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This document is intended to provide guidance when testing and/or evaluating effectiveness of biocide products (public health insecticides) used as baits for the control of Lasius ant colonies nesting in, or in close proximity to, buildings. This document does not deal with efficacy consideration for products used as pesticides, for example products aimed at outdoor ant elimination.
This study analyses the promotion of collective action for agri-environmental public goods and addresses externalities by reviewing the experience of various OECD member countries. Twenty-five cases from
13 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) are examined. The study shows that collective action should be given serious consideration as a means of addressing many agricultural and natural resource issues, and in some cases collective action should be actively promoted.
Agriculture can have significant impacts on the environment as it uses on average over 40% of water and land resources in OECD countries. The impacts occur on and off farm, including both pollution and degradation of soil, water and air. But agriculture also supplies ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, provides a sink for greenhouse gases, and contributes to flood control and the aesthetic value of landscapes.
This compendium updates the data issued in Environmental Performance of Agriculture at a Glance and provides comprehensive data and analysis on the environmental performance of agriculture in OECD countries since 1990, covering soil, water, air and biodiversity and looking at recent policy developments in all 34 OECD countries.
Microbicides are routinely used on hard, non-porous surfaces to interrupt the spread of pathogens in a wide range of sites including healthcare, food production, restaurants, farms, veterinary clinics, homes, schools, and other commercial and institutional settings. Over the years, a number of laboratory test methods have been developed to assess the effectiveness of hard, non-porous surface microbicides. These methods have ranged from testing microorganisms in suspension to drying them on hard carriers and exposing them to the microbicide. Regulatory authorities throughout the world have relied upon data generated using these methods to approve applications/licenses for sale and distribution of these products in commerce. To date, there is no single method for this purpose that can be used and accepted in all OECD member countries. In this Guidance Document, four methods are described that permit the evaluation of efficacy of microbicides used on hard non-porous surfaces.
Green growth is vital to secure a brighter, more sustainable future for developing countries. Developing countries will pay a high price for failing to tackle local and global environmental threats because they are more dependent on natural resources and are more vulnerable to resources scarcity and natural disasters.
This book presents evidence that green growth is the only way to sustain growth and development over the long-term. Green growth does not replace sustainable development, but is a means to achieve it. Green growth values natural assets, which are essential to the well-being and livelihoods of people in developing countries, and if policies are designed to respond to the needs of the poorest, green growth can contribute to poverty reduction and social equity.
Building on experience with green growth policies in developing countries and extensive consultations with developing country stakeholders, this report provides a twin-track approach with agendas for national and international action. It responds to developing country concerns about the technical challenges arising from early efforts to “go green” and documents a wealth of examples from developing countries. Green growth objectives and policies will need to be mainstreamed into every government objective and most importantly, into national budgets. Green growth policies can use untapped opportunities to boost domestic fiscal revenues and attract quality investment for years to come. International co-operation is needed to help mitigate the short-term costs that may be associated with pursuing green growth. International flows of money, trade and technology know-how is vital to encourage pursuit of green growth in developing countries.
Parce que l’innovation technologique peut permettre d’atteindre des objectifs environnementaux à moindre coût, il importe de comprendre en quoi l’élaboration des politiques de l’environnement et l’innovation technologique sont liées.
Cela est particulièrement vrai dans le domaine du changement climatique, où les coûts estimés de la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre dans l’avenir dépendent en grande partie de la trajectoire technologique empruntée par l’économie. Les politiques publiques ont sans doute le pouvoir d’accélérer le développement et la diffusion des technologies d’atténuation du changement climatique et d’adaptation à ce phénomène, mais nous disposons d’encore trop peu de données concrètes et empiriques sur le sujet.
Ce rapport présente une série d’articles qui étudient dans quelle mesure l’innovation technologique peut réduire les coûts induits par la réalisation des objectifs en matière d'atténuation des changements climatiques.
This report examines six mechanisms that can be used to scale-up financing for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and to help meet the 2011-20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The mechanisms are environmental fiscal reform, payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsets, green markets, biodiversity in climate change funding, and biodiversity in international development finance. Drawing on literature and more than 40 case studies worldwide, this book addresses the following questions: What are these mechanisms and how do they work? How much finance have they mobilised and what potential is there to scale this up? And what are the key design and implementation issues that need to be addressed so that governments can ensure these mechanisms are environmentally effective, economically efficient and distributionally equitable?
This report studies green growth trends, challenges and opportunities in the City of Kitakyushu, Japan. It firstly analyses socio-economic trends and the environmental performance of Kitakyushu; secondly reviews urban policies for land use, transport, buildings, waste, energy, water and industries that contribute to economic growth and reduce pressure on the environment; thirdly identifies innovation assets and actors in Kitakyushu and the northern Kyushu region and assesses Kitakyushu’s potential to bolster a regional green innovation system; and finally examines local, regional and national institutions, including horizontal and vertical co-ordination mechanisms that strengthen cross-sectoral and multilevel governance for green growth.
This report studies green growth trends, challenges and opportunities in the City of Stockholm, Sweden. It first analyses socio-economic trends and the environmental performance of the city and the county of Stockholm; then it reviews urban policies for land use, transport, buildings, waste, energy and water that contribute to economic growth and reduce pressure on the environment; thirdly assesses Stockholm’s green innovation potential in areas such as cleantech, ICT and university to business linkages; and finally it examines local, regional and national institutions, including horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms that strengthen cross-sectoral and multilevel governance for green growth.
This document provides guidance for performing an exposure assessment – for humans and the environment – based on environmental monitoring data. It covers topics such as environmental levels and distribution of contaminants, ways of using monitoring data in exposure assessments for differing purposes, the collection of data, quality of monitoring activities, as well as several examples of data compilation in member countries and their use in exposure assessment. It describes the basic methodology used to conduct an exposure assessment based on environmental monitoring data, summarising the main facts and issues to be considered. Although there are fundamental differences between human and environmental exposure assessment methodologies, there are still common approaches for using monitoring data, and these constitute the main focus of this document. This document also gives an example of how monitoring data could be used in an exposure assessment, and discusses the possible links between the use of monitoring data and an approach that uses modelling results. The nature of the monitoring data, properties of the measurements, and characteristics of the concentration distributions are discussed from the perspective of their application in exposure assessment.
The combined effects of the economic crisis and the recent popular uprisings in parts of the Middle East and North Africa have brought social and economic challenges back to the centre of attention of policy makers. For governments searching to create jobs, to satisfy the growing energy demand of their populations and to diversify their economies, the appeal of renewable energies is strong. However, the right policy framework and support need to be put in place if the region wants to attract private investment in the sector and reap the benefits of its favourable resource endowment, especially as regards solar and wind energy.
This report makes the case for a stronger deployment of renewables in the Middle East and North Africa and identifies the appropriate support policies required to stimulate the necessary private investment. An assessment of existing policy frameworks in the region and examples from OECD good practice are used as pointers to help guide policy makers in their choices.
The analysis contained in this report suggests that support policies targeting the life cycle of renewable energy projects such as feed-in tariffs and power purchase agreements are more effective and less distortive than policies subsidising the initial investment, such as cost reductions. The optimal incentive scheme provides investors with stability through a guaranteed but declining minimum return while imposing enough market risk to foster technological progress.
The OECD Environmental Performance Review Programme provides independent assessments of countries’ progress in achieving their domestic and international environmental policy commitments, together with policy relevant recommendations. They are conducted to promote peer learning, to enhance countries’ accountability to each other and to the public, and to improve governments’ environmental performance, individually and collectively. The Reviews are supported by a broad range of economic and environmental data. Each cycle of the Environmental Performance Reviews covers all OECD member countries and selected partner countries. The most recent reviews include: Mexico (2013), Germany (2012) and Slovenia (2012).
This report is the third OECD review of Italy’s environmental performance. It evaluates progress towards sustainable development and green growth, with a focus on policies that promote more effective and efficient water management and provide better incentives to tackle climate change.
l programma degli esami ambientali dell’OCSE ha l’obiettivo di valutare in maniera indipendente i progressi conseguiti dai singoli Paesi a fronte degli impegni ambientali assunti a livello nazionale e internazionale, e di formulare raccomandazioni rilevanti per il miglioramento delle politiche ambientali. Gli esami mirano a incoraggiare il processo di apprendimento tra pari, a promuovere una maggiore accountability dei governi di fronte agli altri Paesi e all’opinione pubblica, nonché ad aiutare i Paesi a migliorare individualmente e collettivamente i risultati ottenuti nella gestione dell'ambiente. Gli esami si basano su un ampio spettro di dati economici e ambientali. Ogni ciclo del programma di esami ambientali copre tutti i Paesi membri dell’OCSE e alcuni Paesi partner. Di recente sono stati pubblicati i rapporti su Messico (2013), Germania (2012) e Slovenia (2012).
Questo rapporto, il terzo che l’OCSE dedica all’esame delle performance ambientali dell’Italia, valuta i progressi compiuti verso il raggiungimento degli obiettivi in materia di sviluppo sostenibile e crescita verde. Un’attenzione particolare è dedicata alle politiche intese a promuovere una gestione delle risorse idriche più efficace ed efficiente e a dare maggiore impulso alla lotta al cambiamento climatico.
La fourniture de services d’approvisionnement en eau, d’assainissement et de traitement des eaux usées a des répercussions très favorables sur la santé publique, l’économie et l’environnement. Dans les pays en développement, le rapport avantages/coûts peut aller jusqu’à 7 pour 1 pour les services d’eau et d’assainissement de base. Les actions en matière de traitement des eaux usées, par exemple, peuvent s’accompagner d’effets très positifs en termes de santé publique et d’environnement, ainsi que pour certains secteurs économiques comme la pêche, le tourisme et le marché de l’immobilier.
Les retombées favorables des services d’eau sont rarement considérées dans leur pleine mesure pour différentes raisons, notamment la difficulté de quantifier d’importants avantages non économiques tels que les valeurs de non-usage, la dignité, le statut social, la propreté et le bien-être général. Par ailleurs, les informations concernant les avantages liés aux services d’eau sont souvent enfouies dans des documents techniques et échappent aux principaux décideurs des ministères.
Ce rapport réunit et résume les informations existantes sur les avantages de l’eau et de l’assainissement.
The primary reason for the OECD to propose a common list of sectors of economic activities reporting to PRTRs was to increase the comparability of data derived from various existing PRTR systems. Moreover, comparability would be enhanced if newly established systems cover the same sectors as existing systems. For these purposes, a comprehensive list of all reporting sectors (“Long Reporting Sector List”) and a harmonised list of sectors ("Short Reporting Sector List") were developed using the lists of sectors covered by five different PRTR systems, and those sectors recommended in the UNECE Kiev Protocol on PRTRs.
L’eau est essentielle pour la croissance économique, la santé humaine et l’environnement. Pourtant, les gouvernements du monde entier font face à d’importants défis dans la gestion efficace de leurs ressources en eau. Les problèmes sont multiples et complexes : des milliards d’individus n'ont toujours pas d'accès direct à l'eau potable et à un assainissement adéquat ; la concurrence s’accroît autour de l'eau entre usagers mais aussi usages différents ; et d’importants investissements sont nécessaires pour entretenir et améliorer les infrastructures hydrauliques dans les pays membres et non membres de l'OCDE. Cette série de l’OCDE sur l’eau fournit analyses et conseils en matière de politique gouvernementale pour ce qui concerne les aspects économiques, financiers et de gouvernance liés à la gestion des ressources en eau. Ces questions sont généralement au cœur du problème de l’eau et détiennent la clé pour trouver une solution au problème politique.
Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), or more specifically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are a large group of chemicals that have been used since the 1950s as ingredients or intermediates of surfactants and surface protectors for assorted industrial and consumer applications. During the last decade, several PFASs have been recognised as highly persistent, potentially bioaccumulative and toxic. In addition, many PFASs have been detected globally in the environment, biota, humans and food items. Initially, most attention was given to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), two PFAS chemicals found commonly in the environment, biota and human and most studied with regard to toxicity and ecotoxicity. Lately, more attention has also been given to other PFAS.