Environmental management in mining and mineral processing in developing countries

This paper analyses some of the social, political and economic dimensions of the environmental behaviour of mining enterprises and governments in the context of evolving regulation, growing public concern and technological innovation. Contrary to the belief that a trade-off exists between production costs and environmental costs, which presupposes a static technology, new generations of technology offer improved economic and environmental efficiency. Technical change is therefore reducing both production and environmental costs. Because most planned mines and available reserves are in developing countries, situations may develop whereby technical change reduces that trade-off for them.     

Environmental management conflicts in developing countries: An analysis

An analysis of conflicts in environmental management has been made by identifying the major characteristics of conflicts. Examples of some environmental management conflicts have been presented to clarify the major issues involved It is shown that without active conservation groups it will be difficult to achieve environmental protection Two conflict resolution models are presented for analyzing various conflicting situations     

我国公务员人力资源管理廉政考核体系研究

我国体制转轨时期,面对当前的腐败,究其原因除了腐败本身具有的顽固性尚未得到根本遇制外,缺少科学的廉政考核体系也是一个重要原因.本文从我国公务员康政概念开始,通过一系列指标体系的测量,充分利用现代科技不断进行制度和方法的创新,不断完善我国公务员康政考核的指标体系.     

Towards a new system of environmental governance

Summary Planning, the visible hand of government, is the resource allocation sphere that has the potential to prevent destructive conflict over resources, by creating a long term, rational, ethics-based and participatory decision-making process. Other public decision-making systems (the market, legal and political arenas), by their very nature, cannot adequately protect the environment or ensure sustainable development. However, as presently conceived, Planning⁺ cannot do so either. Reform has been impeded by an ideological bias which defines Planning as diametrically opposed to the market, such that creative alternatives to the two systems of social choice have not been developed.To address this problem, a new tri-partite structure of environmental governance is proposed. Based on an ecofeminist paradigm, it is primarily designed to constrain the potential for the abuse of power, and allow society to address environmental (ethical) as well as social (distributional) and economic (efficiency) issues. In a sense, it rationalises the social decision-making system by re-aligning rights, wants and needs with the appropriate decision-making forum (representative democracy, the market and Planning respectively). The model exposes the need to redesign all these institutions so that they better correspond to their logical functions within the resource allocation system. However, this paper focuses on the Planning system itself.Janis Birkeland was an attorney, architect and planner in San Francisco, USA. She now teaches at the Department of Architecture, University of Tasmania. This article is drawn from a longer 1990 paper Myths and Realities of Planning and Resource Allocation (Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania), which was presented at the Socialist Scholars' Conference, Melbourne, 18th July, 1991.     

Environmental impact assessment of infrastructure projects: a governance perspective

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been promoted as an instrument for preventive environmental management in construction projects, but its performance in safeguarding the environment through influencing project decision-making is questioned. This paper probes the underlying reasons from a governance perspective as an important supplement to the regulatory and technical perspectives. A framework, with process integration, professional governance, and public engagement being its key components, is proposed to analyze the governance arrangements that enable or inhibit the effective functioning of EIA, based on which a comparative study of three infrastructure projects in China, the United States and Finland was conducted. The results reveal that, while the level of process integration and public engagement of EIA determines the degree to which EIA influences project decisions, it is the professional governance that controls the accountability of EIA. The paper has implications on institutionally where efforts should be directed to improve the performance of EIA.     

Green product purchase intention: Some insights from a developing country

This paper examines from the motivational perspective of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) how individual values and attitudes in a developing country influence purchase intention of a green product. It also investigates how values may affect attitudes towards environmentally responsible purchase intention. The study analyzed data collected from 257 working respondents who were asked their views concerning their value sets, attitudes and purchase intention of cloth diapers using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. Findings indicate individual consequences relating to amount of effort and convenience of consumers is negatively related to intention to purchase green product. Environmental consequences are not a significant predictor of environmentally responsible purchase intention. Conservation value was found to be positively related to attitude on environmental consequences but less intensely with individual consequences while both self-transcendence value and self-enhancement value were positively related to individual consequences. Individual consequences and self-enhancement value were negatively related to environmentally responsible purchase intention. This paper has shown that the extended TRA is applicable and also this paper has enhanced understanding of predictors of environmentally responsible purchase intention in a developing country context.     

A critical look at residential electricity conservation campaigns in a developing country environment

This paper analyses survey results of the effectiveness of information campaigns to promote energy efficiency among residential consumers in Brazil. The survey found that consumers have a relatively good knowledge of conservation measures to improve electricity usage. Nevertheless, other approaches are needed to promote energy conservation in the household sector.     

Integrating Swedish water resource management: a multi-level governance trilemma

This paper analyses proposals for new multi-level governance of Swedish water resources to implement the EU Water Framework Directive. The question is, do they satisfy the criteria for ecologically rational and democratically legitimate governance? The core of the analysis concerns an administrative 'trilemma' encountered in designing ecologically effective and democratically acceptable multi-level governance. This trilemma is characterised by tensions between effectiveness, participation and legitimacy, all core values of 'good governance'. The Swedish proposal constitutes an effort to achieve cost-effective implementation of the EU Directive through an ecosystem-based multi-level organisation. It also seeks to bring about democratically legitimate governance through stakeholder networks and negotiations at the sub-catchment level, and governance 'partnerships' among local governments and organised interests. In particular, the assessment addresses issues of integrating such 'super-local' and local alternatives within the larger web of multi-level water resource governance. Although intended to escape the 'trilemma', the proposed combination of formal government and informal governance is found wanting in terms of effectiveness as well as participation and legitimacy.     

Integrating Swedish water resource management: a multi-level governance trilemma

This paper analyses proposals for new multi-level governance of Swedish water resources to implement the EU Water Framework Directive. The question is, do they satisfy the criteria for ecologically rational and democratically legitimate governance? The core of the analysis concerns an administrative 'trilemma' encountered in designing ecologically effective and democratically acceptable multi-level governance. This trilemma is characterised by tensions between effectiveness, participation and legitimacy, all core values of 'good governance'. The Swedish proposal constitutes an effort to achieve cost-effective implementation of the EU Directive through an ecosystem-based multi-level organisation. It also seeks to bring about democratically legitimate governance through stakeholder networks and negotiations at the sub-catchment level, and governance 'partnerships' among local governments and organised interests. In particular, the assessment addresses issues of integrating such 'super-local' and local alternatives within the larger web of multi-level water resource governance. Although intended to escape the 'trilemma', the proposed combination of formal government and informal governance is found wanting in terms of effectiveness as well as participation and legitimacy.     

Development and testing a diagnostic capacity tool for improving socio-ecological system governance

The capacity to sustainably govern complex socio-ecological systems (SES) has been identified as a necessary but daunting task by SES scholars, resource stewards and stakeholders. This research sought to inform the question: What are determinant capacities and functional linkages that can be incorporated into diagnostic tools for analysts seeking to improve sustainable socio-economic system SES governance? Literature was used to identify and translate determinant capacities and functional linkages into a quantifiable metric of governance quality. The tool was developed from ecological, business, governance and decision science literature. This tool recognizes the dynamic and systemic linkages between the resources and the social systems that use and govern them for improving systems thinking and SES outcomes. The tool was tested to determine its ability to capture perceived characteristics of governance quality and problem management using Michigan’s cleanup and redevelopment program. The results of this research indicated that the exploratory tool was reliable and valid. This research contributes to the evolving body of SES frameworks, specifically the study of individual and organizational capacities for improved SES outcomes. The implications of this research suggest participatory network-based governance with higher levels of resource exchange, in the form of interdependency, trust, diplomacy and reciprocity, aligns with practitioners’ perceptions of improved program performance. Further, while some capacities and related findings of this research may be context specific, concepts associated with the development and testing of this diagnostic tool, such as the use of systems thinking, participatory network-based governance, and related competencies, may have more universal application.     

Towards a science of sustainable upland management in developing countries

Farmers attempting to subsist in tropical uplands often rely upon unsustainable resource use practices that lead to soil erosion, declining crop yields, and a loss of soil productivity capacity. Other uses of tropical uplands, including logging and conversion of forest to rangelands, have similar results. The undesirable effects of these actions are felt on-site, at the watershed level, and even nationally. Ecological cause-effect relationships are poorly understood, and few examples exist of the successful integration of ecological knowledge with upland development. It is hypothesized that recent results of ecological research could be applied to uplands management so that stable sustainable systems of human use may be established. A second hypothesis is that statistically reliable data can be obtained from experiments in upland situations, although natural variations of soils, weather, and vegetation are great. To test these hypotheses, research involving multinational collaboration among American and Southeast Asian scientists has begun. The objective of the work is to provide credible quantitative information to help policy and decision makers and resident farmers to plan and implement improved practices based on ecological principles.Some findings to date include:

The governance of waste management in urban Tanzania: towards a community based approach

Solid waste management in urban areas in Tanzania is examined from a governance point of view. Capitalising on the case of the Dar es Salaam City Council, governance is seen in terms of central–local government relationship and the relationship between local government and international, national, and community institutions and stakeholders. Major impediments to waste management in urban Tanzania include corruption, poor relations between the politicians and the general population, politics of privatisation, and political apathy. Lack of resources is seen as the least important of all the impediments. An evaluation of the governance of waste management with respect to public participation, privatisation, citizen-rights, accountability and transparency and financial efficiency is discussed. Management of solid wastes in Dar es Salaam and other urban centres in Tanzania should shift from command-and-control approaches to systems of partnerships between the public authorities and the various stakeholders on the urban scene. A community-based solid waste management approach is suggested for wider adoption. The strategic approach to this non-conventional method should be carried out through four steps: elaboration, trial, evaluation and extension to other neighbourhoods.     

Electric load management in developing countries

Energy planners in developing countries have traditionally sought to meet their nations' growing electricity demands by adding more generation and transmission capacity. But as the foreign investment situation became critical in the 1980s, private investment and system efficiency improvement programmes began to garner interest. One of the most promising system efficiency improvement options is load management, which uses a variety of techniques to utilize the electricity system's existing capacity more efficiently. However, to date, only three countries have seriously considered implementing large load management programmes: Pakistan, Peru and Costa Rica. This paper describes a 1987-89 load control demonstration programme in Costa Rica, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (AID), in which participating industries were able to reduce their peak demand by 14%.     

Sustainable forestry management in developing countries

The central message of this paper is that natural forests have multiple uses and multiple users. The paper describes the crisis in Asian forestry and four failures which lie behind the crisis. The first failure is related to economic policy which has consistently underpriced timber, not accounting for the true cost of replacing the felled trees or the value of non-timber goods and services (including environmental services). The second failure stems from the lack of community involvement in managing forests. The third failure is that of forestry institutions which have not been able to adapt to changes required to meet new challenges — away from timber extraction towards environmental services and social forestry. The fourth failure arises from technological constraints, including difficulties in carrying out long-term research (to cover the 20–40 year time horizon in the forestry sector) and ineffective application of research results. A number of specific suggestions for moving toward sustained yield management in Asia are presented. The sustainable management of forests in Asia is crucial not only for indigenous peoples, the environment and economies of the countries of Asia, but also for the biodiversity and health of the global environment.     

Environmental management and firm performance: a case study

This study has as its aim to help to clarify the relationship between environmental management and economic performance by integrating it into a wider framework that includes the relationship between environmental strategy and firm performance, the latter being understood as the combination of environmental performance, competitive advantage and economic performance. A case study of the COATO farming cooperative showed us that its environmental management, focused on prevention logic, has had a positive net effect on its environmental performance. Besides, the order in which these practices were adopted favoured the development of new organisational capabilities that have contributed to the appearance of advantages derived from the greater accumulated experience of employees in creating new projects that are designed to reduce residues and pollution. COATO has also obtained a competitive advantage in differentiation thanks to an improved brand image and to its increased credibility in business relationships. Finally, a positive correlation exists between the pioneering proactive strategy adopted by this cooperative and the improvement of its firm performance with respect to the other firms in its sector.     

Environmental management in Mainland China

Summary The author was a consultant, assigned from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to provide technical assistance to China's environmental pollution research and control. His assignment in China from September 1 through October 8, 1983 was filled with visits and meetings at key research institutes, universities, and regulatory agencies in the cities of Beijing (Peiking), Shanghai, Hangchow, Zhuji and Zhiaxing (Fig. 1). Trips to famous historical sites and scenic points in and around those cities were squeezed in between the heavily scheduled meetings. Dr Shen was born and educated in China through college. This is a report of his first trip back to his homeland since he left 35 years ago. His ability to communicate with the Chinese professionals and social strata in their native tongue provided him with a greater advantage in understanding the current status of China's environmental sciences and technology in preventing air, water, and land pollution. His contribution lies not only in the technical transfer of environmental sciences and engineering, but also in strengthening the ties of cooperation and communication between American and Chinese professionals. Dr Shen is a senior research scientist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and an adjunct faculty member of the Division of Environmental Sciences, Columbia University.     

Environmental indices in irrigation management

Irrigation management calls for objective criteria capable of representing the economy, reliability, and productivity of irrigation systems. These criteria must be compatible with long-term sustainability and conservation goals. The criteria representing the above goals are the economic effect of management on yield reduction, economic effect, and reliability referring to plant growth and operation of the network. In this study environmental indices are introduced to express the above criteria in quantitative terms. The inclusion of these indices at the farm and network level create a multicriteria framework for decision-making based on composite programming. An experimental study was conducted during the irrigation periods of 1989 and 1990 in Chania, Greece, concerning water delivered to 40 experimental plots, soil moisture content at the rootzone, and irrigation system operational failures. The data collected in real time were used for the calculation of the corresponding environmental indices. The variation in time and space is high and resulted in up to 62% of yield loss and low system performance (up to 7% of system temporal reliability). The study indicated that environmental indices could be incorporated to select alternatives and also to develop policies on water delivery. The final decision involves a trade-off analysis between cost of application and desired system performance. Measures of both primary objectives can be obtained using environmental indices that represent system operation aggregation at its basic levels (on farm and network).