Our energy (in) security

Energy issues have long been at the heart of human security concerns. At one level, we humans have always needed food energy and heat energy to survive and thrive. Yet, with the industrial revolution and our discoveries of the tremendous utility of fossils fuels like coal and oil, the security concerns related to human energy demands have expanded dramatically as our demand for energy accelerated rapidly. My proposed Discovery Dialogue essay begins by noting the eternal human need for energy supplies of various kinds. It then focuses attention on the contemporary links between energy and security at three levels of political scale: global, national and local

Environmental Management Systems for Public Sector

International interests in improving environmental management practices in both the public and private sector have increased. Many surveys relating to environmental management systems (EMS) in particular have been conducted, but these have focused primarily on the private sector, especially in manufacturing. While the surveys and questionnaires explain the standard itself and how to implement EMS, no comparative analysis have been made that exceed specific economic region and/ or country. This paper focuses on the public sector. The objective is to assess the social meaning of EMS for the public sector. The information presented in this paper is comprised of an empirical survey in Japan as compare to the EU and United States. It includes environmental reports, government material and field survey information. Public sectors with EMS in these regions not only succeed in controlling environmental impact (including daily activity, public works and procurement), but may improve the sustainability of the production and consumption behavior of other economic sector by applying EMS in their policy. These activities may serve as a model for other regions.

Transnational municipal networks and climate change adaptation : A study of 377 cities

Cities have increasingly recognised the risks posed by climate change and the need to adapt. To support climate action, cities have formed cooperative networks such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the Global Covenant of Mayors and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. However, a lack of scientific evidence exists when it comes to the actual impact of network participation, especially in the context of adaptation. This study is the first to test statistically the association between network membership and progress in adaptation planning in 377 cities globally. The results show that network members are more likely to have started the adaptation process than other cities, and that being a member of multiple networks is associated with higher levels of adaptation planning. Moreover, cities in wealthier countries are more likely to be more advanced in adaptation planning than others. We consider the possible explanations for these results based on the previous literature and information gathered from the networks. The main implications of our study are that network organisations should consider how to encourage the adaptation process among their members and the increased involvement of cities from lower-income countries.Peer reviewe

The fall and rise of the green economy

It is five years since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and its knock-on effects are still playing out in ways that are likely to have longer-term implications than those purely financial in nature; namely, its impact on the green agendas of governments and industries and the brake it has placed on an emerging green economy. The green economy has been identified as the next major long wave of structural economic and socio-technical change at a global level (see key reference list at end of article). It can be expected to exert a more significant triple bottom line impact than that of the information economy, the last major post-industrial societal transition whose emergence accelerated through the latter half of the 20th century and continues to exert transformational change today via its links with new media and communications, the knowledge economy and the creative economy. The drivers of a green economy are different but equally powerful and go to the heart of global sustainability in the 21st century: averting highly disruptive climate change, living within the finite resource limits of the planet, avoiding the environmental degradation currently associated with industrial and urban development, and supporting a projected nine billion population

A quiet revolution: City governments tackle global warming

While Australia\u27s federal and state leaders have been stuck discussing the introduction of the emissions trading scheme, some of our local governments have been trying to do something about the impact of human activity on global warming. But will climate change policies developed by city governments be worthwhile? Or will it be negated by the actions -- or inactions -- of the other levels of government

Multi-level tensions in transport policy and planning : bus-rapid transit (BRT) in Indonesia : a dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Planning at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

International development agencies, supporting climate change sensitive transport policies in Low-Income Asian (LIA) cities, promote Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). However, these policies create tensions at the local level. Using a multi-level governance lens (MLG), this research examines the relations between and distribution of power among actors in BRT investment decisions in the two medium-sized Indonesian cities of Bandung and Surabaya. Analysis of policy and planning documents, and interviews with key stakeholders at central, provincial and city government levels highlighted financialinstitutional, socio-political and discursive tensions at multiple levels in BRT projects in these cities. The financial-institutional tensions resulted from city government funding dependency on central government and international development agencies that promoted BRT projects as low-cost ‘green’ solutions to traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Their “Go-green” campaign made it possible for Bandung and Surabaya governments to privilege BRT over traditional minibuses (angkot) and regular bus modes. The BRT projects were advanced through the low-cost, environmentally friendly and modern public transport discourses that did not get attention due to the absence of sitespecific narrative. Open communication and proactive public participation were also missing when undertaking BRT projects in Bandung and Surabaya so that the projects were opposed by social and political actors in both cities. As a result, national and provincial policies were modified in Bandung limiting BRT to two peri-urban corridors that do not meet local needs. In contrast, Surabaya accepted a BRT project, but then turned it down due to political and social pressure that developed during the process. This research identified the importance horizontal and vertical relationships in the BRT projects’ planning and implementation. While vertical alignment is important for translating national transport policy to local transport planning, horizontal integration and communication is crucial for transport project implementation. The mismatch between horizontal and vertical actors resulted in delays and ultimately rejection of BRT project in Surabaya and distortion of the BRT project in Bandung. This research identifies a need for integrated policy packages to help develop site-specific BRT projects for LIA cities. The evidence suggests a refinement for MLG theory in the context of LIA countries by taking into account the role of power and communication within the emerging economic, social and political pressures at the local level and the need to take into account the vital role of individual actors, institutions and planning process as they respond to and shape policies imposed by higher levels. It also identifies the important role of international level non-government organisations play in setting, or at least, influencing national and local policy agenda

Implementacja zrównoważonego rozwoju w miastach azjatyckich

The article’s purpose is to present issues of implementation of sustainable development on the example of the concept of eco-city and its implementation in a Asian space of city. Among a examples of issues discussed in article are: from the theoretical site - analyze the concept of eco-city and guidelines for eco-city development based on the concept of sustainability, and from the practical site - stages of implementation of sustainable development in cities and above all overview of concrete examples of projects eco-cities in Asia, including in the United Arab Emirates, China and Japan