Environmental Governance Today

Question 1

Types of NEPI and examples

Answer 1

Regulatory instruments e.g. environmental liability
Economic instruments e.g. taxes
Cooperation instruments e.g. voluntary agreements
Informational instruments e.g. eco-labelling

Question 2

Trans-science (?;?)

Answer 2

Weinberg 1972
= questions which can be asked of science but cannot be answered by it
Scientists need to make it clear where trans-science begins
And encourage public participation

Question 3

Post-normal science (?;?)

Answer 3

Funtowicz and Ravetz 1993
unpredictability, incomplete control, a plurality of legitimate perspectives
Can’t separate facts from values
Extended peer communities - growing set of legitimate perspectives

Question 4

Expert-lay knowledge divide (?;?)

Answer 4

Wynne 1996
Scientific knowledge neglects & denigrates lay know; scientific knowledge has epistemology of control
Vs. lay/local knowledge seeks control in a local/contextualised way - with overt responsibly
= integration could legitimate, democratise and achieve epistemic pluralisation of science

Question 5

Three rationales for deliberative democracy (?;?)

Answer 5

Fiorino 1990
Normative = citizens have right to a say on issues that affect them
Instrumental = citizens become better informed and better at deliberating
Substantive = decisions improve by taking account of a diversity of views

Question 6

GM Nation? (?;?)

Answer 6

2003
650 public meetings
Backed on condition it occurred before results of GM crop field trials were published
scope of debates too narrow
self-selection
the Commission who oversaw it couldn’t make binding regulations to policymakers

Question 7

Governmentality (?;?)

Answer 7

Foucault 1980
Power is productive
Power produces people
Focus on making specific elements of reality measurable and therefore governable
Power/knowledge = power is construct of particular discourses
Biopower = populations constructed as social objects to be policed/disciplined
BUT doesn’t acknowledge human agency, heterogeneity, resistance

Question 8

Green governmentality (?;?)

Answer 8

Rutherford 2007
Discourse of fragile, limited earth necessitates its regulation, management and governing
Sustainable development discourse = about management
Biopower - through science the environment is brought into being and becomes an object of analysis and management e.g. ecology = a power/knowledge regime
Subject formation = productive; technologies of the self = become more virtuous subjects

Question 9

Green governmentality - Local Action Plan on Climate Change, Portland, Oregon (?;?)

Answer 9

Rutland and Aylett 2008
Aim = reduce CO2 emissions
Step 1 - create a ‘governable object’ = statistics; narrow definition to render ‘local emissions’ governable
Step 2 - cultivate ‘self-regulating’ subjects = create environmental subjects
Residents seem themselves in pounds of carbon per year

Question 10

2 models of response to environmental governance (?;?)

Answer 10

Underal 2010
The collective action model = centralised leadership guided by a master plan
- may be necessary in crisis — no veto players
The adaptive governance model = decentralised, adaptive and pluralistic
- each unit free to act quickly; adapt to local circumstances

–> to be effective a response must match the challenge

Question 11

NEPIs (?;?)

Answer 11

Jordan, Wurzel and Zito 2013
Aren’t used as frequently as discussed
Do they need to be used alongside regulation - e.g. enforceable targets
Depends on circumstances e.g. emissions trading good for GHGs, not water policy
Broader contextual factors constrain their use e.g. voting rules, policy paradigms, political power of industry…

Question 12

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (?;?)

Answer 12

Böhler 2013
= internalise cost - stop over-exploiting
= revenues could be earmarked to mitigate climate change
BUT hasn’t worked - failed to reduce oversupply of allowances
2010 Commission increased number of allowances

Question 13

Carbon taxes (?;?)

Answer 13

Baranzini, Goldemberg and Speck 2000
Seems effective way to reduce CO2 emissions
Options to recycle revenues to compensate negative impacts
= fiscal reform - reduce other taxes
= earmarked for enviro programmes
= compensation measures - compensate those most affected by the tax
REGRESSIVE - low income houses spend bigger % of income on energy & tax likely passed onto consumer through increased prices

Question 14

Voluntary approaches (?;?)

Answer 14

Borkey and Leveque 2000
3 types:
Unilateral commitments = set up by firm(s)
Public voluntary schemes = standards developed by public bodies such as enviro agencies
Negotiated agreements (most common in EU) = negotiations between public authorities and industry
Can be binding or not
Effectiveness:
ex ante = ambition of target
ex poste = implementation