Specialism 3: Environment & Climate

Question 1

What are the challenges for environment & climate?

Answer 1

• Spill-over effects: economic event that occurs because of something else in a seemingly unrelated context (negative or positive)
• Externalities: non-monetary spill-over effects
• Tragedy of the commons: It can be profitable for an individual or company, but also harmful overall
• soil: pollution, erosion, salinity
• water: water cycle and ground water system, sewage spills, industrial spills, agricultural spills
• air: factories, traffic, cattle farming, forest fires

Question 2

Why are challenges in environment & climate complex?

Answer 2

• negative effects (diseases, climate change) don’t stop at borders, you need collaboration
• the externalities affect other functions, so it’s interconnected with other specialisms
• some things are also good for one function, but not for the other (ex. clay is fertile, but also stores a lot of pollution)
• different cycles are also interconnected, you need to think circular and not linear

Question 3

What are relevant actors for environment & climate?

Answer 3

Actors need to work together (macro, meso, micro). Also individuals need to work.

• EU
• Greenpeace, milieudefensie
• Omgevingsdienst Groningen: regional executive agency
• RIVM
• Ministry of health, welfare and sport
• Municipalities
• Provinces
• Central government
• NCEA

Question 4

What is the relevant institutional design for environment & climate?

Answer 4

• 1960s: Nuclear Energy Act: rules for governing radioactive substances
• 1960s: Nuisance Act: nuisance caused by companies
• 2010: Tracéwet
• 1986: Environmental Management Act: environmental impact assessment: ensure environment is properly considered in government decision-making, how is the proposed activity expected to impact environment, nature and cultural history
• National Environmental Policy Plan (1989, 1993, 1998, and 2001): mandatory, about various issues for various actors
• Provincial Environmental Policy Plan: internal integration (environmental plan) or external integration included (plan for the living environment)
• Municipal Environmental Policy Plan: optional
• Municipal Environmental Program: obligatory
• Sewage Development Plan
• Omgevingswet: external integration, not only environment, but also living environment and quality of life

Question 5

What is environmental impact assessment?

Answer 5

EIA (environmental impact assessment): research and study = written report, about:
- human beings, fauna and flora
- soil, water, air, climate and landscape
- material assets and the cultural heritage
- interaction between the factors above
Both direct and indirect impacts

EIA Decision: effect of public and private projects on the environment.

EIA Plan: effect of plans and programmes on the environment (ex. spatial development strategies), if:

• Plans and programmes could have a major impact on the environment
• Plans and programmes are regulatory or legislative requirements
• Plans or programmes provide a framework for future decisions where an EIA is required, and/or requires an appropriate assessment under the Natuurbeschermingswet

NCEA: advise and checking if assessment was done properly, paid by government but government can’t fire them so it’s independent, if it’s not good it needs to be redone

Question 6

What are problems with the institutional design for environment & climate?

Answer 6

Many laws on individual environmental issues. RvS: Do you even still know all the laws?

Based on norms and standards if above it’s illegal (ex. discharge or emission caps). It can be impossible to follow the rules and still do planning.
Should it be more flexible? Look at Enschede/Volendam, you need regulations for safety

City Dome Approach: strive for best overall environmental quality, not for one activity. You can compensate by measures that improve environmental quality elsewhere. There’s an overall emission cap, environmental impacts are considered together.

Question 7

What are the tools and approaches in environment & climate?

Answer 7

• Norms and standards with emission based caps, eventually leads to City Dome Approach
• Zones: caps can differ in different places (ex. close to airport or not), look at spill-over effects on other places

Question 8

What are the trends for environment & climate?

Answer 8

You need new ideas and developments for new solutions

Architecture/urban design:

• Masdar City: Solve all problems, but payed with oil and gas, so environmental damage elsewhere
• Eco Towns: small and intermingled (garden city)
• Culemborg

Spatial Planing and Environment:

• Energy Planning
• Energy Cascading: positive and negative effects
• Energy Landscapes

Development to:

• Interconnected (not disconnected)
• Circular (not linear)
• Emergence (not silos)
• Wholes (not parts)
• Synthesis (not analysis)
• Relationships (not isolation)

Integration: leads to a better overview, but you also need details (subcultures) for planning.

Omgevingswet is integrating sectoral legislation, roles, specialisms and cultures:

• better overview, increased predictability
• focus on integrated and comprehensive decision-making for the environment
• more options for decision-makers to actively and flexibly change the environment
• obligatory citizen particitpation