Environmental Policy and Technical Change: A Survey

Authoritarian environmentalism and environmental policy implementation in China

Economic growth and environmental damage are associated, but the relationship is neither linear nor even monotonic. The nature of the growth-environment link depends on the changing composition of production and consumption and on growth-related changes in techniques and environmental policies. The definition and enforcement of property rights over natural resources and environmental quality is another important element. Moreover, environmental and economic policies interact: in effect, every economic policy that affects resource allocation is a de facto environmental measure. In increasingly commercialized and decentralized economies, the responsibility for environmental management and the design and implementation of environmental policy are shifting from central government to communities and local administrations. This is especially true of Asia's uplands, where market-driven pressures for agricultural expansion and intensification collide with an increasingly urgent need to manage the natural resource base and minimize local and external environmental damages associated with growth. This paper provides a brief survey of these issues as a way of introducing the papers in this special issue of the Philippine Journal of Development on the local management of agricultural and natural resources and the environment. It concludes with some remarks on the experience of the SANREM-CRSP/Southeat Asia, a research and outreach project aimed at enabling better resource and environmental management decisions by upland communities in the Philippines, and the sponsor of these papers.

Environmental issues are viewed as a serious problem with a complex network structure involving various stakeholders. Environmental governance is considered the most reasonable way to promote environmental policy, and it is an important mechanism contributing to the sustainable development of society. Through the network analysis of actor and policy keywords, this study demonstrated whether environmental governance policies are being pursued through the cooperation of various participants in China, the epicenter of global environmental issues. We collected text big data from 2001 to 2018 under the theme of “environmental policy” on the main online portal web in China. Through text mining, key actors and policy keywords were selected according to the timing of environmental policy promotion, and network analysis and core-periphery analysis were conducted based on this actor/keywords data set. The results of this study are as follows. First, China’s environmental policy is a rudimentary governance cooperation structure, and the central and local governments are still the main policy-promoting actors. Second, the fundamental solution of the environmental problem through readjustment of the environment-related system and industrial restructuring has become the keyword for China’s implementation of environmental policy at present. Third, there were certain words, such as social, public, enterprise, and institution, in the aspects of environmental governance, while these words failed to be at the center of multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis for the actors. This result shows that environmental governance and network are still at an early stage and that the Chinese government’s strong power lies in its environmental policy. Based on these results, policy recommendations are presented.

Growing global concern over greenhouse gas emissions has led to a demand for understanding and addressing carbon emissions, with China being one of the main contributors to global carbon emissions, committed to reach the carbon peak by 2030. As a result, much previous research has delved into the drivers of carbon emissions in China; however, few studies have included new energy factors in the extended STIRPAT model when analysing the data, employed more advanced visualisation techniques such as force-directed diagrams, and explored factors outside of the industrial and energy sectors in determining China’s ability to reach their environmental goals. In this study, we use the extended STIRPAT model to analyse a more diverse range of drivers for carbon emissions in China and discuss methods to reach peak carbon emissions through the implementation of environmental policies. Using data from China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and Vision 2035 to set up two simulation scenarios, we predict China’s carbon emissions, introducing ridge regression to ensure validity, and employing big data and visualisation techniques to aid in interpreting results. Our findings suggest that China needs to implement more stringent environmental policies to meet its commitment to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030, revealing that factors such as per capita arable land area, per capita GDP, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, the level of tourism development, the use of fossil fuels, and new energy technologies have a significant impact on China’s carbon emissions. As such, we can recommend more stringent policies relating to the agricultural, energy, and tourism sectors to help China achieve their goal of carbon peak by 2030.

Desertification is one of the most pressing environmental issues in the world today. The environmental problem of desertification can be remedied through better environmental management and policy—these methods are taken to be the most effective ways of combating desertification. This study comparatively analyzes the implementation of environmental policies designed to combat desertification in Kuwait and the region of Hotan in China. The natural causes of desertification in the two regions are largely the same; therefore, the comparison focuses on policies to control the human factors that cause the problem. The comparisons show that desertification policies in Kuwait and Hotan differ in five ways: the role of local government, laws and regulations, timeliness, public participation, and government funding for forestry. This study aims to share China’s “top-down” model for implementing the environmental policies designed to combat desertification. Results demonstrate that the Chinese “top-down” model might be applied in Kuwait to combat desertification and improve environmental management. Although both Kuwait and Hotan are different in the political and economic system, both of them suffered from desertification, and desertification combating as a part of national action. The proposed assumptions provide a global strategy and a comprehensive project on combating desertification. Kuwait and China should thus enhance their collaboration and communication and make a joint effort to combat desertification via environmental policy management.

Scenario analysis was used to assess consistent sets of future circumstances in Dutch dairy farming. The fields of interest were technical and institutional change. Technical change included improvement in fodder and milk production. Institutional change included changes in environmental policy and in market and price policy. All key factors were historically analysed and forecasts were made for the year 2005 which were grouped into 4 scenarios. The scenarios were governed by environmental policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Moderate and severe variants were distinguished for environmental policy; and for the CAP, price support and 2-price variants were identified.

Introduction. The main development priorities of the Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter referred to as the EAEU, the Union), established in 2015, include the completion of work aimed at eliminating existing restrictions, unification of customs rules, revision of certain norms, including taking into account the existing international environmental agenda and the specifics of each state. The cooperation expansion of Russia with other EAEU states in the exploitation of natural resources makes interstate cooperation in the environmental sphere increasingly relevant. In the context of activation of certain areas of economic development and the transition to the functioning of a single market for goods, works and services, there is a need to improve legal mechanisms for cooperation in the environmental sphere, the need for a coordinated policy at the EAEU level. The merging of national markets for goods, works, services, capital and labor is interconnected with the development and implementation of policies and mechanisms of the green economy, which will contribute to the stability of socioeconomic development, while at the same time guaranteeing environmental protection. Materials and Methods. Logical, induction, deduction, comparative legal analysis and synthesis, analogy, statistical and other methods of scientific cognition were used to analyze the areas of convergence and institutions of environmental policy in the national legislation of the EAEU member states and overcome existing problems. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of the general provisions of supranational legislation and acts of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, mediating the implementation of state environmental policy. Analysis. The convergence of national environmental policy should be considered a starting point for cooperation between the EAEU member states in the field of green economy and the formation of an appropriate agenda for integration cooperation. The overwhelming number of scientists and experts agree with the lag of the EAEU both in the development of a green economy and green energy, and in the implementation of a coordinated environmental policy and legislation. Results. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the convergence of the environmental policies of the EAEU member states will contribute to the further development of integration, the removal of barriers, exemptions and restrictions in the regulation of environmental management and environmental protection. In order to bring together the environmental policies pursued by the EAEU member states, it is necessary to develop and adopt common supranational legislation that enshrines strategic goals and directions for the development of environmental management and environmental protection. The current legislative acts at the national level are based on a similar set of goals, objectives and directions of development, which opens up opportunities for their harmonization and unification. At the same time, priority should be given to environmental safety issues.

The European Union (EU) has developed an extensive body of environmental policies spanning a wide range of areas. No other international organization shapes the environmental affairs of its members to anywhere near the same extent. However, implementation of environmental policy has remained a persistent challenge, and Europeanization of member states’ environmental policies remains partial. There has not been a wholescale convergence of environmental policy, though the differentiation between leaders and laggards is not as stark as it once was. The rules, regulations, and policies that make up EU environmental policy have increasingly impacted not only member states but also the wider world, and the EU has emerged as a key player in global environmental politics across a range of policy domains. It has been central to the creation of many international environmental regimes and has integrated environmental issues into a variety of facets of its external relations. Looking forward, increasingly stark warnings from bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services should raise questions regarding existing responses to environmental challenges, which to a significant extent favor incremental over transformational change. The EU faces the task of responding to these profound challenges against the backdrop of increasing political turbulence at home and abroad. Over the past decade, the EU has been beset by profound challenges that have shaped both its internal and external environmental policies. At home, the EU has been shaken by the global financial crisis as well as the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the EU. The EU’s external environment is to a growing extent shaped by nativist regimes such as Donald Trump in the United States and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, both of whom seem determined to undermine not just the foundations of global environmental governance but the rules-based international order more generally. The coming generation of scholarship on EU environmental policy will need to reflect upon how these competing forces serve to reshape the EU’s environmental policies.

Previous articleNext article No AccessArticlesSpeculative Augmentation in Federal Air Pollution Policy-MakingCharles O. JonesCharles O. Jones Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Politics Volume 36, Number 2May, 1974 Sponsored by the Southern Political Science Association Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/2129477 Views: 63Total views on this site Citations: 33Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1974 Southern Political Science AssociationPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:C. Emdad Haque, M. 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In pursuit of its Antarctic interests, Australia has nominated a single agency, the Australian Antarctic Division to exercise legislative and managerial responsibility for Antarctic operations. This agency has a dual role in undertaking station development and resupply activities on the one hand and the responsibility of enuironrnental watchdog over these same official activities on the other. There is potential conflict between these roles and in practice this can result in the subversion of the latter function and thus the promotion of environmental degradation with both short and longterm impacts on the terrestrial and marine Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environment. The situation described below typifies the problems encountered in implementing environmental protection policy by agencies charged with conflicting responsibilities. Recourse is had to policy implernentation theory in the context of analyses of pertinent Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environmental legislation, of policy interpretation and management within the Australian Antarctic Division, and of onsite decision-making. Observations of recent sea dumping activities off subAntarctic Heard Island are used to illustrate the problem of the Division's role ambiguity. Conclusions and recommendations point touiard serious inadequacies in the implementation of environmental policy and to the possibility of improving the enuironrnental record by strengthening the enuironmental responsibilities of other agencies.

This study aims to analyze the implementation of environmental policies in developing New Capita City (IKN) in Indonesia. IKN is a large-scale project that demands a comprehensive and effective environmental policy to maintain environmental sustainability. This study uses a qualitative approach focusing on thematic analysis through the results of examining official government documents. The analysis tool that is maximized is Nvivo 12 Plus. The research results show that implementing environmental policies in the IKN area faces complex challenges, including coordination between institutions and stakeholders. The proposed recommendations include implementing accommodative and adaptive policies, routine monitoring and evaluation, close collaboration between the government and stakeholders, and increasing public education efforts and environmental awareness. Policies that are responsive, flexible, and involve all parties will be the basis for achieving environmental sustainability goals in the development of IKN.

Existing studies on environmental policy implementation in China have largely been focused on the inadequacy of environmental policy implementation at local levels and the adversarial campaign‐style enforcement used to remedy it, while overlooked other approaches to addressing environmental issues. We present a case in which a consensual approach was used to control water pollution and identify key factors contributing to the adoption and success of such an approach. The research unit is the process of water pollution control in Shandong Province from 2002 to 2011. During the case period, the pulp and paper industry (the leading polluting source) was regulated with gradually tightened water pollution discharge standards which were made and implemented in a consensual way, surface water quality was greatly improved, and the economic output of the regulated industry grew rapidly. Key factors contributing to the adoption and success of such an approach include the presence of a capable policy entrepreneur who played an important role in policy innovation, forging consensus building in policy making and facilitating consensual policy implementation; the deep and wide involvement of the regulated firms in the policy making process which allowed them to share know‐how and express preferences; and the strong political support from provincial higher‐ups which signaled strong political wills. The findings enrich our understanding of environmental policy enforcement in China by adding a set of internal factors to a literature pool focusing more on the the influence of such external factors as institutional incentiveson policy processes and outcomes.

Policies have the potential to affect human–wildlife coexistence. However, despite consequences being evident beforehand or emerging soon after their implementation, potential conflicts between policies and biodiversity conservation are not always easy to predict. Wolves feeding on anthropogenic food sources (AFS) usually fall into conflict with humans, mainly due to predation on livestock. But the availability of AFS can be influenced by different policies leading to diet shifts, which could trigger new conflicts or exacerbate existing ones. Here, we show a long-term shift in the diet of wolves in northwestern Iberia over the last three decades and discuss its potential connection to changes in sanitary, environmental, and socioeconomic policies. Wolves persisted for a long time due to the activity of humans with AFS accounting for >94 % of their diet. Our results suggest a connection between a diet shift in wolves and changes in policies, from a broad diet including more feedlot (pigs, chickens) and medium-sized (goats and dogs) species, mainly in the form of carrion, to a more narrow diet based primarily on large domestic ungulates (cattle and horses). We discuss the potential implications of the observed shift in the diet of wolves on human–wolf conflicts. We also call attention on the pressing need to integrate policies into biodiversity conservation to anticipate future conservation and management dilemmas.

Environmental policy analysis is increasingly addressing quality of life issues at the regional and sector levels. The idea of meso level environmental policies and strategies is becoming established in North-America and many European Union (EU) countries. It, therefore, seems timely to systematically analyze such policies and strategies, and to evaluate their performance. Such an analysis could take a number of forms. The focus here is on the application of meta-analysis to the subject. This means analysis at a meta-level, where ‘meta’ refers to the fact that policy analysis is itself analyzed and evaluated from a more general perspective. This requires not only an inventory of existing and past experiences on the basis of a literature review, but also a systematic and rigorous comparison and evaluation of these experiences. In this book the basis of comparative policy assessment, the principles of meta-analysis and a wide spectrum of environmental case studies at a meso level are presented. The goal is the development of a set of summarizing and generalizing guidelines which can improve the preparation and implementation of environmental policies and strategies.KeywordsEnvironmental PolicyContingent ValuationMeso LevelRigorous ComparisonReveal Preference TheoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This study delves into the multifaceted impacts of environmental policies on production costs and final product prices for businesses. Specifically, the implementation of environmental policies has significantly increased the direct costs for businesses, including investment in environmental protection equipment and the substitution costs incurred by using more expensive or scarce raw materials to meet environmental standards. At the same time, policies have also triggered a series of indirect costs, such as adjustments in the cost structure of upstream and downstream supply chains, as well as potential fluctuations in corporate reputation in the public’s mind, which deeply affect the long-term development strategy and planning of enterprises. It is worth noting that although environmental policies have brought challenges in the short term, they have also stimulated technological innovation, promoted positive adjustments in market structure, and opened up new development opportunities for enterprises that can respond flexibly. Looking ahead to the future, enterprises should actively embrace environmental policy guidance, explore sustainable development paths that achieve a win-win situation between economic benefits and environmental protection through continuous technological innovation and management optimization.