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Environmental policies ought to be integrated into economic sectors for successful outcomes. We assess to what extent Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD +) is integrated into land-use sectors driving deforestation in Cameroon. REDD + governance has been extensively examined, including the challenges of a multisectoral approach to tackle the drivers of deforestation, especially those lying outside the forestry sector. Yet, these studies have focussed on cross-sectoral coordination, giving little attention to factors such as political will and the adequacy of policy instruments for integration. We amend and apply an innovative framework for environmental policy integration to conduct a comprehensive assessment of REDD + policy integration in Cameroon, a Congo Basin country experiencing increasing deforestation rates due to agriculture, husbandry, infrastructure development and mining. Drawing from policy documents and in-depth interviews with key informants, we found out that territorial battles between ministries, insecurity about their understanding of forest matters in different land-use sectors, and dysfunctional policy instruments have undermined REDD + policy integration. Our study suggests that REDD + integration into land-use sectors would be enhanced by informing stakeholders about their roles in the REDD + process, completing and legitimising the forest zoning plan, addressing loopholes in environmental assessment regulations, and alleviating inconsistencies in land-use rules. These instruments would be reinforced with an economic tool internalising carbon costs in projects generating forest emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments face increasing urgency to adapt to climate change. However, there is a persistent gap between needed and implemented adaptation. The implementation of adaptation often takes place at the local level, making municipalities crucial actors, particularly regarding mainstreaming adaptation into various sectors. While mainstreaming has the potential to bring many benefits, it does not necessarily result in the implementation of adaptation. Its contribution to the adaptation process over time and the resulting implementation at the local level remain poorly understood, exacerbating the adaptation implementation gap. To advance the understanding of mainstreaming for implementation, we synthesize the emerging debates on adaptation mainstreaming with the literature on environmental policy integration and offer a framework towards a nuanced conceptualization of mainstreaming. Our results from a case study of two Dutch municipalities show that managerial actions precede the acceleration of implementation in the built environment and point to a learning curve. Furthermore, mainstreaming focuses on the water sector, built environment and green infrastructure, with little attention paid to the intersection of heat stress and drought with other sectors, while differences in the implementation of adaptation in the two cases hint at the influence of the local context. We conclude that there is no blueprint to implement adaptation, and while local preferences determine the sectors where integration and implementation occur, consideration of long-term future climate change is lacking in both cities’ mainstreaming of adaptation implementation. Our framework allowed identifying the potential and pitfalls of mainstreaming adaptation towards implementation at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy integration is needed to ensure environmental policy goals are being realized, given their cross‐sectoral nature. Most of the published research has focused on integration and coherence of (inter)national policies, plans, and programs. The implementation practices for these policies, however, are at least as important. This paper therefore looks at policy implementation for the case of artisanal gold mining in Liberia. This is studied through a lens of frontline staff (street‐level bureaucrats) who operate in networks of local government agencies, civil society organizations, and communities. Results of interviews and field observations in Grand Gedeh county show how the policy context and local realities create specific dilemmas, resulting from the combination of limited resources of local frontline staff, low‐income security for local communities and traditional local practices around protected forest areas. In response local frontline bureaucrats use their discretionary power and network to mobilize support, pool resources, combine mandates, and find creative solutions to both regulate and support community residents. Although these implementation strategies are neither necessarily sufficient to realize the official policy goals, nor are guaranteed to have the desired effects, they do show how local frontline staff act as de facto policymakers. Recognizing frontline staff as environmental policy integrators therefore is a crucial element toward more successful policies for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic and social development, the state of the environment and a propensity for disasters are closely intertwined. Therefore, environmental policy integration (EPI) across development and disaster management (DM) policies and plans is important. Pakistan as a country is highly vulnerable to climate-induced environmental changes and associated disasters. In this paper, the extent to which its national environment and climate change policy, disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy as well as disaster management (DM) plans are aligned is established, based on a review of government documents and expert opinions. In this context, a particular emphasis is put on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that led the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor Plan (CPEC; 2017–2030). While environmental assessment (EA) is currently not conducted for any DM policies and plans, DM and EA are well integrated into provincial environmental protection acts, in national as well as most provincial DM plans. It is concluded that a regulatory framework to guide EPI in DM for BRI and CPEC projects is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major public health challenge facing local administrations is reducing the preventable burden of non-communicable diseases making cities more resilient against environmental threats. The objective of this work was to conduct a synthesis of scientific evidence relating to the local context and implement a translational process to support the Department of the Environment in order to improve integration with concurrent policy sectors to urban health and sustainability goals. The first phase reviewed the studies on the association between environmental risk factors and human health and on the contamination levels of the environmental matrices; the second phase synthesised the data in key messages according to the concerns formulated with the collaboration of the Environmental Department. A total of 31 studies were assessed: 21 investigated environmental risk factors, and 9 measured the presence of pollutants in the environmental matrices. The findings identified air and noise pollution as the most important threats associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, together with significant contamination levels of the urban environment from microplastics and hydrocarbons. Based on the review findings, a layman's report for the City Council and the citizens, explicitly addressing emerging issues, was made publicly accessible. A lack of specific, updated and exchangeable data for city health profiling in a deteriorated environmental context represented the main barrier to a resilient community. The suggested recommendation for the local administration was to adopt an environmental policy integration framework to strengthen the monitoring of the impact on citizens' health. • Systematic review in environmental health was promoted to improve local decision-making. • Air and noise pollution were identified as the most important environmental risk factors in Pisa. • Collaboration between researchers and policymakers leveraged the adoption of an EPI framework. • Scientific evidence drove the sustainable transition in urban governance. • Strategic environmental action should be based on citizen health-related indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As concerns around water scarcity and energy security increase, so too has interest in the connections between these resources, through a concept called the water-energy nexus. Efforts to improve the integration of water and energy management and to understand their cross-sector relevance are growing. In particular, this paper develops a better empirical understanding on the extent to which governance settings hinder and/or enable policy coherence between the water and energy sectors through a comparative analysis of two case studies, namely, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, and the city of Beijing, China. This paper examines the extent to which the institutional context enables policy coordination within (vertically) and between (horizontally) the water and energy sectors in Beijing and Los Angeles. To do so, we propose a framework for analyzing policy integration for the water energy nexus based on environmental policy integration (EPI). The results highlight the multiple and flexible approaches of EPI in nexus governance, not least with regards to horizontal and vertical policy integration, but also in terms of explicit (i.e., intended) and implicit (i.e., unintended) coordination. The level of nexus-focused policy integration is highly dependent on the motivation at the local context and the criteria to evaluate policy success in each sector.

As concerns around water scarcity and energy security increase, so too has interest in the connections between these resources, through a concept called the water-energy nexus. Efforts to improve the integration of water and energy management and to understand their cross-sector relevance are growing. In particular, this paper develops a better empirical understanding on the extent to which governance settings hinder and/or enable policy coherence between the water and energy sectors through a comparative analysis of two case studies, namely, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, and the city of Beijing, China. This paper examines the extent to which the institutional context enables policy coordination within (vertically) and between (horizontally) the water and energy sectors in Beijing and Los Angeles. To do so, we propose a framework for analyzing policy integration for the water energy nexus based on environmental policy integration (EPI). The results highlight the multiple and flexible approaches of EPI in nexus governance, not least with regards to horizontal and vertical policy integration, but also in terms of explicit (i.e., intended) and implicit (i.e., unintended) coordination. The level of nexus-focused policy integration is highly dependent on the motivation at the local context and the criteria to evaluate policy success in each sector.

This article explores the role of participation by indigenous peoples in Latin America in the political process of Environmental Policy Integration (EPI). Although the benefits of participation have been largely taken for granted, this article shows that participation makes the policy integration process even more complex. By selecting two cases of clean energy infrastructure projects (a wind power plant and a natural gas pipeline) in Mexico, whose policy processes included an indigenous consultation, this article traces the competing problem definitions in public policy debates and the resulting policy frame in relation to sustainable development. The goal is to assess the ways that indigenous consultation functions as a procedural EPI instrument aimed at boosting participation from a public that is largely composed by indigenous communities in the decision-making stage. This article contributes to the existing literature on policy integration in two ways: (1) it explores the role of participation by non-state actors in the policy integration process, especially in highly politicized policy areas such as energy and the environment, and (2) it identifies the limitations of applicability of policy integration literature, particularly in contexts where state–society interactions are radically different compared to Western countries, including Latin American countries inhabited by indigenous groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In global sustainability governance, many actors have emphasised the need for policy integration across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to advance such integration. But have international organisations responded to this call, and can we observe any integrative effect of the SDGs? We draw on International Relations theories that incorporate change in their analysis and develop an analytical framework to assess change through the lenses of ideas, norms, and institutions. We use this framework to assess sustainability-oriented change in the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO is traditionally an organisation with a primarily socio-economic mandate and hence an ideal case to study whether the SDGs had any impact after 2015 in strengthening the environmental dimension of sustainability in the ILO's institutional settings and policy development. We focus on the 2010–2019 period and conduct a systematic qualitative content analysis of primary documentary sources, complemented with expert interviews and data on operational developments. The paper concludes that there is a significant yet instrumental greening trend in the ILO's approach to sustainable development, but also a bidirectional influence between the ILO and the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Has the Swedish Climate Policy Framework – including the new Swedish Climate Act – adopted in June 2017, been conducive to advancing climate mitigation, and if so, to what extent and in which aspects? Although Sweden is often described as a frontrunner in climate work, several evaluations prior to the adoption of the Climate Policy Framework and the Climate Act concluded that Swedish climate policy has suffered from both implementation and monitoring deficits, as well as from the fact that climate goals and strategies were non-legally binding. Taken together, such deficits make the stable, long-term prioritizing of climate mitigation over other sector policies increasingly difficult, thus limiting the possibilities to reach future targets. This article focuses on three dimensions of climate policy integration – assessing policy processes, outputs and outcomes – with the aim to analyse political developments and policy outcomes in Sweden after the implementation of the Climate Policy Framework and the Climate Act. The results of a comprehensive set of interviews with policy experts and high-level decision-makers show that the framework is believed to have had important effects, mainly in terms of changing both policy language, cross-sector coordination, and increasing the prioritization of the climate issue. Thus the study (1) contributes to a better theoretical and empirical understanding of Climate Change Acts as instruments for climate policy integration; (2) paves the way for future comparative studies; and (3) presents important practical lessons for policy makers on the effects of legal mechanisms to achieve climate mitigation. Key policy insights Climate Acts provide a legal framework for governmental climate activities. A comprehensive framework including three dimensions of climate policy integration – assessing process, output and outcome, should be used to evaluate Climate Act effects. The Swedish Climate Policy Framework and Climate Act has induced a weak type of climate policy integration, showing effects on climate policy debate, coordination, policy measure implementation and policy support. The framework sends strong signals of political will to address climate change, but the non-inclusion of targets and instruments in the Swedish Climate Act is causing debate and insecurity regarding what policy instruments will be implemented [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for sustainable development underscores the role and importance of integrating environmental concerns in non-environmental policies because it is evident that environmental regulations only are insufficient to manage all environmental issues. Law enforcement on environmental protection in Vietnam clearly demonstrates this situation. Vietnam's legal system of environmental protection is incompatible or overlapped with other sectoral laws and in fact many environmental matters have been implemented in accordance with sectoral laws while disregarding environmental considerations due to the lack of specific and explicit environmental provisions or requirements in sectoral laws and regulations. From that situation, the paper emphasizes the need to integrate environmental protection requirements into the sectoral laws of Vietnam and proposes some fundamental criteria and procedures to integrate environmental requirements into sectoral laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a suggested comprehensive framework for identifying, assessing and governing trade-offs and enhancing coherence in public policy decision-making. The framework is based on a simple three-stage model of policy-making: understanding policy interactions (input), integrating policy-making (process), and assessing ex ante policy decisions (output). The first stage is tackled with an interactions assessment framework, identifying how different sectors or ministries relate to each other in terms of their respective objectives, and on what topics negotiations are required to manage trade-offs. The second stage draws on approaches and experiences in environmental policy integration. It focuses on institutional procedures, structures and rules that enable integrated policy-making processes. The third stage draws on the longer-standing policy-analytical field of impact assessment applied to sustainable development. The article discusses the conceptual and theoretical foundations of each stage, as well as practical policy experiences. Discussing this in the context of 2030 Agenda implementation, the article suggests how trade-offs and policy coherence can be better governed using adapted policy-analytic methods and approaches.

With some level of climate change now inevitable, climate policy around the world has evolved in recent decades to include adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Most industrialized countries have formulated national adaptation strategies to meet this challenge. However, the implementation of on‐the‐ground measures is lagging. To analyze the implementation process and possible reasons for the implementation gap, we take a closer look at how the integration of adaptation goals into various sectoral policies—often called mainstreaming—has been handled on different administrative levels in Switzerland. Going beyond traditional compilations of barriers to climate change adaptation, we analyze the use of six different mainstreaming strategies across cases and levels and the reasons for their success or lack thereof. We find that different actors at all administrative levels have successfully employed programmatic mainstreaming in combination with inter‐organizational mainstreaming to foster horizontal cooperation. We call this strategy cooperative mainstreaming. Some pioneers even managed to channel their successes into advances in regulatory mainstreaming. However, the lack of systematic regulatory and directed mainstreaming on the national and cantonal levels largely limits adaptation actions on lower levels to those cases where the major impetus derives from extreme events or proactive individuals on the ground. We conclude that the adaptation implementation gap in Switzerland largely stems from the lack of political commitment to promoting local adaptation at the national and cantonal levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to identify the different priorities of environmental policy integration under a multilevel governance background in China. The subjects for analysis included the four‐level hierarchies of China's central government, the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai, and Chongming eco‐island. NVivo 12 Plus software aided the content analysis of regional and urban nested hierarchy planning documents. The results represent environmental policy integration (EPI) priorities in different hierarchical levels and sectors, as well as the sectoral elaboration on prioritized policy instruments. In addition, the implications of the results in the process toward co‐work in multilevel governance of EPI are discussed. Though inconsistencies exist in EPI priorities, it is advised to design the coordinative vertical framework and approach these policy instruments cooperatively across multilevel governance. In the strategic co‐work relations, the four levels follow the same blueprint in their EPI. Regarding the interactions among multilevel ranks, the results show an inclination of being fueled by the central authority. However, how the local governmental levels will embody and enforce higher levels' priorities could depend on the different natural and societal conditions at each level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has turned the Arctic simultaneously into an environmentally highly fragile space and a region offering manifold economic opportunities. The notion of 'Arctic Paradox' aptly captures the trade-off between environmental protection needs and economic prospects. We investigate how the European Union has positioned itself regarding this Paradox by asking to what extent its Arctic policy discourse integrates environmental concerns. Analysis involving the main strategies of EU institutions, and the EU's Arctic and major non-Arctic members finds three co-existing coalitions with differing visions of environmental policy integration in the Arctic. The aggregate EU discourse on the Arctic is currently 'green by omission', that is, by explicitly avoiding a clear stance on the trade-off embodied in the 'Arctic Paradox'. We attempt to explain this, and conclude by discussing the likelihood of the EU developing a genuinely environment-oriented Arctic policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing impacts from climate change have prompted international calls for the development of synergetic mitigation and adaptation policies and measures. While cities are seen as key actors in the implementation of related actions, there is a lack of scientific knowledge on the organizational conditions required to achieve this in practice. Our paper addresses this gap. Specifically, we assess the impact of various organizational configurations on the initiation of joint mitigation and adaptation resolutions by city councils in Germany. Our results demonstrate that the joint organizational institutionalization of mitigation and adaptation (i.e. joint departments) can be considered both as a necessary and significant prerequisite for joint implementation, unlike joint climate action plans. The developed methodology and identified conditions present an innovative way forward to assess and improve the initiation of integrated resolutions. Our work contributes to organizational and climate policy integration theories, and can help cities worldwide to optimize their organizational configurations and enhance joint mitigation and adaptation actions.

This article introduces a suggested comprehensive framework for identifying, assessing and governing trade-offs and enhancing coherence in public policy decision-making. The framework is based on a simple three-stage model of policymaking: understanding policy interactions (input), integrating policy-making (process), and assessing ex ante policy decisions (output). The first stage is tackled with an interactions assessment framework, identifying how different sectors or ministries relate to each other in terms of their respective objectives, and on what topics negotiations are required to manage trade-offs. The second stage draws on approaches and experiences in environmental policy integration. It focuses on institutional procedures, structures and rules that enable integrated policy-making processes. The third stage draws on the longer-standing policy-analytical field of impact assessment applied to sustainable development. The article discusses the conceptual and theoretical foundations of each stage, as well as practical policy experiences. Discussing this in the context of 2030 Agenda implementation, the article suggests how trade-offs and policy coherence can be better governed using adapted policy-analytic methods and approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Law enforcement and integration of environmental issues into other policies able to affect species and ecosystems are cornerstones for the effective protection of biodiversity. We illustrate the necessity of monitoring and improving such enforcement and integration through the example of the European sanitary policies for managing livestock carcasses after the "mad cow disease" outbreak while supporting scavengers' conservation.Continuous updates of EU sanitary regulations for reconciling scavenger conservation and public health have led to actions whose implementation and monitoring rely on delineating scavenger feeding zones and estimating livestock mortality and scavenger feeding requirements (SFRs).However, the lack of clear and homogeneous criteria to calculate SFRs results in remarkable variations (e.g. of up to >450% in some regions). Although we offer a prospective approach to improve SFR calculations, we show here the high levels of uncertainty in these estimates based on the imperfect information available regarding scavengers' ecology.Synthesis and applications. The multiple socioeconomic and ecological impacts of sanitary crises such as "mad cow disease" underpin the need for high‐level political commitments to guarantee public health, food security and biodiversity conservation. To effectively integrate scavenger conservation into sanitary policies, the shortfalls here detected when estimating scavenger feeding requirements should be addressed. We recommend policymakers establish systematic on‐ground carcass monitoring for detecting implementation gaps (e.g. food shortages compromising scavenger conservation, potential risks of disease transmission), and to modify EU sanitary regulations accordingly. This monitoring would increase knowledge on scavenging ecology and epidemiological surveillance while enhancing cross‐compliance. Lessons learned in Europe may help to integrate conservation issues into other sectorial policies worldwide. The multiple socioeconomic and ecological impacts of sanitary crises such as "mad cow disease" underpin the need for high‐level political commitments to guarantee public health, food security and biodiversity conservation. To effectively integrate scavenger conservation into sanitary policies, the shortfalls here detected when estimating scavenger feeding requirements should be addressed. We recommend policymakers establish systematic on‐ground carcass monitoring for detecting implementation gaps (e.g. food shortages compromising scavenger conservation, potential risks of disease transmission), and to modify EU sanitary regulations accordingly. This monitoring would increase knowledge on scavenging ecology and epidemiological surveillance while enhancing cross‐compliance. Lessons learned in Europe may help to integrate conservation issues into other sectorial policies worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating environmental concerns into sectoral policies is a priority for sustainable development. Despite environmental policy integration being established in Europe in 1998, major weaknesses still limit its effectiveness, such as poor coordination at national and subnational levels.We use the integration of scavenger conservation into sanitary European regulations to illustrate how the adoption of different criteria when implementing the same legislation affects the effectiveness of the environmental policy integration process. We focus on the implementation across Spanish autonomous regions of Regulation EU 142/2011 allowing dead livestock to be left in situ for feeding scavengers. Using Asturias (NW Spain) as a case study, we provide spatially explicit estimates of two key factors guiding the implementation of the legislation, the estimates of scavenger feeding requirements, and the area designated as scavenger feeding zones, based on different criteria used across Spanish regions.We detected a remarkable variation in both scavenger feeding requirements (up to 452%; ranging from 108 to 596 t/year) and scavenger feeding zones (up to 72% in size) depending on the implementation criteria used.The concentration of scavenger feeding requirements per km2 within scavenger feeding zones (i.e., carrion demand) varied up to 167%. Similarly, the concentration of carrion supply from livestock within scavenger feeding zones (i.e., carrion availability) changed up to 33%.Policy implications. Our results support the need for systematic evaluations to choose the best criteria for implementing sanitary regulations concerning scavenger conservation. Interregional coordination in implementing the agreed criteria emerges as a relevant issue to improve the effectiveness of environmental policy integration for transboundary conservation of European scavengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional and local governments in Europe are often challenged with establishing suitable institutional practices to meet ecological targets within urban spatial development plans and address the ultimate goal of the Environmental Policy Integration (EPI). EPI has been proliferated by the European policy as the operational principle to sustainable development. Yet it is necessary to develop and apply suitable approaches that allow achieving EPI within the policy implementation practices of the local and regional authorities. Particularly in the field of urban planning, such EPI approaches are needed to more firmly integrate ecological considerations in the land-use planning process and safeguard the sustainability of urban developments. This is the case when implementing key nature policy objectives such as the development of national ecological networks (NEN) aimed at protecting biodiversity, and in which multiple actors and sectorial interests are involved. Among European countries, the Netherlands has been a forerunner in NEN development and has applied innovative approaches such as the Red for Green approach (RGA). The RGA aims to integrate ecological issues (green) in urban developments (red) and establishes a communicative platform for the actors involved in the urban developments. This study assesses the unique experiences with the RGA in seven regional case studies, identifies its key success factors and reflects on its role as a communicative practice towards EPI. The study concludes that the RGA can be a suitable approach to integrating ecological network objectives in urban developments. However, RGA's success depends on five factors, among which the two most important are the actors' communication and development of a shared strategic vision on developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite scientific progress in operationalizing sustainable development (SD), it is still hampered by methodological challenges at the regional level. We developed a framework to analyse stakeholder based, SD targets for future land use, which are characterized by different impact levels and spatial references. The framework allows for the analysis of land use demands in the context of SD. We identified societal use targets in north-eastern Germany, particularly for the area type’s lowland fens and irrigation fields, represented through strategy documents. We used frame analysis to aggregate and condense the targets into land use claims. Results present a framework for the ex-ante Sustainability Impact Assessment of land use changes at the regional level and the determination and regionalization of the future societal demand for land use functions. For future land use at the regional level, manifold land use claims exist, but on smaller scales, area-specific targets are less apparent. Six key main-use claims and 44 side-use claims were identified at the regional level and for area types. Possible trade-offs among land use claims for land use functions can be identified at each governance level. Implications of the methodological approach are discussed according to moving development targets and SD as multi-sector and multi-level governance issues.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MoPE) manages the licencing system for Norwegian wind power. Balancing relevant concerns in this process could be considered as Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) in practical wind power policy. Wind power investments have been limited in Norway, investors have left the market and those remaining are jittery towards making investments. This article argues that the licencing system is partially responsible for this situation; the system has, over time, introduced an extra risk element for investors, challenged their patience and hampered investments. Especially MoPE’s handling of appeals has been time consuming and difficult to predict regarding final outcome. The problem is probably lack of common understanding between MoPE and Ministry of Environment (MoE) on how EPI works in practical wind power policy. To speed up investments the pace in the licencing process must be increased and the criteria for balancing relevant interest must be clarified.

Highlights • Analysis of implemented food, energy, water nexus thinking in EU policies. • Inductive development of a FEW nexus specific coding system. • Differences in liability of nexus considerations among policy sectors. • Agricultural and energy sectors resume role as originators. • Water sector policies are driven by impacts of other sectors. Abstract In recent years there has been a major, policy-driven increase in research on the food-energy-water- (FEW-) nexus. Although the concept has played a significant role in much of the political sustainability debate since its emergence in 2011, it is increasingly criticized for its conceptual character and lack of practicability. To address the question of the concept's application in the political practice of the European Union, an analysis of currently existing EU policies has been conducted with specific focus on implemented nexus thinking. To limit the scope of the study, policy documents were chosen from the major political frameworks within the directly nexus-relevant policy sectors agricultural, energy and water policy, most notably – but not exclusively – the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU Energy Strategy, and the Water Framework Directive (WFD), as well as documents which address the integration among those. The study included a total of 50 policy documents. An inductive research approach was chosen to derive a FEW nexus specific coding system for the computer-assisted, semi-quantitative and qualitative analysis of the documents. The results reflect the fact that, in the past, policy design has mostly been framed within sectoral mandates, e.g., for water, agriculture or energy. Cross-sectoral effects especially among all three nexus resources have only recently been accounted for and predominantly exist in the form of non-formalized statements of intent. The establishment of cross-sectoral thinking is most advanced between the sectors of agricultural and water policy, mainly driven by their respective and historically grown roles within the nexus system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mainstreaming biodiversity across political sectors and levels is a central challenge to conserving global biodiversity. This article introduces biodiversity policy integration (BPI) as an analytical approach for assessing the ecological performance of nonenvironmental sectors using the following criteria: inclusion, operationalization, coherence, capacity and weighting. To date, we know little about the barriers and enabling factors for integrating biodiversity into sector policies in resource intensive economies of the Global South. BPI in Peruvian political sectors of Agriculture and Irrigation, Economy and Finance, Energy and Mining, Production and Fishery, and Communication and Transport were analyzed based on sector strategies, related legal and strategic documents as well as qualitative expert interviews. While sectors commit to biodiversity conservation in general terms, a weak operationalization of biodiversity targets and low institutional capacity results in ineffective policy. Specific targets and indicators are not yet incorporated into sector strategies, national development planning, the evaluation of impact assessments or budget allocation. Biodiversity policies remain disconnected from the sectors' policy practices, which undermines the potential of reducing harmful incentives (Aichi target 3) and maintaining production within sustainable limits (Aichi target 4). Based on the results I identify the framing of sector‐specific targets, favorable actor constellations and adaptive institutional learning arrangements as key elements for improving BPI. Facilitating agents, such as the environmental Ministry or intersectoral commissions, play a central role in generating ownership of biodiversity objectives in sector policy‐making and supporting institutional learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy processes that design, develop, and implement sectoral policies often leave environmental considerations to a central environmental authority. As a result, the environmental implications and consequences of policies and programs, even when they are explicitly recognized as a part of their mandate, are often ignored at the time of implementation. In this paper, we show how the role of individual, organizational, and system level factors in enhancing the ability of policy actors is crucial in better integration of environmental considerations in policy processes. Using data collected in Nigeria, we develop empirical evidence on such factors so that the sectoral policy process can be improved for environmental outcomes. The results indicate that explicit identification of environmental challenges, better collaboration and communication between research and policymaking, and a combination of the expertise of young analysts with the experience of senior policymakers can improve explicit consideration and follow-up of environmental issues in sectoral policy process. The lessons from this paper are also applicable to the environmental considerations of the current policy roadmap for the promotion of the agricultural sector in Nigeria, the Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP) , and to other developing countries attempting implementation of such sectoral policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of mainstreaming efforts regarding climate change adaptation (CCA) in EU development cooperation. By constructing and operationalising an analytical framework capable of tracing the level of mainstreaming throughout different phases of the policy cycle, we provide an answer to the question ‘what works and what doesn’t’ in the integration of climate change in development cooperation. We combine a document analysis with semi-structured expert interviews, encompassing both HQ level in Brussels as well as EU aid activities in nine different developing countries. Our findings indicate that the Commission envisions a harmonisation approach towards CCA mainstreaming, targeting aid activities related to sustainable agriculture, food security and rural development. Although the toolbox for mainstreaming allows for a prioritisation of CCA, the procedural approach is currently ineffective due to limited staff and mainstreaming fatigue. In contrast, the growing political salience of CCA mainstreaming can be considered the main driver of mainstreaming efforts in the Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a new approach to the concept of green budgeting within the context of green economy to analyse the different factors influencing the lack of consistency on environmental policies in Spain. It appears that structural issues have prevented Spain from becoming a real green economy, and thus from taking the right measures that could lead it into a sustainable growth path. This case study is presented as example of failure to integrate environmental issues in policy-making, with political factors being one of the main variables under analysis. A quantitative analysis on the approach to public environmental budget management during the period prior to the recent economic crisis is conducted at national and regional levels. Some of the findings are consistent with other European countries but some distinctive structural issues are also identified.

This paper examines attempts to integrate environmental sustainability goals into the design and implementation of projects funded by the EU Structural Funds programmes in the U.K. between 2000 and 2006. It does so by comparing how the two “horizontal priorities” (environmental sustainability and gender equality) fared in terms of understanding and acceptance by project applicants. It places this material within the wider context of literature on environmental policy integration and inter-agency cooperation. A “policy coordination” framework is used as a heuristic device to construct an account of the ways in which the two themes were handled through the interplay of the myriad of actors and organisations involved in the process. A key part in this involved the deployment of “policy champions” to work with external organisations bidding for funding to support projects that formed the core of programme implementation. The paper also examines the variable reactions on the part of project designers to the requirement to incorporate environmental and gender goals and the greater inter-professional networking that these implied. The comparison between the two priorities clearly demonstrates the difficulties inherent in the breadth and complexity of environmental issues and the need in the first instance to link them to relatively simple actions directly associated with economic development activity. The study concludes that this is essentially the first step in a more protracted “policy learning” process.

Against the backdrop of climate and environmental pressures, as well as limited resource availability and trade conflicts, devising policies for energy and the use of natural resources in general becomes exceedingly complex. Moreover, policies are required to account for interrelations between individual resources and between different sectors and policy fields, but implementation often lacks. To evaluate the current state of integrated policy design in the EU, a review of European energy, water, and agricultural policies was conducted. Using a qualitative comparative research approach, the objective was to identify and explain the differing degrees and variations in policy integration among them. To this aim, the concepts “Environmental Policy Integration” and “Water-Energy-Land Nexus” were jointly applied as analytical frameworks. The analysis revealed that currently, different authorities are endowed with largely sectoral mandates. Accordingly, the respective sectoral policy sets are historically grown based on differing sets of formal and informal rules and processes, thus making policy integration among the sectors, let alone within the nexus, a highly challenging task.

The increasing multidimensionality of agriculture, linking the domain with environmental, trade and food safety concerns, has mobilized new policy actors bringing new preferences and ideas into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) debate. This article investigates the extent to which this has contributed to Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) in the CAP. It puts forward the claim that an incomplete transformation in European agricultural policy from exceptionalism to post-exceptionalism explains the limited extent of EPI in the CAP. This claim is substantiated by a longitudinal comparative analysis of the CAP reforms over the last two decades, applying a multidimensional concept of EPI as process (how the formal and informal procedures and institutions in place allow for the integration of environmental concerns in policy deliberation), output (the translation of such concerns in changes in policies) and outcome (the performance of the new policies in terms of environmental benefits). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Both in a national and global context, it is challenging to identify key conditions for the integration of sustainable tourism in public policy. By studying a number of recent planning processes pertaining to tourism development, this article aims to contribute recent insight into how sustainability may be integrated into tourism planning. The study was motivated by a publicized shift in the Norwegian government policy strategy on sustainable tourism, from a sector approach to an integration approach. Through case analysis, the concept of environmental policy integration is applied. Findings show that sustainable tourism is partially integrated in all cases and three key issues are outlined. First, although Norway is characterized by a high degree of sector organization, it has a weak structure for overall tourism policy integration. Second, the integration of sustainable tourism has been stimulated by national horizontal integration, bottom-up integration prepared by institutional changes, public participation, and by active use of the municipal system of planning. Third, this study could not find any evidence for the announced shift from a sector approach to an integrated approach to sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-energy-food nexus has become a popular concept in environmental change research and policy debates. Proponents suggest that a nexus approach promotes policy coherence through identifying optimal policy mixes and governance arrangements across the water, energy and food sectors. Although the nexus literature identifies some barriers to achieving coherence it does not clearly explain why the barriers are present, what influences them, and how they can be acted upon. These gaps disconnect the nexus literature from the governance processes it ultimately seeks to influence. This paper examines how the integrative environmental governance literature can help to close these gaps. It extracts insights from seven streams of research literature and discusses their relevance for the nexus literature. We argue that connecting the nexus to decision-making processes requires: i) rethinking the boundaries of nexus analysis vis-à-vis other sectors and levels; ii) elaboration of shared principles that can guide decision-making towards policy coherence − or an appropriate form of fragmentation − in different contexts; iii) viewing policy coherence as a continuous process of changing values and perception rather than as an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The destructive impact of antropic activities can no longer be ignored and all the human activities – from industry to domestic household - must impose a friendly behavior in relation to the environment. The environmental protection is an esential part of the enlarged reproduction and modern economic growth, aiming to ensure the dinamic ecological equilibrium, preserving and improving the quality of natural factors, the development of country's natural riches, ensuring better conditions of life and work for present and future generations. Thus, the whole activity for environmental protection in all of its components has a productive beeing creative of net income and value. On the long term, the achievement of dynamic economic equilibrium is illusory, without observing and respecting of ecological balance, the economic imbalances will cannot be resolved on the basis of creating some ecological imbalances, because these latter generate huge economic damage, a to which we can add a series of consequences, most often unpredictable.