Environmental concerns about the massive use of disinfectants during COVID-19 pandemic: an overview on aquatic toxicity

Many public health measures to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 were adopted worldwide, and particularly to the environmental measure of regular cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, the increased use of disinfectant products raises environmental concerns. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), povidone-iodine (PVP-I), chloroxylenol (PCMX) and chlorhexidine (CHX) are the active ingredients of most disinfectant products due to their effectiveness against various microbiological agents. Although presenting antimicrobial efficacy, these biocides have been associated with impacts on aquatic life. For instance, QACs can induce toxicity to Aliivibrio fischeri and fish (different species). Gill and liver damages are verified in Cyprinus carpio after exposure to PVP-I. CHX induces toxic effects on algae, crustaceans, and fish embryos. PCMX can induce genotoxicity to rainbow trout and malformations on zebrafish embryos, as well as it can reduce the reproduction rate of Caenorhabditis elegans. Thus, the potential to cause negative consequences on human and environmental health has resulted in activities from the U.S. and European agencies to favor the use of safer and greener disinfectant products during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review article summarizes the main findings on the impacts of disinfectants (the most used) on aquatic life. This information may help prioritize disinfectants with lower impacts on the aquatic environment for daily use, and especially for high-frequency use as verified in the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this review may help identify knowledge gaps on the aquatic hazard of disinfectants, which may drive future studies on this matter and, lastly, contribute to the development of sustainable products.

THE NEW CAP IN BULGARIA: (MISSED) OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH NATURE VALUE FARMING?

Biodiversity conservation is one of the key global challenges. The interaction between biodiversity and agriculture is varied and often - negative. High Nature Value farming is the exception with positive synergy, and the CAP prioritizes its support. The Bulgarian agri-environmental measure has targeted support schemes for High Nature Value farmlands since 2006. In 2020, the European Commission indicated that Bulgaria is among the member states with the highest loss of these type of farmlands in the EU. The main aim of the paper is to examine the extent to which the programming of the new CAP in Bulgaria addresses the risk of continued loss of High Nature Value farmlands and includes adequate support measures and schemes. Recommendations for the improvement of the CAP Strategic plan in Bulgaria are also developed.

Sustainability: extending the virtue of personal data legislation to goods and products

This contribution addresses the notion of sustainability and its modalities as an element of public order enabling the European Union to regain its technological sovereignty through the emergence of a possible new environmental measure. Constraining the manufacturers, this measure is compliant with the free markets requirements. Only the intellectual property rights may constitute a real obstacle to its application.

The Environment and Investment Arbitration

This chapter describes the relationship between investment arbitration and the environment. Most view investment arbitration as a threat to environmental regulation, and examine whether sufficient safeguards have been built into treaty texts and arbitral practice to preserve regulatory space for states to advance environmental objectives. However, states are at liberty to choose the objectives that they pursue and set their own priorities between various competing objectives. There is no reason to assume that host states always accord the highest priority to environmental objectives. In some instances, host states may be keen to pursue economic or other objectives at the cost of the environment. Investors in some sectors, such as renewable energy, would find some or all of the host state’s measures for environment protection commercially profitable. On the other hand, there would be sectors where investors would stand to lose from environmental measures. Thus, whether a foreign investor’s interests align with a host state’s interest to protect its environment depends on a number of factors including the sector of investment and the nature of the environmental measure. The chapter then looks at how investment arbitrators have acted, and are likely to act, when faced with issues related to the protection of the environment.

Farming System Transformation Impacts on Landscape: A Case Study on Quality Wine Production in a Highly Contested Agricultural Landscape

This paper is an attempt to synthesize the conclusions of a series of consecutive research projects along a common thread. It focuses on the landscape impacts of a gradual transformation undergone by a low input and bulk wine producing system into a quality wine system. This transformation took place on the island of Santorini, in Cyclades, Greece, during the last four decades in a highly contested landscape. A polarization in the power game has been identified, with two poles having different priorities and perceptions about the two issues at stake: agricultural landscape and wine quality. In the course of this process, both synergistic and antagonistic transition dynamics are encountered, transforming significantly the balance of driving forces. Our analysis suggests that market forces influenced landscape change to a far greater degree than policy measures implemented on the island. Developments in the international markets for tourism and quality wine have played a crucial role in land use change and farming intensity. Public intervention in the form of both regulatory land use planning policy and incentive measures like Rural Development Policy, including an agri-environmental measure, targeted to the vineyards of Santorini, did not seem to have an equally important impact. Integration of landscape maintenance practices within the wine quality regime could create beneficial synergies.

Article 193 TFEU

Article 193 TFEU lays down the principle of minimum harmonization for measures adopted on the environmental legal basis of Article 192 TFEU. Its wording suggests a constitutional obligation on the EU institutions and a clear limit on the scope of any measures adopted on the basis of Article 192 TFEU. Many measures adopted on the basis of Article 192 TFEU themselves also contain a similar provision, indicating that MS shall not be prevented from maintaining or adopting more protective measures. However, the ECJ has confirmed that also in the absence of such a specific provision in an environmental measure, the minimum harmonization principle applies.

Incorrect Methodology for Agri-Environmental Measure - Multifunctional Field Margins - As Limitation for Enhancement of Environment in Slovakia

Agri-environment measures are a key element for the integration of environmental concerns into the Common Agricultural Policy. They are designed to encourage farmers to protect and enhance the environment on their farmland by paying them for the provision of environmental services. Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020 introduced an agri-environmental measure for multifunctional field margins (biostrips on arable land), which contributes to increasing biodiversity, to protection of basic environmental elements and it also serves as prevention for climate change. Since so far no farmer asked the Agricultural Paying Agency for commitment, the objective of the paper was to assess the design and accuracy of calculation of the agri-environmental and climatic measure - the multifunctional field margins in the conditions of Slovakia. The research results show that the calculation methodology is incorrectly set and it does not compensate for the farmer’s loss on farm yields.