16 research outputs found
A forest policy for Scotland
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Lending Division - LD:85/15027(Forest) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
Towards a sustainable Scotland A discussion paper
Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:q96/26115 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo
âJust sustainability': the emerging discourse of environmental justice in Britain?
Environmental justice is both a vocabulary for political opportunity, mobilization and action, and a policy principle to guide public decision making. It emerged initially in the US, and more recently in the UK, as a new vocabulary underpinning action by community organizations campaigning against environmental injustices. However, as the environmental justice discourse has matured, it has become increasingly evident that it should play a role in the wider agendas for sustainable development and social inclusion. The links between sustainability and environmental justice are becoming clearer and more widely understood in the UK by NGOs and government alike, and it is the potential synergy between these two discourses which is the focus of this paper. This paper argues that the concept of âjust sustainabilityâ provides a discourse for policymakers and activists, which brings together the key dimensions of both environmental justice and sustainable development
Analysis of off-grid electricity system at Isle of Eigg (Scotland): Lessons for developing countries
Stakeholder dynamics in the EU forest energy sector: key issues to manage and ways forward
EU forest biomass demand is increasing rapidly under policy stimuli, as biofuels are important for EU utilities to reach EU 2020 renewables goal. The import of large amounts will be required, but stakeholders have sustainability concerns. Utilities are adopting self-regulatory certification schemes to reduce stakeholder pressures but the interplay between these efforts, stakeholder and policy dynamics, and business risks is not well understood. This study uses literature, interviews, and a survey of 120 stakeholders to delineate influential actors in the discourse, principal concerns, and ways to ameliorate opposition and risk. The work finds many actors opposed to forest energy systems, and shows how critique is directed toward a nexus of industry and policymakers. It also indicates that critics have an ascendant status and can catalyze changes in policy and business practice in response to their concerns. Key concerns involve carbon, biodiversity, and deforestation; however, it is found that self-governance systems do not yet incorporate metrics to meet emerging expectations. The study concludes that efforts must deliver robust track records of strong ecological, climate, and social performance for forest energy supply chains to allay concerns - as distinct from just sustainability certification'. Work must include increased efforts to source woody biomass from the EU-27(+) to engender trust in forest energy actors, and scientific studies to delineate strong' versus weak' carbon and temporal carbon' performance for forest energy systems. This also suggests a need to delineate silvicultural regimes that facilitate the management of forest energy supply chains for improved carbon performance. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Lt