Biomass production and land use management in the Italian context: regulations, conflicts, and impacts

Renewable energy sources, such as biomass can make a positive impact on climate change phenomenon by decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. The use of biomass energy is directly linked to the use of the land, from which biomass feedstock is obtained, such as farm land and forests, and its ecosystem services. The biomass production and the use of land and ecosystem services are usually associated with a wide range of environmental and social impacts, depending on what choices are made regarding what types of biomass are used, as well as where and how they are produced. Choosing management practices that minimize negative impacts and complement planning policies and energy production objectives is often associated with land-use conflicts among both different institutional levels, local, national and European, and different social actors. Yet, European Directive 2009/28/CE establishes that the energy production from renewable energy by 2020, as well as from biofuel, defined for each member state (Annex 1), must be achieved through a “sustainable†production. Such definition is assigned to national and local contexts, arising issues in policy making, conflicts analysis and methodologies. The present paper discusses on the recent acknowledgment of the above mentioned EU directive in several Italian Regions, such as Puglia and Marche, which have defined regulations/guidelines regarding their potential contribution to the national objectives of production and consumption of energy from renewable sources (EFR). Moreover, the present paper confronts such regulations with results found in literature. Several analyses have been done on the energy production from biomass based on technical and economic aspects of the problem. However, few studies have applied integrated approaches able to take into consideration crucial aspects such as biodiversity conservation and landscape fragmentation, as required by EU Directive 2009/28/CE, side by side with the economic and social dimensions. This paper aims at filling this gap proposing the application of an integrated framework of analysis, based on multi-criteria approaches able to take into consideration socio-economic, environmental and landscape criteria, as well as institutional and social conflicts linked to the biomass production.

A comprehensive review of constraints to improved management of fertilizers in China and mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture

Complex and inter-related factors explain the excessive use of fertilizer observed in many intensive farming systems in China, and hence act as barriers to development of a comprehensive policy and intervention framework for mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA). This review provides an original and contemporary synthesis of these factors that is broader, deeper and more inter-related than existing assessments. The analysis confirms that DWPA cannot be addressed by single regulatory or policy measures. There is a need to develop a mitigation framework that encompasses central policy directives, reform in governance at local level, an enabling regulatory environment, horizontal and vertical coordination in food supply chains, unbiased incentives for efficient fertilizer use and protection of water resources, enhanced agricultural, food safety and environmental education for farmers and consumers, and engagement of multiple actors beyond government

Hope, Politics and Risk: The Case of Chinese Dam in Nigeria

The rise of Chinese infrastructure investment in Africa has raised a set of questions about whose development agendas are being fulfilled by such projects, where the power lies in these negotiations, and how local communities are impacted by the projects. Current assumptions see China as holding the power in these relations and that its state-backed transnational corporations unilaterally get their way. This paper challenges these simplistic assumptions by examining the case of a ‘failed’ Chinese project - the Zamfara Dam in Northern Nigeria – and in doing so makes a case for the role of African political agency in brokering Chinese engagement. The dam project was initiated in 2008 between the Zamfara State government and the China Geo-Engineering Corporation; funding was supposed to come from the Chinese ExIm Bank. After the initial assessment and community consultations that spanned three years, the project failed to take off. Primary data is used to understand the process of failure and shows that the dam was initiated based on political expediency rather than the actual drive for development. It was brokered between the elites of China, Nigeria and Zamfara state and so failed to gain wider legitimacy and accountability. Also, in the drive to see the project initiated statutory shortcuts were taken. Critically, consultation was not broadbased even among the state government officials and the communities. The initiation of the project did not follow the laid down procedure of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. Given that largely political factors played a significant role in the failure of the project, it is suggested that motivation for and implementation of development projects of this nature should transcend political whims and caprices of politicians and ensuring more transparency and broad consultation

The political ecology of Chinese large dams in Cambodia: implications, challenges and lessons learnt from the Kamchay Dam

Given the opportunities offered by foreign investment in energy infrastructure mostly by Chinese firms, the Government of Cambodia is giving high priority to developing hydropower resources for reducing energy poverty and powering economic growth. Using a "Political ecology of the Asian drivers" framework, this paper assesses China's involvement in the development of large dams' in Cambodia and its impacts on the access of natural resources such as water and energy by dam builders, local communities and the government. This analysis is based on 61 interviews and 10 focus group discussions with affected communities, institutional actors, Chinese dam builders and financiers in relation to the first large Chinese dam built in Cambodia: the Kamchay dam. Based on the results of the analysis this paper makes recommendations on how to improve the planning, implementation and governance of future large dams in Cambodia

Beyond PES and REDD+: Costa Rica on the way to climate-smart landscape management?

Costa Rica has a strong international reputation for conservation and sustainable management of forests, including through its national payments for environmental services (PES) system and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). However, to be able to take those achievements to the next level, new approaches need to be developed that integrate agriculture and environmental politics, e.g., to foster climate-smart landscape management. This would be in line with the idea of a green transformation as a necessary contribution to bring human social-ecological action back within planetary boundaries. We start from a general conceptualization of a green transformation and its potential drivers, then analyze the basis and prospects for such developments by providing a review of the country’s forest politics, including a mapping of relevant stakeholders that have been influential in designing and implementing the national PES and REDD+ approaches. Based on original empirical analysis that was conducted throughout 2017, we further analyze recent institutional developments of setting up a cross-sectoral policy for agriculture and environment as part of a broader landscape management approach, including the opportunities and challenges that might arise with a view to realizing this idea on the ground

Integrating adaptive governance and participatory multicriteria methods: a framework for climate adaptation governance

Climate adaptation is a dynamic social and institutional process where the governance dimension is receiving growing attention. Adaptive governance is an approach that promises to reduce uncertainty by improving the knowledge base for decision making. As uncertainty is an inherent feature of climate adaptation, adaptive governance seems to be a promising approach for improving climate adaptation governance. However, the adaptive governance literature has so far paid little attention to decision-making tools and methods, and the literature on the governance of adaptation is in its infancy in this regard. We argue that climate adaptation governance would benefit from systematic and yet flexible decision-making tools and methods such as participatory multicriteria methods for the evaluation of adaptation options, and that these methods can be linked to key adaptive governance principles. Moving from these premises, we propose a framework that integrates key adaptive governance features into participatory multicriteria methods for the governance of climate adaptation

European large-scale farmland investments and the land-water-energy-food nexus

The escalating human demand for food, water, energy, fibres and minerals have resulted in increasing commercial pressures on land and water resources, which are partly reflected by the recent increase in transnational land investments. Studies have shown that many of the land-water issues associated with land acquisitions are directly related to the areas of energy and food production. This paper explores the land-water-energy-food nexus in relation to large-scale farmland investments pursued by investors from European countries. The analysis is based on a “resource assessment approach” which evaluates the linkages between land acquisitions for agricultural (including both energy and food production) and forestry purposes, and the availability of land and water in the target countries. To that end, the water appropriated by agricultural and forestry productions is quantitatively assessed and its impact on water resource availability is analysed. The analysis is meant to provide useful information to investors from EU countries and policy makers on aspects of resource acquisition, scarcity, and access to promote responsible land investments in the target countries

Chinese Overseas Hydropower Dams and Social Sustainability: The Bui Dam in Ghana and the Kamchay Dam in Cambodia

There is a shortage of empirical studies on the relationship between Chinese hydropower dams and social sustainability. Comparative research on Chinese-funded and Chinese-built hydropower projects is rare. This article aims to fill parts of this gap by discussing these issues in relation to Chinese overseas hydropower dams in Ghana (Bui Dam) and Cambodia (Kamchay Dam). Both projects are built by Sinohydro and financed by ExIm Bank. This article draws on in-depths interviews and focus group discussions with local communities affected by the dams, institutional actors in Ghana and Cambodia, Chinese actors, and dam builders. The article uses an environmental justice perspective as an analytical framework. The article concludes that the dam projects could improve their social sustainability framework in practice and theory; social benchmarking should be * Urban and Siciliano: Centre for Development, Environment and Policy (CeDEP), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 36 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom; Nordensvard: Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom; Li: Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia. Corresponding author: Nordensvard, email j.o.nordensvard@ soton.ac.uk. introduced and social policies need to be improved to be in line with international social standards on hydropower projects

Low-carbon energy, sustainable development and justice: towards a just energy transition for the society and the environment

Governments and civil society are increasingly aware that the decarbonization of energy systems needs to be aligned with justice principles of recognition, distribution, and process. This paper establishes a conceptual linkage between “sustainable development”, “low‐carbon energy transitions” and “energy justice” and examines social priorities to address peoples' competing priorities associated with low‐carbon energy interventions. By analyzing a renewable energy project in Vietnam as a case study, the paper shows that linking social priorities to energy justice provides a useful contribution for energy policy makers toward a better understanding of the multidimensional and complex aspects of low‐carbon energy transitions, and how different segments of society prioritize and perceive them for the achievement of socially just energy decisions

Mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture in England and China, and the scope for policy transfer

• To mitigate diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) in China, the right mix of complementary policy approaches is needed. • The public agricultural extension service is relatively well resourced and is the primary means available to mitigate DWPA. The extension service needs re-orientation and re-skilling to help farmers maintain and increase agricultural productivity whilst balancing this with environmental protection. A new ethos of input use efficiency and environmental stewardship of natural resources is needed, based on 2-way knowledge exchange with farmers. Four policies to achieve this are: 1. A ‘reference level’ of enforceable regulation for all large commercial farms is needed. This can be transposed from existing laws with appropriate variation by farming system and region. Intensive livestock units have the greatest potential to cause significant pollution and take first priority. Resources for monitoring and enforcement of regulation are limited, but as land transfer and farm consolidation continue in accord with local needs, regulations for use of manure and chemical fertiliser in arable systems can be developed for large farms. 2. For small farms monitoring and enforcement of regulations is difficult. Simple, locally well-adapted guidelines are needed. Adoption by farmers must be achieved through an accredited advisory and voluntary approach developed by the public agricultural extension service and its wider agricultural knowledge and innovation systems partners. 3. Targeted incentive payment schemes should be used strategically to protect water resources from DWPA in key locations. For example, payments for retirement, or low intensity use, of vulnerable land adjacent to watercourses or in aquifer recharge zones used for water supply. 4. To support these approaches more applied research is needed to build an accessible and comprehensive knowledgebase. This should span, for example, from methods for public participation, through design of regulation and incentive payments, to design and costing of farm best management practices and estimation of modelling coefficients empirically derived for conditions in China. • None of these approaches are completely absent from China and attempts at international policy transfer or ‘lesson-drawing’ must consider what can be better developed rather than what could commence. Innovation in farmer participation, advice provision, design of incentive schemes, data sharing and applied research are leading examples