Environmental Policy Priorities Research Articles

Global environmental change policy priorities from the Americas and opportunities to bridge the science-policy gap

ABSTRACT Governments and intergovernmental organizations support scientific research to produce the knowledge and tools needed to monitor and mitigate global environmental changes (GEC). However, GEC-related policy decisions are often not based on scientific evidence, and GEC research is often not based on policy-relevant questions, resulting in a science-policy gap. Assessing the GEC policy priorities of researchers and policymakers is an essential step towards closing this gap. This task was undertaken by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), an intergovernmental organization pursuing science and capacity building to reach the vision of a sustainable Americas. The assessment included survey consultations, listening sessions, and an analysis of policy documents for 17 countries of the Americas. Three key findings emerged from this assessment. First, the top current priority for policymakers was Climate action, and Biodiversity and ecosystem services for researchers, with a poor alignment between the priorities of these social actors at the country level. Second, clusters of non-neighboring countries had a profile of GEC priorities more similar than clusters of neighboring countries, although there were some sub-regional clusters around particular GEC goals. Third, researchers and policymakers agreed that the lack of cross-sectoral collaboration and communication between technical and non-technical actors are important barriers. A key opportunity for policymakers was the growing funding and international cooperation for GEC, while for researchers, the growing body of evidence to inform GEC decision-making. These findings have implications for the design of research and capacity-building actions targeted to the priorities and needs of the region.

Monitoring of Anthropogenic Impact on the Baikal Natural Territory: munisipal Level

The purpose of the presented study is to develop a methodology for assessing the anthropogenic impact on the environment in the municipalities of the Baikal Natural Territory (BNT) and applying the obtained methodology to the studied territory. The article analyzes the existing methodological approaches to the assessment of anthropogenic impact on the environment. To carry out a comprehensive integrated assessment, the authors proposed an algorithm for calculating the anthropogenic impact index based on 22 indicators integrated into 7 subindexes (impact on the atmosphere, water and forest resources, agricultural impact, solid waste, disturbed lands and objects of accumulated harm, as well as background impact).The weight of the indicators was determined by interviewing experts representing the scientific community (leading experts in the field of integrated assessments of certain types of impacts or specialists in the field of environmental problems of the BNT), the expert community (leading analytical agencies developing environmental ratings), as well as the environmental management system of the regions included in the BNT. The inertial nature of the anthropogenic impact characteristic of municipalities within the boundaries of the BNT, as well as the general tendency to reduce the impact, has been revealed. At the same time, the absence of positive changes in the environmental state was noted, especially characteristic of the largest impact centers with their inherent unfavorable environment, which suggests the need to take measures to reduce the impact. The advantage of the methodology proposed by the authors can be considered the possibility of extending monitoring in the future, which opens up the possibility of using this algorithm to assess the environmental situation and form environmental policy priorities. The analysis of the results confirmed the quality of the integrated assessment methodology and showed that the districts, cities and towns of the BNT are highly polarized in terms of the level of anthropogenic impact concentrated in certain areas, primarily in the zone of atmospheric influence. The main strengthening of the AI is characteristic of municipalities located along transport corridors, the axis of which is the Trans-Siberian Railway, The Baikal–Amur Mainline and the «Power of Siberia» gas pipeline.

Managing the supply-demand mismatches and potential flows of ecosystem services from the perspective of regional integration: A case study of Hangzhou, China

Regional integration is a development strategy that synergizes various components as a whole to maximize overall benefits. The natural heterogeneity and fluidity of ecosystem service (ES) make it a promising target for regional integration. However, the current focus on regional integration was more on the socio-economic factors rather than ecological resources, and the understanding of the supply-demand relationship and potential flow of ecosystem services was still limited. Therefore, we attempted to interpret ecological integration management by linking ES budgets, bundles, and flows in this study. The results showed that the spatial mismatches of ESs supply-demand were observed in all six selected ES types. Most of the ESs deficit regions were concentrated in urban centers, while ES surplus regions were scattered in surrounding rural areas. Multiple heterogeneous ES resources could ideally benefit an additional 0.13–4.84 million people in 9–70 townships through potential ES flows under ecological integration management. Therefore, we connected the service provisioning areas (SPAs) and service beneficiary areas (SBAs) with three types of ES flows and drew the potential provider-beneficiary relationship networks at the townships/bundles scale, demonstrating the interactive relationship of ecological integration within the region. On this basis, we also proposed the applicability matrix of governance tools for the first time according to the type of ES flows, and then put forward the corresponding governance opinions around the two aspects of “improving ES budges within clusters” and “strengthening ES flow among clusters”. This study provided an ecological perspective for understanding regional integration, and relevant conclusions can inform environmental policy priorities for sustainable decision-making in urbanized areas.

Toward sustainable development: Connecting systems thinking competency and carbon footprint knowledge

AbstractPrevious research on field of sustainable development has shown that individuals' systems thinking competency promotes and predicts their sustainability competency and pro‐environmental behavior well. Systems thinking competency also enables us to focus more on large‐scale climate change mitigation actions. Previous surveys indicated that Finns have changed their behavior for mitigating climate change, but this has been not reflected in decreased consumption‐based calculated carbon footprints because large‐scale mitigation measures have not materialized. The present study assessed Finns' systems thinking competency (n = 2006) and knowledge of how to reduce their household carbon footprint. The survey data collected were analyzed using explorative factor analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, t‐test, and analysis of variance. The results indicate that Finns view their own systems thinking competency related to climate change as not very high, and heir assessments vary widely. Moreover, their knowledge of how to reduce their household carbon footprint is somewhat low and is geared toward small‐scale mitigation actions. The results can be used to inform environmental policy and sustainability education priorities.

Toward sustainable development? Trend analysis of environmental policy in Korea from 1987 to 2040

It is crucial to observe how international policy initiatives are implemented in each country’s environmental policies to ensure global environmental conservation and sustainable development. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the trend of environmental policy in Korea over time. To this aim, we use semantic network analysis to explore the main keywords and to identify the characteristics of the key themes in each period based on the national environmental comprehensive plan. Our results show that the value of economic growth and technological development are regarded as priorities in Korean environmental policy because the economy and technology are closely related to the environment. Similarly, when it comes to the fundamental concept of environmental policy, the concept of “green growth” is applied in preference to the concept of “sustainability.” The results contribute to expanding the approach of existing policy research by providing the potential for semantic network analysis based on policy documents.

Участь громадськості у прийнятті державних рішень, захист навколишнього природного середовища та демократія

Аргументовано, що підвищення рівня інформаційної обізнаності громадськості з питань охорони довкілля та забезпечення її широкої участі у прийнятті державно-управлінських рішень щодо охорони навколишнього середовища має бути пріоритетом держави, яка прагне налагодити ефективну взаємодію з громадськістю. Зазначено, що, своєю чергою, участь громадськості при розробленні державної політики допомагає вирішенню складних соціальних та екологічних проблем суспільства. Доведено, що зазначене є однією з основних передумов розвитку демократії. Розглянуто основні міжнародні та національні нормативні акти у сфері охорони навколишнього природного середовища. Наведено рівні участі громадян на різних етапах процесу прийняття державно-управлінських рішень. Розглянуто поняття екологічної демократії та визначено, що розвиток освіти і поширення екологічної інформації стимулюють відповідальність громадськості у вирішенні екологічних питань.

Digitalization and public marketing of environmental safety processes and recreation development

Environmental issues today are global in nature. Climate change caused by man-made human impact on the environment, changes in natural ecosystems, habitats of animals and plants, lead to irreversible changes in the environment. Rising environmental problems are the cause of natural disasters, the threat to ecosystems, human life and health. It is important to form environmentally conscious thinking among the population, the formation of environmental trends in the green economy in order form social priorities for the harmonious coexistence of human and the environment. The formation of environmentally conscious thinking both at the level of the individual and at the level of major business operations in regions, states, the global socio-political system is based on the use of modern digital technologies. The use of Internet resources and social networks directly affects the formation of public opinion. Thus, the article analyzes the digital resources of leading public organizations working to address issues of environmental development. Through the analysis of digital resources, mechanisms for digital promotion of information have been identified and proposed for use by the authorities. Mechanisms can be used to form environmentally conscious thought at the level of public administration, namely public marketing. The development of a public marketing system to ensure environmental safety is identified as one of the priorities of state environmental policy.

Method for Assessing the Environmental and Social Risks of Unauthorized Landfill Sites

The problem of production and consumer waste generation is one of the main environmental issues of industrial society. However, the main method of waste disposal in Russia is still its landfilling at waste disposal facilities (landfill deposits, authorized and unauthorized dumps). A separate group of waste disposal facilities consists of illegal unauthorized landfill sites with solid municipal waste. The specificity of these waste disposal facilities is the complexity of monitoring of their formation and the difficulty of assessing their impact on the environment and public health. At present, there is no standard approved methodology for assessing the environmental and social risks of illegal unauthorized landfill sites. For that purpose, the authors have developed a method for assessing the hazards of unauthorized landfill sites, based on comparing the actual characteristics of landfills obtained during field surveys of urban areas with certain tabular values. Initial keeping track of landfill sites is fulfilled with the application of a web portal that implements geoinformational technologies. The use of the web portal for rapid detection of illegal unauthorized landfill sites, as well as the author’s method and soft-ware that implements this method allows for rapid assessment of the environmental and social hazard of landfills based on data from field surveys of urban areas without laboratory measurements. The results obtained are intended for the classification of illegal landfill sites in order to develop plans for their elimination, taking into account the priorities of environmental policy.

Reactivity in cement pastes bearing fine fraction concrete and glass from construction and demolition waste: Microstructural analysis of viability

Converting construction and demolition waste (CDW) into secondary raw materials is one of the priorities of environmental policy and circular economy strategy. This study analysed the variation in eco-efficient paste reactivity with OPC replacement ratio (5% to 10%) and hydration time (2 d, 28 d and 90 d). Three types of CDW were explored: two (calcareous and siliceous) consisting of fine (<5 mm) concrete waste and one in laminated glass (<40 mm). Further to the mineralogical phases identified at the aforementioned percentages, the four materials, i.e., the three types of CDW-blended cements and the OPC reference, were similarly reactive. The primary hydration products, C-S-H gels, C4AH13 and C4AcH11, ettringite and portlandite, were the same as observed in OPC hydration. These findings attest to the scientific viability recycling such CDWs as mineral additions in eco-cement manufacture and consequently eliminating the need for stockpiling these materials at recycling/storage plants.

The Political Economy Equilibrium of Environmental and Trade Policies in the U.S.

The U.S. has incorporated environmental policies into its all free trade agreements since it negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the early 1990s. The inclusion of environmental policies represented a major shift in trade policy but the environmental policies have not drastically changed in subsequent trade agreements over the past 25 years despite the continued involvement of environmental constituencies and policymakers. The punctuated equilibrium model provides the analytical framework for understanding the factors that gave rise to the drastic policy shift under NAFTA as well as the subsequent policy stasis, in order to inform future policymaking efforts. Based on this analysis, it appears that environmentalists and policymakers will likely be able to maintain the environmental policy status quo within the trade policy domain but should consider another policy arena for advancing their new environmental policy priorities.

Environmental Threats over Amazonian Indigenous Lands

This study investigates the main threats related to environmental degradation that affect Amazonian Indigenous Lands (ILs). Through a cluster analysis, we group ILs according to the set of common environmental threats that occur within and outside their limits. The results show that most of the 383 ILs are affected internally by a combination of different environmental threats, namely: deforestation, forest degradation, fires, mining, croplands, pastures, and roads. However, the ILs affected by multiple and relatively severe threats are mainly located in the arc of deforestation and the Roraima state. The threats related to forest loss (deforestation, forest degradation, and fires) are more intense in the ILs’ buffer zones than within, showing that ILs effectively promote environmental preservation. In the cluster analysis, we identified seven clusters that are characterized by common environmental threats within and around their limits, and, based on these results, we have outlined four environmental policy priorities to be strengthened and applied in Amazonian ILs: protecting ILs’ buffer zones; strengthening surveillance actions, and combating illegal deforestation, forest degradation, and mining activities in ILs; preventing and fighting fires; and removing invaders from all ILs in the Amazon. In this study, we warn that the threats presented make the Indigenous peoples in the Amazon more vulnerable. To guarantee indigenous peoples’ rights, illegal actions in these territories and their surroundings must be contained, and quickly.

ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ПРОШЕДШЕЙ КОМБИНИРОВАННЫЙ РЕЦИКЛИНГ ВОДЫ ДЛЯ УЛУЧШЕНИЯ КАЧЕСТВА МЯСА ПТИЦЫ

The environmental aspects of poultry production have recently become increasingly political. This applies not only to the cultivation of poultry, but also to the processing and marketing of meat products. Poultry farming is associated with signifi cant environmental risks. Pollution from intensive animal husbandry is not so serious. Poultry farms consume a lot of water, especially when slaughtering poultry, and energy, especially when cooling and further processing meat. An important reserve for reducing the cost of meat entering the consumer market is the creation of an effective poultry farming system. If reducing water consumption by poultry farms becomes one of the priorities of environmental policy, the number of birds may increase, and meat prices may become cheaper. At the same time, when using the purifi ed and recycled water of the slaughterhouse of poultry farms for the technological needs of the slaughterhouse, for example, for washing gutted carcasses outside and inside (which is usually produced by tap water), the quality indicators of meat as a whole signifi cantly increase. Key words: recycling, poultry meat, combined electro-photochemical plant.

Wpływ prawa i polityki Unii Europejskiej na planowanie przestrzenne i zarządzanie terytorialne państw członkowskich w zakresie wybranych kwestii środowiskowych = Impact of European Union law and policy on spatial planning and territorial governance of the Member States as regards selected environmental issues

The main objectives of the research carried out were identification of the strength of – and trends characterising – the impact of EU law and policy on spatial planning and territorial governance in Member States, in relation to selected environmental issues; as well as an attempt to determine geographical regularities. The first issue analysed issue concerned the impact of EU environmental law on Member States’ spatial planning, while the second sought to demonstrate the importance of major EU policies in relation to their environmental objectives. A third aspect saw impact (“clout” ) assessed and trends identified where two environmental priorities under EU policies were concerned, i.e. (I) the strengthening of ecological structures and cultural resources as added value for development, (II) sustainable growth – promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy. Most attention was paid to the top-down impact of the EU on spatial planning and territorial governance, though studies als sought examples of bottom-up and horizontal influence as signalled by national experts. This article is based on the results of the ESPON COMPASS project entitled: Comparative Analysis of Territorial Governance and Spatial Planning Systems in Europe. Analysis of the very extensive questionnaire material available, as well as the results of the case studies, resulted in an acknowledgment that the top-down influence determines the impacts of EU environmental law and policy on Member States’ spatial planning. In sum, that impact of the EU environmental law was identifiable as quite strong at all levels of planning. Indeed, trends for an increasing influence applied to the vast majority of countries. There were three regularities identified in this respect: (I) it is a strong impact and increasing clout that prevail to a significant degree among EU-15 countries, (II) a constant impact is characteristic for the vast majority of the Nordic countries, and in both cases is mainly an aspect of countries caring for the quality of the environment, (III) the greatest variation in terms of the strengths and irections of impact can be identified within the group of post-communist countries, even as there is a prevalence of upward trends noted in these countries. Among the EU environmental regulations exerting the greatest impact on the spatial planning and territorial governance of the Member States, the ones highlighted most frequently were the Directives on environmental assessments (EIA and SEA), as well as the so-called Habitats and Birds Directives. In seeking to summarise the strength of impact of the selected EU environmental policy priorities on Member States’ spatial planning and territorial governance – as well as the trends for that impact – the largest group of countries pointed to an upward trend and a moderate impact. However, results obtained offered no basis for the identification of clear regularities However, the Europeanisation of environmental law and policy was shown also to have a significant impact on the Europeanisation of environmental spatial planning. It also proved possible to demonst ate how spatial planning, although constituting a reserved domain of each country, is actually the most Europeanised of all environmental issues. With regard to the top-down impact of environmental law, i.e. that exerted from the EU level down to the spatial planning and territorial governance of the Member States, the adoption of the acquis communautaire is to be indicated as the main reason for the significant impact. Equally, when it came to the impact of environmental policy, it was usual for a strong link with Cohesion Policy to be identified. The article also offers recommendations regarding the development of a more-effective connection between Cohesion Policy and spatial planning and territorial governance, in the sphere of the protection and strengthening of countries’ natural and cultural heritage.

Agricultural sustainability assessment framework integrating sustainable development goals and interlinked priorities of environmental, climate and agriculture policies

AbstractThe agricultural sustainability issues are widely addressed in scientific literature and various reports by international organizations. However, there is lack of harmonized approach in addressing agricultural sustainability issues as different policies are targeting different sustainability issues in agriculture. This article analyses sustainable agriculture development and agriculture sustainability concepts and sustainability assessment approaches and tools developed for agriculture sector. Based on systematic critical literature review, this article develops the new indicators framework for sustainability assessment in agriculture which allows us to achieve harmonization of sustainable development, climate and agricultural policies in European Union (EU). The proposed indicators framework allows us to address the main sustainability issues of agriculture by linking them with sustainable development goals, environmental, climate and rural development policy priorities in EU. The main contribution of this article is linking rural policy goals with sustainable development, climate change mitigation and environmental policy goals by providing agricultural sustainability assessment framework allowing us to track these linkages through indicators system.

Priorities of the State Environmental Policy of Russia and Kazakhstan: Global Agenda and Regional Projection

Abstract The article discusses approaches to justifying and implementing nation-wide priorities in the field of environmental policy of Russia and Kazakhstan. Data on the role of national priorities as substantial determinants that define vectors and specific mechanisms for implementing environmental policy in post-Soviet countries and countries with the advanced market economy are systematised. The relationship between national priorities and priorities of supranational environmental policy implemented by global international organisations (UN - Sustainable Development Goals; EU – Environmental Policy Goals until 2050; BRICS - Environmental Initiatives) is substantiated. The key characteristics of national priorities in the field of environmental policy of Russia and Kazakhstan are compared, including review of the approaches of global international organisations; prioritised areas and fields of public environmental policy; implemented funding mechanisms and organisational forms; approaches to institutionalising the priorities of public environmental policy within the existing public administration system. Problems of implementation of environmental policy priorities in Russia and Kazakhstan are identified and their causes are substantiated. At the same time, special attention is paid to the study of how national priorities of environmental policy are translated into regional management decisions; identification of gaps between the formulated national priorities and their implementation procedures in specific industrial regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. The best practices for implementing environmental policy priorities at the national and regional levels are compared. Finally, conclusions about ways to improve environmental policy mechanisms and the possibilities of distribution of the best regional practices identified are drawn. The empirical basis of the analysis was obtained from the results of studies carried out as part of the research work “Improvement of the state policy regulation for accelerated clustering of the industrial regions”, executed under grant financing of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The urban conflicts identification and resolution on the Belogorie reserve territory

One of the state environmental policy priorities both in Russia and other countries is the preservation and development of nature reserves and specially protected natural territories. The article discusses the state natural reserve “Belogorye” Belgorod region. The nature reserve “Belogorye” territory includes five sites in different municipal districts of the region. The main problem of the reserve development is that its territory is of an island character, does not have connecting elements and is a subject to human impact. To solve the specially protected and adjacent territories development existing problems, a conflict approach, which consists of identifying the subjective and objective territorial development contradictions, identifying urban the planning activities participants (subjects) personal conflicts and finding the means and possibilities to resolve these conflicts by legal and urban planning methods, is proposed. The analysis of the the most problematic areas limitations and burdens of the Belogorie reserve is made. Identified and classified urban conflicts in relation to the reserve territory among which are: land use, social and functional purposes, transport, regulatory documents, property. The regional significance cultural heritage objects are revealed - architectural monuments and historically significant places (zaseki). A territories adjacent functioning model to the reserve has been developed. It also proposes the cultural heritage object reconstruction with the hotel and a museum adaptation.

Экологическая промышленная политика: основные направления и принципы становления в России

The research aims at the establishment of main principles, priorities and directions of the environmental industrial policy development in the Russian Federation. Environmental industrial policy is considered as a part of the industrial policy aimed at the formation of highly technological competitive national industry providing for the transfer of the economy from the export of raw materials to the innovation type of development. The international experience of the implementation of industrial policies is analysed; it is shown that re-industrialisation leads to strengthening the role of the state regulation and planning both in developed and developing countries. Peculiarities of the international approaches to forming “green” industrial policy are considered. Main principles of the environmental industrial policy development in the Russian Federation are formulated as follows: (1) industrial modernisation providing for the resource efficiency enhancement and the reduction of the negative environmental impact and (2) recycling of waste (its return to the economic cycle). It is emphasised that the environmental industrial policy priorities reflect foremost national purposes and strategic objectives of the Russian Federation development.

Sharing the benefits of taxonomic research: time to upgrade the model

Many permits for collecting biological samples have simple conditions, such as returning specimens and information. In meeting them researchers are ‘sharing benefits’ in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). However, the documents giving such conditions are often poorly connected to long-term research by many individuals, leading to tail-off of delivery. The conditions and the benefits shared are also often ineffective for biodiversity conservation because of inefficient linkage to environmental managers and policy priorities. A new model is needed to better manage permit conditions so that users of biological and genetic material are aware of the agreements and can deliver with minimal additional effort, and to provide better linkage to application in provider countries. Many of the informatics tools to permit this are already available. The paper will outline the elements of the model and suggest means of implementation.

Multidimensional sustainability benchmarking for smart megacities

This paper is focused on sustainability assessment for some of the most prominent global megacities: London, New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. The alternative city rankings are compared and linkages between different sustainability and smart city dimensions are explored. The paper applied ELECTRE III multi-criteria decision aid tool to a panel of twenty indicators. The proposed approach allowed considering performance under four different policy priorities: environmental, economic, social and smart, changing the focus of the sustainability assessment. The results have shown that Singapore dominates the sustainability rankings under environmental policy priorities. Tokyo leads under economic and social priorities, and London and Tokyo – under smart city priorities. The worst performing cities were Shanghai, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro. The paper examines the innovative sustainability strategy and new governance structures that led Singapore to become the most sustainable city under environmental priorities and offers recommendations for the lower-ranking cities of Shanghai, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro. The assessment could be a valuable tool for policy makers and investors, and could help identify linkages between different sustainability dimensions, highlighting best practices as well as strategic opportunities in cities with sustainability potential.

Examining the variation in local water sustainability practices

As sustainable development is becoming more important to ensure the economic success and social well-being of any government, without regard to its level, the efficient use and protection of natural resources has increased in importance. And local governments are at the forefront of developing sustainability policy in many ways. This study investigates the factors that influence the variation in local sustainability practices in one critical area, water conservation. The variation in adoption of water sustainability programs in municipalities across the U.S. is hypothesized to rely on three key factors: environmental condition, form of government, and fiscal condition. Our findings from an ordered logistic regression model indicate that municipalities with high drought level, high environmental policy priorities, and high community wealth are likely to adopt more water conservation programs.