPR) but who are convicted of aggravated felonies are deportable and permanently excludable from the United States. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a crime of violence is an aggravated felony for which the noncitizen is subject to deportation and a lifetime ban on reentry. Some of the most controversial issues involve whether specific crimes are crimes of violence and thus aggravated felonies. In deciding the issue, the United States Supreme Court looks to specific elements in the criminal statute at issue. These elements include the seriousness of the crime and the meaning of crime of violence under the INA. Unfortunately, the Court did not set out specific tests to determine whether offenses are crimes of violence. This gives the Fifth Circuit leeway to rule UUMV a crime of violence. Lacking a bright line test, noncitizens must rely on the Supreme Court to determine whether each new offense charged as a crime of violence is appropriately charged. The suggested guidelines for review by the court in determining whether UUMV is a crime of violence should be extended to all issues. These guidelines include how the offense has been treated in criminal law and the Sentencing Guidelines