Effective Environmental Governance Research Articles

Participation for Effective Environmental Governance: Evidence from the European Water Framework Directive Implementation

Participation for Effective Environmental Governance: Evidence from the European Water Framework Directive Implementation

Environmental governance strategies in a two-echelon supply chain with tax and subsidy interactions

Environmental impact is one of the major causes of tax and subsidy interactions between the government and firms. The government sets the tax of the upstream impact and designs the subsidy threshold value to promote the green effort of firms. This paper presents the optimal decision of the supply chain and the effective environmental governance strategy of the government. A Stackelberg game between the government and a two-echelon supply chain is constructed, where a supplier makes core parts for a manufacturer. First, we compared the effects of subsidy on the pricing decisions of firms and identified the profitable condition of the green effort of manufacturers. Results corroborate that a negotiated space for suppliers and manufacturers exists to reduce the environmental impact from the source, especially when the tax legislation is strict. Second, we obtained the optimal upstream contract of environmental impact in supply chains, which appears a phenomenon of the Matthew effect under any type of governance strategies. This finding affirms that subsidies make supply chains inclined to choose a greener upstream decision. The condition when subsidies make sense by effective environment improvement in the supply phase was further derived. Finally, with tax and subsidy governance strategies, the multi-perspective social welfare was simulated and analyzed. Accordingly, we verified that the growth boundary of the supply-chain profit with high subsidy threshold is better than that of the social welfare or the environment performance. It implies that setting the green subsidy standard originally high is a comprehensively sustainable choice for social welfare. In addition, the simulations of three tax structures were analyzed in extensions.

Local environmental governance innovation in China: staging ‘triangular dialogues’ for industrial air pollution control

Studies of environmental governance in China mainly discuss bilateral encounters, such as popular protests against polluting companies, NGO collaboration with local authorities, or local government collusion with enterprises which can lead to the sabotage of effective pollfution controls. This article studies a case in which a communication mechanism involving multiple actors created a basis for the innovative and successful enforcement of air pollution regulation. Pressurized by popular protests and superior level policy mandates, the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) in Hangzhou City started to employ a dialogue forum which ultimately brought residents, enterprises as well as government agencies together to implement local air pollution control measures. Through information-sharing, interest mediation and trust building in a gradually more horizontal process, the government-led multiple stakeholders’ dialogue helped to overcome the agency’s structural weakness, regulate the polluting companies and address residents’ complaints. We conclude that this case study can provide some insights into the ways in which opportunities for driving forward innovative and effective environmental governance strategies at the local level emerged against the background of recently enforced top-level environmental protection policies in China.

Characteristics of public concern on haze in China and its relationship with air quality in urban areas

Severe air pollution associated with the rapid urbanization is a pressing issue in China. Moreover, the public awareness of environmental protection in China is awakening, which poses enormous pressure on governments to enforce environmental regulations. The study of environmental problems from the public perspective plays a crucial role in effective environmental governance. The Baidu search engine is the China's largest search engine. The search index of haze based on Baidu search engine reflects the public concern on air quality in China. The aim of this study is to uncover important relationships between public concern and air quality monitoring data based on the case study of haze pollution crisis in China. The results indicate that: (1) the year 2013 is the turning point of the public concern on air quality in China; (2) according to daily data analysis, the search index of haze has increased progressively with increased PM2.5 concentration with a time lag of 0–4 days and the lag time has a declining tendency from 2013 to 2017; (3) according to annual data analysis, the public concern showed a weak correlation with air quality and they showed an opposite temporal trend. However, when the long-term annual trend was removed, the strong positive correlation emerges between the fluctuation parts of the search index of haze and monitoring data of air quality. This indicates the public is more sensitive to the short-term fluctuation of air quality. The results of this paper provide statistical evidence on the evolution of public concern on air quality from 2013 to 2017. This study will help policy makers to better understand the patterns of the public's perception of environmental problems and consequently improve the government's capability to deal with these challenges.

Governing Forest Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Environmental Governance: A Review

Governing forest ecosystem services as a forest socio-ecological system is an evolving concept in the face of different environmental and social challenges. Therefore, different modes of ecosystem governance such as hierarchical, scientific–technical, and adaptive–collaborative governance have been developed. Although each form of governance offers important features, no one form on its own is sufficient to attain sustainable environmental governance (SEG). Thus, the blending of important features of each mode of governance could contribute to SEG, through a combination of both hierarchical and collaborative governance systems supported by scientifically and technically aided knowledge. This should be further reinforced by the broad engagement of stakeholders to ensure the improved well-being of both ecosystems and humans. Some form of governance and forest management measures, including sustainable forest management, forest certification, and payment for ecosystem services mechanisms, are also contributing to that end. While issues around commodification and putting a price on nature are still contested due to the complex relationship between different services, if these limitations are taken into account, the governance of forest ecosystem services will serve as a means of effective environmental governance and the sustainable management of forest resources. Therefore, forest ecosystem services governance has a promising future for SEG, provided limitations are tackled with due care in future governance endeavors.

Meaning work: reworking institutional meanings for environmental governance

Effective environmental governance requires institutional change. While some actors work to change institutions, others resist change by defending and maintaining institutions. Much of this institutional work is ‘meaning work’, which we define as the practice of crafting, adapting, connecting and performing meanings to purposively create, maintain or disrupt institutions. This paper constructs a concept of meaning work that highlights agency in carrying meanings across scales and between discursive layers, while noting the structuring role of prevailing discourses. It grounds the concept using two environmental governance cases at very different scales: a local democratic innovation employed by Noosa Council in Queensland, Australia; and the international campaign to divest from fossil fuels. The cases demonstrate the diversity of meaning work and the difficulty of achieving deep discursive change. They point to the need for environmental governance practitioners to rework existing meanings to construct compelling stories for change, taking advantage of narrative openings.

E-Petitioning in Environmental Matters in Romania: Is it an Effective Environmental Governance Tool?

E-petitioning related to environmental matters is a rather new participatory behavior in the Romanian society and it seems to attract more and more the attention of a larger public (not just a minority of educated eco-citizens or experts in related fields). Lately, in Romania there were a few major e-petitioning campaigns trying to stop large and popular economic investments projects that were detrimental to the environment (the most visible are petitions fighting the building of microdams on mountain rivers, regional landfills, mining projects). Also, those campaigns led to media coverage, brought on a public debate through some media channels, revealed serious problems with how the state authorizes such projects, and even managed to get the attention of the European Commission. None of these would have been possible without the very source of large public mobilization on an environmental matter, e-participation and e-petitions.
 Thus, the paper investigates e-petitions in the environmental field in order to understand their impact on environmental problems, and also, most importantly, if these e-petitions manage to influence environmental policy and governance. For decades, through the entire process of European integration, Romania has struggled with meeting the environmental standards required by the EU. Data is lacking or unreliable, there is a culture of lack of transparency related to environmental matters both in the public and in the private sector, and Romania needs to seriously address this problem. The paper provides an investigation of ‘if’ and ‘how’ e-petitioning could be a tool to move state and society towards effective environmental governance in the Romanian context.

The conundrum between political and sectoral decentralizations: The case of Cameroon

AbstractIn recent years, alongside implementation of “traditional” decentralization policies, sectoral decentralization experiments in natural resources management have taken place worldwide, mainly under the justification of improving resource conservation and rural development. In the Congo basin, for instance, the epicentre of Africa's tropical rainforests, Cameroon has been engaged in these dual processes of devolution of power to municipalities and municipal involvement in the forestry sector. Drawing on the case of the first municipal forest governance experiment in Cameroon, the article argues that the lack of co‐ordination between the political and sectoral decentralizations is undermining the foundation for effective, democratic and accountable municipal and environmental governance. The case provides useful policy recommendations for donors supporting the global emergence of municipal government capacity.

The New, Green, Urbanization in China: Between Authoritarian Environmentalism and Decentralization

Orthodox Western environmental practice and its associated discourse posits a positive causal link between levels of participation and effective environmental governance and regards participatory practices as a normatively desirable element in the building of a more sustainable society. However, recent discussions around theories of authoritarian environmentalism have challenged some basic assumptions of orthodox environmentalism. However, these discussions still lack sufficient discussion of real-world policy making and implementation and this article addresses that gap by exploring China’s policy of green urbanization, deemed a top priority by Chinese policy elites. We argue that the shifting strategies of governance associated with green urbanization are evidence of the emergence of a distinct paradigm of authoritarian environmentalism, characterized by a re-centralization of state power and a reduction of local autonomy, in environmental policy making in China.

Social fit of coral reef governance varies among individuals

AbstractImproved natural resource governance is critical for the effective conservation of ecosystems, and the well‐being of societies that depend on them. Understanding the social fit of institutional arrangements in different contexts can help guide the design of effective environmental governance. This empirical study assessed individual‐level variation in institutional acceptance of coral reef governance among 652 respondents in 12 fishing and tourism‐oriented communities in the Wider Caribbean. High institutional acceptance was strongly associated with perceptions of community cohesiveness, underlining the potential contribution of civil society to effective governance processes. Institutional acceptance was also influenced by reef use, awareness of rules, perceived trends in reef fish populations, education, and contextual community‐level factors. Understanding what influences diverse perceptions of coral reef governance among individuals can help to assess the likelihood of support for conservation measures. This study highlights how knowledge of institutional acceptance can inform the design of more targeted interventions that enhance the social fit of conservation governance to local contexts and diverse resource users.

Criticism of the Logic of the Ecological Imperialism of “Carbon Politics” and Its Transcendence

Within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, international carbon politics inevitably presents itself as the logic or essence of “ecological imperialism,” reflecting a few Western countries’ expansion and development of their historically formed international hierarchical superiority or exclusive hegemony on the basis of their domestic capitalist economies and politics. This is an intrinsic obstacle to creating a more equitable, democratic and effective global climate or environmental governance system. Criticism of international carbon politics and its “ecological imperialism,” based on traditional “green-left” theories from Marxist philosophy and political economy, provides a theoretical basis for seeking an alternative way to cope with global climate change effectively. As a responsible developing country, China’s response to climate change is not only an internal requirement for the promotion of its own sustainable development, but also reflects its responsibility to create a community of shared future for mankind. This rationale for our time determines that it is necessary for China to become a world leader in coping with global climate change and environmental governance through a leadership which lies in making a contribution rather than fighting for hegemony.

Promoting Sustainable Consumption Behaviors: The Impacts of Environmental Attitudes and Governance in a Cross-National Context

This article assesses the impacts of individual-level environmental attitudes and national-level environmental governance on individual sustainable consumption. Multilevel analysis based on data from 31 countries shows that three key environmental attitudes, environmental concern, environmental efficacy, and perceived environmental impact, are all positively associated with sustainable consumption behavior. Environmental governance is found to have different impacts in high-income compared with other countries analyzed. In high-income countries, effective environmental governance encourages people to participate in sustainable consumption, whereas it discourages people’s participation in other countries. In addition, in high-income countries, people with strong proenvironmental attitudes are more likely to consume sustainably in the face of weak environmental governance; in other countries, however, the attitude–behavior association is strengthened in the face of effective governance. The results highlight the importance of individual attitudes and the broader context in influencing proenvironmental behaviors, and suggest that sustainable consumption should be understood as a social process accomplished through collaboration between individual consumers and institutions.

Community-based management of environmental challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean

This Special Feature gathers the results of five research projects funded by the 7th Research Framework Program of the European Union and aims to identify successful cases of community-based management of environmental challenges in Latin America. The funding scheme, Research for the benefit of Civil Society Organizations, fostered innovative research approaches between civil society and research organizations. More than 20 field sites have been explored, and issues such as trade-offs between conservation and development, scientific versus local knowledge, social learning, ecosystem services, community owned solutions, scaling-up and scaling-out strategies, the influence of context and actors in effective environmental management and governance, and the conflicts of interests around natural resources have been addressed. Based on our experiences as project coordinators, in this editorial we reflect on some of the important lessons gained for research praxis and impact, focusing on knowledge of governance models and their scaling-out and scaling-up, and on methods and tools to enable action research at the science–civil society interface. The results highlight the richness of community-based management experiences that exist in Latin America and the diversity of approaches to encourage the sustainable community-based management of environmental challenges. (Resume d'auteur)

Transparency: A Tool for Effective Environmental Governance in Nigeria

In the recent past, there have been calls for transparency in governance from different quarters. These calls testify to the importance of transparency to the overall social welfare. There is virtually no aspect of contemporary life that is unaffected by the system of governance, but governance today is almost entirely devoid of transparency. Transparency mechanisms encourage public officials to act in the interest of the public. Corruption has real political, economic, and social costs and as researched in Columbia University and analyzed by Transparency international, perhaps the more expensive cost is the environmental damage which often suffer either direct or indirect from bribery, extortion, unfair policies, and other forms of corruption. Thus, it has been widely acknowledged that increased transparency and public participation significantly enhance the quality of decisions impacting the environment. These findings offer an intervention avenue in the shape of conservation, preservation, and environmental justice—through the tool of transparency. Resurgent interest in the evaluation of development implications on the environment is not usually accompanied by the requisite transparency to address longstanding effectiveness problems. In order to sharpen the effectiveness, this paper examines the transparency instruments of environmental governance. Analytical examples are used to explore the nature and significance of transparency in environmental policy making and implementation. This paper will heighten the discursive consciousness of the transparency instrument which in itself will catalyze the journey to effectiveness.

Design and implementation of a governance system for the protection of the environment and public health in China: international models, best practices, and implications for contemporary China

China’s economic miracle has been achieved at high environmental costs, including substantial air and water pollution, which are detrimental to the health of China’s citizens. A lack of strong environmental governance is part of the explanation for this state of affairs. Courts and regulatory agencies have not adequately performed their duties. Although China’s administrative system, which historically tended to prefer economic growth over environmental quality and citizens’ rights, is at the root of its environmental problems, the Chinese government has begun to show more enthusiasm for environmental and health protection. In this article, a series of principles and practices for good environmental governance are discussed. Because these principles and practices contribute to establishing rational and effective environmental policies and governance, the Chinese government should consider them in rethinking its current system. The models and practices discussed in this article work best if they form a part of an integrated system. For environmental governance to be able to realize its full potential, however, China should also adopt political reforms and shift power from the various levels of government to ordinary citizens. Chinese society knows a number of strategies to collect and include people’s opinions into administrative decision making, these mechanisms could be strengthened.

Mapping cultural enablers and barriers to environmental participation in Connemara: The role of lay knowledge, discourses of sustainability and ‘defensive localism’ in environmental governance

This paper focuses upon lay knowledge and sustainability concepts that shape and reflect environmental policy implementation and public reactions to environmental participatory forums in Connemara, Ireland. Drawing on in-depth qualitative fieldwork from a mixed-method study of knowledge in Connemara, the paper argues that local understandings of sustainability which prioritise lay knowledge for future generations both helps and hinders successful environmental participation. These definitions of sustainability are central to how community actors define what constitutes effective environmental participation. Many established locals draw upon these sustainability ideals to justify the deliberate exclusion of recent settlers to the area from environmental participatory forums. Insights revealed here on how local cultural conventions pertaining to language use, ‘defensive localism’ and insider–outsider distinctions affect participation in rural Ireland are highly significant for understanding barriers to effective environmental governance and the complexity of local perceptions of participation, sustainability and policy-making.

Participation for effective environmental governance? Evidence from Water Framework Directive implementation in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom

Effectiveness of participation in environmental governance is a proliferating assertion in literature that is also reflected in European legislation, such as the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Directive mandates participatory river basin management planning across the EU aiming at the delivery of better policy outputs and enhanced implementation. Yet, the impact of this planning mode in WFD implementation remains unclear, though the first planning phase was completed in 2009 and the first implementation cycle by the end of 2015. Notwithstanding the expanding body of literature on WFD implementation, a rather scattered single case study approach seems to predominate. This paper reports on implementation of the WFD in three case studies from Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, reflecting three substantially different approaches to participatory river basin management planning, on the basis of a comparative case study design. We ask if and how participation improved the environmental standard of outputs and the quality of implementation. We found an increasing quality of outputs with increasing intensity of local participation. Further, social outcomes such as learning occurred within dialogical settings, whereas empowerment and network building emerged also in the case characterized mainly by one-way information. Finally, one important finding deviant from the literature is that stakeholder acceptance seems to be more related to processes than to outputs.

A New Environmental Protection Law, Many Old Problems? Challenges to Environmental Governance in China

Through a three-year revision involving various stakeholders, China has enacted a new Environmental Protection Law (EPL). The new law seeks to harmonize economic and social development with environmental protection and for the first time establishes clear requirements for the construction of an ecological civilization. It toughens the penalties for environmental offences with specific articles and provisions for raising public awareness. It also places greater responsibility on local government and law enforcement for the protection of China’s environment. However, many of the problems identified in the old EPL and especially the obstacles to its implementation have not been fully addressed and resolved. Effective environmental governance entails not only environmental laws but also implementation mechanisms, accountability regimes, and institutional arrangements. Raising the status of the EPL and of the general environmental protection apparatus is only the first step to meeting China’s environmental challenges. More efforts in the area of enforcement and implementation will lead China to a cleaner future.

ENVIRONMENT. Environmental governance for all.

Involving local and indigenous populations is key to effective environmental governance

Cultivating Sustainability Literacy and Public Engagement in Intag, Ecuador

AbstractThis article describes ways rural women and men in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forests created regional and trans-regional institutions to develop and sustain effective environmental governance. It traces their interpretation of political ecology within local realities, based on household concerns centred upon water and food security, and how they came to draw upon global discourse and increased civic participation. The article shows how they created communities of practice that came to define local (and glocal1) sustainability. Their proactive and generative approaches to environmentalism – expressed through actions and institutions – are significant, offering examples of expanded social equity and adaptive resilience in the face of change.1Glocal is the connectivity and co-presence of local and global people, ideas and institutions.