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This article explores the nuances of Feed-in Tariff policies as they are used to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources. Specifically, this article considers whether the United States (US) could successfully implement Feed-in Tariffs to advance renewable energy resource development. Although both popular and successfully used worldwide for this purpose, the US has been slow to adopt such policies. The success of a Feed-in Tariff program is dependent on the goals set forth by each jurisdiction; however, the two most important factors are setting the tariff at a premium rate, and keeping the design and implementation of the tariff administratively simple. Both of these factors are critical to encourage investors in renewable energy, and they are missing from most Feed-in Tariffs adopted in US state and local jurisdictions due primarily to the complex regulatory structure in the US energy market. The legal hurdles the US faces to adopt Feed-in Tariffs are explored using a comparative analysis with Germany, which was the first country to successfully implement Feed-in Tariff policies that have now been imitated worldwide. This article also reviews other policy approaches utilized in the US to achieve renewable energy goals including net-metering and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs). The key objective of this article is to support the conclusion that, although popular, the US might not have a suitable legal regime or energy market structure for Feed-in Tariff policies to be an effective strategy for acceleration of renewable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes distributed renewable energy from the perspective of communities, proposing a new strategy for making it more attractive at the local level in the U.S. Renewable energy devices are one component of the global, decades-old sustainability movement. Sustainable land use offers valuable national and global benefits, but not all sustainable development practices are appealing at the local level. Sustainable development requires novel approaches to land use permits. Municipal governments derive their land use authority from the state delegation of police powers.

This paper reports on the results of a study of the relationship between the nonprofit sector and the pursuit of sustainability in 13 moderate sized US cities with populations between 400,000 and 600,000. Dividing the cities into two groups - those that have been more serious and less serious about adopting and implementing sustainability policies, analysis of a survey of local public officials examines differences in the nonprofit landscape. Analysis shows that the cities that are more serious about sustainability have local public officials who interact more with nonprofit organisations, and are more likely to report the presence of at least one nonprofit group that supports city sustainability policies. Additionally, these reported groups are more likely to be “local”, or homegrown, and to be explicitly dedicated to the environment or sustainability. While far from definitive, the results provide evidence that the nonprofit sector is different in cities with sustainability policies, and suggest that the role of these nonprofit groups in the governance decisions of city leaders warrants more in-depth study. [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.

A growing number of US municipalities are making plans and adopting policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in their communities. In this paper we explore some of the obstacles that municipalities encounter in these community climate protection planning efforts. While previous works have focused on 'pioneer' cities, we focus on municipalities that are still in the early stages of climate protection planning. We describe the evolution of local energy and climate protection planning from the 1980s to the present and summarize the experiences of public officials and environmental advocates who are currently engaged in local climate protection planning efforts. The primary obstacles to preparing a community climate protection plan are found to be a lack of reliable data, methodological uncertainties, and funding and resource constraints. Furthermore, a number of political and institutional conditions are found to limit the ability of local governments to achieve community-wide GHG emission reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system is gaining popularity and may become ingrained in municipal regulations as an approach to promote sustainability. What are the strengths and the limitations of the rating system? How might the planning and design of LEED-ND projects contribute to sustainable development and what are the implications for public policy? Purpose: This article examines the extent to which certain planning and design criteria are incorporated in LEED-ND pilot projects. Are there common trends in the planning and design of these projects? What are the policy implications for encouraging sustainable neighborhoods? The article also evaluates the effectiveness with which the rating system contributes to the sustainability of neighborhood-scale projects. Methods: I surveyed LEED-ND registered pilot projects in the United States to examine the extent to which the projects satisfy rating system criteria and used the results of the survey to evaluate the rating system. I also asked developers, designers, and LEED consultants to provide their insights, based on their experience with the certification process of pilot projects. Additionally, I compared projects that expect to achieve LEED-ND gold or higher certification with those that expect to achieve less than LEED-ND gold certification to determine their differences. Results and conclusions: The article shows how the rating system works and reveals which criteria are used most and least in pilot projects. The results also show that projects aiming to achieve LEED-ND gold or platinum certification are more likely to incorporate green construction and technology criteria that improve the efficiency of their use of energy and water, as compared to projects that are trying to be LEED-ND or LEED-ND silver certified. The article concludes with a discussion of the rating system's strengths and limitations and the policy implications of using it. Takeaway for practice: Planners should develop appropriate local approaches for encouraging and promoting sustainable neighborhood development projects, and should consider local conditions as well as the strengths and the limitations of the LEED-ND rating system before making LEED-ND certification required for neighborhood-scale developments in their jurisdictions. LEED-ND certification alone cannot guarantee sustainable neighborhood development. Research support: This research was supported by a research and travel grant from the University of California, Irvine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on city planning-related topics, including visions of waterfront development in postindustrial Philadelphia, the construction of a town planning perception of Colombo, and city planning and the U.S. census.

The article examines the implications that the 2008 election of U.S. President Barack Obama have for environmental protection and legislation within the nation. Sustainable development, renewable energy, and environmental accountability were all driving factors in his platform. The author contrasts Obama’s platform with that of his Republican opponent, John McCain. While Obama heavily favored fiscal appropriations to support biofuels and scientific research, McCain was a proponent of nuclear power and offshore drilling for oil. Alterations made in policies that had been instated by former U.S. President George W. Bush are discussed.

This article briefly presents the historical evolution of land-use policies from their origins in the early 20th century to their current form, describes pertinent approaches used in policy adoption and efficacy research, and discusses some of the pitfalls encountered by researchers in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This response to Lenahan O'Connell's article “Exploring the Social Roots of Smart Growth Policy Adoption by Cities” examines whether the relationship between education and the adoption of smart growth programs in U.S. cities is reflective of the new political culture and rooted in postmaterial values or, perhaps, just reflective of a slightly different way of thinking about traditional economic development. Methods. Using data for 45 U.S. cities that have articulated broad policies to try to become more sustainable, this analysis includes a measure of the severity of air pollution as an indicator of the need for smart growth programs. Results. The measure of need is more strongly related to the pursuit of smart growth than is either education or income. Conclusions. Since the level of air pollution is frequently understood to make economic growth difficult or impossible, the results suggest that smart growth programs might be just as likely motivated by traditional economic development as by postmaterial values, and there is a need to develop a deeper understanding of the motivates for adopting such programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a set of US urban areas, this study documents patterns of association between multiple measures of sustainability policies and outcomes on the one hand and indicators of three principal political culture theories on the other. Five dimensions of urban sustainability attributes are examined (environmental, public health, economic utility, sprawl, and local government plans and policies) as well as a summative index across the five dimensions. The three political culture theories are creative class, social capital, and historical legacy. First, the analysis examines the relationships among the five dimensions of sustainability. Second, a correlation analysis exhibits further evidence of major effects attributable to social capital and historical legacy cultural heritage. Third, a multiple regression analysis predicts the summative sustainability index score by measures for creative class, social capital, moralistic cultural legacy, and controls for education level and percentage of low income households; both a moralistic cultural heritage and strong social capital are shown to be facilitative contexts for a US city making a commitment to sustainability, even in the presence of demographic controls. The results suggest that environmental professionals engaged in sustainability efforts must be cognizant of their cultural context and of the linkages among different sustainability domains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stabilization presents a daunting challenge for all countries of the world, regardless of their stage of development, institutions or technological capabilities. This article explores the implications for the USA of climate stabilization at 3.4 W/m². Stabilization at this level, even under idealized conditions of nearly immediate global cooperation, will require a transformation of the USA's energy system, beginning almost immediately and extending throughout the century and beyond. This transformation will need to be even more rapid and extensive if the emissions reduction regime encompasses only a portion of the global economy. The availability of advanced technologies such as CCS, sustainable bioenergy production, wind and solar, nuclear energy and end-use efficiency improvements will facilitate this transition. Indeed, the degree to which technology advances over the coming century is among the most important determinants of the economic costs of stabilization for the USA and the rest of the world. The scope of the energy system transformation highlights the need to begin deploying technologies that are currently available and to continue to invest in R&D to develop newer, more efficient, and less expensive low- or zero-carbon energy supply technologies and end-use technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid development is influencing global patterns of resource use and their associated environmental and geopolitical impacts. Trend projections suggest that China's rise will have unprecedented impacts on the rest of the world. I examine three key drivers affecting China's emergence (scale of development, government policy decisions, and globalization), along with four factors that may constrain development (environmental degradation, political instability, coal and oil consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions). China's rise represents a tipping point between fossil fuel-based economies and still emergent sustainable alternatives. Policy precedents between the United States and China over the next decade may well determine the future course of global sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The election of George W. Bush as U.S. president in 2000, as measured by the Iowa Electronic Market (IEM), was associated with an increase of 3% in the share price of firms that were being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is equal to approximately $100 billion of shareholder value. This finding is robust to a number of different specifications, controlling for other litigation, case law, and industry, and is not found in an otherwise similar sample of companies without litigation outstanding. It is suggested that the enforcement of environmental law is dependent on political pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates geography as an appropriate home for environmental education. First, it argues that many geographers have defined geography as a discipline with a major, if not primary, interest in human–environment interactions. Next, it reviews the recent statements by non-geographer, environmental scholars that, directly or indirectly, argue for strong participation by geographers in environmental science and sustainability studies. After a brief review of the status and the nature of environmental research programs and environmental curricula, the article offers reasons why more environmental education does not take place in geography. The lack of environmental education in the discipline and the conservative nature of the courses taught are attributed to geography's small size and low status and to the controversial nature of environmental issues in the United States. A broad definition of environmental education is used when searching for evidence of its existence or importance, but special attention is focused on courses or programs that incorporate sustainability or other topics that include a human dimension, in contrast with those that are confined to a narrow, natural-science or management conception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of environmental decision-making in the United States is primarily one of antagonism, conflict, and litigation. Four sectors of American society are typically at odds over why and how to solve environmental problems—government regulators, businesses proponents, environmental advocates, and members of affected communities. Dissimilar worldviews are at the heart of most environmental disputes, and people in the four sectors tend to have diverse perspectives and philosophies that affect how they interpret and respond to environmental issues. To promote integrated, cost-effective decisions, the public health paradigm (prevention first, intervention second, treatment third), as embodied in the Precautionary Principle and the concept of Sustainable Development, should be mutually adopted as a joint framework for prioritizing solutions to pressing environmental problems. The core public health principle of prevention first is a simple yet powerful tenet that can help foster better environmental choices that are more effective, efficient, and equitable. [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.

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.

In the United States, an emerging alliance of environmental groups and marine aquariums has created sustainable seafood campaigns aimed at consumers as a new environmental protection strategy. These science-based campaigns seek to turn consumers into politically engaged citizens influencing policy through their purses, by using discursive devices such as wallet cards to create communities of concerned actors. While promising to make seafood production chains more transparent, the campaigns have several defects that may limit their ability to mobilize citizens. The campaigns can become more effective by attending more to facets such as making producers, not just fishers, more transparent and accountable to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses public participation in sustainability initiatives and in the development of sustainable communities. In particular, it examines two models of public participation in environmental policy, referred to as 'information deficit models', and 'deliberative and inclusionary processes and procedures' (DIPS). The difference between the two models will be examined through the framework of the US discourse of 'civic environmentalism'. Using both examples and an analysis of recent literature, a distinction between 'narrow focus' and 'broad focus' civic environmentalism will be presented. It is argued that 'information deficit models' of public participation usually associated with 'narrow focus' civic environmentalism can successfully contribute to the 'environmental' aspects of sustainable communities. The paper concludes that DIPS and the greater sharing of control by citizens, non-governmental organizations and local governments offered by 'broad focus' civic environmentalism, are far more likely to result in a greater social capital, and a holistic appreciation of the inextricable links between environmental, social and economic characteristics of sustainable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States' new Global Climate Change initiatives, proposed by the Bush Administration on 14 February 2002, reveal the attitude of the U.S. toward future efforts to address climate change. In this paper, the author clarifies this “attitude” by analyzing the content of these new initiatives, and discusses the inititiatives' theoretical consistency, feasibility, and so on. The examination of these initiatives reveals that—value judgements aside—they contain inherent theoretical inconsistencies. A future challenge for the U.S.'s new climate policy will be to make these initiatives effective by ensuring follow-up actions— something that cannot be realized sufficiently by the current scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at the provisions in the South African Constitution as they might apply to the transition to sustainability, and also examines the formation and qualities of the 1998 National Environmental Management Act. Relationship between implementive politics and transformation politics; Environmental policy. INSETS: EIA and IEM.;CONNEP and the National Environmental Policy..

The article focuses on the environmental policies characterized by regulatory thresholds in ecosystems in the U.S. The author emphasizes that ecological thresholds must not be exceeded toward the high-impact end of ecological continua to promote total environmental activities and prevent ecosystems. Additional environmental management tools are required to avoid an ecological threshold based on excessive sedimentation and profound loss of water quality. Conservation Reserves Program imposed by the Department of Agriculture offers incentive programs to achieve water quality, air quality and wildlife conservation.

The article focuses on the goals of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in response to the challenges that the country faces that have major implications on the conduct and direction of natural science. The USGS proposes six integrated multiscale strategic directions that will help the U.S. address complex environmental problems. The difference of this effort from the previous ones is that the vision of integration across and among each of the science directions. The vision will be flourished by the USGS workforce of biologists, hydrologists, geologists and geographers. The six directions include understanding ecosystems and predicting changes, climate variability and change or energy and minerals for the country's future.

The article reports on developments related to environmental protection in the U.S. The World Bank made announcement that it was granting multimillion-dollar loan to Colombia for the integration of the country's sustainability principles into its environmental programs and policies. The U.S. Food and Drug administration has banned the use of the antibiotic Baytril in poultry. The WHO has launched the International Radon Project to educate the public about the hazards of the chemically inert, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soils and rocks around the world.

Reports on expected recommendations of the President's Council on Sustainable Development. Taxes on waste and consumption and a shift of responsibility for the fate of products to manufacturers as recommendations; Establishment of performance-based comprehensive environmental management systems; Greater use of market incentives.

Reports that the Executive Director of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, states that a plan should be in place by December 1996. Suggestion of changes to the US regulatory policy and community decision making processes; Agreement to create a task force to study initiatives for implementation.

The article offers information on the transition document from American Meteorological Society (AMS) that provides guidance for the administration and the Congress in the U.S. It states that the document highlights major environmental issues facing the nation and makes recommendations for some of the highest priority items related to community that needs to be addressed. It also mentions that AMS transition effort includes collecting nominations from the community climate related leadership.

The article suggests that the manuscript by Byron P. Anderson on the American environmental policy be added in the list of citations in the journal.

The article discusses the seven essential factors that contribute to the environmental crisis in the U.S. According to the author, Americans do not lack intellectual capabilities nor in a state of denial regarding the environmental issues faced by the country, but they were just unable to discover the factors that brought an impact on the situation. These factors include lack of knowledge of the importance of sustainability, incapability of identifying the real situation, dependence on emergency assistance, absence of concern over the implications of the declining population of endangered species, insufficient efforts to address the situation and failure to illustrate leadership initiative.