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This article assesses the theoretical "strengths" of the new ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (ATHP), which was initially created to prevent, monitor, and mitigate land and forest fires, and eventually, transboundary haze pollution in the Southeast Asian region. Using Pamela Chasek's "Strength Index," the author graded the contents of the ATHP using the various weighting systems for each of the following 12 indexes: secretariat/commission; reporting; reservation; monitoring; non-compliance; inspection; dispute settlement; amendments, protocols, and annexes; performance standards; liability provisions; financial resources and mechanisms; and adoption of protocol within five years. The ATHP obtained no score in those indexes that could have given its Secretariat the power to monitor or inspect the compliance of the Parties and to mete out punishment to stubborn ones. For this reason, it can be branded as a "blind and toothless paper tiger," although one would have expected the involvement of the United Nations Environment Programme in its drafting to produce better results. Compared to a similar regional environmental accord—its European counterpart, the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution—the ATHP appears (in theory) to be stronger, but there are lessons to be learned from Europe's more than 20 years of experience with that convention. In the company of 13 other multilateral environmental accords, the ATHP is among the stragglers. The author suggests various compliance and enforcement strategies or techniques to strengthen the ATHP and implementation-related laws and regulations at the regional, national, and sub-national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the existence, status, and roles of non-government organisations (NGOs) in the Asia-Pacific region vary considerably, there is a global trend in which they are influencing the agenda, accountability, and governance towards sustainable development. NGOs are increasingly influential and have greater responsibilities in ensuring that international and national commitments are implemented. These changing roles were highlighted during the 1992 Faith Summit in Rio de Janeiro and reinforced at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, where the work of this sector was increasingly profiled and identified as key to laying the foundations for change. This paper focuses on the changes occurring in NGO practices within the field of environmental education, and profiles three examples of successful activities in the Asia-Pacific region. It examines the roles and contributions of these NGOs in helping communities and countries with reorienting environmental and conservation education activities towards sustainability, and it helps identify key characteristics of these programs that exemplify the momentum building behind education for sustainable development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the potential of ecotourism as a form of environmental education for sustainability. It reviews current concepts of education for sustainability and research on the educational impact of ecotourism, and points to a gap between the aspirations of education for sustainability and the outcomes of current ecotourism programs. The paper further argues that a critical approach to environmental education through ecotourism is the most appropriate form for contemporary concepts of sustainability, and illustrates how this approach can be applied to environmental education using a strategy of critical discourse analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the current state of affairs in developing Asia-Pacific countries in terms of poverty and environmental deterioration and some plausible reasons for their presence, including the poverty-environment nexus. It then assesses progress made so far by the governments of these countries and bilateral and multilateral donors in dealing with these critical issues. The paper then focuses on key factors that will help achieve the Millennium Development Goals of poverty and hunger eradication and environmental sustainability: economic growth policies, specific policies, programmes to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development, and social equity concerns for the present and future generations Success in achieving the MDGs will require strong political commitment at the highest level. The paper ends with recommendations for the international community and Japan on policy and institutional reforms for poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, including the need to broaden traditional environmental education into "education for sustainable development," in full recognition of the linkages among environment, human rights, health, peace, and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that restructuring the economy for sustainable development requires economists and ecologists to work in tandem. There is a need to develop an eco-economy, one that respects the principles of ecology, one that can be integrated into the ecosystem in a way that will stabilize the relationship between the two, enabling economic progress to continue. Though there are several policy instruments that can be used for restructuring the economy, restructuring the tax system is the key to eliminate crippling economic distortions. Unlike before, natural capital is a scarce resource today. Therefore the goal should be to restructure the fiscal system so that the prices reflect the truth, protecting the economy's natural supports. Fiscal policy should be used to encourage environmentally constructive activities, so as to steer the economy in a sustainable direction.

The article reports that mutually supportive trade and investment policies and environmental and social policies contribute in the promotion of sustainable development. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently proposed four key elements for achieving appropriate framework for achieving sustainable development. They are: making wider use of markets, strengthening decision-making processes, harnessing science and technology and managing links to the global economy. In countries with weak or poorly enforced environmental policies, the pressures of globalization and economic liberalization could lead to reduced environmental quality. It is important that the various goals of sustainable development--economic growth, environmental protection, and social development--be well integrated into national and international policy frameworks.

As the World Summit on Sustainable Development approaches, it is timely to assess our actions on behalf of a more ecologically viable world and the barriers that remain to our realization of this goal. Globalization and sustainable development have emerged as key discourses to evaluate our social and environmental prospects. On the critical issue of limiting trade and economic growth, we find that globalization and sustainable development are not the polar opposites they are frequently depicted to be. Rather, both discourses share a common emphasis on development and efficiency as tools of sustainability. The convergence of the two discourses has placed both in opposition to the arguments of ecological justice. In the evaluation of our performance since UNCED, a pressing task is to bring the insights of ecological justice to bear on efforts to address our interrelated environmental and social conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses issues on research in the field of sustainable development. Reason for the failure of decision makers and leaders in societies to measure sustainable development; Definition of sustainable development provided by the World Commission on Environment and Development; Factors which affect the outputs from production processes which enhance or reduce human welfare.

The author focuses on the efforts of the journal's staff on how to contribute to the sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region. The journal's 12th issue consists of eight papers that together formulate a report on the research project, "Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options" (RISPO I). He believes that their effort to integrate academic research results with practical policy suggestions and synthesizing several conventional research disciplines with each other will contribute to the betterment of the global environment.