The use of cost-benefit analysis for environmental projects

In research, we analysed the way cost-benefit analyses (CBA) were carried out in governmental and selfgovernmental projects which were partly financed by the European Union. The primary aim was to establish how the way these CBAs are carried out can be improved in the case of these institutions. By taking account of the environmental endowments and social factors, it became obvious that the quantity and presence of externalities is usually more significant than in the case of the assessment of economic factors. The presence of quantified benefits in the development documents could make it much easier for the decision makers to decide whether the investment possesses suitable characteristics in an economical, environmental and social sense too, in the case of projects and development concepts, or not. Therefore, its realization will certainly modify the welfare curve in a positive direction. In spite of this it can be stated that the incorrect methodical approach of the economic factors result many extern effects in the evaluation, which place the certain development programmes in the centre of the preferred economic decisions in a way that they cause many social and environmental damages

BIOSZÉN FELHASZNÁLÁS KÖRNYEZETGAZDASÁGTANI MEGKÖZELÍTÉSE LEHETSÉGES TECHNOLÓGIAI ÉS GAZDASÁGI SZCENÁRIÓK A MAGYARORSZÁGI BIOSZÉN HASZNOSÍTÁSBAN

A növényi és állati eredetű bioszenek alkalmazása a korszerű mezőgazdaság által újra felfedezett technológia, amely bizonyos mértékig alkalmas lehet a műtrágyák kiváltására, és a műtrágyahasználatból eredő környezetterhelés csökkentésére. A kedvező tulajdo nságai ellenére a hatályos közösségi szabályozás nem segíti elő a bioszén alkalmazásának széleskörű elterjedését. Míg a műtrágyák vonatkozásában van egységes közösségi szabályozás, addig a bioszenek esetében tagállami hatáskörbe tartozik a szabályozás mega lkotása. Az eltérő tagállami szabályok nem kedveznek a bioszén nemzetközi kereskedelmének. A növényi eredetű bioszenek talajjavító, illetve az állati eredetű bioszenek talajjavító és termésnövelő hatása közismert. Azonban a bioszén használatának az előbbie ken túl van még egy igen kedvező környezeti hatása, mégpedig az a széndioxid - csökkentő képesség, aminek a klímavédelem szempontjából van jelentősége. Jelen tanulmány a klímavédelmi hatások szempontjából vizsgálja a bioszenek előállításának és alkalmazásána k klímagazdaságtani kérdéseit. Kiemelten vizsgáljuk, hogy miképp azonosíthatóak a bioszenek teljes életciklusának környezeti hatásai és miképp határozható meg ezen klímabarát technológia hatásfoka, a szén - dioxid megtakarítások kontextusában. Kulcsszavak : bioszén, innováció, klímavédelem, környezetgazdaságtan Abstract Use of plant based biochar and animal bone biochar nowadays has re - discovered by the modern agriculture. This technology may be suitable to replace chemical fertilizers and reduce the environ mental impact caused by chemical fertilizer use. Despite of the favorable properties the EU legislation is not conducive to the widespread use of biochar. While in the case of fertilizers is comprehensive EU legislation in the case of biochar will have nat ional competence in the regulation. The different national rules don’t support the international trade of biochar. The biochar soil and yield - increasing effect is well known. The carbon dioxide - reduction capacity has an additional positive climate change i mpact of use of biochar, which in terms of climate protection is significant. This study examines the climate change economics issues of biochar from the climate protection point of view

The use of cost-benefit analysis for environmental projects

In research, we analysed the way cost-benefit analyses (CBA) were carried out in governmental and selfgovernmental projects which were partly financed by the European Union. The primary aim was to establish how the way these CBAs are carried out can be improved in the case of these institutions. By taking account of the environmental endowments and social factors, it became obvious that the quantity and presence of externalities is usually more significant than in the case of the assessment of economic factors. The presence of quantified benefits in the development documents could make it much easier for the decision makers to decide whether the investment possesses suitable characteristics in an economical, environmental and social sense too, in the case of projects and development concepts, or not. Therefore, its realization will certainly modify the welfare curve in a positive direction. In spite of this it can be stated that the incorrect methodical approach of the economic factors result many extern effects in the evaluation, which place the certain development programmes in the centre of the preferred economic decisions in a way that they cause many social and environmental damages

Effect of Hydrocortisone on Mortality and Organ Support in Patients With Severe COVID-19: The REMAP-CAP COVID-19 Corticosteroid Domain Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Evidence regarding corticosteroid use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. Objective: To determine whether hydrocortisone improves outcome for patients with severe COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: An ongoing adaptive platform trial testing multiple interventions within multiple therapeutic domains, for example, antiviral agents, corticosteroids, or immunoglobulin. Between March 9 and June 17, 2020, 614 adult patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and randomized within at least 1 domain following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory or cardiovascular organ support at 121 sites in 8 countries. Of these, 403 were randomized to open-label interventions within the corticosteroid domain. The domain was halted after results from another trial were released. Follow-up ended August 12, 2020. Interventions: The corticosteroid domain randomized participants to a fixed 7-day course of intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg or 100 mg every 6 hours) (n = 143), a shock-dependent course (50 mg every 6 hours when shock was clinically evident) (n = 152), or no hydrocortisone (n = 108). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was organ support-free days (days alive and free of ICU-based respiratory or cardiovascular support) within 21 days, where patients who died were assigned -1 day. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model that included all patients enrolled with severe COVID-19, adjusting for age, sex, site, region, time, assignment to interventions within other domains, and domain and intervention eligibility. Superiority was defined as the posterior probability of an odds ratio greater than 1 (threshold for trial conclusion of superiority >99%). Results: After excluding 19 participants who withdrew consent, there were 384 patients (mean age, 60 years; 29% female) randomized to the fixed-dose (n = 137), shock-dependent (n = 146), and no (n = 101) hydrocortisone groups; 379 (99%) completed the study and were included in the analysis. The mean age for the 3 groups ranged between 59.5 and 60.4 years; most patients were male (range, 70.6%-71.5%); mean body mass index ranged between 29.7 and 30.9; and patients receiving mechanical ventilation ranged between 50.0% and 63.5%. For the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively, the median organ support-free days were 0 (IQR, -1 to 15), 0 (IQR, -1 to 13), and 0 (-1 to 11) days (composed of 30%, 26%, and 33% mortality rates and 11.5, 9.5, and 6 median organ support-free days among survivors). The median adjusted odds ratio and bayesian probability of superiority were 1.43 (95% credible interval, 0.91-2.27) and 93% for fixed-dose hydrocortisone, respectively, and were 1.22 (95% credible interval, 0.76-1.94) and 80% for shock-dependent hydrocortisone compared with no hydrocortisone. Serious adverse events were reported in 4 (3%), 5 (3%), and 1 (1%) patients in the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with severe COVID-19, treatment with a 7-day fixed-dose course of hydrocortisone or shock-dependent dosing of hydrocortisone, compared with no hydrocortisone, resulted in 93% and 80% probabilities of superiority with regard to the odds of improvement in organ support-free days within 21 days. However, the trial was stopped early and no treatment strategy met prespecified criteria for statistical superiority, precluding definitive conclusions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02735707

Low-carbon innovation policy with the use of biorenewables in the transport sector until 2030

The topic of the present study deals with the changes and future trends of the European Union’s climate policy. In addition, it studies the manner in which Hungary’s transport sector contributes to the success of the above. The general opinion of Hungarian climate policy is that the country has no need of any substantial climate policy measures, since it will be able to reach its emission reduction targets anyway. This is mostly true, because the basis year for the long term goals is around the middle/end of the 1980’s, when Hungary’s pollution indices were entirely different than today due to former large-scale industrial production. With the termination of these inefficient energy systems, Hungary has basically been “performing well” since the change in political system without taking any specific steps in the interest of doing so. The analysis of the commitments for the 2020-2030 climate policy planning period, which defined emissions commitments compared to 2005 GHG emissions levels, has also garnered similar political reactions in recent years. Thus, it is not the issue of decreasing GHG emissions but the degree to which possible emissions can be increased stemming from the conditions and characteristics of economic growth that is important from the aspect of economic policy. In 2005, the Hungarian transport sector’s emissions amounted to 11 million tons, which is equal to 1.2% of total EU emissions, meaning it does not significantly influence total transport emissions. However, the stakes are still high for developing a low GHG emission transport system, since that will decide whether Hungary can avoid those negative development tendencies that have plagued the majority of Western European transport systems. Can Budapest avoid the scourge of perpetual smog and traffic jams? Can it avert the immeasurable accumulation of externalities on the capital city’s public bypass roads caused by having road transport conduct goods shipping? JEL classification: Q5

A BIOSZÉN FELHASZNÁLÁS KÖRNYEZETGAZDASÁGTANI MEGKÖZELÍTÉSE LEHETSÉGES TECHNOLÓGIAI ÉS GAZDASÁGI SZCENÁRIÓK A MAGYARORSZÁGI BIOSZÉN HASZNOSÍTÁSBAN

A növényi és állati eredetű bioszenek alkalmazása a korszerű mezőgazdaság által újra felfedezett technológia, amely bizonyos mértékig alkalmas lehet a műtrágyák kiváltására, és a műtrágyahasználatból eredő környezetterhelés csökkentésére. A kedvező tulajdonságai ellenére a hatályos közösségi szabályozás nem segíti elő a bioszén alkalmazásának széleskörű elterjedését. Míg a műtrágyák vonatkozásában van egységes közösségi szabályozás, addig a bioszenek esetében tagállami hatáskörbe tartozik a szabályozás megalkotása. Az eltérő tagállami szabályok nem kedveznek a bioszén nemzetközi kereskedelmének. A növényi eredetű bioszenek talajjavító, illetve az állati eredetű bioszenek talajjavító és termésnövelő hatása közismert. Azonban a bioszén használatának az előbbieken túl van még egy igen kedvező környezeti hatása, mégpedig az a széndioxid-csökkentő képesség, aminek a klímavédelem szempontjából van jelentősége. Jelen tanulmány a klímavédelmi hatások szempontjából vizsgálja a bioszenek előállításának és alkalmazásának klímagazdaságtani kérdéseit. Kiemelten vizsgáljuk, hogy miképp azonosíthatóak a bioszenek teljes életciklusának környezeti hatásai és miképp határozható meg ezen klímabarát technológia hatásfoka, a szén-dioxid megtakarítások kontextusában. ----------------------- Use of plant based biochar and animal bone biochar nowadays has re-discovered by the modern agriculture. This technology may be suitable to replace chemical fertilizers and reduce the environmental impact caused by chemical fertilizer use. Despite of the favorable properties the EU legislation is not conducive to the widespread use of biochar. While in the case of fertilizers is comprehensive EU legislation in the case of biochar will have national competence in the regulation. The different national rules don’t support the international trade of biochar. The biochar soil and yield-increasing effect is well known. The carbon dioxide-reduction capacity has an additional positive climate change impact of use of biochar, which in terms of climate protection is significant. This study examines the climate change economics issues of biochar from the climate protection point of view

Towards a Harmonised Application of the International Regulatory Framework in Waste Management and Decommissioning

The 3-year Euratom project, “HARPERS: HARmonised PracticEs, Regulations and Standards in waste management and decommissioning,”aims to establish and clarify the benefits and added value of more aligned practices, methodologies, and approaches in decommissioning and radioactive waste management, including possibilities for shared processing, storage and disposal facilities between Member States (MS). HARPERS aims to reinforce the activities of the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD), Pre-disposal Treatment of European Radioactive Waste Streams (PREDIS) and Stakeholder-based Analysis of Research for Decommissioning (SHARE) projects. HARPERS will also connect with the wider European Community through, e.g., SNETP, DigiDECOM, NEA, IGDTP, IAEA, ENSREG, ERDO and will encourage interaction between different national programmes. The project will evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, identify the obstacles &amp; issues preventing implementation of a more common regulatory approach, covering e.g., nuclear, industrial safety, occupational health, environmental, … aspects. A TECOP analysis will identify a multitude of potential changes, which will be reviewed further in terms of strategic impacts for stakeholders. The high-level benefits of more aligned practices, methodologies and approaches are related to 1) greater business opportunities 2) better understanding between diverse groups serving wider markets 3) improved cost efficiency 4) waste minimisation and 5) improved final disposability of waste. This paper gives a general overview on HARPERS and presents results of the two on-line workshops on WP5 Advanced Technologies.</p