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Government planners face a difficult task in tackling climate change, particularly in a period where public sector financing is under intense scrutiny. The Planning Policy Statement on Planning and Climate Change argues that planning is key in reducing carbon emissions, developing low-carbon technologies, and resiliency to climate change.

A summary on EU green paper Adapting to Climate Change in Europe - Options for EU Action is presented. The UK government has also accepted that climate change will have implications on the economy, society and the environment, and that the public needs to prepare for these adverse changes. The EU's plans for governance regarding climate change adaptation are also discussed.

MORE JOINED-UP GOVERNMENT has been a constant ambition in the public service modernisation programmes of successive New Labour governments and of governments in the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland [...]

Land use planning is a particularly challenging issue for a small country like the UK. During the 1980s, planning policy showed no evidence of the 'joined-up government' approach now being emphasized. In recent years, some efforts have been made to implement joined-up government within land use planning, but there are still forces working in totally opposite directions. The Treasury and the Dept of Trade and Industry emphasize productivity and lower prices, while the Dept of the Environment, Transport and the Regions calls for the preservation of the civic landscape. It is clear that non-government involvement is vital if the joined-up government approach is to be effective.

The UK government needs to address the issue of countryside access for all by developing a policy which meets the needs of the majority rather than a few. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is planning to open up over 555,000 hectares of common land and 1,240,000 hectares of moor, heath and mountain for public use. Environmental and financial issues must be assessed before allowing total public access to certain parts of the English and Welsh countryside.

Forecasts for city and rural planning in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2047 may use assumptions about how we have to change our behavior. People tend to alter behavior only when forced to rather then when convinced by moral arguments. We are increasingly affluent, but there are collective consequences of our lifestyles. There is likely to be an increased demand for housing due to divorce and other factors leading to smaller households, and the population is ageing. There is likely to be increased demand for space for homes. Increased telecoms traffic is not likely to reduce demand for travel, so transportation issues will continue to be a problem.

The UK Department of the Environment has issued sustainable development indicators and invited critics to suggest improvements. A new version is scheduled for 1998. Critics argue that the quality of life and social aspects of development should be given more weight. There is also a call for threshold levels for pollutants. Some measures affect a large number of indicators and a reduction in car usage is one such measure. Better fuel efficiency affects fewer indicators, and some measures may improve some indicators and worsen others.

Strong political leadership is needed to effect climate change policy in the United Kingdom. Some people encounter difficulty in living a low-carbon lifestyle. The government needs to focus on energy demand management rather than alternative energy.

Budget restrictions for local governments and the recent policy changes outlined in the government's 'Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation' report, have increased the need for a sophisticated approach to green space planning in the United Kingdom. Views on green space, and green space regulations, are presented.

The Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Planning and Climate Change called for the adoption of the Merton Rule policy, which requires that carbon dioxide emissions by new buildings be reduced by at least 10%. An interpretation of the PPS and an evaluation of its effectiveness in terms of clarifying issues in the Merton Rule are presented.

The focus on urban ecological security concerns mar result in the imbalance of urban development among cities. The growing concern encourages plans to redesign infrastructures on the city level instead on the national scale. The difficulties posed by increasing concern over urban ecological security are discussed.

Home builders believe that the Merton Rule, the policy that requires the usage of renewable energy onsite to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, will delay the delivery of new houses in the UK. However, the policy is expected to help the United Kingdom earn a larger share of the renewable energy industry, and it is also expected to generate more jobs. The importance of supporting the proposed policy is explained.

The effort by United Kingdom government in emissions control through its new planning proposals is discussed.

THE GROWTH pressures on the West of England sub-region--Bath, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and associated towns--are such that the area will be very different in 30 years' time from how it is [...]

THE GRAVITY of the situation is well understood: global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) are currently (on 2005 measurements) at 381 parts per million (ppm), and rising at 2-3 [...]

THE Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (1) carried out by a partnership of some of the world's major international bodies between 2001 and 2005 emphasised that that world's population is consuming too [...]

The UK government has been looking at funding environmental sustainability by the introduction of environmental taxation. It has been suggested the inability of local authorities to impose taxes will hinder their capability in introducing and managing sustainable development policies. Central government had previously decided on the type of services and costs for al local authorities. Yet the Treasury has recognised regional and local governments must be able to use local taxation to develop their own policies to make sustainable development workable.

Local Environment Agency Plans (LEAPs) have been developed in Wales and England in the 1990s following the establishment of the Environment Agency in 1996. LEAPs aim to develop a local agenda and involve all stakeholders. They involve consultation, a plan for action, and monitoring. Around 129 LEAPs will have been launched by year-end 1999. There are common issues tackled by LEAPs, despite local variations. These issues include waste management, including illegal waste disposal and agricultural waste, wildlife conservation, and access to recreational space.

Local government should promote sustainable development in the United Kingdom as a statutory duty, and plans should be developed using a collaborative approach. There should be new systems to assess progress, and new planning mechanisms should be created that are flexible and can respond t unforseen needs and major proposals using agreed criteria. Community planning should include regional and local levels. Partnership trusts can be set up to promote renewal.

The Town and Country Planning Association has issued a report on the future of planning in Britain. The report outlines principles which are integrated into a framework which links work and home. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive and positive view of planning, with sustainable development as the core philosophy. There is a need for strategies and visions and new skills will be needed of planners. Planning should ensure that the world inherited by new generations is improved in ways that help society as a whole.

The division between urban and rural areas is changing in the United Kingdom with developments such as new technology and transportation. This raises questions about the usefulness of the terms 'urban' and 'rural'. There is a need for a fresh look at the relationship between rural and urban areas to see how they interact and how rural areas can be changed from within. Issues that should be examined include the development of new initiatives and diversification by rural communities.

Agenda 21 is the plan for sustainable development resulting from the Rio Summit. A principal aim of Agenda 21 is to respect the rights of indigenous people and give them the resources to enable them to take responsibility for their environment. British local government appears to be meeting its Agenda 21 targets. However, close examination reveals that the success stories are not widespread. Some people do not change their behaviour because they think their actions are inconsequential, or they have no choice about how they travel or they do not have time to get involved in local projects.

The TCPA has endorsed plans to create Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to oversee and carry out regional planning in the UK. The department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has produced a consultative document to tackle regional planning, which in some areas of the UK has lacked organisation and direction. The TCPA points out that the RDAs should work at both local and national levels and listen to a wide range of interested bodies and groups. The RDAs boards should comprise of 12 members including representatives from business, interested parties and local authorities.

Support for regional planning policies in the UK has been uncertain since the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 and has oscillated alongside changing economic and social conditions. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the important issue was the need for more housing and regional planning was neglected. By the end of the 1980s, the UK continued to lack a regional policy but there is a realization in the 1990s of the need to focus on regional planning to encourage economic and social development.

UK planning law favors those seeking to built dwellings to house farm workers and others involved in agriculture. This has created a loophole which has been exploited by those seeking to build homes for speculative reasons. Agricultural employment has dropped yet demand for such homes has risen. Planning authorities have little power once permission has been granted although abuse may be detected. New planning guidance proposals, PPG 7, seek to tackle this issue, though they could be more stringent.

The UK Department of the Environment set out policy goals in 1994. There is progress to be made in a number of areas such as fiscal measures to protect the environment. The UK government has carried out little discussion on the Eropean Union's Fifth Environmental Action Programme. UK local government bodies have set out proposals and argue for more devolution of power. These bodies have been democratically elected so their voice should be heard.

The UK government's new draft revised PPG 2 on Green Belts incorporates many of the proposals made by the 1992 Elson report 'The Effectiveness of Green Belts.' The report's recommendations include viewing Green Belts as a way of determining patterns of urban development at sub-regional and regional level and as a way of helping to move towards more sustainable patterns of urban expansion. The revised PPG does not go as far in promoting new attitudes to approved Green Belts, but it gives a number of guidelines on matching Green Belt policies with the allocation of land for future development requirements.

There were 629 local nature reserves (LNRs) in the UK as of Mar 1997. Many of these are in urban or urban fringe locations, where local communities place a high value on their wildlife and natural features. It has been shown that large LNRs are usually more cost-effective to staff and manage than small ones, but the size of LNRs has actually been declining. This is because of the growth in the number of LNRs in urban and urban fringe locations, which are usually small sites.

Environmental justice, or environmental equity, has become a key policy issue in the US. It has raised very important questions about the practice and outcome of environmental decision-making, and it would be wise to consider these questions in relation to the UK too. The history, politics and planning practice of the UK differ significantly from those of the US, but there is no reason to assume that the justice of land use outcomes in the UK is very different from that seen in the US. It is quite possible, for example, that there has been a bias towards siting hazardous facilities in poorer areas.

The planned construction of a third runway at the Heathrow Airport will test Gordon Brown's engagement to a long-standing plan for sustainable development. The new runway aims to cut the planes' time in the air, however, it does not represent a long-term decision since it does not guarantee a long-lasting effect. The need to discontinue expansion in Heathrow is discussed.

The UK government's intiative to build eco-towns in England is a proof that has a renewed interest in constructing new towns. The Urban Affairs Sub-Committee has recommended that past experiences on new town building should be studied to enhance the program. Results of the studies on new town experience are given.

The Government's goal of developing homes with zero-carbon emissions by 2016 will only be accomplished if there was an outcome-based and universally agreed national framework. The framework must not only tackle the issue of zeo-carbon performance but also of durability and reliability. An evaluation of a housing policy from local authorities, in relation to its effectiveness on the national level, is presented.

Third in Town and Country Planning Association's 'By Design Guides for Sustainable Communities' series, Climate Change Adaptation by Design guides the public on the forming of criteria for evaluation of eco towns. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is good for the environment, however, earlier emissions have already begun causing climate change, thus there's a need to prepare and train the community on adapting to this situation. The integration of adaptation to community planning and design is explained.

The growing responsibility of local authorities in the United Kingdom to maintain parks, recreational landscapes, etc. to ensure environmental protection is discussed.

The effort of aviation industry in the United Kingdom to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from flights to stop climate change is discussed.

The article discusses the details of the ecological impact assessment process of urban planning that aims at facilitating habitat and biodiversity conservation.

The article discusses the efforts of the United Kingdom government to make people use alternatives to cars, to minimise pollution. The 'workplace travel plan' directs employers to encourage employees to use subsidised bus services and car sharing options.

Reducing Car-Use: Time to Get Serious Conference, London, 29 November 2005 THE AIM of reducing car use has been on the political agenda for around 15 years but has proven [...]

It is necessary to change environmentalism if it is to be properly aligned with the UK Labour party's modernisation agenda, according to a pamphlet from the Fabian Society entitled 'Environmental Modernisation.' Environmentalism must be split into its constituent elements and then linked with the Labour party's 'Third Way.' The key aspect of environmental modernisation is the identification of win-win situations in which profitability and environmental protection can be united. In all the elements of the new environmental modernisation agenda, it is not necessary to battle with the complicated inter-generational aspects of sustainable development.