Beyond accountability: alternative rationales for transparency in global trade politics

ABSTRACT

The conventional view of transparency is that it is a critical tool to combat corruption and ensure the democratic accountability of government. This article argues that the negotiation of mega-regional trade agreements (RTAs) and their content indicates the need distinguish different types of transparency. Trade activists that call for drafts of the text of a mega-RTA to be released while negotiations are ongoing are seeking deliberative transparency, which provides opportunities for meaningful public participation and consultation. The trade advisory systems that could provide opportunities for deliberation instead deliver technocratic transparency; the rationale is to increase the effectiveness of mega-RTAs rather than their democratic legitimacy. Frequent leaks of draft chapters of mega-RTAs provide opportunities for deliberation, but some actors involved in leaking are engaged in disruptive transparency where the aim is to complicate trade negotiations, making a final deal less likely. While these varieties of transparency emerge in the context of the negotiating process, disciplinary transparency – which often becomes a regulatory tool for multinational corporations to influence policy-making – is found in the text of mega-RTAs. Certain forms of transparency increase the likelihood that mega-RTAs will be compatible with strong environmental policy, while others may have a detrimental impact.     

Land Area Eligible for Afforestation and Reforestation within the Clean Development Mechanism: A Global Analysis of the Impact of Forest Definition

Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol, countries have significant latitude to define a forest. The most important parameter affecting area designated as forest is the minimum crown cover which can be set between 10 and 30%. The choice will have implications for the amount of land available in a country for afforestation and reforestation activities within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM-AR). In this paper, we present an analysis of the regional differences in land availability for CDM-AR projects. We then examine how the choice of a high or low threshold value for crown cover will affect the area available for CDM activities and how the limitations imposed by this element of the definition compares to other factors that are likely to limit CDM activities. Results represent a global analysis that included all countries not included in Annex I of the Kyoto Protocol, and examined the effect on land availability of a range of crown cover thresholds ranging from 10–30%. Of the 140 Non-Annex One countries, 107 countries were found to have a potential for CDM-AR projects. Asia had the largest amount of combined area suitable for CDM-AR at the 10% crown cover threshold level. However, at 30%, South America had the greatest amount of land available, and a large change in available land area, which increased by almost five times compared to what was available at the 10% threshold. The area available in Africa increased by a factor of 5.5. Central America showed the largest increase, to almost 10 times more at the 30% threshold. By contrast, within Asia, the area increase was comparatively less, but still the area nearly doubled. Globally, a low threshold of 10% crown cover excluded almost 2/3 of the land identified that was eligible at 30%, over 5 million km². The spatial analyses showed not only the effects of the choice of the crown cover criterion, but also where the land was available for CDM activities within each country at different thresholds. Protected areas account for 10–20% of the CDM-AR eligible area in most countries.     

Regional news portrayals of global warming and climate change

In this study we utilize content analysis techniques to examine how the issue of global warming and climate change has been characterized during the period of 1992 through 2005 by the Houston Chronicle—the largest regional newspaper in the Texas coastal region. A total of 795 global warming and climate change news articles from the Houston Chronicle are collected, coded and analyzed. Data analyses are organized and presented with regard to issue salience, various issue attributes (issue image, scope, linkage, participant, proposed solution and responsible party), use of science, and scientific information sources cited in the news stories. We find that regional media attention to the global climate change issue generally increases over time and an overwhelming majority of the news articles view the issue as a harmful problem. However, given the scientific consensus that global warming will result in significant devastating climate change consequences to the coastal regions, there are still a fair number of news articles delivering mixed, undetermined or even non-harmful messages. We also find that climate change is often discussed as a national or international-global issue, and frequently linked to a number of other public issues rather than just being viewed as an environmental–ecological problem. Moreover, we find that emphasis on issue solutions is placed more on mitigation strategies than on adaptation behaviors, and that both governmental and non-governmental actions and responsibilities are suggested for dealing with climate change. In addition, our findings indicate that the regional newspaper in Texas obtains scientific information on climate change primarily from academic institutions. Implications of our findings and recommendations for future research are discussed in the concluding section.     

Decreased emission of nitrous oxide from delivery wards—case study in Sweden

The very potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O) is widely used as a mild anaesthetic for mothers in delivery work in Sweden. As a part of the Stockholm County Council environmental program it was decided in 2002 that the emissions should be drastically reduced. Different ways were theoretically evaluated, and catalytic splitting to nitrogen and oxygen gas (N₂ and O₂) was chosen for a demonstration installation. A Japanese commercial unit for treatment of mixed anaesthetic gases (Anesclean® from Showa Denko K.K.) was thoroughly modified and installed at the Karolinska University Hospital at Huddinge in Stockholm in 2004. The destruction of N₂O was optimised and studied for 2 years. Data from both collection and destruction are given in the article. Of the collected N₂O more than 95% was split to N₂ and O₂ in the very stable system. The overall emission decrease was mainly dependent on the share that could be collected in the specific exhaustion system as compared to the normal room ventilation. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) were used to evaluate the actual environmental value and economical cost for the process. Important factors are pointed out.     

A spatially explicit and quantitative vulnerability assessment of ecosystem service change in Europe

Environmental change alters ecosystem functioning and may put the provision of services to human at risk. This paper presents a spatially explicit and quantitative assessment of the corresponding vulnerability for Europe, using a new framework designed to answer multidisciplinary policy relevant questions about the vulnerability of the human-environment system to global change. Scenarios were constructed for a range of possible changes in socio-economic trends, land uses and climate. These scenarios were used as inputs in a range of ecosystem models in order to assess the response of ecosystem function as well as the changes in the services they provide. The framework was used to relate the impacts of changing ecosystem service provision for four sectors in relation to each other, and to combine them with a simple, but generic index for societal adaptive capacity. By allowing analysis of different sectors, regions and development pathways, the vulnerability assessment provides a basis for discussion between stakeholders and policymakers about sustainable management of Europe’s natural resources. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The emergence of land systems as the nexus for sustainability transformations: This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Agriculture land use

This perspective recognizes the seminal Ambio articles of Sombroek et al. (1993), Turner et al. (1994) and Brussaard et al. (1997), identifying their individual and collective role in laying the ground work for a global change research agenda on land and its human use through increased understanding of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics and global change, and furthering nascent interdisciplinary efforts within the global change science community to better understand the ‘human driving forces’ of change. From these efforts, land system science, as a systemic science focused on complex socio-ecological interactions around land use and associated trade-offs and synergies, emerges as an ‘interdiscipline’ challenged to better understand land systems as the ‘meeting ground’ for multiple claims on land for biodiversity, carbon, livelihoods, food production among others, and support pathways to sustainability for people and nature.     

生命周期分析在能源技术比较中的应用

结合国际社会削减温空气体排放的背景，提出了对能源技术应用生命周期分析方法的科学性，阐述了生命周期分析方法的４个组成部分，通过实全城能源技术比较上的应用，并指出了其优缺点。     

Public acceptance and risk-benefit perception of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> geological storage for global warming mitigation in Japan

CO₂ geological storage will be one of the cost-effective options for global warming mitigation, and this technology is under development widely in the world. However, the technology may face the challenge of public acceptance before its implementation. In order to evaluate the public acceptance, questionnaire surveys were conducted among Japanese university students. A cognitive map of geological storage, together with other major global warming mitigation options, everyday life activities, etc., was constructed by means of a statistical analysis of the responses to the questionnaire. The risk-benefit cognitive map consists of the following factors: “risk perception,” “benefit perception,” and “public acceptance.” The risk perception is further disaggregated into “dread risk” and “unknown risk.” Additionally, a second survey was conducted after providing the students with additional information on global warming and CO₂ geological storage, and the effects of the information on their perceptions were evaluated. The effects of risk and benefit perceptions on public acceptance were evaluated and discussed based on the cognitive maps representing the perceptions before and after providing the information. The analyses revealed that the benefit perception was more influential than the risk perception on the public acceptance of CO₂ geological storage. The benefit perception increased greatly after providing the information; however, the unknown risk remained considerably large. Further, RD&D relating unknown risk, for example, the monitoring technology for stored CO₂ and the risk assessment of CO₂ leakage, and the supply of related information to the public would be beneficial for increasing the public acceptance.     

Earlier rice phenology as a result of climate change can increase the risk of cold damage during reproductive growth in northern Japan

The present study analyzed the impact of earlier rice phenology as a result of climate change on the risk of cold damage during reproductive growth using the historical temperature record from 1961 to 2010 at four locations in northern Japan. During this period, heading date has become 0.7-1.9 days earlier per 10 years. Air temperatures during the booting stage (6-15 days before heading) decreased by 0.18 °C per 10 years even though the air temperature on a given calendar date has increased slightly. The estimated potential yield losses caused by cold damage have increased since the start of the study period. Thus, the advance in phonological events as a result of global warming is likely to increase the risk of future yield losses, and this has important implications for future adaptation strategies (breeding new cultivars and changing crop management strategies) to reduce the risk of cold damage.     

关于改善中国参与全球环境治理的战略思路

本文对全球环境治理的现状,中国当前在全球环境治理中的作用与面临的挑战,以及中国如何更好地参与全球环境治理进行了系统的总结.主要内容包括:全球环境治理成为全球治理的重要内容,全球环境治理当前由发达国家主导,全球环境治理中各方利益更加分化,非政府组织的影响越来越大,全球环境治理当前进展缓慢;中国日益成为全球环境治理的关注焦点,中国国内环保工作与全球环境治理有着巨大差别,中国国情的不断变化导致在全球环境治理中的立场摇摆;中国参与全球环境治理的能力不足、中国的非政府组织力量薄弱;中国应明确自身在全球环境治理中的利益,加强全球环境治理的意识,从熟悉学习阶段向主动参与制定规则转变,发挥我国环境非政府组织在全球环境治理中的积极作用,开展全球环境治理专项研究,加强全球环境治理人才队伍建设.