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Acceptance
General agreement that something is satisfactory or right; favourable reception, approval, favor; the act of assenting or believing. In the context of environmental decision-making, acceptance can be understood as a form of complacency in changing something due to being satisfied with the choice made, unmotivated to take another direction, and/or unaware of the dangers and deficiencies of this choice.
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Examples:
EPA chief: Trump's energy order sends 'pro-growth, pro-environment message'
Pro-Trump support of the EPA under Pruitt’s administration is an example of the acceptance of changes in the EPA, which are promoted as pro-Environmental and pro-growth measures.
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Adoption of successful Regulation, Law or Act
(Partly) Adopting successful and innovative Regulations and Acts from foreign countries to domestic Law to reinforce the current environmental legislation.
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Examples:
The German Energy Transition in International Perspective
The German Energy transition (Energiewende) has had an international signaling effect, with enormous interest worldwide in the transformation of the German electricity sector. The German Renewable Energy Law (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) has served as a model for more than 100 other Acts and the domestic support scheme for renewable energy has made substantial contributions to the technological development of wind power and photovoltaics.
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Appeal a decision
A request to have a higher court determine whether mistakes were made by a lower court or tribunal. The higher court may affirm, vary or reverse the original decision.
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Examples:
Calif. tribe wins appeal in landmark water case
In California, a federal appeals court sided with the Aguas Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians on a landmark water case upholding a ruling that the tribe has federally established goals to groundwater in the area.
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Arbitration
A form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts. The parties to a dispute refer it to arbitration by one or more persons and agree to be bound by the arbitration decision. A third party reviews the evidence in the case and imposes a decision that can be legally binding on both sides and enforceable in the courts.
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Examples:
Arbitration - Bahnprojekt Stuttgart-Ulm
In 2010, opponents and supporters of the Project for the Stuttgart-Ulm railway project sat down for arbitration sessions to discuss different issues about the project. The negotiations of the arbitration sessions were broadcasted live on the internet and television.
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Arbitration
A form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts. The parties to a dispute refer it to arbitration by one or more persons and agree to be bound by the arbitration decision. A third party reviews the evidence in the case and imposes a decision that can be legally binding on both sides and enforceable in the courts.
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Examples:
Arbitration - Bahnprojekt Stuttgart-Ulm
In 2010, opponents and supporters of the Project for the Stuttgart-Ulm railway project sat down for arbitration sessions to discuss different issues about the project. The negotiations of the arbitration sessions were broadcasted live on the internet and television.
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Arena-Shifting
Manipulation of formal intensity and enforcement capacities. Weakens the implementation capabilities. No vote is necessary and therefore the process is less visible to public.
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Examples:
Donald Trump Budget Slashes Funds for E.P.A. and State Department
Donald Trump has made massive budget cuts to EPA. Those could lead to agency’s inability to enforce environmental regulations.
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Arena-Shifting
Manipulation of formal intensity and enforcement capacities. Weakens the implementation capabilities. No vote is necessary and therefore the process is less visible to public.
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Examples:
Donald Trump Budget Slashes Funds for E.P.A. and State Department
Donald Trump has made massive budget cuts to EPA. Those could lead to agency’s inability to enforce environmental regulations.
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Assessment
An Environmental Assessment can be developed to identify, quantify and prioritize the vulnerabilities of a system. Working with reports and assessments of environmental impacts of a project can improve the arguments against its approval and contribute to the development of compensation measures.
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Examples:
The Project Stuttgart 21 (a railway and urban development project in Stuttgart, Germany) was officially announced 1994 and the construction works began in 2010. Heated debate ensued on a broad range of issues, including the relative costs and benefits, geological and environmental concerns, as well as performance issues. One key argument of the protesters against Stuttgart 21 was the environmental impact of the project. As a result they worked with a lot of reports and assessment on the environmental impact of the project to argue against it.
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