Environmental Policy and Governance最新文献

Residential energy efficiency improvements are generally considered integral to achieving climate change targets. Alongside the primary benefits of reducing energy use and consumer bills, there is increasing policy interest in the potential for energy efficiency programmes to deliver economy-wide gains, measured by gross domestic product, employment, household real incomes and spending power etc. Our previous research shows that such sustained gains are likely over time. Here, we consider how transitory outcomes are likely to be heavily influenced by the timing of actions and who pays, how and when. Insight in this regard is crucial for policy makers considering the mix and timing of measures to reach net zero outcomes that are economically as well as technically feasible. We consider alternative funding, distributions and timeframes for residential retrofitting costs and projects using a UK economy-wide scenario simulation model. The key insight is that while government support for the provision of low-cost finance options is strategically important in alleviating budget constraints and mitigating potential short-term negative impacts on household spending, producer responses to the wind down of retrofitting spending can disrupt the adjustment of the economy. Here we identify pros and cons of different trajectories of action towards high-level energy efficiency policy targets.

The effectiveness and efficiency of environmental policy largely depends on how other policies take account of ecological objectives, whether in the industrial, agricultural, urban planning, transport, housing or budget sectors. The state bears responsibility for how these public policies interrelate, including establishing a hierarchy of priority or allowing one area to ignore another. What can we learn about environmental policy from an analysis of the tensions between multiple sectoral policies, and more generally about the state and the political and institutional functioning that shapes the management of an environmental issue? Taking water management in France as a case study, this article argues that an approach focused on the regulation of tensions between various public policies can shed new light on the structural difficulties of environmental policy. It shows how ideas, norms, interests, strategies, professional cultures, and so forth, that underpin public policy outside the environmental field shape the handling of ecological issues. It also highlights the way the state views and handles these tensions between policies through institutional arrangements and socio-political compromises with influential sectoral actors and social groups.

The global uptake of renewable technology is both a dramatic and insufficient contribution to achieving a 1.5–2° world. However, urgently decarbonizing energy use and systems by shifting to renewables relies on intensifying global supply chains, beginning with the extraction of “critical” minerals, an industry that has a long history of generating significant social and ecological harms. This paper examines the nature of transnational governance initiatives that have emerged to regulate what has been called “renewables extractivism.” We develop a novel database of 44 transnational initiatives for governing minerals for onshore wind, solar PV, and lithium-ion batteries, which are driving renewable energy uptake. The database reveals “governance gaps” that refer to an absence of rules for many critical minerals and “accountability traps” where actors are held responsible for processes, standards, and sanctions that reflect their own normative logics, rather than the needs of affected communities and ecosystems. Current initiatives are designed in a way that measures, evaluates, and (very rarely) sanctions governance outcomes primarily in relation to supply chain security and energy access, as opposed to mitigating the social and environmental harms of resource extraction. The result is a transnational governance architecture that operates primarily (and systematically) with minimal scrutiny, transparency, and accountability. For stakeholders directly affected by the latest mining boom cycle, the absence of effective and legitimate accountability mechanisms reinforces a pattern of uneven development that shifts the most destructive forms of extraction to the social and ecological margins of the global commodity frontier.

The organisational arrangements of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism have been scrutinised for their capacity to support emissions reduction and promote local stakeholder participation. Yet, whether they facilitate REDD+ integration into land use sectors driving deforestation has received little attention. We assess the potential of the organisational arrangements of the Cameroonian REDD+ scheme to support sectoral integration. We draw on analysis of documentary material and conceptual literature on organisational structures for environmental integration, which distinguishes horizontal and vertical integration mechanisms with distinct features and potentials to foster integration. Our analysis reveals that the Cameroonian REDD+ scheme chaired by the environmental department and featuring a multisectoral steering committee aligns with horizontal integration. Such arrangements would infuse the REDD+ mechanism with the technical expertise of the leading department, but expose REDD+ integration to sectoral resistance and funding challenges because of the limited institutional leverage of the environmental department. The organisational reforms proposed by the national REDD+ strategy featuring the Prime Minister's leadership of the REDD+ process might enhance political support for REDD+ integration, but could expose REDD+ development to the vagaries of political shifts. We propose a hybrid organisational arrangement combining horizontal and vertical integration mechanisms, with the potential to minimise their respective weaknesses, maximise their strengths, and enhance REDD+ integration into land-use sectors. We recommend further feasibility analyses into the applicability of the proposed arrangement to other settings.

Climate adaptation policy in Canada is emerging in the context of another major challenge: the diminishing availability of affordable housing. Housing is a well-known driver of social vulnerability to environmental risks, so as governments respond to these challenges, it will be essential to understand how housing is being situated within adaptation, particularly with respect to differences in housing tenure and how decisions around equity and social vulnerability are factored into planning and policy processes. This research examines how adaptation plans and policies in Nova Scotia are addressing the needs of the non-profit co-operative housing sector and assesses the adaptation readiness of housing co-operatives in the province. Two methods are employed: a systematic content analysis of municipal and provincial climate policy documents, and interviews with key informants across the co-operative housing sector and government agencies. Using a modified adaptation readiness framework, we consider the potential for co-operative adaptation and complimentary public policy to address vulnerability at the intersection of housing and climate change. Findings indicate that non-market forms of tenure have been largely neglected by adaptation planners and state policymakers. Several barriers which contribute to a low level of adaptation readiness for co-ops are highlighted, notably a lack of usable science and funding to facilitate adaptation. Characteristics such as affordability and a propensity for collective action position housing co-ops to be agents of equitable and systemic adaptation, but this potential will only be realized in Canada if key barriers are overcome through targeted governmental rt for non-profit housing organizations.

Governance indicators influence and shape policy processes. The need for exploring how governance indicators lead to efficient policy responses is a long-drawn debate in the field of policy studies. While existing literature is mostly from developed world, there is a dearth of empirical evidence from developing countries like India. As cities continue to remain the fulcrum of economic growth despite the much-argued development model practised across India, it remains to be seen how governance indicators determine policy processes in cities. Adapting United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's (UNESCAP's) module on eight governance indicators we studied the policy process of three diverse climate change-linked environmental issues - air pollution, dengue, and extreme heat, from three urban Indian metropolis - Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, respectively. We used a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 33 stakeholders. We coded interview findings and formulated a color-coded matrix to highlight the importance of governance indicators by environmental issues. Transparency, accountability and participation played an important role in shaping policy processes. The importance of other governance indicators varied due to diversity in administrative structures across three cities. Our study's findings highlight a complex relationship between governance indicators and policy processes linked to the environmental issues. Our study shows that the relevance of governance indicators in shaping policies around environmental issues is determined by the nature of the environmental issue and the structure of governance. In addition, our study adds four new indicators, governance structures, capacity building, informality, and gender-inclusivity, which influence policy processes.

Meeting net zero emissions targets requires co-operation of multiple actors across scales and sectors, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); research on action by SMEs to improve energy efficiency of their buildings has however been limited. This article focuses on the work of local authorities in engaging SMEs in energy efficiency initiatives. Empirical findings are from systematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with local authorities participating in the Energy Efficient Scotland pilot programme for national scale retrofit. The modes of governance conceptual framework (self-governing, governing by partnership, governing through enabling, governing by provision and governing by authority) is combined with a local government capacities framework (responsibility, political authority, finance, personnel, knowledge and energy materialities) to explore the different strategies available to local authorities. Findings reveal that local authorities utilise various modes of governing for engaging SMEs; however some governing modes (self-governing, governing through authority and governing through provision) proved more effective than others (governing through partnership and through enabling). The results demonstrate that the modes of governance used to engage SMEs in energy efficiency depend on local authority capacities. However, Scottish local authority capacities are varied, resulting in differential ability to utilise the different modes of governing. Government policy for heat in buildings therefore needs to be sensitive to the specificities of different local authorities in order to extend their capacities for engage SMEs through both direct and enabling modes of governance.

Geoparks aim to conserve areas of geological significance and achieve sustainable endogenous regional development via geotourism. The management of geoparks requires the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and authorities. However, the strategies when establishing geoparks are often based on the visions of scientists and policymakers. Other stakeholders, such as local residents, often have relatively limited opportunities to become involved in the identification and communication of geoheritage values. Yet, across different social contexts, people's attitudes toward heritage may manifest differently. This adds to the complexity of building cohesive partnerships among stakeholders with the common goal of sustainable development. With a qualitative study of Zhangjiajie UNESCO Global Geopark in China, which has attracted considerable attention due to the conflicts between tourism development and heritage conservation, we aim to understand how the concept of geoheritage is institutionalized in the management of the geopark. Data were collected through interviews with government officials at different levels and various local tourism practitioners, supplemented by a policy document analysis. Results show that geoheritage management in Zhangjiajie Geopark lacked dynamism and inclusivity. The reason was the presence of dissonant understandings among various authorities regarding what constitutes geoheritage. These dissonant understandings were not negotiated strategically because of the embedding of the geopark in a highly convoluted multi-level governance system related to natural resource management and tourism. The findings underscore that geoheritage research should shift away from an objectivist understanding of geoheritage. Perceiving geoheritage as a power-loaded construct transforms our comprehension of geopark management dynamics.

The unsustainability of production and consumption patterns and the socio-technical systems in the energy, mobility, water, and solid waste sectors highlights the need for sustainability transitions. However, the transition management perspective indicates that these transformations cannot be managed in the traditional hierarchical sense. Therefore, new modes of governance are required to deal with the complexity and nature of sustainability issues. This study seeks to elucidate these matters by bringing the literature on sustainability transitions, transition management, and governance modes closer to each other, generating a better understanding of governance in transitions. In addition to the theoretical discussion on the linked concepts, this study also contributes by presenting and characterizing five modes of governance that can facilitate the paths to transformation. They are participatory, collaborative, multilevel, smart, and network governance. These modes of governance differ according to the actors involved and the nature of their interactions and encompass different political processes, institutional structures, and policy content. The assumption is that the modes of governance addressed, which distance themselves from conventional approaches based on top-down control, can favor transition initiatives that promote transformative processes toward a more resilient and sustainable society. However, the inherent embeddedness of the public service is recognized, which requires transitions in governance itself through institutional adaptations and changes in the role of actors and public officials.

This narrative review critically assesses the implementation and purported success of co-management in forest management in Bangladesh. Co-management has gained global popularity, celebrated for its participatory approach to natural resource conflict resolution, yet critiqued for potential design flaws, susceptibility to elite capture, and perpetuating power imbalances in predominantly top-down management cultures. Despite two decades of application and reports of positive outcomes in managing forest protected areas of Bangladesh, concerns persist regarding the authenticity of its success and sustainability, particularly in terms of power dynamics and effective community participation in decision-making processes. The review delves into these aspects, revealing instances where successes might be superficial, overlooking the underlying issues of power disparity among stakeholders. It highlights the crucial role of enhancing social capital within co-management frameworks to foster institutionalization and sustainability. Recommendations include advancing robust collaboration and communication, alongside the adoption of adaptive management practices to navigate the complex interplay of natural, social, and institutional challenges.