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This paper examines the transfer and diffusion of sustainable transport policies around the world and reviews the implications for policy-making in the Asia-Pacific region. Through a focus on a range of good practice case studies, this paper investigates why there are significant differences in the major factors involved in the transfer of sustainable transport policies depending on the geographical direction of transfer. Pattern matching analysis and comparative case study revealed that: there are significant transfers of sustainable transport policies from developing countries to both developing and developed countries; international organizations play a crucial role in policy transfers towards the South; the role of political leadership is important in transfers from the South; and the speed at which redistributive policies were diffused was slower than other kinds of policies. The case studies used in the analysis were collected by the project Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO), which was led by the Institute for Global Environmental Studies, Hayama, Japan. It is part of a series of eight linked papers in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies (IRES). This study draws on the RISPO Good Practices Inventory to provide useful lessons for environmental policymakers in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource efficiency and recycling and strategies for sustainable production and consumption need to be further developed throughout Asia. To improve resource efficiency the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that occupy a majority of industrial sectors and contribute a large proportion of Asian gross domestic product must become central actors. This research reviews the role of SMEs in Asia in connection with resource efficiency improvement, and provides insights into why governments need to work with the private sector and local communities to make further advances in resource efficiency. A pattern-matching analysis of 43 examples of good practice from 11 countries reveals a range of factors that are common to success. These include: good supply-chain linkages; industry clusters; producer associations; voluntary agreements through public-private partnerships; good technical support; and the underlying threat of increased regulation if voluntary approaches fail. This paper is part of the series of eight linked papers presented in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies (IRES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policymakers in developing countries, including those of the Asia-Pacific region, often face a tough dilemma. They realize that formulating good policy requires careful consideration of various options to arrive at policies that are well suited to the particular circumstances of their country or area, but can still achieve the desired end. At the same time, they are subject to significant pressure, both domestic and international, to define and implement policies quickly. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) has been gathering and analyzing case studies of good environmental policy practices, with a strong focus on the Asia-Pacific region, in order to help policymakers make better policy decisions based on the experiences of others facing similar challenges. This paper completes the series of eight linked papers presented in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies. Based on the analyses in the preceding papers and on a textual pattern-matching exercise carried out on the whole database of good practice case studies gathered under the Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) project, this paper makes recommendations and draws lessons and conclusions for environmental policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter introduces and describes the methodology used in a recent research program aimed at identifying useful lessons about what has made environmental policies successful in developing countries, particularly in Asia-Pacific. These lessons are intended mainly for policymakers. The study used qualitative research methods, including textual pattern matching, to analyze more than 100 good practices in the area of environmental policy that comprise the Good Practices database of the Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) project of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). This paper outlines how the original good practice case studies were gathered and documented and then the stages of research and analysis in the current study. It is intended as a part of the series of eight linked papers in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies (IRES). [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 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 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.