False Starts

2021 ◽  
pp. 19-62
Author(s):  
Joseph Heath
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Philosophical Literature ◽  
Specific Policy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Normative Dimension ◽  
Second Wave

Despite the fact that there is an obvious normative dimension to the problem of anthropogenic climate change, environmental ethicists have so far not had much influence on policy deliberations. This is primarily because mainstream views in the philosophical literature have policy implications that are implausibly extreme. This chapter begins by considering the case of traditional environmental ethics, and the debate over anthropocentrism that has dominated this literature. Far from generating specific policy recommendations, this perspective has tended rather to generate only pluralism, if not outright skepticism about value. These difficulties led to the emergence of a second wave of environmental philosophers, who have attempted to grapple with the issues raised by climate change using the tools of normative political philosophy. Many of these frameworks have also failed to make a productive contribution because their deontological structure makes them poorly tailored to consideration of the trade-offs involved in different policy options.

scholarly journals Forest carbon management and carbon trading: A review of Canadian forest options for climate change mitigation

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (05) ◽  
pp. 625-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Golden ◽  
M.A. Smith ◽  
Stephen Colombo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Forest C

Forests have significant potential to mitigate climate change. Canada has 30% of the world's boreal forests. The ratification of the Kyoto Protocol commoditized carbon (C) on an international scale. To achieve Canada's emission reduction targets and mitigate climate change, the potential of forest C offset projects and forest C trading is being evaluated. Carbon trading and forest C management have economic and policy implications and potential trade-offs in other forest management objectives. We discuss how forest C management and trading can contribute to global efforts for atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions reduction through either utilization and/or conservation strategies.

A Tale of Eight Pesticides: Risk Regulation and Public Health in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis SNYDER ◽  
Lili NI
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Risk Regulation ◽  
Principal Characteristics ◽  
Chinese Law ◽  
Specific Policy

AbstractThis article focuses on the use and regulation of eight toxic pesticides in agricultural production in China. The pesticides are bifenthrin, chlorpyrifus, diazinon, dimethoate, methidathion, omethoate, phosmet and phosphamidon. These pesticides pose widely recognised public health risks in China. So far as we know, the article is the first article in English ever to treat these pesticides systematically from the standpoint of the regulation of risks to human beings and to the environment. Adopting perspectives from public health, economic sociology and law, the article considers the principal characteristics of these pesticides, the main health risks associated with their use in agricultural production and how these pesticides in agricultural production are currently regulated in Chinese law. It identifies a series of policy implications and makes specific policy recommendations concerning risk regulation of these eight pesticides.

Understanding Indicator Choice for the Assessment of RD&D Financing of Low-Carbon Energy Technologies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Sonnenschein
Keyword(s):  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Research Development ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Standard Set ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Rapid decarbonization requires additional research, development, and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies. Various financing instruments are in place to support this development. They are frequently assessed through indicator-based evaluations. There is no standard set of indicators for this purpose. This study looks at the Nordic countries, which are leading countries with respect to eco-innovation. Different indicators to assess financing instruments are analysed with respect to their acceptance, the ease of monitoring, and their robustness. None of the indicators emerges as clearly superior from the analysis. Indicator choice is subject to trade-offs and leaves room for steering evaluation results in a desired direction. The study concludes by discussing potential policy implications of biases in indicator-based evaluation.

scholarly journals A SWOT Analysis Approach for a Sustainable Transition to Renewable Energy in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3933
Author(s):  
Solomon E. Uhunamure ◽  
Karabo Shale
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources

South Africa is been faced with erratic power supply, resulting in persistent load shedding due to ageing in most of its coal-fired power plants. Associated with generating electricity from fossil fuel are environmental consequences such as greenhouse emissions and climate change. On the other hand, the country is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources that can potentially ameliorate its energy needs. This article explores the viability of renewable energy using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis approach on the key renewable potential in the country. The result indicates that geographic position, political and economic stability and policy implementation are some of the strengths. However, Government bureaucratic processes, level of awareness and high investment cost are some of the weaknesses. Several opportunities favour switching to renewable energy, and these include regional integration, global awareness on climate change and the continuous electricity demand. Some threats hindering the renewable energy sector in the country include land ownership, corruption and erratic climatic conditions. Some policy implications are suggested based on the findings of the study.

scholarly journals Loss and damage from climate change and implicit assumptions of sustainable development

2021 ◽  
Vol 164 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad S. Boda ◽  
Turaj Faran ◽  
Murray Scown ◽  
Kelly Dorkenoo ◽  
Brian C. Chaffin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Loss And Damage ◽  
Development Approach ◽  
Research And Policy

AbstractLoss and damage from climate change, recognized as a unique research and policy domain through the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) in 2013, has drawn increasing attention among climate scientists and policy makers. Labelled by some as the “third pillar” of the international climate regime—along with mitigation and adaptation—it has been suggested that loss and damage has the potential to catalyze important synergies with other international agendas, particularly sustainable development. However, the specific approaches to sustainable development that inform loss and damage research and how these approaches influence research outcomes and policy recommendations remain largely unexplored. We offer a systematic analysis of the assumptions of sustainable development that underpins loss and damage scholarship through a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed research on loss and damage. We demonstrate that the use of specific metrics, decision criteria, and policy prescriptions by loss and damage researchers and practitioners implies an unwitting adherence to different underlying theories of sustainable development, which in turn impact how loss and damage is conceptualized and applied. In addition to research and policy implications, our review suggests that assumptions about the aims of sustainable development determine how loss and damage is conceptualized, measured, and governed, and the human development approach currently represents the most advanced perspective on sustainable development and thus loss and damage. This review supports sustainable development as a coherent, comprehensive, and integrative framework for guiding further conceptual and empirical development of loss and damage scholarship.

scholarly journals Zero Carbon Building Practices in Aotearoa New Zealand

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4455
Author(s):  
Thao Thi Phuong Bui ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Niluka Domingo ◽  
Casimir MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Zero Carbon

In the light of climate change, the drive for zero carbon buildings is known as one response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Within New Zealand, research on climate change mitigation and environmental impacts of buildings has received renewed attention. However, there has been no detailed investigation of zero carbon building practices. This paper undertakes an exploratory study through the use of semi-structured interviews with government representatives and construction industry experts to examine how the New Zealand construction industry plans and implements zero carbon buildings. The results show that New Zealand’s construction industry is in the early stage of transiting to a net-zero carbon built environment. Key actions to date are focused on devising a way for the industry to develop and deliver zero carbon building projects. Central and local governments play a leading role in driving zero carbon initiatives. Leading construction firms intend to maximise the carbon reduction in building projects by developing a roadmap to achieve the carbon target by 2050 and rethinking the way of designing and constructing buildings. The research results provide an insight into the initial practices and policy implications for the uptake of zero carbon buildings in Aotearoa New Zealand.

scholarly journals Identifying integrated options for agricultural climate change mitigation

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Tzilivakis ◽  
Kathleen Lewis ◽  
Andrew Green ◽  
Douglas Warner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mitigation Options ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Change Mitigation

Purpose – In order to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is essential that all industry sectors have the appropriate knowledge and tools to contribute. This includes agriculture, which is considered to contribute about a third of emissions globally. This paper reports on one such tool: IMPACCT: Integrated Management oPtions for Agricultural Climate Change miTigation. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – IMPACCT focuses on GHGs, carbon sequestration and associated mitigation options. However, it also attempts to include information on economic and other environmental impacts in order to provide a more holistic perspective. The model identifies mitigation options, likely economic impacts and any synergies and trade-offs with other environmental objectives. The model has been applied on 22 case study farms in seven Member States. Findings – The tool presents some useful concepts for developing carbon calculators in the future. It has highlighted that calculators need to evolve from simply calculating emissions to identifying cost-effective and integrated emissions reduction options. Practical implications – IMPACCT has potential to become an effective means of provided targeted guidance, as part of a broader knowledge transfer programme based on an integrated suite of guidance, tools and advice delivered via different media. Originality/value – IMPACCT is a new model that demonstrates how to take a more integrated approach to mitigating GHGs on farms across Europe. It is a holistic carbon calculator that presents mitigation options in the context other environmental and economic objectives in the search for more sustainable methods of food production.

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