Variant 4

1. Read the text and translate the italised extract in written form

The Legal System And Environmental Law

In our societies decisions are made every day concerning environmentally hazardous activities, e.g. discharges from factories, road constructions and extracts of natural resources. In these decisions environmetla concerns are confornted with other interests. The ledislative bodies of the countries have the task to set up rules how to solve these conflicts. The rules consisting of laws, regulations and other legal instruments, constitute the environmental law of the country. Environmental law is the major way for the policymaking bodies to implement a national environmental policy and, above all, to protect its environment against pollution and other damage.

Legal instruments are also used when an international convention, e.g. the Baltic Sea Convention, is implemented on the national level.

Several principals basic to environmental legislation have been developed during the last fifteen years. The Rio Conference on the Environment and Development, UNCED in 1992 played an important role to strengthen these principles.

Most important today is the Principle of Sustainable Development. The essence of this principle is the requirement not to jeopardize the satisfaction of future generations’ needs when we satisfy the needs of today’s generation. This principle is included in the Amsterdam Treaty of the European Union and other international documents which are valid in many countries in the region. It is also included in national statutes, e.g. the new Swedish Environmental Code, and in the Latvian Law on Environmental Protection.

A decisive question in practice is who should bear the costs of environmental protection. A second widely accepted principle of basic importance to environemtnal law which adresses this question is the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP). There are impacts or risks of impacts on other person’s health or private property as well as on public interests, e.g. biodiversity.

The PPP says that the polluter has to take the financial responsibility for precautionary measures. The obligation for polluters to pay compensation if a person is hurt or other property is damaged may also be seen as an effect of the PPP. Special pollution taxes are also based on this principle.

Private and public interests are therefore to some extent protected by law. But the question is: should the polluter be compensated if an activity is restricted due to its possible or proven damaging environmental impacts? The answer seems to be in general no. An exception might, however, be the Swedish Constitution, which in unclear. Many lawyers claim that a Polluter is entitled to compensataion if an ongoing polluting activity is restricted, e.g. in connection with a requirement to reduce the emmisions. However, it is important to stress that the PPP applies to pollution situations only. If, e.g. a nature reserve is established in a natural forest with endangered species, and the restrictions prohibit clear-cutting, a land owner would naormally be compensated by direct payment, tax reduction or otherwise.

A third important issue is how to consider risks of environmental impacts. Some legislation requires that precautions be taken, and may even prohibit the activity, although it is not possibl;e to say for sure that damage will in fact occur.

2.CHOOSE THE CORRECT PREPOSITION:

1. Environmental concerns are confronted (from, about, with) other interests.

2. The legislative bodies of the countries have the task to set (up, on, in) rules how to solve conflicts.

3. Several principles basic (on, to, at) environmental legislation have been developed during the last fifteen years.

4. The Principle of Sustainable Development is included (at, in, on) the Amsterdam Treaty of the European Union.

5. A decisive question in practice is who should bear the costs (from, of, at) environmental protection.

6. There are impacts, or risks of impacts, (for, on, at) other persons’ health or private property as well as (for, on, at) public interests, e.g. biodiversity.

7. The polluter has to take the financial responsibility (for, with, in) precautionary measures.

8. The obligation (on, from, for) polluters to pay compensation if a person is hurt or other property is damaged.

9. It is important to stress that the PPP applies (at, for, to) pollution situations only.

10. An important issue is how to consider risks (with, from, of) environmental impacts.

3. A. MAKE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES PASSIVE:

1. The legislating bodies, primarily parliaments, can often not solve conflicts between environmental protection and other interests in the legislation as such.

2. Certain environmental features may influence a culture’s diet, dress, religion, and marriage partnership.

3. The different states use the same types of legal instruments.

4. People should use economic instruments for environmental protection.

5. Law protects private and public interests.

B. MAKE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ACTIVE:

6. In our societies decisions are made every day concerning environmentally hazardous activities.

7. The legislation on control of pollution and nature conversation may be seen as the heart of environmental legislation.

8. A wider economic perspective has nowadays been accepted in some pieces of legislation and court cases.

9. Should the polluter (developer) be compensated?

10. Strict requirements can be used as an outer limit, “roof”’, for acceptable environmental impacts.

4. A. MATCH SYNONYMS:

1. hazardous; 2. discharge; 3. implement; 4. to jeopardize; 5. precaution;

a. foresight; b. to risk; c. utensil; d. dangerous; e. release.

B. MATCH THE WORDS WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS:

6. to purify; 7. clear-cutting; 8. to compensate; 9. valid; 10. biodiversity;

a. having legal efficacy or force; b. to recompense for loss, suffering, or injury, typically by the award of a sum of money; c. to extract something from; d. the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem; e. removal of all the trees in a stand of timber.

5. CHOOSE THE BEST VARIANT TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES:

1. In our societies decisions are made every day concerning environmentally hazardous activities, e.g. discharges from factories, road constructions and (quarrying, extraction, mining) of natural resources.

2. Private and public interests are (defended, safeguarded, protected) by law.

3. Many lawyers claim that a (polluter, pollutant, pollution) is entitled to compensation if an ongoing polluting activity is restricted.

4. Environmental concerns are (faced, opposed, confronted) with other interests.

5. If a nature reserve is (set up, ascertained, established) in a natural forest with endangered species, and the restrictions prohibit clear-cutting, a land owner would normally be compensated by direct payment (in Sweden), tax reduction (e.g. Latvia) or otherwise.

B. MARK THE STATEMENTS AS TRUE (T) OR FALSE (F). CORRECT THE FALSE STATESMENTS:

6. The rules, consisting of laws, regulations and other legal instruments, constitute the environmental law of the country.

7. Legal instruments are not used when an international convention, is implemented on the national level.

8. The essence of the Principle of Sustainable Development is the requirement to jeopardize the satisfaction of future generations’ needs when we satisfy the needs of today’s generation.

9. Special pollution taxes are based on the Polluter Pays Principle.

10. A third important issue is how to consider risks of environmental impacts.

6.A. TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH INTO RUSSIAN:

1. Environmental law is the major way for the policymaking bodies to implement a national environmental policy and, above all, to protect its environment against pollution and other damage.

2. All economies around the Baltic Sea are nowadays based on private ownership of land, water and natural resources.

3. The economy may be seen as an interest opposite to protection; e.g. treatment of wastewater requires expensive equipment.

4. Pollution is closely connected with the use of chemicals in the industrial process, the use of energy and natural resources, waste management and avoidance of accidents.

5. While cultural cataclysms have an immediate crisis-centered impact on a culture’s development, cultural experts recognize that a culture’s ecology also has a long-term, gradual impact.

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

6. How can society regulate environmentally hazardous activity?

7. What legal instruments for environmental protection can you name?

8. What are the most hazardous environmental risks that should become a subject of special concern to all humans?

9. What legal ways are there for modern civilization to eliminate environmental risks?

10. Tell about the situation with environmental law in your country.