Sustainable development - Environmental governance and law

Title

Reference

Volume 16, Issue 9, 2011 pages 917-936

Author(s)

Robin Curry & Caitriona Maguire

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper builds on and extends previous research to contribute to ongoing discussion on the use of resource and carbon accounting tools in regional policy making. The Northern Visions project has produced the first evidence-based footpath setting out the actions that need to be taken to achieve the step changes in the Ecological and Carbon Footprint of Northern Ireland. A range of policies and strategies were evaluated using the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme. The analysis provided the first regional evidence base that current sustainable development policy commitments would not lead to the necessary reductions in either the Ecological Footprint or carbon dioxide emissions. Building on previous applications of Ecological Footprint analysis in regional policy making, the research has demonstrated that there is a valuable role for Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in policy appraisal. The use of Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in regional policy making has been evaluated and recommendations made on ongoing methodological development. The authors hope that the research can provide insights for the ongoing use Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in regional policy making and help set out the priorities for research to support this important policy area.

Policy theme(s)

Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable production >> Sustainable business and industry
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Environmental governance and law                   

Keywords

Sustainability; Ecological Footprint; Carbon Footprint; resource accounting; policy development; REAP

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13549839.2011.615306
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Contact the study author at:

r.curry@qub.ac.uk

Title

Identifying governance strategies that effectively support ecosystem services, resource sustainability, and biodiversity

Reference

PNAS March 29, 2011 vol. 108 no. 13 5308-5312
EU funded

Author(s)

R. E. Kenward , M. J. Whittingham, S. Arampatzis, B. D. Manos, T. Hahn, A. Terry, R. Simoncini, J. Alcorn, O. Bastian, M. Donlan, K. Elowe, F. Franzén, Z. Karacsonyi, M. Larsson, D. Manou, I. Navodaru, O. Papadopoulou, J. Papathanasiou, A. von Raggamby, R. J. A. Sharp, T. Söderqvist, Å. Soutukorva, L. Vavrova, N. J. Aebischer, N. Leader-Williams, and C. Rutz

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Conservation scientists, national governments, and international conservation groups seek to devise, and implement, governance strategies that mitigate human impact on the environment. However, few studies to date have systematically investigated the performance of different systems of governance in achieving successful conservation outcomes. Here, we use a newly-developed analytic framework to conduct analyses of a suite of case studies, linking different governance strategies to standardized scores for delivering ecosystem services, achieving sustainable use of natural resources, and conserving biodiversity, at both local and international levels. Our results: (i) confirm the benefits of adaptive management; and (ii) reveal strong associations for the role of leadership. Our work provides a critical step toward implementing empirically justified governance strategies that are capable of improving the management of human-altered environments, with benefits for both biodiversity and people.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   
Resource efficiency >> Materials >> Material efficiency
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Environmental governance and law                                                             

Keywords

adaptive governance; Convention on Biological Diversity; knowledge leadership; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; policy making

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.pnas.org/content/108/13/5308.short
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Contact the study author at:

reke@ceh.ac.uk

Title

Understanding sustainability policy: governance, knowledge and the search for integration

Reference

Author(s)

Rob Atkinson & Jan Erling Klausen

Study type

Peer Review Journal / Report

Abstract

The EU, through the Cardiff and the Gothenburg strategies, sought to counter what was seen as fragmented and uncoordinated environmental policy development by promoting a broad and integrated approach to sustainability. This article seeks to assess two recently implemented EU directives on environmental issues in light of this aim, namely the directives on Air Quality Management and Strategic Environmental Assessment. Drawing on theoretical foundations and empirical evidence from the EU FP6 project ‘Governance for Sustainability’, this article seeks to understand how policy integration is a matter of knowledge use, which is again related to the governance arrangements in which implementation takes place. Drawing on a total of 15 case studies in nine countries, the article finds that actual decision-making practice varies a lot albeit based on the same directives. In many cases, the directives were viewed as a sectoral ‘environmental tools’, and these cases were often dominated by expert knowledge being funnelled through relatively closed, hierarchical governance arrangements. In other cases, however, the directives were viewed as opportunities for politicians to cultivate a network mode of governance that ‘aspired’ to arguing and sometimes opened up for competing knowledge claims.

Policy theme(s)

Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Environmental governance and law

Keywords

Sustainability, policy, governance, knowledge, integration

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert /
Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1523908X.2011.578403
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Contact the study author at:

Rob.Atkinson@uwe.ac.uk

Title

Environmental regulation and investment: Evidence from European industry data

Reference

Ecological Economics 70 (2011) 759-770

Author(s)

Andrea M. Leiter, Arno Parolini, Hannes Winner

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper contributes to the empirical literature on the relationship between environmental regulation and firm behavior. In particular, we ask whether and how strongly an industry's investment responds to stringency in environmental regulation. Environmental stringency is measured as (i) an industry's total current expenditure on environmental protection, and (ii) a country's revenue from environmental taxes. Focusing on European industry level data between 1995 and 2005, we estimate the di erential impact of environmental stringency on four types of investment: gross investment in tangible goods, in new buildings, in machinery, and in `productive' investment (investment in tangible goods minus investment in abatement technologies). Both environmental variables enter positively, and their quadratic terms exhibit significantly negative parameter estimates. This, in turn, indicates a positive but diminishing impact of environmental regulation on investment.

Policy theme(s)

Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable production >> Sustainable business and industry
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Sustainable economic development >> Sustainable business and industry
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Sustainable economic development >> Environmental governance and law

Keywords

Investment, Environmental regulation, Pollution abatement costs, Europe

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800910004660
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Contact the study author at:

andrea.leiter@uibk.ac.at