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Currently, the environmental approach is included in the legal regulations of countries to achieve sustainable development. The development of public policies that demand the care and preservation of the environment is an urgency for the territories. In Ecuador, social and legal transformations led to the inclusion of the environmental perspective in the Constitution of the Republic, and subsequently to the development of the Organic Code of the Environment (CODA). Environmental principles are considered in the various legislations; however, no priority is established among them. The objective of this work is to determine the priority established in the environmental principles of CODA. For this, it was necessary to consult experts and, based on their criteria, the Pareto Diagram technique was applied, the fundamental principles were selected, and a hierarchical order was determined based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, AHP Saaty, with a neutrosophic approach, for the decision making. The most relevant principles were Comprehensive Responsibility, Best Available Technology and Best Environmental Practices, and Comprehensive Repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part 2 of these Regulations amends legislation concerning animal health; amending retained direct EU legislation and secondary legislation. Following the UK leaving the EU, the UK will no longer be part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, it will be an independent coastal state responsible for managing fisheries in the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone. The House of Commons Library Briefing Paper published on 5 September 2019, examines the potential structures of the UK fishing industry in light of no deal Brexit as well as other deal options, as well as examining the other internal community agreements the UK will still be bound to adhere to. On 10 July 2019, the Committee on Climate Change - Adaptation Sub-Committee published its report advising the Government on climate change risks and opportunities for the UK through the UK Climate Change Assessment as well as its first evaluation of the Government's second National Adaptation Programme. [Extracted from the article]

The Global Pact for the Environment is a proposal for a legally binding international instrument to bring the existing principles of international environmental law together in order to improve environmental protections and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Global Pact aims at helping States designing and developing the necessary public policies to better achieve their realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paper which examines the complementarity of international economic and environmental laws, and their implementation in achieving sustainable development, is presented. Topics covered include need for cooperation between economic and environmental law among states, challenges posed by the sustainable development principle to the implementation of environmental law, and factors compromising implementation of environmental treaties.

Being a social animal and being interdependent upon the natural cycle, humans on this planate earth walk day by day in the search of his source of survival, thus when man begins to develop he formulated the Social contract theory, which brought it in to a form of trading which he tends to surrender to one sovereign, the wise man, he who provides him with what he need. Thus slowly and steadily it develops in to vast commercial activity and as a result it begins the era of manmade laws, their formulation, interpretation and execution. And for this reason the trade and environment debate now has a familiar ring. It refers to the need for, and the challenges of, reconciling increasingly free international trade with the prerequisites of environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the progress and transition towards a green economy in Morocco. Topics covered include the environmental communication practices of Moroccan companies, challenges that have hampered the country's efforts to anchor the principles of sustainable development, such as the adverse effects of climate change and the loss of biodiversity, and environmental report or a sustainable development report that Moroccan companies are obliged to publish.

National regulatory and legal framework for environmental economics and various bylaws and regulations in the area of environmental protection and sustainable management of natural resources were analyzed in the article. The analysis of gaps allowed to mark out gaps threatening the implementation process; gaps undermining the efficiency of sectoral policy; options to overcome these obstacles; progress achieved to address the identified gaps. The researchers underlined that legislative reform should involve systemic changes in the legislation including general and specialized measures. Summarized, that the Environmental Law Development Concept in Ukraine is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colombia is the highest per capita emitter of mercury pollution in the world. Ground-level concentrations of atmospheric mercury from small-scale mining in Antioquia, Colombia, are so high that experts fear an environmental health crisis worse than any caused by mercury since Minamata, Japan, in the mid-twentieth century. Gold mining is Colombia's fastest growing industry. While foreign direct investment in gold mining is projected to increase exponentially over this decade, small-scale mining is the major force in the gold sector, generating 50–70 percent of national gold production, 70 percent of which comes from Antioquia. Federal and departmental law calls for miners to curb public exposure to mercury by removing processing activities from urban environments, but the laws are not enforced. This paper examines the political and historical obstacles to enforcing these laws, and explores the dilemmas of solving acute environmental health crises in places where violence, social exclusion and state-failure have crippled institutional legitimacy and authority. The paper addresses uncertainty around whether environmental health and sustainable resource extraction can be vehicles for progressive processes, or if instead, the increased economic emphasis on mining is inseparable from the social and political afflictions that impede environmental policy enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Environmental Impact Assessment is one of the basic tools of environmental policies and legislation and represents a milestone in the development of public and private projects with European funding. This article attempts to answer the question: Is environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental impact assessment a necessary and effective for public and private investment in the coastal zone? However, we can also attempt to answer the question of whether this is an effective strategy towards sustainable development of the Black Sea's Romanian coast, as well as protection and improvement of environment and living standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SPREP / AGM-23 - Pacific Environment Moving Forward (David Sheppard) 351 Pacific Islands Forum - Taking an Oceanscape Approach 353 Pacific Islands Forum - Leaders Collaborate to Address Key Concerns 355 Earth Observation from Satellites: Supporting the Outcomes of UNCSD (Rio+20) - (Stephen A. Briggs and Stephen Ward) 357 EU - Developments in Environmental Law (Annalisa Savaresi) 365 EU - Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe - The Process 370 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental state-change in the Arctic Ocean is introducing risks of political, economic and cultural instability. Interests are awakening to take advantage of new energy, shipping, fishing and tourism opportunities associated with the diminishing sea-ice. With urgency–building on the common arctic issues of sustainable development and environmental protection—environmental security offers an holistic context to address the risks and opportunities within law of the sea, as the international legal framework to preserve peace and stability in the Arctic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The year 2012 marks the fifth anniversary of the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA). The Act is an experiment in improving government performance in promoting sustainable prosperity through the process of setting legislative goals and enhancing accountability. This article provides an overview of the Act and an assessment of its performance over these first five years. As such, it supplies the context for the other contributions to the collection of essays on EGSPA in this issue of the Journal. The authors conclude that the Act has had a positive impact on government action on sustainable prosperity and that there is room for improvement, particularly with respect to the overall goal of integrating environmental protection with economic prosperity. The article concludes by offering some recommendations to strengthen the Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for a sustainable economy to prevent environmental degradation, and identifies mechanisms for private sector governance which could help to promote this goal. These include environmental regulations, economic incentives, activist pressure, and restructuring corporate governance in line with stakeholder theory. The advantages and drawbacks of these various methods are analyzed, and examples from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) are described in this context.

Through its policies and actions in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy technology, and socially just development, Cuba continues to revitalise the meaning of sustainable development and has earned international acclaim for its efforts toward a more sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis on the role of religious faith in the shaping environmental policy in the U.S. It notes the narrowed gap between environmental values and facts in environmental policy. It assesses the religious traditions in the U.S. and Europe, particularly Christianity. It notes the controversies between sustainable development and sustainable biosphere in environmental policy. It explains the problems that may arise when faith combines with ecology. It states the benefits of combining science and religion in the creation of a more effective congressional legislation and in balancing the economic pressures. Books and doctrines concerning the arguments between religion and science are also mentioned.

This paper focuses on the complex relationships and some of the tensions in reconciling economic, social, and environmental goals as necessary for achieving sustainable energy infrastructure development in developing countries. It introduces the rationale of sustainable development, and uses examples to demonstrates that reconciling the three dimensions to achieve sustainable energy infrastructure engenders intricate legal relationships and interests that require a reorientation in our appreciation of law and policy beyond traditional models. It identifies an adequate legal framework through which sustainable energy infrastructure can be secured, and recommends a regulatory model that is best for achieving sustainable energy in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issue of how the Precautionary Principle can be utilized to trade decisions that are consistent with sustainable development. The significance of the principle to international countries is emphasized, such as the consent of importing and exporting countries prior to its utilization. The origins and concept of the Precautionary Principle is elaborated.

The article presents several papers regarding the United Nations' efforts to environmental policy and its developments. It includes the universal realization of the human rights to food and to water and the need to have equitable access to the natural resources of land, water and seeds as well as to credit. Another is an overview and summaries of resolution adopted during the 63rd session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, particularly those of environment or legal import. Also, is the examination of the report of the UN Secretary-General on the development of the implementation of Agenda 21.

The article presents developments of the environmental policy in Tehran and in European. It includes the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea which tackles several issues including the adoption of the Strategic Convention Action Programme and the development of priority Protocols to the Tehran Convention which includes the area of conservation and rational use of the aquatic resources. Another is the agreed climate package by the European Union (EU) which aims to lower carbon emission that contributes to climate change. Also, is the developments of environmental protection in the EU.

The evolution of environmental law in the past century has been linked to the growing acceptance of the notion of collective global responsibility, which entails the notion of sustainable development. At the turn of this century, the focus in environmental law has shifted from the creation of a global framework to deal with environmental problems to that of compliance with these frameworks. As a result, the primary actor of environmental policy has shifted from the state to the corporation. How has environmental law developed so as to encourage compliance by this new primary actor? Conversely, how has the corporation been changed by these developments? This article will trace the historical shift in environmental actors from the early beginnings of environmental law to the challenges faced today. As the multinational corporation has become the primary actor, this article also considers ways in which incentives can be created for multinational corporations to behave in environmentally responsible ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a note regarding the history of environmental regulation as it applies to agricultural production. It depicts the evolution of statutory law which includes the Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Safe Drinking Water Act; and Federal Insecticide. It discusses the shortcomings in both common law and command-and-control regulations and explicate why these approaches fail to regulate agricultural production. This note also focuses on how agreements should be negotiated between farmers and community groups. It argues

The article discusses several international developments regarding environmental policy and law. It discusses how human rights developments relate to the development policy in Germany. It also presents the proposal for Global Environmental Goals, along with a description of the challenges of the international environmental regime and the efforts to improve environmental governance. The article also focuses on the International Tropical Timber Organization, an intergovernmental organization focused on the sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources. Also, it offers a review of the book "Weaving a Web of Environmental Law," by Barbara J. Lausche.

The essence of sustainable development is to attain mutual harmony and compromise of three equal values: environment, economy and social society. In order to achieve this goal none of the values should not be made primary over the others and their coexistence should be ensured by proper conditions. Due to the significance of implementation of sustainable development goals various environmental measures are needed which are based not on state enforcement, but on enabling to avoid environmental law violations and encouraging voluntary compliance with the requirements of environmental law. As a consequence, the balance between the environmental, economic and social society goals can be ensured more effectively. The potentially effective measure to ensure compliance with the requirements of environmental law is public disclosure of environmental information and violators of environmental law. The article considers the importance of the concept of public disclosure of environmental information, Lithuanian practice on this issue, and its importance for the purposes of sustainable development. The author also reveals the concept of public disclosure of environmental law violations, analyzes this topic in the context of Lithuania, and its importance for the achievement of sustainable development goals. The mechanism of public disclosure of environmental information enables the society to control legal entities, so that they do not unduly focus solely on their economic goals, thus denying other values to the society. Public disclosure of information on legal entities which have committed environmental law violations and state enforcement measures applied to them encourages legal entities to voluntarily comply with the requirements of environmental law and not to commit environmental law violations. The author concludes that both public disclosure of environmental information and public disclosure of legal entities which have committed environmental law violations and enforcement measures applied to them by the state encourages legal entities to voluntarily abstain from committing environmental law violations and enables to reduce costs of enforcement. If legal entities voluntarily comply with environmental law requirements, the need for control and supervising bureaucracy apparatus decreases and the aims of sustainable development can be achieved more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Responding to constantly more demanding European legislation, notably for electrical and electronic equipment, worn-out vehicles or hazardous substances, manufacturers have to develop End of Life (EoL) strategies. The challenge today is to assess which “product EoL process” would be profitable for an enterprise given the business model in place. Most of the Original Equipment Manufacturers recycle or subcontract reverse logistic and EoL treatments. Recycling is currently the most common solution but it is far from meeting the goals of Sustainable Development. We believe that, integrating constraints from EoL strategies into the early phases of design is one important aspect that needs to be improved. We are currently combining this idea with principles from concurrent engineering to develop design aids which permits designers to compare their products to “Remanufacturable Product Profiles”. However, conscious those EoL solutions often involve several strategies; it is now envisaged to develop tools to help designers make optimal decisions while designing a product considering 3R strategies: Reuse, Remanufacture and Recycle. In this paper, our vision of why and how to integrate EoL strategies in the early design phases is presented, and what tools to apply 3R strategies are envisaged, considering the evolving architecture of the product, and the translation of transversal information into design criteria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: “Ecological modernisation” – understood as systematic eco-innovation and its diffusion – has by far the largest potential to achieve environmental improvements. In general, the market logic of modernisation and competition for innovation combined with the market potential of global environmental needs serve as important driving forces behind “ecological modernisation”. In recent times, however, additional factors like rising energy prices or fears from climate change have favoured the rise of this innovation-based approach to environmental policy. The article deals with two special driving forces: first, there is growing evidence for the importance of “smart” environmental regulation. Secondly, the increasingly complex actor constellation of global environmental governance leads to mounting business risks for polluters and thereby exerts pressure for eco-innovation. Despite these favourable framework conditions, the strategy of “ecological modernisation” nonetheless faces a number of inherent limitations. These include the unavailability of marketable technological solutions for relevant environmental problems like the loss of species, the rebound effect neutralising the incremental environmental improvements through economic growth (the dilemma of the “N-curve”) as well as resistance by “modernisation losers”. Against this background, structural solutions seem indispensable. Here, eco-innovations should be supported by transition management or ecological structural policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In May 2003, the South African government enacted regulations banning the production of thin-film plastic shopping bags. The government advocated that such thin-film plastic shopping bags were indiscriminately discarded because they had no economic and recycling value. However, in as much as the regulations led to significant reductions in plastic shopping bags in the environment, the law resulted in severe unintended negative consequences, as jobs were lost with some businesses in the plastic shopping bag manufacturing sector closing down. The paper also reveals that key stakeholders, such as industry, business and labour, lobbied against the introduction of the regulations but without success. On average, business went down by about 83% with a conservative 25% reduction in employment. Drawing insights from the Irish and Australian experiences, this paper critically reviews sustainability debates and responses surrounding environmental regulation and business, with a special focus on the Plastic Bag Regulations in South Africa. Lessons learnt are presented with the intention to provide insights for future waste product or other environmental regulation initiatives in South Africa and elsewhere in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many environmental policies seem to rest on an implicit distinction between doing and allowing. For example, it is generally thought worse to drive a species to extinction than to fail to save a species that is declining through no fault of our own, and worse to pollute the air with chemicals that trigger asthma attacks than to fail to remove naturally occurring allergens such as pollen and mold. The distinction between doing and allowing seems to underlie certain versions of the precautionary principle, and insofar as the precautionary principle rests on this distinction, it diverges from direct consequentialist approaches to risk management. There are two ways in which such reliance on the doing/allowing distinction may be defended: by appeal to indirect consequentialist considerations, and by appeal to deontological considerations. Neither approach is unproblematic: however, retention of a distinction between doing and allowing in environmental policy is consistent with the widespread intuition that there is something prima facie valuable about the world as we find it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses United Nations programs for sustainable development. The author traces the origins from the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 and the establishment of the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP). He reviews various Multilateral Agreements on the Environment including the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Montreal Protocol. He discusses financing mechanisms such as the Environment Fund and the Global Environment Facility. He concludes that the French proposal to transform UNEP into a World Environmental Organization would be modeled on the World Health Organization.

The article discusses the factors involved in establishing a legal framework for regulating sustainable development in Central Asia. As most environmental problems are not limited by national boundaries, international cooperation is required. Widespread political support for such cooperation has been expressed at the highest levels of government. Certain areas of Central Asia which face environmental difficulties are specified, including the Aral Sea Basin, Amu Darya rivers and the many regions threatened by desertification.

The authors examine the role of integrated appraisal as a tool for promoting sustainable development and good governance, and the potential tensions that may exist between these two objectives. Drawing upon experience in the United Kingdom, it is argued that an undue emphasis on governance issues may compromise the rigour of integrated-appraisal methodologies and result in a loss of focus upon sustainability concerns, particularly those related to environmental matters. This framework of ideas is explored further with reference to the development of an integrated Appraisal Toolkit for the North West region of England. Ways in which integrated appraisal can retain its place within the suite of environmental assessment tools as a way of supporting more sustainable patterns of development, and at the same time contributing to good governance, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international governance structures in place with respect to whales are dominated by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). However, the IWC's constitutive document, the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), lacks many critical elements of good governance which have evolved since the conclusion of the convention. Since the signing of the ICRW, there have been significant and far-reaching developments in the ways and means by which sustainable development and environmental policy is formulated and implemented. Sustainability principles have expanded well beyond limited conservation objectives to include, in particular, the precautionary and ecosystem approaches. International governance has also evolved to require efficient and participation-based decision-making processes, including integrated management and sustainability, efficient and participation-based decision-making processes, international cooperation between States and coordination between international agencies, transparency, and dispute-resolution and compliance mechanisms. These are all elemental aspects of modern environmental governance. Necessary reforms to the ICRW are substantial, and in light of the unanimity required, it is likely that only a new convention will achieve the necessary changes. A governance framework for whales must enable and encourage participants and stakeholders to cooperate in a spirit of global partnership. The goal should be to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the global whale populations as part of the overall goal of the sustainability of the oceans and seas implementing the ecosystem and precautionary approaches. It must integrate with other elements of international governance to that wider goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various issues related to environmental law and policy. According to the author, one major issue is the lack of interest in environmental justice as a social issue in Germany. German planning and environmental law in many areas tolerates a certain degree of spatial differentiation of environmental quality. Another significant issue is the role of the judiciary and judicial commissions on sustainable development issues in South Asia. There is a weakness of the executive in environmental management that has been matched with a strong intervention by the judiciary in giving primacy to environmental rights. Moreover, there has been progressive development of environmental law in relation to environmental information in Japan.

This article discusses the legal regime present in the Arctic regions to address socio-economic and environmental concerns. According to the author, The Arctic Council which includes representatives of indigenous organization developed from the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy as a regional forum to address sustainable development issues. It is a voluntary body consisting of the eight Arctic States with limited power to make non-binding decisions. The author reviews the threats and challenges facing the Arctic and discusses the consequences of stakeholder positions. He suggests options for possible improvements in the legal regime.

The author reflects on the achievement of global agreements for change in the agenda of environmental law. He points out that it is significant to enforce environmental law which is aimed at sustainable development. The three essential aspects significant for change are the key environmental issues that need to be addressed, the strategy to employ in addressing those issues and its presentation to the world community.

Abstract: Some states of Amazonia (or the Legal Brazilian Amazon) chose to develop from the exploitation of the rainforests to implement further agriculture and cattle ranching. To sustain this economic development model, an extensive road network was implemented in the region. Since local authorities are inefficient in monitoring and enforcing environmental laws in such a large region, those roads have been providing unrestricted mobility of people and cargo. This is leading to ever spreading deforestation. In contrast, Amazonas the largest state in Brazil chose a high-tech industrial development model, based on the production of high-added value products. By having an operational air transport network, but virtually no more than one major interstate highway, deforestation has been avoided, with 98% of its area still covered with virgin forests. The reason behind this phenomenon is that air transport provides only restricted mobility to passengers and freight, and the possibility exists to provide unrestricted accessibility to any remote site. Accessibility was particularly important in 2005, when the atypical dry season left many communities in Amazonas all but isolated if it were not for air transport, paramount to disaster relief. Drawing on this example, the paper examines whether air transport should be considered seriously as a major transport option for the sustainable development of Amazonas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the Stockholm Conference, there has been an increasing use of law as a tool for promoting synergy between environment and other sectoral policies at both the international and national levels. One area that has recorded a marked increase in legislation has been the integration of environment considerations into development projects in order to address the apparent conflict between environment and development policy. However, the existence of several laws has not been matched by a corresponding positive impact on the environment in several developing countries. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methodology, this article uses the petroleum industry in Nigeria, as a case study, to answer the questions of whether this is merely a problem of law enforcement or whether there are wider issues of policy involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts related to planning. They include "Crowds and Leisure: Thinking Comparatively Across the 20th Century," "Time-Series Analysis of Clusters in City Size Distributions" and "The Transnational Contexts of Early Twentieth-Century American Urban Segregation."

It is often a quote's fate to be taken completely out of context. And undoubtedly this is also true for the above statement. The above extract illustrates the exasperation sometimes felt by those at the receiving end of regulation for new technologies. This is in particular the case vis-à-vis the EU answer to regulatory, especially Safety, Health and Environmental concerns. For the regulation of nanotechnology, the presumption is that the EU will adopt a cautious approach, whether or not based on the current regulation. Much like in the US and elsewhere, there is no tailor-made regulatory framework for nano. Part of industry fears that REACH, the new EU's chemical policy, may be used as a source of inspiration, which would imply a qualified shift of the burden of proof of safety, from the authorities to the manufacturer. Product liability is less likely to play a preponderant role, at least at the EU level (as opposed to the Member States), as the EU's harmonisation in this field in practice is limited only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

French Guiana is geographically part of Amazonia. It features a high degree of cultural diversity and it is integrated politically into France and Europe. For this reason it is subject to the same legislation as the rest of the French Republic. Locally, the diversity of the cultures and forms of knowledge results in different perceptions of sustainable management and the conservation of biodiversity. Now these questions are being raised at the worldwide level, they are as much a matter of the collective action of the State as of the individual consciousness of each citizen. In a multi-ethnic context they must in addition take account of the local communities, both to integrate their diverse experiences and to ensure their well-being. However, the way in which the rules decided upon in Paris are applied takes scanty account of the specificities of this overseas territory. Through various examples taken from matters concerned with the compulsory attribution of French citizenship and territorial planning, we will address the major environmental issues currently subject to disagreement: the maintenance of the traditional activities of the local forest-dwelling populations, the development of their knowledge and know-how, the sustainable development of inland communes, the management of protected areas, and even the project of creating a vast national park. Finally, avenues worth exploring will be proposed as a way to get out of this impasse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of articles related to city planning. "Promoting Retail Innovation: Knowledge Flows During the Emergence of Self-Service and Supermarket Retailing in Britain," by Andrew Alexander, Gareth Shaw and Louise Curth; "The Nature of Op Art: Bridget Riley and the Art of Nonrepresentation," by Simon Rycroft; "Was the 1937 U.S. Housing Act a Pyrrhic Victory?," by D. Bradford Hunt.

Over the last five decades, Malaysia has undergone rapid economic, social and environmental change, a process which is still continuing. The pursuit of socio-economic progress has been accompanied by an unprecedented rate of change in the natural environment. In parallel to this development, governmental responses have also adapted over time to address emerging environmental situations. This article views the recent history of Malaysia's evolving policy response to development needs and environmental change as consisting of four distinct stages. Despite an impressive array of policy statements and strategies to implement sustainable development, many challenges remain today. A clear articulation of normative principles of sustainable development is of paramount importance, as is the monumental task of policy implementation. The article argues that the trajectory of Malaysia's policy on natural resources and environmental issues bears the characteristics of path-dependent evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the Equator Principles, a voluntary code for environmentally responsible project financing by commercial and investment banks. The value of voluntary environmental approaches is increasingly recognised in the European Union, and in its Sixth Environment Action Programme, the European Commission advocated a voluntary initiative with the financial sector to promote harmonised standards for green lending and investing. The article begins by explaining the broader relevance of financial institutions to sustainable development. The nature and effectiveness of voluntary environmental measures to engage the private sector is canvassed before looking at the Equator Principles in detail. The article explains what the Principles demand of lenders, assesses their implementation, and makes some observations on their adequacy for the promotion of environmentally sustainable finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on efforts by many organizations to develop scientific information that is more useful to society. The movement towards integrating science into decision making has its roots in several arenas. Environmental regulations initiated in the 1970s, integration assessments associated with the U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program and the U.S. Congress demand for greater scientific accountability. Making science relevant to society is particularly important for those working towards sustainable development.