Developmental Pathways

Sources and impacts of marine litter by Jane Lee/ Marlisco

2014-04-10T01:35:00.001-07:00

How Do Public Administrations Support Sustainable Development?

2014-04-09T09:59:00.001-07:00

BSc (Hons) Public Management and Business

2014-01-17T04:43:00.001-08:00

United Nations Human Development Report

2013-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

The report divides its main analysis into two sections – firstly identifying the key drivers of the rise of the south and secondly, raising future issues that need to be addressed to maintain this process. Both contain factors that will impact on sustainabililty. The three key factors driving the growth of the south are:

A proactive developmental state;
The tapping of global markets;
Determined social policy innovation.

All three of these ‘key drivers’, emphasise an interventionist and active regulatory role for the state rather than merely leaving key choices in the hands of the free market. Indeed the report explicitly notes that the best-performing southern economies ‘diverge from the unfettered liberalization espoused by the Washington Consensus’. Thus, discussing the ‘tapping of global markets’

The Report has five main conclusions for the future:

Rising economic strength in the south must be matched by a full commitment to human development – a commitment that is as much to do with economic necessity as the moral case for human potential.
Less developed countries can learn and benefit from the success of emerging economies in the south – it cites recent Chinese and Indian joint ventures and start-up manufacturing investments in Africa as an example of this.
New and stronger institutions are needed to promote trade and investment and accelerate experience sharing across the south.
Greater representation for the south can accelerate progress on major global challenges – the report cites the emergence of the G20 as an example of this process but points out that India – a nuclear power, an economic giant and soon to be the most populous country in the world still has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
The rise of the south presents new opportunities for generating a greater supply of public goods – the report cites climate change as an example of the kind of issue that the south’s new power may help to solve.

Sustainable Development Goals Surfing to Saftey or Suffer the Final Wipeout

2013-03-31T05:22:00.001-07:00

I'm running through the thought piece in Nature on what the SDG's will look like. Must say that I’m struggling to see this new paradigm. The three pillars approach was always seen as a starting point for broader exploration and expansions. The economy, society, and earths life support System is also far from new and is in fact part of the existing paradigm. Of course I understand the need to translate a hugely contested, ambiguous concept into a meaningful policy grounded form, but there is also a need to maintain an appreciation of this complexity. I worry about this articulation and its transmission to the six proposed SD goals. I will elaborate on this at a later point. For now I draw on the imagery used in the article and obviously this is going to stand out in light of my research into sustainable development and Surfing. A sweeter synergy I could not have asked for.

Not only a wave, the most terrifying of waves, the Tsunami well at least an artist’s impression, as this wave does seem to have a shoulder and a very workable face, can’t make out if it’s a left or a right though. There is a flimsy boat about to be pounded by said wave. Four figures at the helm and one looking back at the stern, life rings are seen thrown asunder, not needed now, the image would suggest, as it is too late. In the background a volcano billowing smoke, undoubtedly about to erupt and cover everything in the vicinity with red hot magma. Is this how the authors imagine the Anthropocene? This too is something I will explore in more detail at a later date. For now I simply ‘note with interest’ the use of the wave and the multiple ways this iconography is employed. We must ask ourselves with SDG’s that now put the economy front and centre, well in the middle anyway. What is it selling now, a car, a T-shirt, in this instance it is an ideology, a political imperative that none can escape from. A global community bound to and responsible for (to very varying degrees) the disintegration of the global life support system. The image leaves one wondering. Does the life boat mange to surf the wave to the saftey of the shore (though im worried about the volcano) or does it suffer the final wipout.

Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

2013-03-26T21:30:00.002-07:00

More thoughts on this when I have time to think !

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Goal one: Thriving lives and livelihoods.

End poverty and improve wellbeing through access to education, employment and information, better health and housing. It should include targets on clean air that build on World Health Organisation guidelines for pollutants such as black carbon.

Goal two: Sustainable food security.

The MDG hunger target should be extended and targets added to limit nitrogen and phosphorus use in agriculture; phosphorus flow to the oceans should not exceed 10m tonnes a year; and phosphorus runoff to lakes and rivers should halve by 2030.

Goal three: Sustainable water security.

Achieve universal access to clean water and basic sanitation. This would contribute to MDG health targets, restrict global water runoff to less than 4,000 cubic kilometres a year and limit volumes withdrawn from river basins to no more than 50-80% of mean annual flow.

Goal four: Universal clean energy.

Improve affordable access to clean energy that minimises local pollutionand health impacts and mitigates global warming. This contributes to the UN commitment to sustainable energy for all, and addresses MDG targets on education, gender equity and health.

Goal five: Healthy and productive ecosystems.

Sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services through better management, valuation, measurement, conservation and restoration. Extinctions should not exceed 10 times the natural background rate. At least 70% of species in any ecosystem and 70% of forests should be retained.

Goal six: Governance for sustainable societies.

Transform governance and institutions at all levels to address the other five sustainable development goals. This would build on MDG partnerships and incorporate environmental and social targets into global trade, investment and finance. Subsidies on fossil fuels and policies that support unsustainable agricultural and fisheries practices should be eliminated by 2020.

Sustainable Development: Revisiting the basics

2013-01-14T14:53:00.001-08:00

Over a number of blogs I have tried to elaborate on a number of perspectives on sustainable development. It is important, at times to remind ourselves of some of the basics. Whilst not flawless (what is) the following are very useful.

Sustainability in the Surfing World

2012-11-21T02:25:00.000-08:00

Excellent work from Kevin Whilden and Michael Stewart, founders of Sustainable Surf, one of the principle partners of the Plymouth Sustainability and Surfing Research Group (PSSRG), as they get their second write up in Forbes (Woody 2012). The article focuses on SustainableSurfs Eco-Board programme which aims to transform surfboards from their existing toxic form based on polyurethane to a less harmful and recyclable product known as expanded polystyrene or EPS.

This was highlighted at their recent Eco Board launch event in San Fransisco where an eco board was glassed in the middle of the party. Technology has advanced to a stage now where eco boards can match their more toxic cousins in performance and aesthetics which is pivotal in getting them in the hands of the average surfer. During the course of my own research and having spoken to retailers, initial findings suggest that the time is right and eco boards can compete in practically all areas with traditional boards. One retailer indicated that given a choice the consumer would opt for the Eco Board even if it was marginally more expensive.

However, the Forbes article goes on to highlight the fact that making an environmentally friendly surf board is only part of the story for promoting a consumer demand for this product. This supports a great deal of research on the way that consumers respond to ‘ethical purchasing’ and behavioural change more broadly for positive environmental change. The issues are complex and multifaceted. As the Forbes article illustrates it is now important to put these ecoboards in the hands of some of the surfing worlds most iconic surfers, Kelly slater and Rob Machardo for example to lead the way and create a positive reinforcement of the message.

The transition to sustainability in the surfing world needs to be addressed on a number of fronts. The Center for Surf Research at San Diego State University are making huge strides in promoting sustainable surf tourism for example. The PSSRG aims to draw together on an international basis people that are passionate about surfing and making a positive change from both an academic and a practitioner perspective. The latest project from the research group in collaboration with the Center for Surf Research's director Dr Jess Ponting is a book that is able to explore multiple areas and perspectives of the transition to sustainability in the surfing world from surfings leading minds.

Sustainable Development Dipomacy

2012-11-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

The idea of diplomacy and sustainable development has interested me in for quite some time, what happens at the international level through different processes of globalisation inevitably impact at the local level in so many different ways. I have tried to address these to a certain degree in my own work that looks at sustainable development governance from both a global and local perspective (Borne 2010). From a diplomacy perspective the closest I’ve got to this is exploring how sustainable development is understood within the United Nations.

But, there remains relatively little consistent and rigorous work that is capable of adequately exploring what sustainable development means in this context. So it is really interesting to read Mihaela Papa and Nancy Gleason’s contribution to the journal Global Environmental Change. I have previously argued that scholars steer clear of this sort of research because of the definitional ambiguity of sustainable development which makes operationalising research in this area challenging to say the least. But the authors do a very good job defining their terms and creating an effective narrative. Beyond definitions, the other problem is that once you have managed to define your terms how to you go about collecting data, what sources do you use that are informative and rigorous? I used a combination of sources under the banner of ethnographic research. This included relevant text, speeches, policy documents, anything I could get my hands on during my secondment to the United Nations Environment Programme. Combined with this, interviews with UN officers, negotiators and observations of debates and resolutions as they were happening. Papa and Gleason have used communication documents between the coalition partners, joint statements of the BRIC and BASIC countries.

The authors work focuses on the role of emerging power on the international stage. Particularly, Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) and Brazil South Africa, Russia and China (Basic).

The authors start off by asking the questions:

Can these countries emerge as a new coalition or negotiation bloc in this field traditionally organised around the North –South Divide.

And if so do they have the potential to exercise leadership and address the stalled performance of the sustainable development agenda?

This is the first time that I have heard the term sustainable development diplomacy used in this context. A more common term for some of the areas described in the article is sustainable development governance which does admittedly encompass a broader literature and field of study. However there is still a hairs breadth between the two. Here SDD is described as;

‘a process of global policy making with the aim ‘to produce a guiding framework for a range of policy instruments, financing mechanisms, organisation’s, rules, procedures negotiations and norms that regulate the process of sustainable development’ (2)

Take a look at the similarity in the definition with sustainable development governance .

‘The sum of the many ways that individuals and institutions, public and private manage their common affairs, a continuing process through which conflicting and diverse interests may be accommodated and cooperative action be taken’ (Shridath and Carlsson 1998)

The authors go on to highlight the idea of SDD through the established conferences and conventions which I’m not going to elaborate on here and also discuss the potential for Rio+20. The essence of the paper though is to examine the role, strengths and capacity of the aforementioned coalitions. They frame the discussion from a theoretical perspective by exploring the idea of policy based leadership and then underneath that, structural and instrumental leadership.

Policy based leadership is seen as the ability to frame problems, promote particular policy solutions and then implement them. Structural leadership relates to the issue of power embedded within an actor/state on the political stage. And instrumental leadership is the more subtle realm of negotiation and political engineering. Of course in reality and taking a somewhat constructivist stance policy, structural and instrumental leadership as defined here are very difficult to actually separate. Regarding the implementation of sustainable development the authors argues that the BRICS countries lack coherent visions of sustainable development even in general terms and this is a barrier to taking the agenda forward. More broadly, this is symptomatic of the term sustainable development as a whole with definitional ambiguity being up there as one of its most significant problems, and this is evident at all levels and in all sectors. With that said the authors identify two important trends within the BRICS nations that form a collective identify and ownership of the concept.

Linking environment and development with issues relating to energy and particularly development of nuclear energy.

Cooperation on climate issues and the proliferation of renewable energy sources.

The authors then go on explore the relationship between the BASIC and BRICS countries explaining that the BASIC coalition has a narrower mandate that BRICS focusing specifically on climate change instead of broader issues of sustainable development. It is argued that while the BRICS’ policy agenda has not moved away much from rhetorical support for sustainable development, BASIC has been consistently pursuing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. This recognition is a consistent them throughout North / South analysis as the South looks to draw out, at its most reductionist level, the inequitable exploitation of resources by the north and subsequent resultant negative externalities, however they manifest, that impact on a global and local scale. The paper acknowledged that these emerging countries ability to impact the politics of global environmental change is curtailed by the inevitable domestic and internal pressures that exist within state boundaries growing inequalities in income and wealth and consolidating complex domestic agendas may constrain these countries’ joint external influence in responding to global environmental change.

In sum the paper is a very important addition to the literature on sustainable development governance and should encourage more research into the discourses of sustainable development.

References

Borne, G., (2010) A Framework for Sustainable Global Development and Effective Governance of Risk, New York, Edwin Mellen Press

Papa, M., Gleason, N., (2012) Major Emerging Powers in Sutainable Development Diplomacy Assessing their Leadership Potential, Global Environmental Change 22:915-924

Town and Parish Councils: Enhancing Local Governance

2012-10-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

I continue to work through the vast amount of data that I have for my town and parish council research. I have been working with the Department of Communities and Local Government to help inform components of their localism agenda. The following is a version of a policy brief designed to do just that and drawing on the parishs research as well as previous work exploring the effectiveness of Local Strategic Partnerships.

Town and Parish Councils: Enhancing Local Governance

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Parish councils are an effective and established vehicle for service delivery. Increased devolution of services to this level of government should be measured and accountable. This policy brief draws on insights from over 6000 town and parish councillors and is the most compressive research study on parish councils that focuses on achieving sustainable development with an emphasis on sustainable communities (Borne, 2009, 2010a, 2010b, 2012, 2013). The Localism Act and the Open Public Services White paper must be seen as the broader agenda of creating sustainable communities. The brief responds to three principal questions:

What shapes local decisions to establish parish councils and contribute to neighbourhood level governance?

Increasing the capacity of town and parish councils to deliver services?

How do experiences with town and parish councils inform Neighbourhood Community Budgets?

Responses to these questions will be directly explored as well as addressing a number of related questions. As already identified there are also a number of common themes pertinent to all questions:

Skills and Education were seen as essential for the further enhancement of local level government. Whilst the level of up skilling within town and parish councils differed it was recognised that there was a need to increase these skills at least with the clerk of the councils.
With increased responsibility for service delivery there is also a need to devolve in real terms the appropriate powers that enable the effective and efficient delivery of services
An effective and transparent consultation process is a repeated theme with parish councillors often lamenting the lack of genuine consultation that has little impact on gauging response from parish and community.
Communication takes many forms but is seen as pivotal for the effective delivery of services and the establishment and enhancement of local government structures. This communication is seen as cyclical and not uni- directional.
The town and parish council’s relationship with their principal authority is consistently seen as pivotal to any local governance structure.

SECTION 2: CURRENT POLICY CONTEXT

The current policy environment can be aid to be underpinned with the following drivers

1. Localisation – where decisions about service design, commissioning and delivery

are taken closer to and based on engagement with service users;

2. Personalisation – further encouragement for bespoke and locally-specific service

delivery approaches;

3. Collaboration – a loosening of organisational boundaries, with scope for more

integrated service delivery, often with a focus on place;

4. Open access – greater opportunities for new service providers to enter the market

from outside the statutory sector;

5. Volunteering – a desire to involve local people and organisations in service planning and delivery

6. Growth – an emphasis upon development which better meets economic and

housing needs.

Policy Synergies
Strong synergies exist between Local Government Act and Sustainable Communities Act (2007). Existing initiatives should converge to increase the effectiveness of policy decisions. For example, the outcomes of the barrier busting consultation relating to sustainable Communities. Whilst parish councils are capable of submitting these independently of their local authorities it is suggested that parish councils are encouraged to do so in an effective and coordinated manner. Output from this would create a significant resource for the creation of sustainable communities utilising town and parish councils.

SECTION 3: TOWN AND PARISH COUNCIL CONTEXT
There are over 10000 parishes in England, of which approximately 8500 have councils, with approximately 70000 parish councillors. Over 15 million people live in communities served by town and parish councils nationally, that’s 35% of the population. Town and parish councils have been described as the nation’s single most influential grouping of grassroots opinion-formers (NALC 2012). They are representative of, and part of the local community; they are able to provide services to meet local needs as well as having the ability to improve the quality and well being of their local community. The Localism Act (DCLG 2011) as well as the Open Public Services White Paper (HM Gov 2012) is putting an increasing emphasis on town and parish councils to represent their communities and effectively deliver services. A number of policy drivers for local level delivery have been identified and can be summarised as follows:

Parish councils are a highly effective local governance structure and offer an established vehicle to realise localism addressing all of the above drivers. Whilst predominantly a rural structure as a result of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (DCLG 2007) there is potential for increased urban parish governance. Evidence of this can be seen in the establishment of London’s Queens Park Parish Council which will be the first parish council in London for 50 years when established in 2014.

Considering the incredible potential for town and parish councils to realise the localism agenda very little work has been conducted at this level of local government that moves beyond general commentary (Peterson 2012). Some work is of relevance however. Bishop (2010) explored the nature of parish councils in the localism agenda with reference to community led plans. The importance of multi-scalar governance as a model for exploring the neighbourhood level has also received some attention (Sommerville 2012). Other studies have explored the role of democratisation at the parish level (Coulson 1997) and more recently DEFRA (2012) has explored a number of areas relating to the devolution of public services under the banner of ‘rural proofing’. There is an urgent need to ensure that the process of devolution to this layer of government is fully informed or there is a risk of marginalisation and missed opportunity. The following will address the principle questions of this brief.

SECTION 4: RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

What shapes local decisions to establish parish councils and contribute to neighbourhood level governance?

There are multiple and complex reasons for the establishment of local and community level governance. However, motivations may broadly be categorised as, identity, efficiency, relevance and opportunity.

Identity –In an increasingly globalised and fragmented world evidence points to a need for community identify of an area which provides impetus for the responsible, effective and efficient use of resources within that locale.

Efficiency – An increased perception of efficiency within the delivery of services dissatisfactions with the level of advice support and overall service provision. There is a general perceived level of overall of providing services to the local community by using town and parish councils ultimately creating sustainable communities.

Relevance – Local level governance is seen as being relevant to the local community. Local governance structures are seen as capable of prioritising the right issues for the local communities.

Opportunity – The opportunity to draw on multiple resources and be engaged with the mechanisms for improving local communities.

Barriers

Foundational barriers include a parish’s history and heritage, the composition of its population and the engagement or place attachment of that space. However, the following issues may be considered thematic for the creation of community level governance:

Scattered and isolated communities within rural communities were seen as a barrier to effective local level governance.

There was a lack of understanding as to how new parishes may be set up and this falls within the broader remit of communication and support from the principal authorities.

Time was also a factor as the parish council level of government represents a volunteer’s commitment that means time away from other activities.

Administrative confusion was an issue that arose repeatedly within the data with communities unclear as to the logistics of establishing local was the idea of administration and the ability to deliver the services. This refers to both communication and skills education and training

Recommendations

There is an urgent need to open up the communication lines between the parish council and the principal authority. Provide the relevant and focused information. Be aware of the differences at different levels but also be balanced in your approach and facilitate effective governance structures. Be sensitive to the differing backgrounds heritages and relationships that exist at the parish level

Increasing the role of town and parish councils

There is evidence that the ambition and capacity to increase service delivery is increased in a particular areas where a number of factors converge. This includes a strong community identity, Leadership within the parish with an emphasis on the important role of clerk and a strong relationship with statutory service providers

Ambition and Capacity. -There is a willingness to increase service delivery and take responsibility for a broader portfolio of service provision within parish councils. There is however a number of issues relating to this that act as provisos to this statement. The increased level of control brings about an increased level of responsibility. Whilst there is an appetite for the devolution of services there is also a concern that this is not backed up with the relevant support from both local and national government. Individual parish’s capacity and ambition seems on a general basis to be aligned. Parishes that are ambitions and forward thinking in their approach to service delivery and creating a stronger community identity are capable of identifying their weaknesses and this particularly applies to skill and training. Skills and training are seen as essential and directly related to capacity for increased service provision

Barriers
Lack of understanding - as to what an increased level of service delivery would actually involve. Concern over budgetary commitment, review, and accountability for increasing a service portfolio were identified as barriers. There was also concern over what impact this will have on the formal or otherwise structure of the interaction within parish councils. Concern is raised that this additional time and intensity of activity will actually deter people from wanting to become parish councillors in the first instance having a counterproductive impact on the localism agenda. As a predominantly voluntary group this is of particular concern in the smaller parishes which rely exclusively on the good will of those elected. Concerns have been raised that this increase could actually mean that the smaller parishes will lose the support of local community members effectively reducing the capacity of the council.

Relationship with Principal Authority

‘You need to be aware of who the service provider is and of course most of the services provided is the local authority so you have to get on board with them (parish councillor)

The relationship between the principal authority and parish council is essential for the effective delivery and devolution of services. Whilst this relationship was identified as absolutely essential, it was often noted that the principal authority was not always as supportive as it could be in facilitating service delivery. The following issues are seen are central and transferable.

Effective consultation- A process that considers views of parish councils that move beyond the symbolic.

Communication and education that effectively supports parish’s and considers entrenched local issues that will impact specifically on the parish area. These issues were particularly highlighted within Cornwall as the county moved to Unitary Authority status. Currently Cornwall Council offers guidance and support to parish councils for the devolution process. It has outlined a number of case studies that it segregates into coastal parish, coastal town and rural parish. Such initiatives are essential for the effective take up of services by parish councils. This process however, must be inclusive, extensive, transparent and accountable.

Recommendations

Cornwall Council has been proactive with their approach to devolution particularly with the establishment of the Devolution Management Group. This strategic innovation needs to be effectively executed in order to support the complex evolution agenda within Cornwall. This also applies on a generic basis to the relationship between principal authorities and parish councils

Parish councils and Neighbourhood Community Budgets

Observations at the parish council level of government offer rich insights into the ongoing development of NCB’s. Parish councils present some parallels when considering service delivery and the establishment of community/ neighbourhood levels of government. There is a need to set realistic priorities and visions that effectively frame the neighbourhood budgets. Again this returns to earlier observations concerning communication. This will require a rigorous consultative process with the local community. There is a possible tension when it comes to the accountability of budgets the statutory partners restricting or blocking how the ‘community’ wants to allocate the resource. Experience and analysis of Local Strategic Partnership’s arrangements also suggests that within statutory bodies, ‘partnership equity’ should be maintained and monitored.

Engaging with the parish council and using this as an inroad to community engagement provides an opportunity to utilise established, ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ community networks, both of which are present in parish councils. This should be seen as only a first step in engaging with a fuller community base. Using the parish council does not presuppose a representation of community, instead offers the opportunity of a significantly informed body close to the community.

The most important element to encouraging those communities that have the capacity and inclination to develop this agenda is to clearly communicate the value of this agenda to their local communities whilst maintaining a strong emphasis on the role of the statutory budget providers. This effective communication and framing will not only strengthen the capacity and appetite of those areas already looking to engage with the process it will also alert those areas that are yet to engage or feel they do not have the capacity to the opportunities that are incumbent with the initiative.

References

Atkinson, H. (2008) Democracy and Empowerment in London’s Neighbourhoods, 23(4):325-331

Bishop, J. (2010) From Parish Plans to Localism in England: Straight Track or Long Winding Road? Planning Practice and Research, 25(5):611-624

Borne, G. (2012) Power to the Parish, Public Services Review: Local Government and the Regions 20 http://goo.gl/hmkFf

Borne, G. (forthcoming) (2013) Governance in Transition: Sustainable Development at the Local Level in a Global Context, Edwin Mellen Press

Borne, G. (2010a) A Framework for Sustainable Global Development and Effective Governance of Risk, New York, Edwin Mellen Press

Borne, G. (2010b) Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall, Promoting Sustainable Communities 2(1) http://goo.gl/M8oJ7

Borne, G. (2009) Understanding Town and Parish Council Needs for a Sustainable Cornwall, Promoting Sustainable Communities 1(2) http://goo.gl/l3UER

Coulson, A. (1999) Decentralisation and Democracy: The Neglected Potential of Parish Councils, New Economy 6(2):115-118

DEFRA (2012a) Local Level Rural Proofing http://goo.gl/dAPqw

DEFRA (2012b) Local Level Rural Proofing Resource 2: Rural Proofing in Practice http://goo.gl/Vdcze

DCLG (2012), Proposal from Town and Parish Councils Under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 http://goo.gl/Adbsh

DCLG (2011) Localism Act http://goo.gl/r6hVt

DCLG (2007) Public Involvement in Health Act http://goo.gl/X214C

Fenwick, J., McMillan, J., Elcock, H. (2009) Local Government and the Problem of English Governance , Local Government Studies, 35(1):5-20

HM Government (2012) Open Public Services White Paper http://goo.gl/GTpZn

Lehal, J. (2012) A Year on Its Time for a Charm Offensive on Open Public Services http://goo.gl/LHjnc

McIntyre, T., and Halsall, J. (2011) Community Governance and local decision making. Paper Presented to the ‘Diversity and Convergence: Planning in a World of Change’ Conference, Local Economy, 26(4):269-286

National Association of Local Councils http://goo.gl/9OX8V

Pearce, G., and Ellwood, S. (2002) Modernising Local government: The Role for Parish and Town Councils Local Government Studies 28(2):33-54

Peterson, H. (2012) When is a Public Servant not a Public Servant http://goo.gl/mMqFq

Somerville, P. (2011), Multi-Scalarity and Neighbourhood Governance, Public Policy and Administration 26(1):81-105

UN General Assembly Opens New Session

2012-09-19T09:11:00.003-07:00

The United Nations General Assembly today opened its 67th session with an urgent call for cooperation to tackle the economic and political uncertainty which is being experienced in many parts of the world and ensure there are peaceful solutions to international disputes.

“Peace and security is a prerequisite for the stability needed for global economic growth, sustainable development and social progress,” said the President of the 193-member body, Vuk Jeremic.

Mr. Jeremic outlined the main areas of focus for this year’s session, with the overarching theme being the peaceful settlement of international disputes. “I hope this framework will usefully serve the noble cause of preventing gathering conflicts and resolving existing ones.”

Peace and security are essential to advance development, Mr. Jeremic said, stressing that the Assembly should focus not just on achieving the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but also on the post-2015 agenda. In particular, he underscored the importance of fulfilling the commitments made during the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), which was held in Brazil in June.

“Our objective should be the full implementation of the mandate this body received at the Rio+20 Conference. This will require a decisive commitment to observe not only procedural deadlines but also the political and financial objectives it has been designed to accomplish.”

Mr. Jeremic also highlighted the importance of making progress on arms control and disarmament, strengthening UN peacekeeping, improving a global coordinated response to terrorism, and promoting human rights in the international arena during the next 12 months.

In addition, he emphasized that the rule of law would remain one of the main priorities on the Assembly’s agenda. “Close to 800 years after the Magna Carta was promulgated, many people around the world still do not enjoy the fundamental rights enshrined in that seminal document – rights that protect individuals, while enabling countries to develop in peace and security, as sovereign equals,” he said. “I urge the Member States to agree on a consensus document by the start of the High-Level Debate on the Rule of Law in a few days’ time.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Mr. Jeremic on his new role and thanked the former President of the Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for his leadership over the past year.

He also underlined that the role of the UN is crucial during this period of uncertainty, and called on Member States to deepen their efforts to work together.

“We are living through a period of unease. We are also seeing incidents of intolerance and hatred that are then exploited by others. Voices of moderation and calm need to make themselves heard at this time. We all need to speak up in favour of mutual respect and understanding of the values and beliefs of others,” Mr. Ban said. “The United Nations must rise to the moment.”

Source: www.un.org

Sustainable Devleopment Solutions Network

2012-08-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

An exciting development following Rio+20 is the launch of an independent global network of research centres, universities and technical institutions to help find solutions for some of the world's most pressing environmental, social and economic problems.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network will work with business, civil society, UN agencies and other international organisations to identify and share the best pathways to achieve sustainable development. The Network will be directed by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. Sachs has also been pivotal in advising on the sustainable development goals that will replace the Millennium Development goals which expire in 2015

The network will strongly encourage international cooperation of multiple issues. Encouragingly, Sachs indicates that the network will promote an integrated systems approaches to addresses the complex economic, social and environmental challenges confronting governments. The SDSN states as its goals expected to provide an independent global, open and inclusive process to support and scale up problem-solving at local, national and global levels. I am keen to learn more about the network and the network website is due for launch on September 1st so watch that space

http://www.unsdsn.org/

Sustainable Development and Surfing

2012-08-06T02:21:00.002-07:00

Heres the link to the revised piece now published at The Inertia

http://www.theinertia.com/environment/sustainable-development-and-surfing/

Sustainability Science

2012-07-31T01:47:00.003-07:00

A quick observation on sustainability science. What is it? Well in parallel to discussions about the form and function of a sustainable development academic debates have centred around sustainable development as a catalyst for a new way of understanding the world. This is borne from the realisation that the problems faced by the world today are themselves complex, uncertain, and non-linear and do not fit neatly into the division of academic disciplines within educational institutional frameworks we have today. As Sachs points out (2008) the problems simply refuse to arrive in the neat little packages of academic departments. Climate change is an exemplar of this point described as a wicked problem (Hulme 2009). In particular, sustainable development has been described as an orchestration of the science with the rapid progress of perspectives that centre around interdisciplinary and trans disciplinarily as well as coalescing ideas around complexity and systems thinking.

So from an evolution of sustainable development as a concept from an environmental perspective to a three pillars approach (environment, society and economy) what has now emerged is a new perspective on science (Bettencourt and Kaur 2011; Kates 2011). So if I use again, and apologies for doing so because it is overused, a venn diagram to illustrate where sustainability science might be positioned.

Discuss at length if you were so inclined, about th absense of the economic dimenions and the lack of power dynamics that exist in this interpretation. Nevertheless, it is a usefull visualisation. But if its definitions you are looking for as I often am then you could do a lot worse than Kates interpretation.

According to Kates Sustainabiliy Science is described as ‘an emerging field of research dealing with the interaftions between natural and social systems and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability’ (Kates 2011:19449).

References

Bettencourt, L., and Kaur J., (2011) Evolution and Sructure of Sustainability Science PNAS 108:49:19540-19545

Hulme, M., (2009) Why we Disagree about climate Change, Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunities, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Kates, R., (2011) What kind of science is sustainability science? PNAS 108(49):19449-19450

Sachs, (2008) Common Wealth, Economics for a Crowded Planet, New York, Penguin Press

Sustainable Development and Surfing

2012-07-31T01:09:00.002-07:00

Over the past 15 years I have been researching what sustainable development and sustainability mean and how these terms are translated into real world programmes, initiatives and policies. I have done this at the United Nations, at the national government level, local government, I’ve looked at the sustainability of 2012 Olympics in London this year as well as exploring community and individual responses to risks such as climate change. As a surfer of over 20 years, mostly in the cold and fickle waves of the South West of England, it was only a matter of time before I started exploring sustainable development in the surfing world. What follows are some thoughts on sustainable development, surfing and an emerging area of research.

I start in recent history with the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development or Rio +20 as it is popularly known that took place last week between the 20^th and 22 nd June. The very predictable debates over its success or otherwise will now stretch out over the coming weeks. The outcome document, ‘The Future we Want’ has been described by Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations as a firm foundation for social, economic and environmental well being. On the other hand groups like Oxfam and Greenpeace have expressed some serious concerns about the real world impacts of the conference. I am not going to expand on this here but whatever your stance on the conference and the outcomes it has undoubtedly highlighted and reinforced the unsustainable nature of humanities current developmental pathways as an exponentially rising global population relies on an ever diminishing and unevenly distributed resource base.

The conference has also highlights how difficult the term sustainable development is to define and and it remains a contested and ambiguous concept. It has been described as an oxymoron, that no development by its very nature can be sustainable, some say that it means all thing to all people and so, ultimately means nothing. Perhaps, the most serious accusation is that it is a term that does nothing more than legitimise existing modes or production and consumption, and as we all know, they don’t really work.

With that in mind I am a proponent of sustainable development, I believe it is the most

important term of the 21^st Century and provides a focal point around which different cultures, different, religions, different sectors can come together and discuss the multiple and complex impacts humanity is having on our planet. Its basic definition from the Bruntland Commission’s 1987 report ‘Our Common Future’ (WCED 1987) says it is ‘development that meets the needs of current populations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This definition was again enforced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. It was at this summit that Agenda 21 (UN 1992) was borne, considered by many to be the blue print for a sustainable development.

In the 20 years between the first Rio summit in 1992 and its most recent incarnation, the meaning and context of the concept has altered significantly. Initially, focused on the environment, now the term is broader with the three pillars, or the triple bottom line of environment, society and the economy constituting its definition. Recent work, including my own now emphasises the complexity and systems approach to sustainable development exploring governance and the role of multiple stakeholders.

With this woefully inadequate potted history, definition and emerging perspectives on sustainable development established it is at this point that I bring sustainable development and surfing together. I am not going to outline impacts relating to surfing, I’ll only point out that with an estimated 10 million surfers in 120 countries and an industry worth in excess of six billion dollars surfing as a unique activity is a significant player on the international stage in many different areas. These range from the impacts on local communities through the rapid rise of surf tourism to the impact of the production and consumption of surfing related products, shorts, wetsuits boards etc. As with other sector of society the language of sustainability is being used to grapple with the multiple issues that relate to surfing.

Of course, what the term means within the surfing world will inevitably alter and change depending on what area is being looked at, and so it should, it is not a constant it is evolving and it is complex and it will mean different things to different people with different values and priorities. So with that said I do not offer up a definition of what sustainability should be. I do not suggest that there should be at some distant point in the future an ideal situation or utopian vision. Instead I urge an interrogation of the term and what it’s being applied to. This interrogation starts with a very simple question. How is sustainability being used and in what context? It means looking very carefully at ‘sustainability claims’. It means understanding for example what is meant by sustainable surf tourism, understanding the impacts and processes, asking the right questions and challenging the established status quo. It’s about accommodating diversity, conflict and different visions. What it absolutely should not mean and referring back to the most serious criticisms of sustainable development, it should not be about business as usual.

I have only begun to explore these questions and I start modestly. But I cautiously see some genuine and exciting changes within the surfing world. There are a number of internal and external variables I could point to support this claim, but for now I will only outline three key areas. Firstly, the mediums for the serious exchange of ideas, thought and commentary within the surfing world have significantly evolved or maybe grown up. The Inertia is an example of this with Forbes describing it as the Huffington Post for surfers. The creation of the website The Greener Blue with a specific focus on surfing and sustainability is another example of this. Secondly, a very visible change is the increasing effectiveness of non profit organisations that specifically focus on sustainability. In particular, Sustainable Surf and its programmes related to market transformation within the surfing industry is an example of the need for changing towards a more sustainable model of doing business. Their Waste to Waves programme has been successful not only from a recycling perspective but also in moving the debates around recycling and pollution in surfing into the mainstream media, with as an example an article in Forbes. The greening of the San Francisco Ripcurl Pro and the subsequent partnership with the Association of Surfing Professional leading to the sustainability initiatives at the Volcom Fiji pro through the Deep Blue Surfing initiative are yet more examples.

Thirdly, the establishment of the world’s first ever Center for Surf Research at San Diego State University. This has provided a focal point for industry, non for profit organisations, and academia to come together and discuss the specific and unique dynamics of the surfing world. The conference in January of this year organised by the Center and the Groundswell Society, ‘Surfings New Aloha: The Growing Trend of Giving Back’ drew on a range of people all relating to the surfing world all trying to make a difference and understand the future of what I see as different aspects of sustainability and surfing.

As with the Rio conference this represents a process that begins to articulate the problem in a comprehensive fashion that in turn facilitates discussions of the solutions. Over the coming months I will be working with both Sustainable Surf and The Center for Surf Research to continue these discussions and conduct research that aims to understand sustainability within the surfing world. This has begun with the UK’s first research group focused specifically on sustainability and surfing at Plymouth University, The Plymouth Sustainability and Surfing research group.

I consider this article to be part of the process of understanding what sustainability is in surfing and what triggers are needed to build momentum on this initial transition. I would like to ask as many people as possible reading this to comment on what they believe this should look like and what should happen next.

* A Revised version of this article appears in the www.theinertia.com http://www.theinertia.com/environment/sustainable-development-and-surfing/

Neighbourhood Community Budgets

2012-07-09T02:12:00.002-07:00

On Friday myself, Dr Rory Shand (Plymouth University) and colleagues from around the country were invited to the Department of Communities and Local Goverment (DCLG) at Eland House, London, to explore ways of evaluating the newly initiated Pilots for the Neighbourhood Community Budgets programme. The neighbourhood community budget programme was developed in 2012, it includes 12 neighbourhood areas in 10 community areas around the country. A Community Budget gives local public service partners the freedom to work together to redesign services around the needs of citizens, improving outcomes, reducing duplication and waste and so saving significant sums of public money. According to DGLC a successful community budget will be able to deliver a better service to residents because it can:

· make better use of its resources, including pooling the budgets of all agencies where it is effective to do so, including local knowledge, community assets and voluntary effort

· remove central rules and regulations so local professionals can deliver better services by redesigning them so delivery is more effective for residents

· give people greater control over their local public services

· establish appropriate local partnership and governance arrangements to create a unified approach that suits their area.

These programmes represent the broader principles of Localism and of course the ideals of the Coalition Governments Big Society. From my perspective I see an opportunity here for continued exploration into the nature of sustainable communities and policy initiatives that sit under the umbrella of sustainable development at the local level. This work will feed directly into my existing research on town and parish councils which sought to understand the governance of sustainable development at the local level in Devon and Cornwall.

Sustainable Development Goals

2012-06-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

The Rio +20 conference kicks off tomorrow (20th June) and speculation on the success or otherwise of this event focused on sustainable development is rife. The principle focus of the conference will be:

1. A green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty and alleviation and

2. An institutional change for sustainable development

In addition to these themes one of the most hotly debated and contested outcomes will be the setting in motion of a process that establishes Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the 15 years following the expiration of the MDGs in 2015. According to Lidia Brito (2012) Director of UNESCO, SDGs will differ from MDGs in three main ways. First, MDGs centered around seven social goals and just one environmental goal. Long-term social and economic improvement will need closer attention to be paid to the environment. Second, whereas MDGs focused on developing countries, SDGs need buy-in from all nations. Third, MDGs were hastily assembled without thorough analysis.

But exactly what these goals should look like is unclear. The original proposal put forward by the governments of Colombia and Guatemala states that the goals should build on Agenda 21(UN 1992) and should include the following themes:

Food security
Energy access, including with renewable sources
Oceans, including fisheries
Sustainable human settlements (cities)
Water, integrated management

These sweeping themes though give very little indication of what the SDGs may look like. On this I turn to Jeffrey Sachs, advisory to both Kofi Anan and Ban Ki- Moon. Sachs (2012) has recently discussed what he thinks the goals should look like, and a wise choice would be to pay attention to this analysis. The following will briefly summarise. Initially, Sachs says that the goals should focus on two considerations:

1. Global priorities that need active public participation

2. Quantitative analysis

Essentially, the vision outlined by Sachs for the SDGs will be a combination of the tripple bottom line, environment, economy, society and good governance.

SDG 1 - By 2030 all the worlds people will have access to safe water, sanitation, nutrition, primary health services. Basic infrastructure including , electricity, roads, and connectivity to the global information network

SDG 2- All nations adopt economic strategies that increasingly build on sustainable best practice technologies, market incentives and individual responsibility. Low carbon energy systems, sustainable urban areas and stabalisation of the worlds population through voluntary fertility choices

SDG 3- Social inclusion - Every country will promote the well being and capabilities of all their citizens, enabling all citizens to reach their potential. There is discussion here of improved measurement and base lining as well a reporting on life satisfaction. Special attention is given to youth and the elderly. Sachs talks about the inadequacy of traditional measures of economic prosperity such as Gross Domestic Product. Bhutan is used as an example where it has introduced 'Gross National Happiness'.

SDG 4 - Governance - here Sachs talks about the role of good governance from the global to the local level, and inclusive and democratic system that empowers and avoids marginalization.

Sachs goes on to talk about the lessons that can also be leaned from the millennium development goals emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses:

Table 1: Millennium Development Goals Strengths and Weaknesses

	Strengths	Weakness
1	Easy to state and concise	No intermediate milestones during the 15 year period
2	Not legally binding commitments	Need for more accurate data
3	Could be pursued through practical and specific measures adopted by government, business, and civil societies	Need for a more direct engagement from the private sector
4		Societies worldwide did not adequately invest - possibly 2-3 per cent of global investment for the future

Of course the weakness of the MDGs also present the lessons that need to be learned for the SDGs over the next 15 years or so. Glaser (2012) strongly argues that sustainable development goals should be firmly based in science. He suggests that 'measuring progress on SDG's will require agreed sets of indicators for use a tnational regional and international levels' (2012:35). Caution needs to be observed here however becasue as Garnasjordet (2012) observes
'The selection of indicators is not a technical process, but includes normative value judgments. Assessment of sustainability needs to take place within learning institutions, with extended participation of societal interests, and with feedback between the development of statistical indicators and their use in sustainability policy (2012:334)

The outcomes at Rio will be the beginning of the debate as to what the SDGs actually need to look like before the MDGs expire in 2015. The vision that Sach's outlines and the opportunities he identifies need to be affirmed with political will that is capable of incorporating all governance actors that effect the shape and outcome of the SDG's.

Of course the deliberations that follow, will be beset, as all discussion on SD are with the same contradictions that have made this conept so dymanic and appealing over the past three decades. The evolving, fluctuting definition is a point in fact. For example UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon believes that

Too often the discussions on sustainable development get stuck in emphasizing trade-offs between growth, poverty and environment,” Mr. Ban said. “Now we need to ensure that these important discussions – especially regarding a post-2015 agenda – advance economic, social, and environment objectives in a balanced and integrated manner.” (UN: 2013)

The emphais here is on the three pillars definition the need to balance these goals. However, as thoughts and actions turn to what the SDGs will actually look like we start to see mixed messages. A recent article in Nature asserts that the classic model of sustainable development, of three integrated pillars -- economic, social and environmental -- that has served nations and the UN for over a decade, is flawed because it does not reflect reality. "As the global population increases towards nine billion people sustainable development should be seen as an economy serving society within Earth's life support system, not as three pillars," says co-author Dr. Priya Shyamsundar from the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics, Nepal.

References

Brito, L., (2012) Analyzing Sustainable Development Goals, Science 335(6087):1396

Borne, G., A Framework for Sustainable Global Development and effective Governance of Risk, Lewisham ,New York, Edwin Mellen Press
Glaser, G. (2012). "Policy: Base sustainable development goals on science." Nature advance online publication.

Garnåsjordet^,P., Aslaksen^,I., Giampietro^,M. FuntowiczS., Ericson^,T., (2012) Sustainable Development Indicators from Statistics to Politics, Environmental Policy and Governance 22(5)322.336
Griggs, D., (2013) Policy: Sustainable Development Goals for Poeple and Planet 495:305-307
Sachs, J., (2012) from Millennium Development Goal to Sustainable Development Goals 379(9832)2206-2211

UN (1992) Agenda 21 http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/
UN (2012) http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/sustainable/sdgs-working-group.html

The Future we Want: Negotiating Sustainable Development at Rio+20

2012-06-10T03:21:00.001-07:00

Having had first hand experience of negotiations within the United Nations I 'note with interest' (a little negotiation humour there) that the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) outcome document is still under negotiation at this late stage of the game. The third round of 'informal informal' consultations on the draft outcome document titled the 'Future we want' took place from 29 May to 2 June 2012 at UN Headquarters in New York. This additional informal negotiating session was convened because of the lack of consensus on the primary themes of the conference, namely the green economy and the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD)

It is also of interest to note that information technology was perceived as a hurdle to the negotiating process. The environmental News Bulletin Service reported that excessive 24-hour control from capitals (home states), sapped negotiators initiative and slowed down negotiations. There has been some debate in recent years of the role of information promoting sustainable development so this insight into the negotiating process adds an interesting perspective on this relationship. Of course the negotiation of sheer complexity of issues that relate to sustainable development is a significant hurdle in its own right. And returning to the central themes of the conference the Green Economy and the IFSD received little early consensus, also a significant hurdle. There is also the issue of defining and effectively articulating the Sustainable Development Goals Other key areas of debate include several issues within the framework for action, such as climate change, oceans and food and agriculture.

As always within the international negotiating architecture the differing North/South perceptions on how sustainable development should be perceived and implemented is present. In this case China and the G77 have asserted the 'Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility'. The EU has focused on setting specific targets by 2030 including those relating to biodiversity and this in turn has been opposed by the United States. The Realpolitik of International Relations. Other issues that seem to be taking a front seat are the possible upgrading of the United Nations Environment Programme, a proposal supported by the EU and objected to by the US and Russian Federation. Of course we are in a world now that is vastly different from the Rio conference of 1992. A number of global pressures impact on the success of this months conference

Economic drift
Financial Shocks
Turmoil in the Eurozone
The impact of the US election year
Lack of political commitment from world leaders
Lack of reference to UNCSD in recent international summits. Including the G8 summit

There is then general concern that this most recent conference focusing on sustainable development will be only a shadow of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (The Earth Summit) 20 years previously. The Rio Principles and Agenda 21 being notable milestones on the history and the future of sustainable development both globally and locally.

However, international conferences such as these extend beyond the concrete tangible outputs, of which i hope there are many, providing hope and many reasons to be cheerful. For example, it has brought sustainable development into sharper focus, provoking citizens’ groups with a renewed fervor to sway government negotiations. The International Institute of Sustainable Development reports that NGO representatives were seen sitting in on informal contact groups without objections raised from delegates. The activists of “Occupy Rio+20” could also be seen as a sign that the economic downturn has actually promoted sustainable development awareness, and has put people’s well-being, socioeconomic equity and environmental health in a strong public spotlight.

What ever the outcomes of the conference (June 20-22) it provides a global focus on sustainable development as one of, if not the most important ideas of the 21st Century

Sustainable Development and Surfing: Volcom Fiji Pro

2012-06-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

Sustainablesurf and the Center for Surf Research are once again pushing the frontiers of sustainability in the surfing world. Both have partnered with this years Volcom Fiji Pro that began yesterday to make this a Deep Blue Surfing event. Read more at http://sustainablesurf.org/contests/.

The Center for Surf Research has developed surf credits to support sustainable surf tourism programmes across the globe   http://surfcredits.org/about-us/

I recently spoke to Derek Sabori Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Volcom and was impressed with his commitment to the principles of sustainability. This he displayed not only in his efforts within Volcom but also at a personal level. I think his authorship of a children book that follows the exploits of the earth bug crew says it all. brilliant.   http://earthbugcrew.com/

As I continue looking at and researching sustainability in the surfing world i have become increasingly impressed with the level of commitment that I see towards sustainability at all levels. More as the work evolves.

See Volcoms press release below

VOLCOM FIJI PRO ALIGNS WITH NUMEROUS PARTNERS TO TACKLE SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS INAUGURAL EVENT

Costa Mesa, CA. May 30th, 2012 – The Volcom Fiji Pro is the company’s first Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title surfing event and will be host to the worlds Top 34 surfers at one of the best breaks in the world – Cloudbreak and/or Restaurants. Not resting on those laurels, and in line with their New Future philosophy, Volcom is rolling out a string of initiatives that will make the Volcom Fiji Pro one of the most sustainable surf events in recent memory.

“This is a really important event for us and we are dedicated to doing it right across the board,” said Ryan Immegart, Volcom’s SVP of Marketing. “Sustainability is a top priority for the company, and the Volcom Fiji Pro is a perfect opportunity for us to take this focus to the next level.”

By partnering with Tavarua Island Resort and select non-profit organizations, Volcom has set a number of objectives it plans to accomplish during the event. They include:

Partnering with SustainableSurf.Org and following the ASP’s newly released green event guidelines to make this the first, official Deep Blue Surfing Event in ASP World Championship Tour history.

Running a carbon neutral event by offsetting the carbon footprint of the surf contest with Carbonfund.org.

Promoting sustainable surf tourism in partnership with San Diego State University’s Center for Surf Research to collaboratively launch Surf Credits, a program where surf travelers can give back socially and environmentally to places they travel.

Raising funds and awareness for the medical/dental focused Loloma Foundation who distributes medicine, clothing, school supplies and other necessities to many agencies throughout the South Pacific.

Delivering clean water to local residents in partnership with Tavarua Island Resort and Give Clean Water. The joint effort will outfit two local villages and their schools with clean drinking water filters.

Details regarding each of the initiatives will be forthcoming and a dedicated page to feature all the Sustainability activity will be featured prominently on the volcomfijipro.com website.

(Source: www.sustainablesurf.org)

Identifying Barriers and Opportunities for a Transition to a Low Carbon Society at the Nexus: Parish Councils

2012-06-03T02:37:00.001-07:00

I see so many opportunities for promoting sustainable development and creating sustainable communities at the parish council level of government. My work so far with parish’s has looked at governance structures and the role the sustainable development might play as well as possible responses to climate change. Relating to this i see a strong role for parish councils in the transition to a low carbon economy. The UK Governments focus on localism increasingly puts the impetus on local communities to address these issues. It is very clear however, that community engagement with energy systems is poorly understood and there is a need for further research in this area.

In particular the question that needs to be asked is

“What are the opportunities and barriers of sustained community engagement with energy issues to facilitate a transition to a low carbon society?”

In order that this is answered the following objectives should be addressed. In order to answer this i suggest here that the parish council should be ued as a focal point and a model for best practice, and here’s why

TPCs are the closest level of government to the community as well as being an integral part of the community. They are embedded in multiple community groups as well as being the platform for the community’s connection to local government and vice versa. There are over 10000 councils in England, that provide employment for over 25,000 staff with an annual expenditure of around £400 million (NALC 2010). Taking on a social science perspective I characterise parish councils as a nexus where multiple global and local issues converge. Using this study group very specific local issues concerning community and energy can be addressed whilst simultaneously providing the breadth of analysis and the transferability of findings on a national basis. With the above in mind 4 main these need to be addressed

Energy Literacy and Visibility

The role of energy literacy and the visibility of energy use as well as corresponding behavioural change is complex and often counter intuitive. This is especially the case in areas relating to climate change (Hulme 2009). For example, it is increasingly recognised that more information or visibility of energy related issues does not necessarily translate into effective behavioural change, either at the community or individual level (Borne 2009d; SEMBE 2008). Perceptual and discursive relationship between community engagement with energy and subsequent behaviour need to be explored. This will be contextualised with the tangible assessments of the surrounding physical and legislative (structural) attributes of the specific area. Furthermore, by exploring the networks of parish councils it will be possible to assess how information is shared and disseminated, not only within a single community but also across a network of communities. For example, it was identified in previous research that there is often a non viral transference of information systems of best practice that pose considerable barriers to community engagement. Understanding these issues will provide context specific and transferable models for understanding energy literacy and visibility at multiple community levels (Borne 2010).

Transformative Innovation, Lifestyles and Social Technical Practices

Investigations into current practices that relate to energy use in different arenas of peoples lives such as work, leisure activities and transportation will be assessed both individually and collectively to expose the entrenched or locked in patterns that lead to unsustainable energy practices ultimately hindering the transition to a low carbon society (Jackson and Papathanasopoulou 2008). This is achieved by exploring discourses within and among TPCs and associated community groups. Discourses are recognised as being embedded in the broader social and structural practices that they represent (Hajer 1995).

Communities, Ownership and Social Movements

It is increasingly recognised that with relation to sustainable development issues, if initiatives are not owned at the local and community level success rates are low (Dalal-Clayton and Bass 2002). Focusing on TPCs as a nexus will inevitably and necessarily address the issues of ownership and the nature of community itself. An underlying principle of the research is to challenge established and geographically bound interpretations of communities, exploring the notion of communities of interest and the relationship this has to associated practice. The high level of engagement using the parish councils as an indicator, or litmus with projects and initiatives will establish tangible and highly transferable data on ownership, engagement and effective action.

Policy, Legislation and Governance

Using parish councils to understand relationships between community and energy use fundamentally addresses issues of policy, legislation and governance. This tier of local government is embedded in the wider policy and governance process of local authorities and national government. The effectiveness of initiatives and legislative prescription, such as the ‘Climate Change Act’ and Sustainable Communities Act (hard and soft laws) can be assessed. Using parish councils as a nexus, the vertical and horizontal integration of policy, legislation and governance more generally can be explored. The existing mechanisms available that enhance the sustainability of communities can be assessed and also the impact of the Localism Act on this agenda

References

Borne, G. (2010a) A Framework for Sustainable Global Development and Effective Governance of Risk

Borne, G. (2010b) Promoting Sustainable Communities: Education and Training Final Report, Promoting Sustainable Communities 2(1) http://hdl.handle.net/10293/348

Borne, G. (2009a) Promoting Sustainable Communities: Education and Training. Report for Cornwall Council http://hdl.handle.net/10293/305

Borne, G. (2009b) Promoting sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall: A Reflexive Review of Practice. www.lifelonglearningnetworks.org.uk/keydocuments/newsletters

Borne, G. (2009c) Understanding Town and Parish Needs for a Sustainable Cornwall, South West Life Long Learning Network http://uplace.org.uk:8080/dspace/handle/10293/100

Borne, G. (2009d) Achieving Sustainable Lifestyles or encouraging a Counter Reflexivity: Exploring Motivations for Sustainability in a Mediated Risk Society Local Environment 14(1):93-107

Dalal-Clayton, B. and Bass, S. (2002) Sustainable Development Strategies, a Resource Book,International Institute of Environment and Development

Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. (2009) Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaption for Spatial Planners, London, Earthscan

Department of Energy and Climate Change (2009) UK’s National Strategy for Climate and Energy: Transition to a Low Carbon Society, http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx

Foresight Land Use Futures Project (FLUSP) (2010) Land Use Futures: Making the Most of Land in the 21^st Century, The Government Office for Science, London http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Land%20Use/luf_report/8614-BIS-Land_Use_Futures_Exec_Summ-WEB.pdf accessed 04/03/10

HMGOV (2005) Securing the Future - UK Government sustainable development strategyhttp://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/publications/uk-strategy/index.htm, accessed 04/08/06

Hajer, M. (1995) The Politics of Environmental Discourse: Ecological Modernisation and the Policy Process, Oxford, Oxford University Press

Hulme, M. (2009) Why We Disagree About Climate Change, Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Jackson, T. and Papathanasopoulou, E. (2008) Luxury or ‘Lock-in’? An explanation of unsustainable consumption in the UK: 1968 to 2000, Ecological Economics 68:80-95

National Association of Local Councils (2010) http://www.nalc.gov.uk/ accessed 10/02/10

Sustainable Energy Management and the Built Environment (2009) Powering our Lives: Sustainable energy Management and the Built Environment, Final Project Report, The

Government Office for Science, London http://www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/ActiveProjects/SustainableEnergy/ProjectHome.asp, accessed, 11/11/09

Commission for Rural Communities (2009) Securing Effective engagement fro Parish and Town Councils with Unitary Structures and Processes http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/publications/securingeffectiveengagementforparishandtowncouncilswithunitarystructuresandprocesses

HM Government ‘The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan: National Strategy for Climate and Energy

Power to the Parish

2012-06-03T01:36:00.002-07:00

Update on the previous post. Article is now available in Local Government and the Regions

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=18&refresh=4Dn1Si078Nm0&EID=1140c0e5-576b-4e46-9df0-cb41a40cff98&skip=&p=18

The photos that head this piece are of particular significance to me. The big one is the center of the village that i grew up in, Ringmore and the smaller one is of Kingsbridge estuary, looking back from the Crabshell pub. I am not even going to comment on the small picture of myself

Sustainable Development in Local Government: The need for parish council engagement to move past ‘symbolic politics’

2012-04-22T01:15:00.001-07:00

There is little doubt that the idea of a sustainable development seems here to stay. The upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (June) will once again discuss what SD means to the world as it takes as its primary focus the institutional framework of sustainable development and a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. If you visit the conference website a counter indicates the number of days left to the conference with the slogan ‘days to the future we want’. And it is exactly this sentiment that embodies the fundamental tensions within the idea of a sustainable development. This tension is highlighted in the simple question ‘the future that who wants?’

Sustainable development is a notoriously slippery term, it is difficult to define, and therefore it is difficult to implement. It has been accused of being a contradiction in term, an oxymoron and a term so fuzzy that it means anything to everyone and so useless as a guiding principle.

With this said I am a strong supporter of the idea of sustainable development. Whatever the outcome of Rio + 20, international event such as these raise awareness and reinforce a global discourse that highlight the continuing problems of diminishing and inequitable distribution of resources. They demonstrate a level of commitment by world leaders to address these problems and motivate moral and ethical sentiment. This is an ongoing academic and political debate which I will address during the course of the Rio Conference, however the focus here is the integration of sustainable development into local politics.

So regardless of the positive outcomes of global conferences the term remains contested and ill defined and it is little wonder therefore that national and local governments have difficulty in articulating the concept into effective frameworks and programmes aimed at addressing real world problems. Furthermore, this lack of definition is compounded by the perceptions at the local level that sustainable development is a top down imposed agenda

It is perhaps the perception of sustainable development that it is a top down, imposed framework that makes it difficult to translate into the more local context. In a time of austerity where local problems seem more acute polices imposed by the international community, the UN, EU, OECD etc seem far removed from the everyday lived experiences of those people in local communities. It is exactly this communication barrier that needs to be overcome and addressed and this will be the front line of integrating the principles of sustainable development into the local policy framework. This is important because as well as being a concept that has arisen from a global problamatique the concept, properly articulated and developed encourages holistic policy development as well as concepts of equity and inter generational equity. An unfortunate side effect or even direct result of local governments need to legitimise their own policies and programmes through external pressure to integrate sustainable development means that the end result can be cosmetic and ineffectual.

With that in mind over the past decade national, sub national and local government have driven forward significantly to embed sustainable development into their practices. However, a review of policies and programmes from an international basis suggests that policies based on sustainable development are more symbolic with a high level of political currency but little real world impact. Whilst there has been significant progress, for example with programmes drawing on Local Agenda 21, there is still a lack of salience at the community level

With the above rather gloomy assessment in mind the UK has one of the worlds most well developed sustainable development strategies and the challenge of devolution and the achievement of a Big Society in whatever form that may take will depend very much on its effective transmission and integration with local government.

The recent Localism Act will also stimulate discussion on what sustainable development actually means to local communities. A very visible example of this has been the debates that have surrounded the changes in the National Planning Policy Framework. The framework document uses the term sustainable development over 50 times and emphasises the need for a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’. The final document has now been more broadly accepted but only time will tell the impact this will have on the built environment over the coming years.

There are a number of other areas which may be directly applied to sustainable development governance at the local level, but the crux of this discussion is how we overcome the idea of a symbolic politics, how we get past policies that only pay lip service to creating a sustainable development when infact they are continuing along the same ‘business as usual’ lines. To this end I focus on the importance of one area to which I am able to bring my own insights from extensive research over the past few years. This is the devolution of power to town and parish councils which has been made explicit in a number of government documents. There are over 10000 local councils in England and they represent the closest level of government to the community. Forces are in motion to increase the power of parish councils in order to form direct community engagement and consultation with community members on the future of their local environments. The Open Services White Paper (2011) and the recent review of this paper (March 2012) emphasise the importance that town and parish councils play within their local communities.

The advantage of empowering the town and parish level of local government is the visibility of the outputs of programmes developed. At this level the idea of a symbolic politics with regard to sustainable development is dispelled because of the immediate and direct impact of the policies developed. My research in Devon and Cornwall adds weight to this assertion. The research, amongst other things explored what sustainable development meant to members of town and parish councils and what they say as the best way of integrating this concept into their local communities. There was support for the principles of the concept, an integrated approach including environmental, social and economic factors, ideas of equity and community. As expected however, there was confusion over how to translate these ideals into real outputs, as well as frustration with principal authorities and national government at opaque and mixed messages with convoluted or non existent lines of communication. As such, there is an urgent need to provide guidance and support for sustainable development to this level of government. For example, the research indicated that in Devon and Cornwall principal authorities needed to be more considerate of local councils needs and there was an overall perceived lack of support. With this in mind there was an overwhelming response that town and parish councils wanted to work in partnership with their principle authorities in order to improve the quality of communities.

If handled effectively with the correct guidance and support with an appreciation of diversity there is a real opportunity to use sustainable development as a guiding principle, and implemented at the local community level move past the idea of symbolic politics for real and positive change

There does of course need to be a continued analysis of the policy context for sustainable development. In other words the framing of the policy what is the structural and societal context. The real danger is that without the analysis of the context of the policy and the lines of communication particularly between the principal authority and the community level there will be continued confusion a lack of coherence and fractured and disjointed policies and programmes that do not address community issues. There is a real opportunity to make sustainable development work using the parish council as a conduit through which local communities can respond to the challenges and risks of the 21^st century

This work is ongoing and will be published over the course of this year and next. A number of interim reports can be downloaded from the following links

Promoting Sustainable Communities

Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall: Education and Training

Understanding Town and Parish Council Needs for a Sustainable Devon

A revised version of this article will appear in the forthcoming edition of Public Service Review: Local Government and the Regions

Sustainable Development and the Surfing Industry

2012-04-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

More on Sustainabesurf.org who have been covered in Forbes -

Forbes cover sustainablesurfs excellent work

Sustainable Development and Surfing: Looking back will help us move foward

2012-04-06T01:29:00.003-07:00

It is great to see that sutainablesurf.org continues to go from strength to strength. They announced yesterday that they are now officially partnered with the Association of Surfing Professionals for the North American 2012 season to provide sustainability advice for all ASP events. This is a huge step forward for the surfing industry which recognises the importance of integrating sustainability into their everyday operations and especially the big events which have, as with any large event (have a look at my post on the Olympics), have an impact on the local infrastructure. Using a sustainable development perspective this includes the economic, environmental and social dimensions. The  US surfing industry is now leading the way, and so they should be. I don't have the latest figures to hand, mainly because you have to pay for them but in 2006 the surf industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) estimated the industry in the US was worth $7.48 Billion which was an increase of 14.5 per cent from 2004. As soon as i find some free updated figures i'll post them.   Don't forget that this figure represents apparel only, so things that are made and sold. The cost in real terms is significantly higher as the invisible costs or to use economic jargon negative externalities are exponentially higher. The link below to an article in the New York Times looks at some of these impacts:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/business/energy-environment/19SURF.html

It is this unseen cost that a sustainable development perspective brings into the light by considering the full system impact, or at least as much of the system as it is possible to understand. Science is not an exact science!   So initiatives such as sustainable surf and the establishment of the Centre for Surf research at San Diego State University recognise the importance of understanding the overall impacts of surfing

Taking a lead from this it is time to take these initiatives back over the pond and integrate them in to the British surfing industry and cultural consciousness of surfers. Whilst some moves are being made they are slow and fragmented. Now is the time to give this agenda a very big kick up the arse, clearly the surfing industry is ready to adopt sustainability and global and local pressures are building as sustainable development becomes an increasingly prominent term, if somewhat fuzzily defined.   Rio + 20 in June will give the term further exposure. I could go on about this but i won't for the sanity of all involved.

British surfing in general has had a lot of exposure in the last few days with the opening of the Museum of British Surfing today (06/04/12). The lead up to this has attracted national media attention with surfing being dubbed the 'The sport of Kings'. The Guardian, The Metro and The Mirror have run stories, not to mention last nights Channel Four news item

Looking back is important, it provides an essential context and language for all those involved in surfing in the UK, something perhaps we haven't really had in the past.  Let's use this collective identity to move forward and do what we can now for our future generations. I won't preach, check out the press release below.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California/USA (Thursday, April 5, 2012) – ASP North America and Sustainable Surf, a non-profit environmental organization focused on the surfing industry, are proud to announce their partnership for the 2012 season, offering green guidelines for all ASP North America events.

ASP North America and Sustainable Surf’s goal is to provide a useful framework for looking at event operations that can help reduce the environmental impacts of all contests, regardless of size and budget, and that will provide a common platform for ensuring greener events this year.
“This is a big step forward for us at ASP North America and we’re really excited about the opportunity to offer sustainability guidelines to our events to help decrease our impact on the environment,” Meg Bernardo, ASP North America Executive Manager said. “The ASP feels it’s a necessary step to look after our ocean and having Sustainable Surf on our side is a great asset to our events. We’re looking forward to working with them throughout the 2012 season, to help provide guidance directly to events that want it.”

Sustainable Surf’s success in providing guidelines and consulting services for events has already proven to be effective, as they played an integral role in greening the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, which has been referred to as the greenest ASP surfing contest in history. Entering 2012 all event sponsors will have the option to capitalize on Sustainable Surf’s expertise in a tailor-made format for each contest.

“We are proud to be partnering with ASP-North America to provide a comprehensive, yet adaptable set of guidelines, that focus on the five major categories that most contribute to the footprint of any event,” Michael Stewart, Co-Founder of Sustainable Surf, said. “Sustainable Surf will also offer strategy and evaluation services to the events themselves, to help showcase their success stories in implementing the new guidelines at whatever level possible.”
Darren Brilhart, owner of Brillo Productions and longtime producer of major ASP North America events, worked closely with Sustainable Surf at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco and is pleased to have their guidance in making more environmentally conscious decisions for future events.

“It was a great experience and eye opener working with Sustainable Surf at last year’s Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere in San Francisco,” Brilhart said. “They are very thorough on what they do and it blew me away.”

Several ASP North America events have already taken the initial steps in the greening of their events, including the use of bio-diesel fuel for power, recycled materials for branding and heavily reducing the use of plastic water bottles. Kevin Whilden, Sustainable Surf Co-founder, thinks this partnership is a win-win for the entire surfing industry and feels Sustainable Surf’s expertise will allow events to further reduce the overall environmental impact.
“Many brands have already shown real initiative by taking some great steps towards the greening of their events, and the comprehensive framework of the new ASP North America’s green guidelines will help them to track, manage and communicate all their efforts,” Whilden said. “These best practices can be cost effective and easy to implement, and will further set the surfing industry on a leadership path that is consistent with surfing’s global image as an eco-friendly lifestyle.”
The next stop on the 2012 ASP North America season is the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro, which is held at Lower Trestles from May 1 through 5, 2012.
(Source: http://sustainablesurf.org/2012/04/asp-north-america-partners-with-sustainable-surf/)

The Precautionary Principle

2011-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

The precautionary principle is the political translation of increasing scientific uncertainty with regard to humanity’s effect on the environment. The precautionary principle was officially articulated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development defines the precautionary principle as:

"in order to protect the environment the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by states according to their capabilities where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage a lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing {C}cost effective measures to prevent environmental degradation"

This definition of the precautionary principle is important for two primary reasons. Firstly, it explains the idea that scientific uncertainty should not preclude preventative measures to protect the environment. It is being increasingly recognized that uncertainty is an intimate element of the scientific process. This is particularly visible in large scale environmental phenomena such as global warming where direct cause and effect relationships are ambiguous and complex. Secondly, the use of cost effective measures indicates that costs can be considered. This is not synonymous to the no regrets approach which ignores the cost of preventative action. The principle is now extensively applied to a number of environmental areas.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has stated that uncertainty should be no excuse to avoid taking action. The convention suggests that precautionary measures should be taken in order to anticipate, prevent, and minimize the causes of climate change and, that a lack of scientific certainty should not be an excuse to take such measures. Ortwin Renn illustrates the central role that the precautionary principle played in the development of the European Unions Approach to Chemical regulation, Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH). The effectiveness of the use of the precautionary principle in light of uncertainty is often debated. For example, it has been argued that the use of the precautionary principle with a logic that it is better to be safe than sorry could be seen as an excuse to prevent any activity that may be perceived as having a negative side effect, the consequence of which would be to inhibit innovation and technological advancement. It has also been argued that uncertainty can be used by powerful interest groups for their own ends. On the other hand, uncertainty as represented in the precautionary principle does not suggest that there should be a ban of all activities that cannot be quantified or the outcomes absolutely predicted. Instead, what is argued is that there is a measured phasing out of risky and uncertain activities until more information and experience is available. Extending this debate there are distinctions between strong and weak forms of the precautionary principle.

1 Strong precaution

2 Weak precaution

3 Principle versus approach

Strong precaution

Strong precaution suggests that regulation is required whenever there is a possible risk to health safety or the environment, even if the supporting evidence is speculative and even if the economic costs of regulation are high. A strong form of the precautionary principle for example, would call for measures to lessen the risk of environmental harm induced by climate change by incorporating a focus on reducing or preventing the emission of greenhouse gases. Strong versions justify or require precautionary measures and some also establish liability for environmental harm, which is effectively a strong form of “polluter pays”. For example, the Earth Charter states: “When knowledge is limited apply a precautionary approach …. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible parties liable for environmental harm.” Reversal of proof requires those proposing an activity to prove that the product, process or technology is sufficiently “safe” before approval is granted. Requiring proof of “no environmental harm” before any action proceeds implies the public is not prepared to accept any environmental risk, no matter what economic or social benefits may arise. At the extreme, such a requirement could involve bans and prohibitions on entire classes of potentially threatening activities or substances. Over time, there has been a gradual transformation of the precautionary principle from what appears in the Rio Declaration to a stronger form that arguably acts as restraint on development in the absence of firm evidence that it will do no harm.

Weak precaution

Weak precaution indicates that lack of scientific evidence does not preclude action if damage would otherwise be serious and irreversible. The weak version of the precautionary principle is seen as the least restrictive and allows preventative measures to be taken in the face of uncertainty, but does not necessarily require them. Examples of this can be witnessed in the Rio Declaration and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In order to satisfy the threshold of harm , there must be some evidence relating to both the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of consequences. Weak formulations to not preclude weighing benefits against the costs. Factors other than scientific certainty, including economic considerations, May provide legitimate grounds for postponing action. Under weak formulations the requirement to justify the need for action generally falls on those advocating precautionary action

Principle versus approach

No introduction to the precautionary principle would be complete without brief reference to the difference between the precautionary principle and the precautionary approach. Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration 1992 states that:

“in order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall be not used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”

As Garcia pointed out, “the wording, largely similar to that of the principle, is subtly different in that: (1) it recognizes that there may be differences in local capabilities to apply the approach, and (2) it calls for cost-effectiveness in applying the approach, e.g., taking economic and social costs into account.” The approach is generally considered a softening of the principle." As Recuerda has noted, the distinction between the precautionary principle and a precautionary approach is diffuse and, in some contexts, controversial. In the negotiations of international declarations, the United States has opposed the use of the term ′principle` because this term has special connotations in legal language, due to the fact that a principle of law is a source of law. This means that it is compulsory, so a court can quash or confirm a decision through the application of the precautionary principle. In this sense, the precautionary principle is not a simple idea or a desideratum but a source of law. This is the legal status of the precautionary principle in the European Union. On the other hand, an ′approach` usually does not have the same meaning, although in some particular cases an approach could be binding. A precautionary approach is a particular ′lens` used to identify risk that every prudent person possesses.
Other Principles that have taken precedence in environmental policy and law are: The Polluter Pays Principle, The Principle of Non-Discrimination, The Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, The Principal of Intergenerational Equity.

Citation

Gregory Borne (Lead Author);Cutler Cleveland (Topic Editor) "Precautionary principle". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth November 25, 2009; Last revised Date November 20, 2011; Retrieved November 28, 2011 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Precautionary_principle>

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Table of Contents

Strong precaution

Weak precaution

Principle versus approach

Citation