Search

The Natural Environment White Paper represents the most important conservation policy shift in the United Kingdom (UK) in twenty years. It formalises the ecosystem approach within national policy objectives and emphasises the economic value of ecosystem services. By analysing the use of various evidence sources, the involvement of science entrepreneurs, and the development of policy narratives, our goal was to understand factors that influenced adoption of an ecosystem service framework in the UK. We interviewed 48 policy actors and found that centrally-sponsored synthesis reports with entrepreneurial authors provided the most influential expert-based knowledge in the development of the White Paper . More recently published reports had greater influence, yet the window of opportunity for scientific evidence having policy impact was greater in the problem-setting stages of policy development. The interaction between teams preparing syntheses and expert entrepreneurs helped influence the construction of strategic policy narratives. Those narratives increased the impact of scientific evidence by communicating and framing key policy-salient messages, and brokering between broad ecosystem-based and environmental economics narratives. The combination of ecological and economics evidence was particularly salient in the UK case due to the context of continued biodiversity loss and the acceptability of valuation narratives within central government. Our findings suggest that evidence impact varies at different stages of the policy process, and that this is driven by the interplay of contextual factors like policy timing, personal influence, and the competition between different sets of actors and narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Offsetting development impacts could help achieve no net loss of biodiversity. [•] France recently geared its legislation on offsetting towards no net loss. [•] New guidance promises improved offset design and implementation. [•] Institutional arrangements for delivering offsets are either poor or lacking. [•] Appropriate institutional arrangements are necessary to avoid paper offsets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In shaping environmental policy, knowledge is power. Yet the opposite is also true. Control over the absence of knowledge facilitates certain policy outcomes being deflected, obscured, or magnified in a way that furthers political, personal, or institutional ends. Applying previous work on ignorance studies and agnotology to the development of Cambodian drought policy, the paper demonstrates how data gaps, restrictions on data sharing, and obstacles to data dissemination serve institutional interests and shape policy development. It proceeds in three parts, each reflecting one aspect of drought sensing in Cambodia and more broadly: hydrological, meteorological, and agricultural. First, how data on the Mekong River is shaped by regional geopolitics. Second, how national rainfall and flood data reflect the political geography of sub-national government administration. Third, how this multi-scalar landscape of political and institutional interests links data generation, data dissemination and adaptation policy, closing certain adaptation pathways, whilst opening others. • This paper examines data gaps, restrictions on data sharing, and restrictions on data dissemination. • This paper presents an agnotological perspective on the politics of data gaps and environmental policy generation. • It shows that drought policy development in Cambodia is influenced by control over environmental generation and circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of large and growing urban populations, there is a pressing need to understand how the urban environment can be sustainably planned, developed and maintained for greatest benefit to people and nature. The use of 'green infrastructure', as a framing approach for integrating urban green space into urban decision-making claims significant international impact. This paper describes key urban environmental policy narratives of five different urban areas (Cape Town, Durban (eThekwini) and Johannesburg in South Africa and Birmingham and London in the UK) reflecting on the way that they have brought green infrastructure concepts into their decision-making. This multi-method study includes analysis of academic papers, technical reports and policy documents and semi-structured interviews with academics, practitioners (planners, engineers, environmental consultants), policy-makers and local community actors. This work has highlighted significant differences in the explicit use of urban green infrastructure as a framing within environmental policy, shaped by the mix of biophysical, social and economic factors that dominate the policy priorities of each city. It adds to a growing evidence base from research and practice aimed at supporting effective urban environmental policymaking. • Exploring 'green infrastructure' as a framing in urban environmental policy. • Focussed case studies on Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Birmingham and London. • Cities adapt green infrastructure as a term and as an approach to fit their own needs. • Differences in interpretation are shaped by the wider policy priorities of each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy debates often get polarized along binaries of environment versus economic development or conservation versus rights. Sustainability scientists and practitioners generally suggest finding common grounds as a pathway for building consensus among the diverse perspectives involved in polarized environmental policy discussions. This paper takes a critical stance towards such calls for common grounds by calling attention to the implicit assumptions that underlie these discourses. We study the case of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in India, which has polarized the forest policy discourse between conservationists and rights activists in India. We examine scientific publications on the FRA using discourse and framing analysis and show that scholarly discourses on FRA lie along a spectrum characterized by underlying epistemic and normative practices. We identify five groups of scholars based on the unique positions they have taken on FRA: a) advocacy-centric, b) welfare-centric, c) community-centric, d) dialogue-centric, and e) techno-centric scholars. We find that negative framings of the forest dweller community lead to scientific endorsement of policy prescriptions that empower socio-political institutions that are external to these communities. We argue that scholarly calls for common grounds often assume uniform or neutral framings for the stakeholders involved. We conclude that recognizing the polarization spectrum in environmental policy discourses can help us move towards pluralistic approaches to environmental governance. • Scientific polarization on Indian forest policy discourses lies along a spectrum. • Epistemic and normative practices shape scientific positions on forest policies. • Negative framings of traditional communities tend to empower external institutions. • Calls for dialogue often do not specify framings for the stakeholders involved. • Recognize the polarization spectrum for enabling pluralistic environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) has the potential to support decision making but there are few cases of their application to public policy or planning. In this paper we review five government policies related to land use planning and environmental management in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), assess the data available to inform these policies and link the polices to the accounts that could assist with their implementation, evaluation and update. We find that a range of SEEA-based accounts are potentially useful for the plans and strategies reviewed. Data available for accounts are of varying quality, scattered and are not integrated nor regularly summarised. The available data were to produce accounts for ecosystem extent and land cover, and these provide a platform for continuing engagement with the ACT government and for developing accounts for ecosystem services, ecosystem condition and environmental protection expenditure that could inform ACT policy for land use planning, management of ecosystems, protected areas, and urban forests. Six steps for developing ecosystem accounts to support policy are recommended to accounts producers and three priority actions for SEEA-based accounting to support environmental management in the ACT are identified. Preparing the accounts and linking them directly to existing plans and strategies is a first step to acceptance and use of SEEA in the ACT and elsewhere. • Ecosystem accounts can be mapped to policy and be useful to decision makers. • Ecosystem accounts can inform the different parts of the policy cycle. • Land and ecosystem extent accounts can be produced and are the starting point for ecosystem condition and service accounts. • Data gaps and deficiencies on the physical environment can be overcome through use of global datasets and methods. • The development of spatially referenced economic data must be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) has been one of the key environmental policy concepts of the last decade. Despite the growing number of CE policies, applications and research, we still lack a detailed understanding of what kind of policy idea we are referring to with the CE. Our purpose in this perspective is to untangle the ideational features of the CE by separating three dynamic dimensions from the idea: economic model, conceptual innovation and policy objectives. In addition, we propose the research of hybridity as a fitting theoretical discussion to understand the plural societal setup in which the idea of the CE has been implemented. • Paper clarifies the nature of the circular economy (CE) as a policy idea. • Three dynamic ideational dimensions of the CE are discussed. • The research of hybridity is proposed as a resource for CE policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There are numerous implementation structures for sustainability in HEIs. • Policy, Strategies, Initiatives and Outreach approaches are varied. • Numerous drivers, barriers and best practices exist. • Monitoring of sustainability progress is not standardized. • Access to sustainability information can be challenging. Higher Education Institutes are being called upon to integrate sustainable development into their organisation, driven by national and international events, policies and environmental targets. This paper maps sustainability policies and initiatives of a select number of Irish and international Higher Education Institutes, exploring their integration of sustainability on-campus, testing of new ideas and technologies, and the amplification of lessons learned within society and economy. It provides a comparison of Irish Higher Education Institutes with international examples. Sixteen case studies were selected; seven from Ireland and nine international. A literature review was conducted with a focus on papers that dealt explicitly with sustainability education and outreach. Three site visits of Higher Education Institution campuses took place, as did interviews with energy and transport managers and academics of each institute. The results show the integration of sustainable development into Higher Education Institutes follows no standard approach, with the number of initiatives for sustainability outweighing the number of strategies and policies, presenting a general bottom-up process. Overall, Higher Education Institutes lack a systemic approach. The majority of initiatives focus oncampus actions, with outreach neglected. Higher Education Institutes represent significant resources in implementing sustainable development. To maximise their potential a mixture of top-down and bottom-up processes are necessary, with management support essential if sustainable development is to survive in the long-term, and for lessons learned to be successfully amplified to wider society and economy and assist in meeting national and international environmental targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces – including parks, trees, and other vegetated areas – are inequitably distributed in cities worldwide, as underserved groups, such as low-income and people of color, have significantly lower provisions of such resources. Motivated by the health benefits of green spaces, advocates and policymakers in several countries have sought to ameliorate these systemic inequities by implementing green space equity initiatives. Many such initiatives are individual projects (e.g., a new park in an underserved neighborhood), but new policies have also been implemented to advance green space equity. To date, limited research has examined which policies have been implemented, what it takes to adopt and implement them, and whether they have effectively advanced green space equity. Based on a scoping literature review and a workshop with an interdisciplinary group of researchers, we developed a research agenda on green space equity policy. Our research agenda includes research questions grouped into four interrelated themes: policy impact and evaluation, power building and policy change, green gentrification, and health equity and climate change. The contributions of this paper are twofold: We synthesize current knowledge on green space equity policy and present a research agenda whose findings can inform policy work on green space equity. • Limited research has examined policies to advance green space equity. • We developed a research agenda on green space equity policy based on a scoping review and a workshop. • In the review, we identified research on green space equity policies, processes to adopt them, and their effectiveness. • Agenda themes include policy evaluation, power building, green gentrification, and health equity and climate change. • Research on green space equity policy speaks to global challenges such as health inequities and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gold mining has been pivotal to Ghana's development. • There is lack of empirical attention on environmental policymaking. • We employ the use of Q-sort methodology to quantitatively analyze qualitative perspectives. • We find three shared perspectives among stakeholders. • We provide the implications of the results for future research in developing countries. Gold mining might have contributed to socio-economic development in Ghana, but it has also exacerbated incidences of environmental degradation and fostered associated human rights violations within local communities. As a result, the government of Ghana has sought to address the incidences of environmental degradation related to mining by formulating and implementing a wide range of environmental policies. However, the extent to which these environmental policies have been effective remains debatable. This problem has been attributed to the fact that the views of critical stakeholders were either neglected or received inadequate attention in the design and implementation of environmental policies. Consequently, drawing on empirical evidence from fieldwork in Ghana, and based on Q-methodology, this paper seeks to understand areas of agreements and disagreements among critical stakeholders as a way to improve environmental policy development and implementation. The paper identifies the politics of blaming, regulatory disjuncture and stakeholder expectation dissonance as areas of disagreements within stakeholder views that might also explain the ineffectiveness of environmental policy development and implementation within Ghana's gold mining industry. Similarly, based on the Q-sort factor analysis, the paper synthesizes three perspectives that critical stakeholders believe, if adhered to, could enhance the effectiveness of environmental policies within Ghana's gold mining sector. The paper concludes by considering the implications of its findings for environmental policy development and implementation in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Analyzes European household's willingness to mitigate climate change through changes in consumption behavior. • New analytical perspective through Qualitative Comparative Analysis in large-N design. • Highlights the contribution of health information for willingness to mitigate. • Demonstrates limitations of financial incentives to motivate behavioural change. • Points to need for different policy design to motivate household mitigation of GHG emissions. Abstract The climate change mitigation potential of the production side has been discussed very frequently, but private citizens and households have received less systematic attention. Thus, this paper focuses on the willingness of private households to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. While many scholars study the socio-economic characteristics of people to then recommend policies, we change the analytical perspective and look at the characteristics of climate mitigation actions that affect households' willingness to adopt these measures: Costs, emission reductions, behavioral change, and consumption sector. The paper uses data from HOPE (HOusehold Preferences for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in four European high-income countries), an interdisciplinary project investigating households' preferences for reducing greenhouse gas in four countries (France, Germany, Norway and Sweden). We use a fuzzy-set QCA (fsQCA) to analyze which attributes are necessary or sufficient conditions for specific actions to be selected by participants of HOPE. The results of the fsQCA show that Food & Recycling actions are particularly popular. The general pattern that was found shows that people prefer actions that are easy to implement even though they often do not reduce the CO2e-Footprint by much. Therefore, the condition Behavioral Change is the most important lever in improving households' willingness to act on climate change. Moreover, the analysis of Health Information suggests that there is an urgent need to go beyond financial arguments in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • We developed criteria to assess KM interactions that can be applied more widely. • Limited research has examined KM across the environment-policy interface in China. • Why was KM undertaken? Mainly to develop solutions and change agricultural practice. • How was KM done? Science-policy interactions were mainly one-way and/or ICT-based. • Future Chinese KE research would help inform evidence-based environmental policy. Abstract Global to local environmental policy-making is increasingly evidenced-based. Knowledge management (KM) is increasingly used by environmental scientists and policymakers, to deliver evidence-based policy and practice. There is thus an urgent need to identify whether and how knowledge is exchanged between knowledge producers and users in environmental science fields. Here we apply an assessment framework developed in social medicine to identify what forms of environmental knowledge are exchanged, and why and how they are exchanged. We focussed on China, as international research to better manage Chinese ecosystem services is rapidly-increasing, yet, how to best integrate this into political decision-making and the public realm remains a challenge. How KM is practiced in China is unknown. We addressed this through: 1) a systematic analysis of published KM research in China compared to global trends; 2) evaluating KM for environmental policy and management in China; 3) quantitative surveys of Chinese (n = 72) and British (n = 16) scientists researching Chinese environmental problems. The systematic literature review of two databases identified two key findings. One, of 291 papers that considered KM there were no papers in the environmental sector examining the science-policy-practice interface in China. Two, only 13 of 423 potentially relevant papers explicitly examined KM for environmental topics, notably for agriculture and information exchange (the 'What?'). Most papers reported a one-way interaction between scientists and users (the 'How?'), used to change practice (the 'Why?'). Our survey showed significantly-less awareness and use of two-way knowledge exchange (KE) methods by Chinese scientists. The paucity of documented KM research and limited evidence for two-way interaction show KE at the environmental science-policy-practice interface in China is limited. Promotion of KE practice may benefit environmental policy-making in China. We have also shown that conceptual frameworks for mapping and assessing KE practice from social medicine can be usefully adapted for examining environmental science – policy interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) aim to expand the access to environmental data flows. • Need to further improve data accessibility and comparability across the pan-European region. • Data flows are not being used adequately in support of data-driven policymaking. • SEIS highlights the importance of bridging the gap between data production, data sharing, and policymaking. Abstract There has been a significant increase in efforts to improve environmental data sharing practices in the past decade. One such initiative is the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS), initiated by the European Commission in 2008, as part of a process to facilitate regular environmental assessments and State-of-the-Environment Reporting (SOER). Using SEIS as a case study example, this paper takes its departure from the 8th Environment for Europe (EFE) Ministerial conference to identify ongoing processes and challenges surrounding environmental data and information sharing. The paper relies on data obtained for the 2016 report on progress in establishing SEIS in support of regular reporting in the pan-European region. The article demonstrates a number of gaps with regards to the availability and accessibility of certain environmental datasets and indicators and highlights the suboptimal use of information, where comprehensive data flows and high-quality information is not being used adequately in support of policymaking or where there is selective use of environmental indicators. Against this background, questions arise as to whether applied models for data sharing can be implemented with equal success across different regions and countries that are characterized by heterogeneous and complex data practices and data flows. Most importantly, results from the SEIS progress report demonstrate the pressing need for a better understanding of environmental data types, data packaging and data flows across multiples contexts, epistemic cultures and policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • No major clearing of native forest since the amendment of the clearing control. • The conversion of agriculture to plantation is centred on the north-east of the catchment. • Areas of plantations are predicted to be the smallest since the launch of tax incentives. • The decline of plantation forest areas may jeopardize efforts to reduce dryland salinity. • Periodic changes in policy might create serious problems for the forestry sector. Abstract The Warren River Catchment in the south-west of Western Australia exemplifies how inconsistent forestry investment policies can have adverse environmental effects especially related to dryland salinity. The catchment experienced a rapid expansion of plantation forest in the late 1990s due to tax benefits for forestry Managed Investment Schemes. This paper assesses the landscape effect of incentive based policies by measuring the land use and land cover (LULC) response in the catchment, and forecasts LULC change. The paper applies a spatial modelling procedure that integrates Markov transition probabilities, multilayer perceptron neural network and cellular automata to provide an accurate forecast of LULC change over 35 years from 1979 to 2014. In the first stage, geospatial analysis determines the spatial drivers of LULC conversions. Second, Markov transition probability matrices are estimated, and the multilayer perceptron was trained to determine a model for every transition based on spatial drivers. Finally, a cellular automata model was applied to forecast spatially explicit changes in LULC to 2025 under the current policy regime. The predictive power of the model was validated with Kappa statistics, and vis-à-vis a null model. The simulation forecasts an increase in the agricultural areas by 2025 compared to 2014; whereas harvested native forest areas were predicted to decrease, contributing to a slight increase of the native forest areas. Despite government efforts to increase the areas of plantations, the model predicts a decrease in this land use due to a progressive reduction in tax incentives provided to Managed Investment Schemes. These results will assist decision-makers in improving policy, by working through the long-term implications of policy incentives for forestry in terms of broader landscape objectives related to salinity and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Hybrid governance style with synergistic interplay between different governance modes. • Role of government in meta-governance. • Meta-governance as a reflexive process of societal learning. • Water governance in Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China and South Africa. Abstract For several decades, water policy reform and the design of governance systems were dominated by simplistic panaceas. This was accompanied by changing preferences for specific types of policy instruments and modes of steering. Such dominance has given way to a more nuanced understanding of requirements for sustainable and integrated water governance capable of addressing the challenges of global and climate change. This paper focusses on the role of governance modes and on meta-governance. Governance mode refers to a certain logic and form through which governance can be realized. The paper uses the distinction between bureaucratic hierarchies, networks and markets to denote different modes of governance. It argues that hybrid governance systems with synergistic interplay between these different governance modes are essential for dealing with complex water management challenges. Furthermore, it argues that the development of such governance systems requires a combination of purposeful design and self-organization. An exploratory comparative analysis of water governance in Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China and South Africa illustrates the validity and relevance of the conceptual considerations. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for meta-governance as a reflexive process of societal learning to develop, evaluate and adapt governance approaches with the purpose of addressing complex societal challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Clean Water Act of 1972 requires states to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for surface waters not expected to comply with water quality standards after controls have been put in place to address point sources of pollution, typically from business and industry. These TMDLs have gained attention as nonpoint sources of water pollution are increasingly recognized as intractable challenge by localities and their states (Hoornbeek et al., 2013). Planning at a watershed geographic scale has been promoted by the U.S. EPA to address both the scientific and community based challenges faced in addressing TMDL levels. Studies have focused on the breadth of watershed groups participation, on watershed group membership typologies, on watershed plan development, as well as on implementation of plan recommendations (see, e.g., Hardy and Koontz, 2008 ; Koontz and Johnson, 2004; Hoornbeek et al., 2013). However, the role these planning efforts play within community based comprehensive planning, as well as the inclusion of planners in the watershed planning efforts, remains unclear. This paper uses the state of Ohio as a case study to explore the role of planning and planners with respect to nonpoint source water quality mitigation, specifically related to the Section 319 grant related funding, through watershed planning efforts. Section 319 directed watershed planning are focused on TMDL guidelines to combat nonpoint source pollution levels. Addressing water quality at the watershed planning level in Ohio is a multidimensional and complex process involving multiple stakeholders at every level of government, public and private planning entities, as well as educational institutions and the nonprofit sector. There have been at least eight watershed related planning processes in the state since the start of this century, including Section 319 and the Balanced Growth Program which also requires a watershed based plan. This paper examines interview data with state level watershed entities and survey data from Ohio planners. These sources provide insight into state watershed action plan processes and the involvement of planners in water quality protection in general and watershed level planning activities in particular. The paper begins with a discussion of the complex watershed planning setting in Ohio. It moves into the results of the survey and interviews to understand the role of planners in this environment. The paper concludes with an assessment of the potential policy implications of the results and directions for future research. The results of this paper are important to ongoing efforts to improve and protect surface water quality in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of public policies in protecting coastal wetlands is gaining in prominence. The goal of this paper is to review the research themes and the key challenges of coastal wetlands policies. We found 259 papers that cover five research themes: development and impacts, territory, local population, governance, and management. Half of the papers are study cases from North America, and South and Southeast Asia. Regional patterns show that researchers in North America and West Europe focus on the themes of governance and management, while scientists in Latin America, Asia and Africa concentrate their efforts on development and impacts and local population. The paper concludes that development policies are affecting coastal wetlands by promoting or allowing urban and economic activities to grow out of control; territorial planning is mismatched with ecological dynamics and influenced by economic interests; the government must build adaptation and a collaborative, multilevel, and decentralized system to achieve the integration of local population in decision-making. Adaptation in the governance improves conservation, restoration, mitigation and compensation, which are significant factors considering the disastrous effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of relatively new policy tasks like climate adaptation into established higher-level policy fields is insufficiently understood in the academic literature. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate the integration of climate adaptation into the sectoral policy-making of the European Commission, particularly following the publication of the EU Adaptation Strategy (in 2013). The paper uses a framework of micro, meso and macro-level institutional behaviour drawing strongly on new institutionalism perspectives to identify and explain factors enabling and hindering policy integration. It focuses on integration in the coastal and marine policy sector, which is expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, and draws from data collected through a document review and interviews with key informants. The findings show that the integration of climate adaptation is still at an early stage. The integration process appears to be largely dependent on institutional dynamics at the EU-level combined with how member states and wider sectoral stakeholders engage with adaptation concerns. In particular, the ambivalence of some member states and a lack of urgency among sectoral stakeholders has hampered the integration of adaptation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local government organisations in coastal Australia have historically commissioned studies aimed at understanding risks in their locality to future sea level rise as a starting point for developing adaptation strategies to climate change. Therefore, the success of the overall adaptation activities of local government are strongly influenced by the way those initial risk studies are scoped and conducted, and how the outputs of those studies underpin subsequent adaptation planning activities within the organization. Mainstreaming of adaptation planning activities within local government is critical in terms of getting stakeholder support and required resources for its implementation. This paper analyses a sample of these coastal risk assessment studies across seven states and territories in Australia, with an aim to critically investigate the current state of practice among coastal local governments. First, we develop a typology of studies that have been undertaken by or for practitioners to understand coastal climate change risks, and discuss the applicability of the studies within the policy-making context of local government. Second, we identify a set of sample studies from the ‘grey literature’ through a systematic process and investigate to what extent they adhere to best practice risk management guidelines and principles, such as ISO31000. Third, we interview stakeholders from top performing studies to identify how/if the risk studies helped their organization in progressing their adaptation planning. We find that there is a significant inconsistency among terminologies in the coastal climate change risk assessment unpublished literature as studies use “risk”, vulnerability” and “hazard” concepts interchangeably despite their separate objectives and aims. Most studies perform poorly in evaluating risk against broader organizational criteria. Subsequently, it is difficult to integrate the findings of such studies into a broader organizational risk register, limiting opportunities for identified coastal climate change risks to be integrated into councils’ long-term strategic decision making. Conversely, the follow up interviews of studies that performed well in scoping and consultation in our assessment demonstrate that these aspects were beneficial to stakeholders in terms of informing adaptation planning. Importantly, the findings presented in this paper confirm the need for a consistent risk assessment approach for local councils in the coastal zone to underpin successful adaptation planning. This is a critical issue, not only for Australia, but for local government organisations globally given that sea level rise is a projected threat for all populated coastal regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ratings are an increasingly popular part of urban sustainability governance and are widely understood as tools to guide policy and ensure transparency. This understanding is part of a more general shift in governance towards “New Public Management” that emphasizes public accountability and the accuracy of quantitative metrics and technical knowledge in policy evaluation. But critics have assessed ratings as broader mechanisms of governmentality, through which authorities shape, instrumentalize, and control conduct, and promote particular urban trajectories, in politicized ways. This paper examines STAR Communities, a recently developed urban sustainability rating system in the USA, to understand how such ratings behave at the interface of knowledge and policy, and how seeking transparency through ratings can produce unexpected outcomes that evade sustainability. This paper is not a critique of a specific rating system or set of indicators, but does yield a critique of the kinds of unexpected outcomes that are possible when we privilege quantitative measures of achievement. The study finds: 1) ratings are often used as labels rather than as policy inputs; 2) ratings can exacerbate existing inequalities and create new inequalities within and between municipalities because, while ratings can bring financial benefits, certification demands significant financial and political resources; and, 3) ratings can incentivize the realignment of governance priorities, as cities ‘grab’ points by pursuing quickly implemented, uncontroversial, and politically ‘safe’ policies and programs. The study also finds that sustainability managers continue to pursue quantitative sustainability measurement because of dominant assumptions that ‘counting is what counts’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to an original research article by Gemma Dunn and Matthew Laing in volume 76 of this journal. Their article describes an empirical study on the demand-side of the science-policy interface, and proposes a new framework by which to evaluate and/or design effective knowledge systems for influencing policymaking. In doing so, they also critique the commonly used CRELE framework, and propose that their alternative ACTA framework better summarises the most important aspects of scientific research for influencing decision-making. In response, this paper highlights some ambiguities commonly arising from the use of CRELE, to which Dunn and Laing have also succumbed, alongside ambiguities within CRELE itself, which they have failed to address. These difficulties highlight how empirical evidence of the sort collected by Dunn and Laing should not alone determine the worth of any knowledge-systems framework. This paper then discusses the dangers arising from a framework such as ACTA, were it to be used instead, and concludes that although CRELE is flawed, it does at least point to appropriate priorities for the use of evidence in public decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many calls in policy and academia for more inclusiveness in science-policy interfaces, but there is as yet insufficient clarity as to what such inclusiveness means and how to achieve it in the context of international organisations. This paper analyses how inclusive the IPCC is across geographies and stakeholders. Building on the distinction between access and active participation, it examines the involvement of developing countries and NGOs in the Panel’s assessment process. The analysis shows that more inclusive institutional set-ups in international science-policy organisations do not automatically lead to greater credibility, salience and legitimacy of knowledge production processes (Mitchell et al., 2006). For instance, inclusive access does not per se guarantee active participation as the latter depends on a variety of factors including resources and the capacity of actors to engage. Furthermore, in institutional contexts the idea of inclusiveness is necessarily subject to operational interpretations. How these interpretations relate to the representativeness of those who participate in the process affects the relevance of knowledge to its users’ needs. Finally, there are political elements to inclusiveness as more powerful actors may be unwilling to renegotiate the balance of power to expand access to stakeholders. The paper concludes that these nuances should be taken into account in the IPCC and other international science-policy institutions. It also urges the Panel to address the developing country participation gap and explore institutional avenues for expanding access to non-state stakeholders in order to increase the credibility, salience and legitimacy of its processes and shift to solutions-oriented assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As lifecycle emissions accounting becomes more widely used in policy, it is important to understand how it has been applied. This paper analyses policy-making for two U.S. fuel regulations—the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)—that were pioneering not only in using life cycle assessment (LCA) in performance-based environmental regulations, but especially for including emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC). The case studies in this paper focus, in particular, on the decision to include ILUC in lifecycle emissions accounting. Tracing the development of these policies shows the key role of environmental policy entrepreneurs in advocating for ILUC emissions accounting during policy formulation. Moreover, it highlights a paradox in the use of science: although ILUC policy proponents were motivated by best available research, they were also politically enabled by scientific uncertainty and lack of understanding. Understanding this political dimension of decision-making is valuable for scholars as well as practitioners facing similar decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss how targets, policy instruments and accounting frameworks for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction need to be complemented and aligned, to achieve a more effective road to reduce the GHG emission. We focus on gaps in the policy framework presently adopted by countries that are parties to the UNFCCC, using as illustrative case study the meat tax recently proposed in Denmark. We argue that when the GHG reduction targets for individual countries are based on a territorial approach alone (such as in the UNFCCC framework), i.e. sum of emissions from production inside the country, whether or not consumed inside or outside the country, policy regulations directed at consumption, such as a meat tax, may not effectively target the national GHG reduction obligations, and thereby they may not be sufficiently attractive to governments. In particular, emissions derived from internationally traded goods are insufficiently targeted by territorially oriented policy frameworks because a country might reduce the consumption of an imported good without contributing to the national GHG emission reduction target. If consumption-based reduction targets were implemented, a reduction of GHG emissions due to a reduction of the national demand of meat would be revealed irrespective of whether the GHG emission reduction results from a decrease of domestic or foreign demand of meat. The paper also discusses the importance of the methodological approach to accounting GHG emissions at the country level. We argue that to reveal the effect of policy instruments such as a meat tax, on GHG emissions reduced, an alternative consumption-based accounting could favorably complement the traditional GHG accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation of environmental policies to often unexpected crises is an important function of sustainable governance arrangements. However the relationship between environmental change and policy is complicated. Much research has focused on understanding institutional dynamics or the role of specific participants in the policy process. This paper draws attention to interest groups and the mechanism through which they influence policy change. Existing research offers conflicting evidence in regards to the different ways in which interest groups may affect change. This paper provides an in-depth study of the 2013 European Union Common Fisheries Policy reform − a policy change characterized by active interest group participation. It traces the activity of interest group coalitions to understand how they achieved influence under a changing policy context. The study involves interviews with interest group representatives, policy experts and decision-makers, document analysis of interest group statements and EU legislative documents. Findings identify the important role of coalition-building and informational lobbying for environmental interest group success in exploiting favorable sociopolitical conditions and influencing reform outcomes. An insight on interest group influence and its conditions contributes to our understanding of the complex dynamics of the environmental policy process as well as its implications for policy adaptation to environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental quality is important to urban residents’ physical, social and psychological well-being. Governments have been formulating and implementing policies to mitigate environmental deterioration in cities. To effectively implement policies and achieve policy goals, gaining sufficient public support is an essential prerequisite; the policies would be in ruins and the government may also suffer from setbacks in other policy areas in the absence of public support. Therefore, to understand what contributes to public support is a crucial task for policymakers. Though current literature on socio-demographic and attitudinal/psychological factors provides fruitful accounts for policy support, a comprehensive examination of political determinants has yet to be established. In response to this, this review paper explores political factors that influence level of policy support based on existing literature. An integrated framework is proposed to explain policy support for urban environmental policy. This paper also discusses the possible directions of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The geographical dimension of policy implementation is important to scrutinize non-linear processes of implementation. • A 'geographical' work underpins the implementation of European Union (EU) Directives on Birds, Habitats and Water. • This geographical work plays a key role in local institutionalizations of the EU. • We coupled two concepts, 'affordance' and 'anchoring', and analyzed ethnographically the implementation of EU policies in Arcachon Bay, France. • The grasping and anchoring of nature is a social process of selection, of imposing boundaries and distributing power. This paper draws on an empirical study to demonstrate how a 'geographical' work underpins the implementation of European Union (EU) directives on Birds, Habitats and Water. Indeed, this geographical work plays a key role in local institutionalizations of the EU. Our hypothesis is that social players, i.e., local actors, scientists and citizens, deploy both cognitive and material means to 'get a grasp' on nature in order to put environmental policies into practice. To test our hypothesis, we coupled two concepts, 'affordance' and 'anchoring', and analyzed interviews and documents relating to the implementation of EU policies in Arcachon Bay, southwest of France. Our research highlighted the importance of two affordances – 'wetland birds' and 'eelgrass' – used by social players to anchor environmental policies. Moreover, it revealed that the grasping and anchoring of nature is a social process of selection and exclusion, imposing boundaries and distributing power. For all these reasons, we conclude that 'Europe in the making' involves countless low and high-intensity conflicts which only locally embedded research can elucidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of the science-policy interface in leveraging transitions to sustainable urban water management. The paper presents a case study of the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which is increasingly regarded as a global leader in adaptive and resilient urban water management. The analysis reveals that Rotterdam’s transition has occurred incrementally over the past 15 years, driven by policy entrepreneurs: largely municipal policy makers and policy practitioners. Strategic use of the science-policy interface (SPI) has facilitated the development of innovative solutions to achieve policy goals and created the enabling conditions necessary for transformative change. The Rotterdam case suggests that an effective SPI requires: (1) compelling water narrative; (2) cross-sectoral collaboration; (3) co-production of knowledge; (4) experiential evidence-based learning; (5) strategic use of trusted scientists; (6) fostering networks; and (7) generating business from science-based innovation. Rotterdam’s strategic approach to knowledge and innovation coupled with a new narrative around water sets it apart from many other cities and adds a new dimension to debates regarding enabling factors for advancing sustainable practices. These findings will be of interest to those engaged in urban water management policy and practice, environmental governance, and debates over transitions more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 30 years, urban environmental pollution governance has been increasingly influenced by ideas of New Public Management. However, there is increasing evidence that it is failing in its promise to deliver efficient and effective regulation. The critiques are mounting of risk-based approaches, where regulators are increasingly accountable for the costs (and benefits) of their interventions upon firms. There is a particular lack of research on the role of conduct and practices involved on the ‘front line’ of regulation. This constrains our ability to understand how more efficient effective urban environmental pollution control might develop. This paper focuses on the regulator field officers and business duty holders of environmental compliance, who have direct contact in the processes and administration of regulation. Applying theories of social practice to environmental regulation, the paper provides new insights into compliance and enforcement practices, as these workers seek to prevent pollution, remediate sites and manage waste. The analysis reveals disconnects between expectations of enforcing and managing compliance; and between practices of policing and polluting. Using an ethnographic-informed approach to understand the social practices of regulation has not been attempted in this way before. It reveals new insights into limitations of current approaches to regulation, and indicates interventions that could lead to improved compliance outcomes in a post-New Public Management era in urban pollution governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the UK has positioned itself to become a global leader in addressing climate change. Along with this positioning, there has been an increasing emphasis on the role of communities to facilitate, increase and sustain carbon reduction practices. Previous research into community-based carbon reduction projects has highlighted the difficulty of engaging the public in community initiatives and sustaining pro-environmental behaviours. The importance placed on addressing climate change necessitates an understanding of how individuals respond to, and engage with, (or even ignore) community-based carbon reduction strategies. The paper presents findings from focus groups in three urban communities and investigates individual engagements with community-based carbon reduction strategies. Focusing on the three dimensions of engagement: cognitive; affective and; behavioural, the paper discusses what people know, feel and do about addressing climate change at the community level. An “information-vacuum” is reported that leads to an “awareness-involvement gap” that inhibits sustained engagement with community projects. Drawing on these findings, the paper advances a new theoretical framework and a “what works” approach for community-based initiatives attempting to meaningfully engage the public with addressing climate change and sustainable living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is intended for young researchers with an environmental conscience, alerting them that a self-centred ecology can work against conservation and other desirable goals. I propose that there is confusion in the biophysical ecologists’ community about the role of knowledge, stemming from several already surpassed beliefs that have been strongly criticized by scholars in the field of science and technology studies. In particular, environmental scientists still often seem trapped in the information deficit model, assuming a linear and unidirectional flow of knowledge from experts to users. This leads to an incomplete understanding and unrealistic expectations of ongoing processes of citizen participation (co-production of knowledge), impatience regarding the speed at which issues can be dealt with by politics, and a fuzzy notion of the role of our convictions regarding the value of nature conservation when we are consulted as experts. I analyse the consequences of disregarding tacit knowledge, i.e. the one knowledge beyond that codified in academic papers and books. I emphasize that preferences and values have a large influence on how we perceive, process, and act (or postpone to act) on information on our non-exclusive roles as scientists, decision makers or citizens. I argue that this is why political and ideological preferences have a large influence not only on which teams are appointed to solve problems, but also on which situations are perceived as problematic and given higher priorities. I include a cheat-sheet to enhance communication with decision-makers and other non-scientists that could prevent environmental zeal to be transformed into society’s annoyance and our eventual irrelevance. I plea for a more realistic attitude towards ecological research, highlighting that in environmental debates we are also long-term stakeholders, and not only casual, external and aseptic observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governance across the land-sea interface is an emerging challenge. The propensity for, and intensity of social-ecological interactions across this interface (e.g., eutrophication, sedimentation) are being exacerbated by cross-system threats (e.g., climate change). We draw on a systematic review of 151 peer-reviewed papers on governance and land-sea connections to (1) outline the current state of the literature, (2) examine the predominance of different approaches to address land-sea interactions, (3) characterize how governance is conceptualized within these approaches, (4) investigate governance challenges, and (5) provide insights into effective governance. The review finds that the number of relevant papers published per year has generally been increasing, and most of these papers are found in interdisciplinary journals. Ecosystem-based management is the most predominant approach found in the literature as a means to address land-sea interactions. Papers referring to ecosystem-based management are more likely than those referring to alternative management approaches (e.g., integrated management) to highlight science-policy integration and the need to account for interactions between ecosystem components as elements of effective governance. The main governance challenges include determining boundaries, addressing cross-scale effects, and accessing knowledge. However, few empirical studies of governance across the land-sea interface have been completed. A richer conceptual framework of governance is required to improve our ability to navigate the rapid social and environmental change occurring across the land-sea interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A review of country-level environmental policy indicators and proxies. • Analysis of the impediments to constructing and transforming indicators for researchers, policy-makers, and investors. • Novel bridging of machine-enhanced methods with environmental policy. • New research avenues are opened up to drive more effective policy feedback. Quantitative environmental policy indicators are useful for modeling the impact of environmental policy on the economy. They can be important tools for policy-makers, companies, investors, and researchers alike. Well-crafted environmental policies lead to cleaner environments whilst encouraging innovative behaviour to stimulate green growth and 'win-wins' for the economy and the environment. Such win-win policies are increasingly sought out by policymakers, evidenced in the growing number of green 'new deals' and 'net zero' carbon emissions pledges at a national level. But there is a gap between the needs for environmental policy data and the supply of reliable indicators and indexes. This disconnect has negative consequences for policy feedback as well as the inducement of potential innovators of environmental technologies. While there are now a wide range of indicators and indexes, these largely remain inadequate for various reasons. This is disappointing considering the immense progress that has been made in machine learning and pattern discovery methods—methods that are already fully deployed in other research disciplines. Such automated techniques can limit human biases which currently plague the environmental indicator's scholarship. Against this backdrop, the main objective of this paper is to highlight how researchers can carefully collect these data and augment the effectiveness of environmental policy indicators. This is an important research area that, apart from a handful of studies, is not sufficiently developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Air pollution research in Northeast Asia reflects possible political influences. • Japanese research and Korean research both focus on China as source of pollution. • China's researchers do not highlight China's air pollution contributions nor minimize them. • Chinese-Japanese collaborations attribute transboundary air pollution to China. • Chinese-Korean collaborations do not attribute transboundary air pollution to China. In Northeast Asia, the debate among key policy actors regarding air pollution attribution is influenced by the issue's political sensitivity, but it could also be the result of variance in the scientific research. For example, we know that the springtime winds carry desert-originating dust laden with contaminants from industry and energy production out of China eastward to the Korean peninsula and Japan, but domestic contribution from South Korea and Japan must also be recognized. Science would be politicized when scientific findings are handpicked and argued over by politicians, advocacy groups, and pundits, leading key actors, including the general public, to prioritize particular results over others. In this paper we examine whether the atmospheric science literature produces research that varies depending upon funding source and international research collaboration. We survey 174 published atmospheric science studies and use scientometric methods to show that researchers based in both Japan and South Korea focus significantly more on China as the source of transboundary air pollution. China's researchers neither highlight China's air pollution contributions nor minimize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper assesses options and challenges of reducing black carbon emissions from diesel vehicles in Russia. Black carbon is a product of incomplete diesel combustion and is a component of fine particulate matter. Particulate matter emissions have adverse health impacts, causing cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer; black carbon is also a large climate forcer. Black carbon emissions from Russian diesel sources affect not only the Russian territory but also contribute to overall pollution. This paper analyzes current ecological standards for vehicles and fuel, evaluates policies for emission reductions from existing diesel vehicle fleet, and assesses Russia's attempts to encourage the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Based on best practices of black carbon emission reductions, this paper provides a number of policy recommendations for Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we synthesise the findings from the papers in this special issue on Organising productive science-policy interactions for sustainable coastal management. Lessons from the Wadden Sea. We first briefly discuss some relevant theoretical debates, and then present our main insights and lessons from the empirical evidence reported in the papers. We conclude the paper with suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal 'blue carbon' ecosystem resources are rich carbon stores, offer extensive benefits beyond carbon sequestration, and are marginalized in global markets and policy mechanisms. The participation of blue carbon project activities in international market frameworks is limited by a dearth of appropriate research across disciplinary boundaries, particularly in terms of the cultural and political dynamics that affect project implementation. The socially and politically charged contexts of many developing countries constrain project opportunities, and understanding specific local governance dynamics is therefore of critical importance to policy makers, development practitioners, and the private sector. This paper applies a systems-based political ecology research and analytical approach to explore the social and political dynamics affecting the potential development of blue carbon projects in a proposed marine reserve in Sabah, Malaysia. The investigative focus is situated in its historical context, described and mapped as an influence system in collaboration with local experts, with the elements of that system then explored in detail, through a workshop, survey, and interviews with a diverse range of local stakeholders. Key findings include that historical realities play a vital role in present relationships; effective governance is likely to require international collaboration to minimize inequity and corruption; race and religion continue to be used as tools of political imperialism; and dominant actors in Sabah would be well advised to recognize the growing, informed cohesion of Sabahan society, and its drive for equitable, ecologically sustainable development. The paper contributes a novel methodological approach to sustainability science research, provides unique data on a case study area relevant to climate change policy, and identifies important leverage points for the development of blue carbon finance and policy instruments in South-East Asia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how a requirement for regional government to coordinate adaptation planning has been interpreted and implemented. Using the theory of boundary organization applied to a multi-level context, and using four counties in Western Norway as a case, the paper develops a framework for assessing how regional level governance actors can support local level implementation of climate change adaptation through boundary work. Even though adaptation is not treated as a salient issue in most of the municipalities studied, regional level coordination efforts are creating a hybrid management space that aids mediation between local knowledge and expert adaptation knowledge. They thus hold the potential for better local level adaptation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers sector-based qualitative evidence concerning the climate and energy policy effects on eco innovations in the EU. Through interviews with industry associations of Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) sectors, it analyses the extent to which past innovation adoption dynamics were influenced by policy and regulatory levers, by looking at the single and interaction effects of policies. As could be expected from the neo-Schumpeterian theory on innovation, differences emerge across sectors. Policies appear to be relevant in some sectors, namely energy, coke and refinery, and paper, but energy costs considerations dominate over the potential effects of CO 2 targeted policies. Overall, technological and organisational levels are both relevant: organisational innovations emerged as important in most sectors, often operating as a leading force in technological development. We expect this ‘complementarity’ to play a crucial role in the future path towards 2030 and 2050 aims, whose achievement is possible only by integrating technological, organisational and behavioural innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of why EU farmers choose to join agri-environmental schemes (AESs) is vital to help policy makers design programmes that would be more attractive to participants. This paper identifies the key factors influencing farmers’ participation in AESs through a qualitative meta-analysis of papers published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2013. A range of empirical studies that explored factors influencing farmers’ willingness to participate in such schemes were selected and systematically analysed. The meta-analysis reveals several key drivers for participation in AESs including fair payments, lower household dependency on agricultural incomes, age and education levels, the presence of a successor and the ability to make progressive rather than step changes to agricultural activities. Of particular importance is the finding that the design of agri-environmental policy is not the only relevant factor influencing uptake but other policies which impact on the farm household and the rural community can also encourage or discourage participation in an AES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the preparatory scientific activities that should precede and accompany the design and development of a spaceborne instrument for Earth Observation (EO), to guarantee fitness for purpose, ensure quality and performance, and minimize risks. This roadmap is addressed to policy and decision makers, program managers, customers and users of remote sensing products, as well as scientists involved in this field, and aims to provide the necessary background and motivation for the many steps and processes that are necessary to conduct a successful spaceborne EO mission. The paper focuses on, and is limited to, the description of a comprehensive, ideal methodology; it does not address the needs of a particular mission, or the engineering processes of design and development of the satellite hardware that will meet the user expectations. It should prove useful for the competent authorities to understand the scope and purpose (as well as the reasons for the associated implied costs) of preparatory phases, for the users and customers to express their expectations in ways that are conducive to the definition of a spaceborne EO mission, and for the scientific community to logically derive measurement requirements that are actionable by engineers to design and implement a successful mission (including both space and ground segments) that delivers relevant remote sensing products to the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term “cumulative effects assessment” is frequently used yet the underlying principles and definitions are poorly specified. Consequently, there is no consistency or standardisation in approaches leaving marine managers and developers perplexed on how best to discharge their legal obligations to undertake cumulative effects assessment. This paper explores some of the origins of the terminology and re-interprets how these may best be applied to standardise the vocabulary and approaches to cumulative effects assessment. We define cumulative effects assessment as a systematic procedure for identifying and evaluating the significance of effects from multiple sources/activities and for providing an estimate on the overall expected impact to inform management measures. The analysis of the causes (source of pressures and effects), pathways and consequences of these effects on receptors is an essential and integral part of the process. Environmental risk assessment concepts, in particular sound problem formulation, have been used to provide a clear structure for cumulative effects assessment. We recommend that risk screening, prioritisation and evaluation should be a critical component of cumulative effects assessment to facilitate a filtering of the complex issues for consideration of the likelihood of exposure of receptors to pressures and the likelihood of a receptor responding to those pressures. This paper is intended to provide practical assistance to marine environmental impact assessment practitioners, marine environmental regulators and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past years, monetary valuation of changes to biodiversity and ecosystem services has received increased attention in the scientific community and in the policy arena. Regardless of the abundance of valuation methods, there seems to be a particular interest in obtaining monetary estimates via stated preference methods. While some experts regard these methods as useful means to recognise, demonstrate and integrate biodiversity concerns in policy design, others voice severe criticism and advocate the use of deliberative approaches to biodiversity valuation. In view of these debates, this paper outlines the rationale and characteristics of three valuation avenues: stated preference methods, deliberative institutions, and deliberative monetary valuation. We develop criteria that guide the selection of an appropriate valuation approach in different decision contexts and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each approach against these criteria. The aim of the paper is to illuminate the portfolio of valuation methods available to guide policy design and to improve the applicability of these methods in practical biodiversity policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blending of liquid biofuels into road transport fuel has been supported by legally binding targets in Europe since 2009. Concerns over the extent to which these targets might engender indirect land-use change (ILUC), however, have an equally long history. Brought about when biofuel production displaces existing agricultural activity into new territory, ILUC has the potential to exert deleterious impacts upon the global climate, biodiversity, water and soil quality, food security, and even land rights. This paper begins by illustrating how current approaches to addressing this problem, predicated on equilibrium modelling and the concept of emissions ‘factors’, effectively detach its impacts from their place-specific contexts. Drawing on a relational view of space, the paper then advances an alternative, assemblage-based approach to conceptualising ILUC. By emphasising ILUC's fluidity, indeterminacy and complexity, this approach questions the logic of relying solely on abstractive science and policy tools to address the problem. The paper concludes by advocating an alternative approach to remedying ILUC – one that imbricates both place-specific and globally aggregated representations of the problem. The paper has implications for research across multiple disciplines addressing the sustainable governance of transport biofuels and wider bioenergy systems as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an international divide between net emissions importers and net emissions exporters, with industrialised nations mainly falling into the former and emerging economies the latter. Integrating emissions transfers into climate policy, so as not to disadvantage export-intensive countries, has been suggested to increase participation in international emissions reduction commitments. Consumption-based scenarios are presented for the UK identifying the geographic and sectorial source of emissions to meet future consumer demands given the current international climate policy landscape. The analysis is applied to the UK yet the discussion is applicable to international climate policy; assigning national responsibility for global emissions reductions; and extending the mitigation potential for net importing countries. Two trajectories for UK consumption emissions are calculated in which (1) international reduction targets are consistent with those pledged today equating to four degrees of temperature rise and (2) international reduction targets achieve a two degree future. By 2050 it is estimated that UK consumption emissions are 40–260% greater than UK territorial emissions depending on the strength of global reduction measures, and assuming the UK meets its 80% reduction in 1990 emissions by 2050 target. Cumulative emissions are presented alongside emissions trajectories, recognising that temperature rise is directly related to every tonne of carbon emitted. Whilst this paper argues that the current UK emissions targets underestimate the UK's contribution to global mitigation for two degrees, it shows how expanding the focus of policy towards consumption introduces new opportunities for reduction strategies at scale. The paper advocates the implementation of consumption-based emissions accounting which reveals underexploited policy interventions and increases the potential to break down barriers that exist between industrialised and emerging economies in international climate policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Conservation science and policy evolved together throughout the twentieth century. • Science-policy relations were redefined when expertise shifted from private to public. • With this shift conservation advocacy became defined in strictly scientific terms. • Conservation science emphasized spatial concepts and rule-based replicable procedures. • Historical synthesis can help explain relations between science and policy today. This paper presents an historical perspective on the interaction between conservation science and policy. Drawing on a synthesis of studies of the history of conservation, and combining this with work in science policy and related fields, it considers the implications of a shift, beginning in the 1960s, in the politics of expertise. Before that time, scientific evidence and interpretations were usually discussed within restricted arenas of experts and policymakers. After the 1960s, they instead increasingly became matters of public debate. This shift had several consequences for conservation. It encouraged scientists and other advocates to present conservation as a strictly scientific matter, that was based on authoritative, quantitative and transparent – and therefore publically defensible – processes. Conservation science itself evolved to emphasize spatial concepts and practices that could provide the basis for rule-based, replicable procedures for determining conservation priorities. This account therefore illustrates the insights to be gained from reconsidering the history of conservation in terms of our understanding of the evolving status and social roles of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study developed a model of actors' capacity to influence the policy process. • It seeks to understand how influence is related to policy dynamics and contents. • An actor-centered perspective is assumed. • Individual resources and political-relational resources both play a role. • The 2010 Brazilian Solid Waste Policy is used as a case study. Whether a new policy is adapted to a new social-ecological reality depends on the complex interactions that play out from the policy process itself. The established theories of the policy process do not directly or explicitly address the actors' ability to influence. This study attempts to fill this gap by developing a model of actors' capacity to influence (an actor-centered perspective) which allows us to analyze the casual relationship between actors' influencing capacity and its effects on policy decision-making. This paper provides an in-depth study of the 2010 Brazilian Solid Waste Policy, a policy process characterized by high conflict that took almost 20 years to be approved by Brazilian Congress. It maps the actors' capacity of influence over the course of ten years to understand how this influence is related to policy dynamics (change and stability) and policy contents (policy instruments adopted). The study involves document analyses and interviews with relevant stakeholders. The findings identify the important role of influential actors in causing moments of paralysis and in fostering instrumental design. The insights on actors' capacity of influence and its effects contribute to our understanding of the complex dynamics of the environmental policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many situations, the overuse of natural resources is aggravated by illegal use. More insights on the drivers and significance of this phenomenon are needed in order to formulate policies that can effectively ease human pressure on the environment. This paper makes use of the water footprint (WF), as a physical indicator of freshwater use, and introduces both economic (water productivity) and social (labour intensity) indicators to understand illegal groundwater use from a multiple perspective. Using data from the year 2000 and from 2007 to 2009, we analyse in detail the case of the Western Mancha Aquifer, in central Spain, where legal and illegal groundwater use take place simultaneously. Results show that nearly 52% of the agricultural blue WF is linked to illegal groundwater use, mostly for vine and vegetable irrigation. Besides this, the illegal share accounts for around 56% and 57% respectively of the gross income and employment generated by irrigation in the area. Therefore, although action to halt illegal withdrawals is a recurrent call to ease pressure on natural resources and ecosystems, these figures reflect the economic and social drivers, which might explain why such action is difficult to implement. In addition, the data presented in this paper provides new insights into some aspects of a public plan recently implemented to regularize illegal use by purchasing and reallocating groundwater rights on the basis of social and environmental grounds, which might be relevant for future public policy measures in situations presenting both over-allocation of water rights and illegal water use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation is now firmly embedded in the societal discourse regarding the management of climate risk. In this discourse, adaptation planning and implementation at the local level are seen as particularly important for developing robust responses to climate change. However, it is not clear whether the mantra that adaptation is local holds true given the multi-level nature of climate risk governance. Using a multi-method approach, this paper examines the extent to which adaptation should be framed as a local issue and, specifically, the role of local government in adaptation relative to other actors. In so doing, the paper first explores the extent to which the local framing of adaptation is embedded in the international adaptation literature. This is followed by a specific case study from Southeast Queensland, Australia, which focuses on the critical examination of the processes of responsibility shifting and taking among actors involved in coastal adaptation planning. Results indicate the assumption that adaptation is local remains widely held in adaptation science, although counter arguments can be readily identified. Interviews with adaptation actors revealed unclear divisions of responsibility for climate change adaptation as a significant constraint on actors’ willingness to implement adaptation. Furthermore, attributing responsibility for adaptation to local actors might not necessarily be a robust strategy, due to the existence of particularly strong constraints and value conflicts at local levels of governance. Greater appreciation by researchers and practitioners for the interactions between local actors and those at higher levels of governance in shaping response capacity may contribute to more equitable and effective allocations of responsibilities for adaptation action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological Footprint and biocapacity metrics have been widely used in natural capital and ecosystem accounting, and are frequently cited in the sustainability debate. Given their potential role as metrics for environmental science and policy, a critical scrutiny is needed. Moreover, these metrics remain unclear to many, are subject to criticisms, and discussion continues regarding their policy relevance. This paper aims to explain the rationale behind Ecological Footprint Accounting (EFA) and help ensure that Ecological Footprint and biocapacity results are properly interpreted and effectively used in evaluating risks and developing policy recommendations. The conclusion of this paper is that the main value-added of Ecological Footprint Accounting is highlighting trade-offs between human activities by providing both a final aggregate indicator and an accounting framework that shed light on the relationships between many of the anthropogenic drivers that contribute to ecological overshoot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]