Representing whose access and allocation interests? Stakeholder perceptions and interests representation in climate governance

This chapter presents a synthesis of findings from quantitative and qualitative investigations of the perspectives of participants involved in international climate governance, conducted over the period 2010-2015. In this study, an established framework of principles, criteria and indicators (PC&I) for institutional governance was applied to two mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): the initiative referred to as ‘Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest stocks in developing countries’ (REDD+); and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol (KP). Assessment focuses on the governance value of interest representation in terms of inclusiveness (access) and resources (allocation). It begins by outlining the historical context of UNFCCC, as well as CDM and REDD+, and continues with a delineation of the methods adopted, and results to reveal a relatively consistent set of results across the elements investigated, with inclusiveness receiving the highest score of all the governance indicators, and resources the lowest. The CDM was the weakest performer

A fossil peat deposit from the Late Triassic (Carnian) of Zimbabwe with preserved cuticle of Pteridospermopsida and Ginkgoales, and its geological setting

Well-preserved cuticular material of Pteridospermopsida and Ginkgoales from the Late Triassic of Zimbabwe is described here for the first time. It is preserved within a brown peat-like lens in the Upper Karoo Angwa Sandstone Formation. The locality is on the Manyima River in the lower portion of the mid-Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe. Using SEM and light microscopy to identify the taxa, the fragmentary cuticles are of Pteridospermopsida type and have been assigned to Lepidopteris sp. (Peltaspermales) and Dicroidium sp. A, B, (Corystospermales). Cuticles of the ginkgoalean leaf genus, Sphenobaiera, are also described. Well-preserved ovules were found in close association with the cuticles, but as the stomata are not visible they cannot be assigned to any genus. Based on their close similarity to the Dicroidium flora of the South African Upper Karoo, the plants are considered to be equivalent to the South African Molteno Formation in age (Carnian). The palynoflora supports this age bracket, as does fauna preserved nearby. The taphonomic process was one of transport, sorting and deposition in a fluvial system.The CNRS-NRF agreement between France and South Afric

Governance values in the climate change regime: stakeholder perceptions of REDD+ legitimacy at the national level

This paper presents the results of two national-level studies of REDD+ governance values in Nepal and Papua New Guinea (PNG), using a hierarchical framework of principles, criteria, and indicators (PC&I), with evaluation at the indicator level. The research was conducted by means of an online survey to determine general perspectives on the governance quality of REDD+, as well as stakeholder workshops, in which participants were asked to rank indicators on the basis of perceived national significance. In the online survey, respondents in both countries identified inclusiveness and resources as the highest and lowest scoring governance values, while inclusiveness, resources, accountability, and transparency, were given priority, although their relative importance differed between countries given national circumstances. The reasons for the commonalities and differences of perceptions between these countries are discussed. The findings suggest that while a generic set of governance values may be usefully applied for determining the institutional legitimacy of REDD+, their relative importance is different. This leads to the conclusion that it may not be appropriate to use a simplified approach to REDD+ governance, focusing for example on safeguards, given different national priorities and contexts

Exposure to natural environments during pregnancy and birth outcomes in 11 European birth cohorts

Research suggests that maternal exposure to natural environments (i.e., green and blue spaces) promotes healthy fetal growth. However, the available evidence is heterogeneous across regions, with very few studies on the effects of blue spaces. This study evaluated associations between maternal exposure to natural environments and birth outcomes in 11 birth cohorts across nine European countries. This study, part of the LifeCycle project, was based on a total sample size of 69,683 newborns with harmonised data. For each participant, we calculated seven indicators of residential exposure to natural environments: surrounding greenspace in 100m, 300m, and 500m using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) buffers, distance to the nearest green space, accessibility to green space, distance to the nearest blue space, and accessibility to blue space. Measures of birth weight and small for gestational age (SGA) were extracted from hospital records. We used pooled linear and logistic regression models to estimate associations between exposure to the natural environment and birth outcomes, controlling for the relevant covariates. We evaluated the potential effect modification by socioeconomic status (SES) and region of Europe and the influence of ambient air pollution on the associations. In the pooled analyses, residential surrounding greenspace in 100m, 300m, and 500m buffer was associated with increased birth weight and lower odds for SGA. Higher residential distance to green space was associated with lower birth weight and higher odds for SGA. We observed close to null associations for accessibility to green space and exposure to blue space. We found stronger estimated magnitudes for those participants with lower educational levels, from more deprived areas, and living in the northern European region. Our associations did not change notably after adjustment for air pollution. These findings may support implementing policies to promote natural environments in our cities, starting in more deprived areas

Evaluating the governance of responsible investment institutions: an environmental and social perspective

This article addresses some of the problems associated with the integration of environmental and social values into the activities of contemporary responsible investment institutions. The first of these relates to the current participation gap between internal and external interests in responsible investment decision-making. The second problem concerns the lack of certainty regarding the nor- mative basis under which multi-stakeholders should participate in institutional governance. Thirdly, there is at present no analytical framework with which to evaluate the institutional quality of responsible investment within the context of the global economy. In response, and building upon existing research in the realms of international relations and environmental politics, the article uses a framework of principles, criteria and indicators to evaluate responsible investment institutions. The assumptions of this framework are tested against a small-scale attitudes survey regarding the governance quality of contemporary responsible invest- ment institutions. Recognizing the shortcomings of such a small study, the article nevertheless finds a variety of perspectives, which indicate that the integration of multi-stakeholders in responsible investment institutions still has some way to go. The article con- cludes with some observations on the nature of stakeholder involvement in responsible investment, comments on the extent to which the environmental social aspects of governance can be said to be institutionally embedded, and offers some reflections on the contribution of such an approach to governance analysis as a method for evaluating the contribution of responsible invest- ment institutions to advancing sustainable development

Global governance and climate change [Introduction]

The introduction to this volume of collected essays looks at climate governance at the global level and its various state and non-state policy initiatives. It begins by outlining recent historical developments, most notably within the UNFCCC. It continues with a brief survey of the institutions associated with the UNFCCC, including the Kyoto Protocol and related, or associated, mechanisms including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the emergent programme to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Debates exist surrounding the policy responses of the climate change regime, most notably whether countries should be adapting to, or mitigating climate change, and there are often starkly contrasting voices in the developed and developing countries regarding policy development. Furthermore, existing forums only partially represent the many and varied issues and interests associated with climate policy development. The chapter continues by providing an explanation as to how the various global regimes, which relate to climate change management, should be understood in a governance context. The institutional quality of climate management is affected by the governance arrangements underlying policy development, particularly the structures and processes associated with interest representation, accountability and transparency, decision-making and implementation. The final section links these discussions to the contents of the following chapters, which cover a wide range of global climate-relevant regimes from fields as diverse as health, migration, water management, national security and finance, as well the climate change regime itself and its institutions, instruments and policies. The introduction ends by commenting on the conclusions of the final chapter. There, the authors call upon global climate-related regimes – public or private, intergovernmental or market-driven – to develop consistent quality-of-governance standards to meet the needs of present and future generations and tackle climate change effectively

Quality and legitimacy of global governance: case lessons from forestry

Since the Rio 'Earth' Summit of 1992, sustainable development has become the major policy framework through which the international community deals with pressing environmental issues such as deforestation. Implicit in this approach is the belief that the market provides the best mechanism to bring government, business and society together, and a whole plethora of market-driven schemes have been developed in response. Yet how legitimate are these institutions, and where is their democratic accountability? This book looks at four institutions created to address forest management, namely the Forest Stewardship Council (non-governmental), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (business), the ISO 14000 Series of environmental standards (technocratic), and the United Nations Forum on Forests (governmental). It finds large discrepancies in the approaches taken, and the degree to which the four systems provide for meaningful participation and productive deliberation amongst stakeholders trying to address the global forest crisis

Governing the Climate Change Regime: Institutional Integrity and Integrity Systems

"This volume, the second in a series of three, examines the institutional architecture underpinning the global climate integrity system. This system comprises an inter-related set of institutions, governance arrangements, regulations, norms and practices that aim to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Arguing that governance is a neutral term to describe the structures and processes that coordinate climate action, the book presents a continuum of governance values from ‘thick’ to ‘thin’ to determine the regime’s legitimacy and integrity. The collection contains four parts with part one exploring the links between governance and integrity, part two containing chapters which evaluate climate governance arrangements, part three exploring avenues for improving climate governance and part four reflecting on the road to the UNFCCC's Paris Agreement. The book provides new insights into understanding how systemic institutional and governance failures have occurred, how they could occur again in the same or different form and how these failures impact on the integrity of the UNFCCC. This work extends contemporary governance scholarship to explore the extent to which selected institutional case studies, thematic areas and policy approaches contribute to the overall integrity of the regime."--Publisher websit

Introduction : Governing the climate regime

The Paris Conference of Parties (COP) has sought to initiate a global regime for the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, where necessary, adaptation to them. The governance challenges are immense – in the governance of the negotiations, in the governance of the complex set of mechanisms that those negotiations are generating, in the integrity mechanisms to ensure as far as possible that those mechanisms fulfil their functions (leading to a rudimentary Global Carbon Integrity System/Regime). 1 In the light of the dynamic relations between state and non-state actors within the climate negotiations, there is a growing recognition that more research is needed to explore the social dimensions of governance quality in climate mechanisms, particularly around decision-making processes. These take note of the social-political nature of climate governance and explore governance quality by looking at the participatory structures, deliberative processes, substantive products, and longer-term outcomes as the determinants of regime effectiveness. 2 Effectiveness is understood as the measure of institutional performance against a set of desired objectives. 3and constitute a ‘thick’ set of governance values, as outlined late in this chapter and more extensively in Chapter 2 . Following the approach delineated there, the governance quality of the climate regime is not attributed to any single institutional arrangement, such as transparency, even though this is, of course, important. Evaluating the performance of an institution on the basis of a restricted set of values would constitute a somewhat ‘thin’ assessment; consequently this volume explores some of the broader parameters affecting quality of governance and institutional integrity and their possible impacts on the policy responses to climate change