Earth System Governance最新文献

As area-based marine conservation coverage expands to meet global targets, tension with fishing activities increases. While fully protected areas (FPAs) provide the largest range of long-term social-ecological benefits, their establishment has been constrained by difficulties arising from the short-term costs of protection, and associated limitations in economic incentives and in the resources required for effective implementation. Building on an existing bio-economic model for self-financed FPAs, we examine the economic and operational feasibility of establishing an ecolabel approach to balance the costs endured by fishers when implementing an FPA. Optimal increased profits can be achieved by designating the ecolabelled self-funded managed-fishing area for 20–25% of FPA. Multi-zone MPAs with a price premium derived from catch ecolabel certification inside partially protected areas surrounding FPAs provide incentives to help fishers engage into adopting sustainable fishing practices. Here we pave the way for more innovative approaches towards transformative changes for fisheries sustainability.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) involving a diverse set of actors are assumed to reduce implementation gaps of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While existing research suggests that MSPs can complement state-led efforts in environmental and sustainability governance, a deeper understanding of the composition, thematic focus, and specific governance functions of MSPs for the SDGs is still wanting. In this article, we present the results of a survey of 192 MSPs registered on the United Nations Partnership Platform, analyzing their set-up and organization, partner composition, agency of partners, governance functions, SDG coverage, and effectiveness. We further complement existing research by investigating whether MSPs address SDG nexuses and relate our findings to previously identified interlinkages between the goals. Comparing our results to earlier studies, we find that MSPs have become more inclusive, involving more non-state actors overall, and as lead partners. Our results further indicate a complementary role of MSPs in SDG implementation by focusing on often underrepresented and cross-cutting goals such as climate action (SDG 13), quality education (SDG 4) and gender equality (SDG 5). However, there appears to be untapped potential for MSPs to capitalize on shared resources and capabilities to address combinations of SDGs that are likely to produce negative spillovers among each other. Moreover, we find partnerships between actors from multiple societal sectors to be potentially more effective than those involving only one societal sector.

The concept of bioeconomy is increasingly gaining prominence as a potential pathway to reconcile conservation objectives with economic and social aspects. However, so far, dominant bioeconomy approaches have paid little attention to potential risks and negative impacts on biodiversity. This Perspective argues that it is crucial to integrate biodiversity into bioeconomy approaches. We argue that this can happen in two ways; by mainstreaming biodiversity into dominant bioeconomy approaches which have previously not considered biodiversity in much depth, and by giving the sustainable use of biodiversity a more central place in bioeconomy strategies. Generally, biodiversity can become a central aspect of bioeconomy strategies, but questions around distribution, equity, and accountability need to be carefully considered.

Enforcement and management scholars alike expect that countries participating in an international agreement will more likely achieve predetermined targets than nonparticipating countries will. The management school ascribes this expected association to a constraining effect of the treaty; the enforcement school ascribes it to a screening effect. If the latter conjecture is correct, the association between participation and target achievement should significantly weaken (or even vanish) when controlling for targets' ambition level and other confounding factors. We test this hypothesis on a new dataset comprising three protocols under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). Our results suggest that the positive association between participation and target achievement is robust to controlling for confounding factors; hence, our data suggests that these CLRTAP protocols have indeed constrained participating states.

Groundwater salinization due to sea-level rise is a problem that governance actors in coastal areas of the North Sea region have overseen for a long period. As an ecological problem associated with climate change, it can be severely exacerbated by careless water management. This paper studies governance processes, actor perspectives and responses to groundwater salinization and sea-level rise in the East Frisian and Frisian regions of the German North Sea coast. Due to its low-lying landscape, large areas of land remain below sea-level, making groundwater salinization an urgent concern. Our research questions are: (i) What type of anticipatory governance approach can be found with actors in the study region concerning groundwater salinization and climate adaptation challenges? (ii) How can an alternative anticipatory governance approach promote proactive governance processes addressing the complex problem of groundwater salinization in terms of awareness, preparedness, methods, strategies and policy actions? We conducted semi-structured interviews and workshops between 2017 and 2021, including a group of 15 actors from private and civil society organizations as well as authorities on municipal, inter-municipal and state levels. Our study finds that problem awareness in municipalities and regional governance levels in East Frisia and Frisia is low. Current management of groundwater salinization mainly focuses on technical response measures, while precautionary measures are given low priorities. With regard to governance approaches, our study identifies apparent societal challenges of groundwater salinization at the complex interface between water management, human activities and natural processes, and sustainable ways to manage and protect groundwater resources. However, we found indication for a defensive anticipatory governance approach prioritizing risk management and assessing plausible futures. In participatory processes, we discussed possible technical, non-technical and institutional adaptation options for future implementation. Finally, conclusions will be drawn on how knowledge and awareness building can contribute to change actors perspectives on the overseen problem of groundwater salinization and increase adaptiveness.

Universities are increasingly engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Appeal for the SDGs is partly based on their double transformation framing: they are seen as enablers of societal transformations and transformations within universities. This article aims to understand how the SDGs influence university transformations. We analyse how four universities have integrated the SDGs through a comparative case study. We propose a framework to determine the impact of the SDGs in universities by identifying their scope of change (i.e. discursive, institutional, relational, and resource effects) and depth of change (i.e. accommodative, reformative or transformative). This study shows that discursive effects are the most prominent hinting toward transformative change. To lesser extents, primarily accommodative, the SDGs have influenced institutional, relational, and resource changes. Overall, findings show that for the SDGs to fulfil their transformative potential in universities, they should be used as more than communications and legitimizing tools.

This paper presents the concept of climate commitment for measuring institutional effectiveness in global climate governance at the subnational level. The research scope is limited to a top-down perspective and the outcome dimension of institutional effectiveness. It considers the multi-level governance theoretical approach to assess subnational governments' behavior in global climate governance and defines subnational governments as the level between the national government and cities/municipalities. Climate commitment stands on two dimensions: governance processes and greenhouse gas emissions trajectory. The principal component analysis statistical method examines the climate commitment variables' behavior and the results for Brazilian subnational units (26 states and the federal district). The research's contribution offers an alternative approach to subnational actors' role in global climate governance architecture and an alternative model for policy design.

There is now widespread recognition that the dominant approaches to addressing the climate crisis to date have been insufficient. One reason for this is their failure to account for the influential role played by inner dimensions such as worldviews, values and beliefs in shaping how we understand and respond to this urgent issue. This paper explores how worldviews are both an insufficiently understood factor and an under-utilised tool that could enable more transformative governance responses to climate change. It introduces the concept of developmentally-based worldviews, focusing on the five worldviews most prevalent amongst leaders and managers today and how climate change is understood and approached by each. Applying a worldviews perspective to the global climate governance arena, the paper shows how operating from Conformist, Expert and Achiever worldviews can result in less capacity to respond to change and uncertainty, engage in reflective learning and be open to multiple perspectives - all aspects regarded as important for achieving transformative action - than operating from Pluralist and Strategist worldviews,. Tools such as mindfulness training and developmentally-informed leadership education are likely to be helpful in further developing the capacity of individuals and organisations to engage in truly transformative climate governance.

Native trees are central elements of sustainable agriculture, providing economic futures to rural populations while safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. We present a diagnostic methodology for (i) identifying ‘incentive opportunities’ for farmers to plant and manage trees on farms; (ii) proposing targeted packages of incentive and finance instruments; and (iii) describing levers for policy integration to support their implementation. In two case studies from Uganda and Peru, the ‘incentive opportunities’ consist of providing technical and financial support to farmers for planting and managing trees, generating income sources from native trees and support from the beneficiaries of tree-based ecosystem services, and eliminating incentives for tree removal. Many instruments to promote trees on farms already exist, but implementation is hampered by weak and fragmented institutions, limited funding and low political priority. The proposed methodology can guide the development of incentive instruments as part of implementing policy strategies for integrated biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Drivers for biodiversity loss are largely regulated by policies in non-environmental sectors. The limited mainstreaming of biodiversity into respective policies remains yet to be analysed. During the process of updating the German National Biodiversity Strategy, we conducted 33 interviews and a stakeholder workshop to analyse barriers and levers for biodiversity integration in five policy sectors: agriculture, forests, marine & coastal areas, business & industries, rural & urban development. Based on Biodiversity Policy Integration literature, we distinguish four leverage points for transformation related to inclusive, integrated, accountable and adaptive governance. We found that biodiversity inclusive narratives and innovative approaches exist but are overshadowed by conflicting vested interests. Dominant sector policies are incoherent and continue to provide harmful subsidies. Institutional structures fail to reflexively respond to ambitious agendas and are locked into sector specific accountability hierarchies. Thus, transformative national planning needs to overcome institutional lock-ins and empower agents to develop innovative solutions.