A Review of Transnational Regulations in Environmental Protection and the Circular Economy

• Authors: Zofia Wysokińska

Title variants

Przegląd regulacji transnarodowych w dziedzinie ochrony środowiska i gospodarki cyrkularnej

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of the paper is to present a review of transnational regulations (global and European) in the field of environmental protection and the circular economy. The paper discusses the regulations proposed in publications and reports of such global organizations and UN Agencies as the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the European Commission as the Executive Body of the European Union. With regard to the WTO, these regulations concern the effects of liberalizing trade in environmental goods and services and environmentally sound technologies. Sustainable development means, above all, protecting the natural environment and reducing excessive dependence on depleting natural resources, including primary raw materials, in the economic sector. This implies the need to implement a new resource‑efficient development model, based on the principles of the circular economy (CE), which has been proposed for several years by transnational organizations. In the CE model, the use of natural resources is minimized, and when a product reaches the end of its useful life, it is reused to create additional new value. This can bring significant economic benefits, contributing to new production methods and new innovative products, growth, and job creation. The topics mentioned above are the main subject of consideration in the presented paper.

PL

Celem artykułu jest zaprezentowanie przeglądu regulacji transnarodowych (globalnych i europejskich w dziedzinie ochrony środowiska i gospodarki cyrkularnej. W artykule omówione zostały regulacje zaproponowane w publikacjach i raportach przygotowanych przez takie organizacje globalne i Agendy ONZ jak: Program Ochrony Środowiska Narodów Zjednoczonych (UNEP); Konferencja ONZ do spraw Handlu i Rozwoju (UNCTAD), Organizacja Narodów Zjednoczonych do spraw Wyżywienia i Rolnictwa (FAO), jak również przez Światową Organizacja Handlu (WTO), oraz przez Komisję Europejską jako ciało wykonawcze Unii Europejskiej. W odniesieniu do WTO regulacje te dotyczą efektów liberalizacji handlu towarami i usługami środowiskowymi oraz technologiami przyjaznymi środowisku. Zrównoważony rozwój polega głównie na ochronie środowiska naturalnego oraz ograniczaniu w sektorze gospodarki nadmiernego uzależnienia od wyczerpujących się zasobów naturalnych w tym przede wszystkim od surowców pierwotnych. W tym znaczeniu proponowany jest od kilku lat nowy bardziej zasobooszczędny model rozwoju, bazujący na zasadach gospodarki cyrkularnej. W ramach tego modelu wykorzystanie zasobów jest zminimalizowane, a gdy produkt osiąga koniec okresu użytkowania, jest ponownie wykorzystywany do tworzenia dodatkowej nowej wartości. Może to generować znaczne korzyści ekonomiczne, przyczyniając się do tworzenia nowych metod produkcji i nowych innowacyjnych produktów, wzrostu oraz tworzenia miejsc pracy.

Keywords

EN

transnational and European regulations; environmental protection; circular economy; global organizations; European Union

PL

regulacje transnarodowe i europejskie; ochrona środowiska; gospodarka cyrkularna; organizacje globalne; Unia Europejska; regulacje transnarodowe i europejskie; ochrona środowiska; gospodarka cyrkularna; organizacje globalne; Unia Europejska

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Comparative Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 149-168

Dates

published

2020-12-30

Contributors

author

Zofia Wysokińska

• Ph.D., Full Professor at the University of Lodz, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, Department of World Economy and European Integration, Lodz, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8052-794X

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Identifiers

DOI

10.18778/1508-2008.23.32