Accommodating consensus and diversity in environmental knowledge production: Achieving closure through typologies in IPBES

How can a diversity of perspectives be accommodated in scientific and political consensus on environmental issues? This paper adopts a science and technology studies (STS) approach to examine how the pursuit of consensus-based knowledge and diverse participation, as seemingly contradictory commitments, have been converted into practice in the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Through a series of negotiations, these commitments have been translated into a set of situated practices that now dominate this expert panel. Consensus has been achieved through the pursuit of closure, in which meetings of expert and administrator groups produce texts, tables and images that stabilise ostensibly collective decisions. Within this framework, diverse perspectives have been accommodated through the production of typologies, such as lists of comparable options, which allow for the coexistence and commensurability of a range of knowledges and experts. However there is a politics to typologies, which requires specific attention to how decisions are made (deliberation), who participates in them (participation), and the extent to which these participants are representative of broader knowledge and policy communities (representation). While the potential of typologies to accommodate consensus and diversity offers the hope of realising ‘unity in diversity’ for both environmental knowledge and policy, recognising the politics of their production is important for more equitable processes of environmental governance.     

Institutional adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of Cameroon

Climate change presents additional challenges to a diverse country like Cameroon that shares the Congo Basin rainforest. Not only is the population vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, forest-dependent communities are also vulnerable to changing environmental policy that may affect their access to forest resources. Using a qualitative approach to data collection through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of relevant documents, the perception of decision-makers within, and the response of the institutions of the state, the private sector and civil society to the complex challenges of climate change in the Congo Basin forest of Cameroon were analysed. Results indicate that while decision-makers’ awareness of climate change is high, a concrete institutional response is at a very early stage. Cameroon has low adaptive capacity that is further constrained by weak linkages among government institutions nationally and between different levels of government and with communities. Civil society institutions play a role in enhancing government capacity to respond, particularly in relation to new international policies on climate change and forests. Adaptive capacity would be further enhanced by facilitating institutional linkages and coordinating multilevel responses across all boundaries of government, private sector and civil society. A collaborative capacity builder could foster the transfer, receipt and integration of knowledge across the networks, and ultimately build long-term collaborative problem-solving capacity in Cameroon.     

Lessons from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on inclusiveness across geographies and stakeholders

There have been many calls in policy and academia for more inclusiveness in science-policy interfaces, but there is as yet insufficient clarity as to what such inclusiveness means and how to achieve it in the context of international organisations. This paper analyses how inclusive the IPCC is across geographies and stakeholders. Building on the distinction between access and active participation, it examines the involvement of developing countries and NGOs in the Panel’s assessment process.The analysis shows that more inclusive institutional set-ups in international science-policy organisations do not automatically lead to greater credibility, salience and legitimacy of knowledge production processes (Mitchell et al., 2006). For instance, inclusive access does not per se guarantee active participation as the latter depends on a variety of factors including resources and the capacity of actors to engage. Furthermore, in institutional contexts the idea of inclusiveness is necessarily subject to operational interpretations. How these interpretations relate to the representativeness of those who participate in the process affects the relevance of knowledge to its users’ needs. Finally, there are political elements to inclusiveness as more powerful actors may be unwilling to renegotiate the balance of power to expand access to stakeholders.The paper concludes that these nuances should be taken into account in the IPCC and other international science-policy institutions. It also urges the Panel to address the developing country participation gap and explore institutional avenues for expanding access to non-state stakeholders in order to increase the credibility, salience and legitimacy of its processes and shift to solutions-oriented assessments.     

Eco-efficiency in the SMEs of Venezuela. Current status and future perspectives

This paper presents a comparison analysis of eco-efficiency in the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) of Venezuela. The research can be divided into three parts: the first part reviews similar studies in the literature on the level of eco-efficiency exhibited by the companies of Venezuela and other countries. In the second place, the findings of a survey conducted on Venezuelan SMEs allowed the definition of 54 eco-efficiency profiles. Thirdly, six national experts in cleaner production and eco-efficiency were interviewed. The interview was based on a questionnaire similar to that used in the survey of the Venezuelan SMEs. At a second meeting, the experts were asked to discuss on the similarities and differences between their answers and those of the company's managers.The findings of the survey allow us to conclude that Venezuelan SMEs understand the legal environmental regulations that affect them but they do not perceive the influence of external driving forces like customers demand for green products or institutional incentives. The adoption of eco-efficiency practices is not perceived as an incentive to improve competitiveness so that the environmental strategies adopted generally aim at reducing costs or avoiding non-compliance sanctions and negative effects on the company image. Materials recycling and reuse, especially packaging materials, are common practices; however, other environmental tools or practices have not been implemented yet, e.g. environmental management systems (EMS), process, product and services design tools based on the product life cycle, renewable energy resources or green marketing. There are also differences among the eight industrial sectors analyzed, food and chemical industries having the higher index of eco-efficiency practices, and plastic and wood industries the lower.     

How to be a more effective environmental scientist in management and policy contexts

This paper is intended for young researchers with an environmental conscience, alerting them that a self-centred ecology can work against conservation and other desirable goals. I propose that there is confusion in the biophysical ecologists’ community about the role of knowledge, stemming from several already surpassed beliefs that have been strongly criticized by scholars in the field of science and technology studies. In particular, environmental scientists still often seem trapped in the information deficit model, assuming a linear and unidirectional flow of knowledge from experts to users. This leads to an incomplete understanding and unrealistic expectations of ongoing processes of citizen participation (co-production of knowledge), impatience regarding the speed at which issues can be dealt with by politics, and a fuzzy notion of the role of our convictions regarding the value of nature conservation when we are consulted as experts. I analyse the consequences of disregarding tacit knowledge, i.e. the one knowledge beyond that codified in academic papers and books. I emphasize that preferences and values have a large influence on how we perceive, process, and act (or postpone to act) on information on our non-exclusive roles as scientists, decision makers or citizens. I argue that this is why political and ideological preferences have a large influence not only on which teams are appointed to solve problems, but also on which situations are perceived as problematic and given higher priorities. I include a cheat-sheet to enhance communication with decision-makers and other non-scientists that could prevent environmental zeal to be transformed into society’s annoyance and our eventual irrelevance. I plea for a more realistic attitude towards ecological research, highlighting that in environmental debates we are also long-term stakeholders, and not only casual, external and aseptic observers.     

Utilization of publicly owned treatment works to promote pollution prevention

Industrial production processes contribute the most diverse group of emissions to air, water, and land pollution. These forms of pollution were the initial focus of environmental regulations requiring control efforts. Under optimum conditions, industrial waste streams pass through some type of treatment to minimize toxicity prior to being released into the environment. Business, government, and interest groups have previously assumed that industrial productivity and environmental quality were diametrically opposed. In other words, enhanced industrial productivity resulted in environmental damage and, conversely, environmental protection resulted in costs to business. However, companies that have implemented pollution prevention (P2) strategies to address their environmental problems have usually found that their facility's productivity can improve, while at the same time waste and pollution can be reduced. Where previous environmental strategies focused on end-of-pipe control efforts, P2 strategies are implemented at the design or process phase. While there are many examples of individual companies successfully implementing P2, consensus shows P2 adoption by the business community advancing at a rate far slower than expected. Most government agencies that currently promote P2 are not typically viewed as credible sources of innovation by industry. Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs), however, may be able to capitalize on their dual status as respected members of the local community as well as experts in waste management thus serving as credible proponents of P2. The paper discusses how POTWs are working with industrial users to promote P2, as well as their interest in doing so and their requirements for technical assistance. Survey results are provided that describe how POTW personnel in the State of Illinois believe they could best promote P2.     

浅论环境技术国际转移与知识产权

面对国际社会知识与经济的迅猛发展,特别是伴随我国自主创新、努力掌握环境保护核心与关键技术以及知识产权保护战略决策的实施,国际环境技术转移的知识产权保护法律调整问题也不断扩大其内涵。针对我国运用知识产权参与国际竞争的能力与经验的欠缺,本文从多方位关注和介绍国际环境技术转移中知识产权保护的有关法律规制,以对我国重构国际环境技术转移知识产权保护体系有所裨益。     

Rural vulnerability to environmental change in the irrigated lowlands of Central Asia and options for policy-makers: A review

Climate change, land degradation and drought affect millions of people living in drylands worldwide. With its food security depending almost entirely on irrigated agriculture, Central Asia is one of the arid regions highly vulnerable to water scarcity. Previous research of land and water use in the region has focused on improving water-use efficiency, soil management and identifying technical, institutional and agricultural innovations. However, vulnerability to climate change has rarely been considered, in spite of the imminent risks due to a higher-than-average warming perspective and the predicted melting of glaciers, which will greatly affect the availability of irrigation water. Using the Khorezm region in the irrigated lowlands of northwest Uzbekistan as an example, we identify the local patterns of vulnerability to climate variability and extremes. We look at on-going environmental degradation, water-use inefficiency, and barriers to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and based on an extensive review of research evidence from the region, we present concrete examples of initiatives for building resilience and improving climate risk management. These include improving water use efficiency and changing the cropping patterns that have a high potential to decrease the exposure and sensitivity of rural communities to climate risks. In addition, changes in land use such as the afforestation of degraded croplands, and introducing resource-smart cultivation practices such as conservation agriculture, may strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions to respond to climate challenges. As these can be out-scaled to similar environments, i.e. the irrigated cotton and wheat growing lowland regions in Central Asia and the Caucasus, these findings may be relevant for regions beyond the immediate geographic area from which it draws its examples.     

公众态度和机构监督对大气污染的影响

虽然以往对于环境库兹涅兹曲线（EKC）的研究中考虑了正式制度因素如政府机构监督，但是较少考虑非正式制度因素.本文重点检验两种制度情境的影响，微观层面的环境态度形成的非正式制度以及宏观层面的环保机构监督形成的正式制度对大气污染排放量的影响.基于CGSS2010-2013和2015年的数据库，从中提取出体现环境态度的问题，将其赋值指标化后，作为制度情境纳入环境方程.经过公开数据的收集，得到我国26个省份2010-2014年5年的面板数据.通过固定效应和随机效应模型，发现机构监督与人均GDP的交互项对氮氧化物、烟（粉）尘、二氧化硫排放都有影响，但是公众态度与人均GDP的交互项只对烟（粉）尘排放有影响，从而对不同制度情境下的环境库兹涅兹曲线进行了探索.     

公众态度和机构监督对大气污染的影响

虽然以往对于环境库兹涅兹曲线（EKC）的研究中考虑了正式制度因素如政府机构监督,但是较少考虑非正式制度因素.本文重点检验两种制度情境的影响,微观层面的环境态度形成的非正式制度以及宏观层面的环保机构监督形成的正式制度对大气污染排放量的影响.基于CGSS2010-2013和2015年的数据库,从中提取出体现环境态度的问题,将其赋值指标化后,作为制度情境纳入环境方程.经过公开数据的收集,得到我国26个省份2010-2014年5年的面板数据.通过固定效应和随机效应模型,发现机构监督与人均GDP的交互项对氮氧化物、烟（粉）尘、二氧化硫排放都有影响,但是公众态度与人均GDP的交互项只对烟（粉）尘排放有影响,从而对不同制度情境下的环境库兹涅兹曲线进行了探索.     

Lost benefits and carbon uptake by protection of Indian plantations

There is a range of problems in assessing how protection of a specific forest to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) affect global emissions of greenhouse gases. This paper shows how knowledge and information about the biophysical characteristics of forests can be combined with theories of forest management and economic behaviour to derive the impacts on global emissions of REDD+. A modelling experiment from India, where 10% of the forest plantations in eight different regions are protected, shows that the biophysical characteristics of forests are decisive for the global impacts on emissions. In regions with slow-growing forests, agents in the non-protected forests are able to increase their output significantly to fill the demand from the protected forests. This opportunity is strictly limited in regions with fast-growing forests. Therefore, prices increase far more in regions with fast-growing forests than in slow-growing forests. Over time, the markets for Indian forestry products contribute to reduce the resulting price differences across regions. When the carbon uptake from protected forests approaches zero, the leakage of emissions to other Indian forests is between 20 and 40%. Only a small part of this is international leakage. Combining different models also helps to identify knowledge gaps, and to distinguish gaps that potentially may be filled with data and new knowledge, and gaps due to different angling of modelling biophysical processes and modelling of economic behaviour.     

基于文献计量分析的近40年国内外环境影响评价研究进展

环境影响评价自引入我国以来,经过40多年发展,已形成一套具有我国国情特点的成熟制度框架体系. 为探究过去40年我国环境影响评价研究的发展与演变特征,以1980—2020年科睿唯安(Web of Science)和中国知网收录文献作为研究对象,运用CitesSpace文献分析工具,绘制环境影响评价领域知识图谱,对比分析国内外环境影响评价的研究力量、时空演变特征等信息,重点分析得出我国环境影响评价领域研究热点;结合聚类分析实证结果,从研究方向、指导理念、制度完善、技术体系四个方面总结了我国环境影响评价领域的演变特征和重点领域发展趋势,并提出新时期环境影响评价的展望与设想. 值得注意的是,相较于国际学术界对环境影响评价研究热度持续上升,我国对环境影响评价研究的关注度正在下降,学术影响力不够、学科交叉研究不足,一定程度制约了环境影响评价制度的纠错能力与创新能力的提升. 为切实提高环境影响评价协同推进高质量发展和高水平保护的能力,一方面需进一步发挥制度优势,对标国际先进技术,加强环境影响评价与公共管理等其他学科的交叉融合研究,完善经济、技术政策环境评价顶层设计,加强生物多样性、气候变化等全球性问题在环境影响评价中的融合研究;另一方面,应推动我国环境影响评价实践经验走向国际学术界,提升环境影响评价国际学术话语权,不断创新形成具有“中国特色、世界一流”的环境影响评价体系.      

环境标准与国际贸易

分析环境因素在国际贸易中日益重要的地位,阐述国际贸易中环境标准的内涵以及环境标准对国际贸易的影响。认为不论发达国家还是发展中国家都应尽力合作,缩小认识上的差距。最后分析了环境标准对我国国际贸易的影响及我国应采取的对策。     

Adaptations to climate change,drought and desertification: local insights to enhance policy in southern Africa

The impacts of climate change, drought and desertification are closely interlinked, and most acutely experienced by populations whose livelihoods depend principally on natural resources. Given the increases in extreme weather events projected to affect the Southern Africa region, it is essential to assess how household and community-level adaptations have been helped or hindered by institutional structures and national policy instruments. In particular, there is a need to reflect on efforts related to the United Nations’ environmental conventions to ensure that policies support the maintenance of local adaptations and help retain the resilience of socio-economic and environmental systems. This paper examines three interlinked drivers of adaptation: climate change, desertification and drought, assessing the extent to which international and national policy supports local adaptive strategies in three countries in southern Africa. We show that while common ground exists between desertification and climate change adaptations at the policy level, they are insufficiently mainstreamed within broader development approaches. Similarly, there are some overlaps between policy-driven and autonomous local adaptations, but the mutually supportive links between them are poorly developed. Further efforts to integrate local adaptation strategies within policy could increase local resilience to environmental change, while also contributing to wider development goals.     

经济开发区人-模交互式不确定环境系统规划方法初探

简要分析了经济开发区环境规划的特点,指出目前所采用的方法不可能有效地实现对开发区环境经济系统的优化设计。为了解决这个问题,文中提出一套基于环境承载力的不确定性人－模交互式环境系统规划方法,将大气、水及资源等子系统有机地通过模型整合起来,并充分考虑到了环境经济系统的不确定性与部分因子的不可量化性,通过人与模型的交互过程,将决策者及专家的知识和经验与模型结合起来,从而尽可能地保证规划决策结果的科学性和可操作性     

Perceptions of urban climate hazards and their effects on adaptation agendas

Decision-makers in cities around the world are beginning to take steps to adapt to the current and future risks presented by climate change, the sum of which we refer to as a city’s adaptation agenda. However, there is significant variation in such agendas: some may focus on responding to one or two climate hazards, while others develop agendas to respond to a wide range of hazards. What causes this varying range of urban adaptation agendas? The purpose of this study is to assess how geographic, socioeconomic, and institutional features of cities as well as the perception of climate change hazards affect the scope of adaptation agendas. Utilizing regression analyses of a newly constructed database for 58 cities around the world, our findings suggest that the perception of climate change hazards held by decision-makers is a primary determinant of the scope of urban adaptation agendas. Given that each global city faces place-specific hazards from varying extreme climate events, this research provides global-scale adaptation strategies for local, national, and international institutions, suggesting that enhancing awareness as well as mapping urban climate hazards is an initial step for broadening and mainstreaming adaptation agendas.     

Urban sustainability experiments in Asia: patterns and pathways

Despite well-documented examples of urban sustainability practices in Asia, the internal mechanisms of the practices, their transferability, and their impact on urban sustainability transitions are yet to be thoroughly investigated. This paper examines 30 innovative urban practices in Asia from a system innovation and urban environmental evolution perspective, in an attempt to identify common patterns and pathways that can aid up-scaling and thereby broader application of effective sustainability practices. We developed a five-tier framework (e.g. triggers-actors-linkages-barriers-pathways) to explore whether successful broad-scale application was related to patterns within each of the tiers, or whether certain combinations of tiers lead to certain application pathways. Our results indicate the importance of policy changes and cumulative effects; the importance of local government, community and international agencies as main actors; and the prominent role of political and institutional barriers, while technology doesn’t seem to be a major barrier in urban sustainability experiment in Asia. Our results indicate that: those cases that are up-scaled through broader application often have strong vertical linkages with state or national governments; many international development agency initiatives tend to remain as experiments or duplicated elsewhere but are seldom up-scaled to change the system of practice. Nearly half of the innovative practices examined were either mainstreamed or duplicated elsewhere, suggesting that these innovative practices might play important role in sustainability transitions in Asia.     

持久性、迁移性和潜在毒性化学品环境健康风险与控制研究现状及趋势分析

持久性、迁移性、毒性或高持久和高迁移性化学品(PMT/vPvM)在全球地表水、地下水和饮用水水体已被广泛检出,是未来可能显著影响人类健康和环境的一类重要新兴污染物.按照欧盟提议的鉴别标准,现有化学品中的PMT/vPvM数以千计,涉及用途广泛,包括三聚氰胺等数10种较高产量的工业化学品.PMT/vPvM可通过农田径流、工业废水和生活污水排入环境,污水处理厂目前被认为是其主要排放途径.因难以被现行常规水处理技术有效去除,PMT/vPvM可长期存在于城镇人居环境水循环系统中,危及居民饮用水及生态系统安全.欧盟已率先开始将PMT/vPvM专门纳入现行化学品风险管理体系中的优先范畴.目前,环境中仍有众多潜在PMT/vPvM,其监测方法亟待进一步完善,物质鉴定、类别范围及清单建立均尚需时日;PMT/vPvM在全球各地区的环境分布和暴露研究十分有限,其潜在、长期的生态毒性和人体健康危害效应研究较为匮乏.与此同时,替代品或替代技术以及污水处理、污染场地修复等环境工程治理技术的研究和开发,都将成为未来PMT/vPvM风险科学研究与管理决策的迫切需求.     

Improving environmental awareness training in business

The need for and the benefits of a more sustainable approach to business management have been widely discussed in the literature. Many organizations have engaged in environmental management initiatives to improve their environmental performance and have found other benefits to the process, such as financial savings and reduced risk of liability. However, many constraints can inhibit the transformation to an environmentally conscious and responsible organization. These constraints include issues related to organizational culture and change management. To overcome these constraints and succeed in implementing a successful environmental management initiative, the literature suggests the importance for members of the organization of understanding the environmental impacts and policies of the organization through participation in environmental awareness training efforts that produces enduring knowledge and commitment. Armed with this knowledge, employees can then understand how the environment can affect and be affected by their duties and decisions. Various companies have used different approaches to environmental management training. It is important that organizations evaluate the efficiency of their training investment to ensure that the benefits will be generated. A case study of two electricity companies is used to illustrate the importance of evaluating environmental awareness efforts. The results of the study suggest that the training performed did not sufficiently increase employee environmental awareness of the company's environmental impacts despite a considerable time and financial investment in a one-time environmental awareness training program. Results are briefly discussed and recommendations are made to improve the results of the training investment.     

环境风险评价中若干问题探讨

社会经济的高速发展,也诱发了新的环境风险可能性的发生,特别是近年来的多种环境风险灾害事故的发生已引起了各国和国际组织的普遍关注。环境风险评价与环境风险管理已成为保护生态环境、维护公众健康的重要内容和制定决策的重要依据。文章结合目前环境风险评价的发展,探讨有关两大类环境风险评价(突发性与非突发性)以及环境风险评价与安全评价的区别,环境风险评价评估标准以及环境风险评价与城市环境管理的一些问题。