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World Economic and Social Survey 2013: Sustainable development challenges
Posted on: 3 July 2013
By: mackene
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The Survey, produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), examines three key challenges to sustainable development, namely, sustainable cities, food and nutrition security and energy transformation. These were also among the main focuses of the historic UN Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Brazil last year and known as Rio+20. According to the Survey, the vision of promoting economic and social wellbeing while protecting the environment has not been achieved due to rising inequality, gaps and shortfalls in development partnerships, rapid population growth, climate change and environmental degradation. This document contains an extensive bibliography.
National environmental performance on planetary boundaries
Posted on: 28 June 2013
By: mackene
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This report examines whether and how the planetary boundaries framework offers tools and perspectives on how to work with the two-way interaction between Swedish and global environmental pressures and performance described above. The planetary boundaries concept was presented in 2009 and provides a novel synthesis of the most pertinent global environmental challenges by analysing the risk of crossing critical thresholds in the behaviour of the Earth system’s processes. The report claims to provide a first attempt to develop a methodology for downscaling planetary boundaries to nationally relevant ones.
Embedding sustainable development: an update
Posted on: 27 June 2013
By: mackene
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The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has produced a report which followed up on new systems introduced by the Government to embed sustainable development in policy-making and operational performance, since the Committee published two reports in this area in January and May 2011. This covers Defra/Cabinet Office scrutiny of departments Business Plans, the development of new ‘SD Indicators’, new ‘Greening Government Commitment’ targets for departments and new guidance on policy evaluation.
Outcomes of the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit
Posted on: 27 June 2013
By: mackene
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The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee examined the Government’s role at the UN Rio+20 Summit, and looked ahead to focus particularly on what actions and strategies the Government should follow. That included work on the Sustainable Development Goals and where more needs to be done to match Government policies and initiatives to the commitments and calls-for-action made at the Summit.
The Green Investment Report: The ways and means to unlock private finance for green growth
Posted on: 14 June 2013
By: mackene
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This report is a first step by the Green Growth Action Alliance to deliver on the G20 Leaders’ request. It aims to provide a common point of reference to guide policy-makers, financial institutions and investors as they seek to better understand, and address, the global gap in green investment. This report documents and synthesizes the best available green investment data, research and case studies from a number of leading organizations, including Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the Climate Policy Initiative, the International Energy Agency, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank Group and the World Resources Institute, and provides important messages for different groups of stakeholders. New analysis is also presented on clean-energy asset finance flows, the findings of which can be used to guide investment decisions and priorities in other sectors.
Sustainable Cities 2013
Posted on: 12 June 2013
By: mackene
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Climate Action has unveiled the much anticipated second edition of Sustainable Cities; the essential title for the sustainable urban development community. The first edition of Sustainable Cities was released at the RIO+20 Earth Summit in June 2012 and the current edition will be presented at the key sustainability conferences and events this year. This issue includes a focus on northern European cities.
Transitioning to resilience and sustainability in urban communities
Posted on: 7 June 2013
By: mackene
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Adapting to the challenges of rapid urban growth and societal change will require mechanisms for efficient transitioning to an embedded resilience. This has become central to the exploration of methods for achieving truly sustainable urban growth. However, while transitioning and resilience are useful descriptors, they can be abstract or conflicting ideals and their meanings obscured by a lack of concrete examples, both being barriers to many planning objectives. In this paper, the authors hold a lens over key issues in transitioning to resilience in urban areas by outlining emerging challenges that may offer directions towards operationalising how cities might transition to a more resilient future, while ensuring that communities are at the center of the process. The emerging and challenging areas – geospatial ICT, green infrastructure planning, novel design using collaborative responses, climate planning, limiting urban sprawl and short-circuit economic approaches – are explored as viable facets for devising and sustaining urban transition strategies. We conclude with a discussion on the need for developing a synergistic approach in practice to facilitate transition.
Stockholm: Green Economy Leader Report
Posted on: 4 June 2013
By: mackene
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This report, produced in partnership by the LSE with the City of Stockholm, shows that Stockholm took early action to build a green economy – unlike most cities, environmental policies have been important to Stockholm for over 40 years. At the same time, early infrastructure investment such as building the city’s metro system in the 1950s, and development of district heating following the 1970s oil shocks has helped to build today’s lower carbon economy. Featuring a wealth of new research findings, the report shows how Stockholm benefits from a low-carbon energy system, a relatively compact centre with good public transport and an innovation-led economy for developing smart city solutions and export markets of the future. The report also examines the challenges that Stockholm faces in maintaining its position as a green economy leader internationally.
Urbanisation and green growth in China
Posted on: 4 June 2013
By: mackene
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This working paper assesses national policy and governance mechanisms that can influence green growth in Chinese cities. It applies the OECD conceptual framework for urban green growth to examine the potential challenges and opportunities for increasing economic growth through reducing the environmental impact of urban land use, transport and buildings; through improving water and air quality; and through fostering supply and demand of green products and services. The paper first situates the issue of green growth within the nexus of urbanisation and environmental challenges now facing China. This is followed by a review of environmental and quality of life challenges posed by rapid urbanisation. Opportunities for national policies to influence green growth in four key urban policy sectors are then examined. The paper concludes with an assessment of governance challenges and considers potential changes to facilitate economic growth while reducing the environmental impact of cities.
Re-framing sustainable development: A critical analysis
Posted on: 29 May 2013
By: mackene
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This report by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM argues that the current emphasis on an integrated consideration of environmental, social and economic components of sustainability is undermined by poor decision making, weak governance and institutional frameworks. The report proposes that the concept of sustainability be reframed to focus more explicitly on the environmental dimension within culturally sympathetic contexts.
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