Conference on the Forty Years of Environmental Protection in China (3-5 Jan 2013)

Conference on the Forty Years of Environmental Protection in China

Date: 3-5 Jan 2013

Venue: The Chinese University of Hong Kong 

Link for more information and enrollment:
http://www.grm.cuhk.edu.hk/eng/news/confnews/iees/index.html

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New Book: Environmental Governance in Europe and Asia: A Comparative Study of Institutional and Legislative Frameworks By Jona Razzaque

Environmental Governance in Europe and Asia

A Comparative Study of Institutional and Legislative Frameworks

By Jona Razzaque

Published 12th November 2012 by Routledge – 152 pages

Description:

This book looks at environmental governance in both Asia and Europe and offers a comparative analysis of the two regions in order to provide a better understanding of the concept of ‘environmental governance’ and its status in Europe and Asia. The book assesses the legislative, institutional and participatory mechanisms which affect the overall development of environmental governance, and analyses current issues, concerns and strategies in respect of environmental governance at the local, national, and international levels. The rapid changes in economic, social and political life have had an enormous impact on Asia’s ecosystems and resources. Asian countries, in the name of economic development, are following the same environmentally destructive path their European counterparts followed in the past. The key to the environmental future of these two regions lies in the evolution of the character of governance - the ensemble of social ethics, public policies and institutions which structure how state actors and the civil society interact with the environment.

This book will be valuable to scholars and students of environmental politics, EU and Asian studies, public policy, environmental law, and to decision makers and policy analysts.

Content:

Introduction 

1. Understanding environmental governance: the international and national dynamics 

2. Environmental Governance in Europe and Asia: models and approaches 

3. Participatory Environmental Governance in Europe and Asia 

4. Regulating Bio-energy: is it business as usual? 

5. Groundwater Management in Europe and Asia

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415496544/

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New Book: Climate Change, Forests and REDD Lessons for Institutional Design Edited by Joyeeta Gupta, Nicolien van der Grijp, Onno Kuik

Climate Change, Forests and REDD

Lessons for Institutional Design

Edited by Joyeeta Gupta, Nicolien van der Grijp, Onno Kuik

Published 29th November 2012 by Routledge – 288 pages

Description:

A search for new methods for dealing with climate change led to the identification of forest maintenance as a potential policy option that could cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the development of measures for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). This book explores how an analysis of past forest governance patterns from the global through to the local level, can help us to build institutions which more effectively deal with forests within the climate change regime. The book assesses the options for reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries under the international climate regime, as well as the incentives flowing from them at the national and sub national level and examines how these policy levers change human behaviour and interface with the drivers and pressures of land use change in tropical forests. The book considers the trade-offs between certain forestry related policies within the current climate regime and the larger goal of sustainable forestry.

Based on an assessment of existing multi-level institutional forestry arrangements, the book questions how policy frameworks can be better designed in order to effectively and equitably govern the challenges of deforestation and land degradation under the global climate change regime. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Law and Environmental Studies.

Content:

1. Climate change and Forests: From the Noordwijk Declaration to REDD, Joyeeta Gupta, Robin Mathews, Peter Minang, Meine van Noordwijk and Nicolien van der Grijp 

2. The Forest Transition, The Drivers of Deforestation and Governance Approaches, Joyeeta Gupta, Hyeyoung Shin, Robin Matthews, Patrick Meyfroidt and Onno Kuik 

3.Global Forest Governance, Constanze Haug and Joyeeta Gupta 

4. The Emergence of REDD on the Global Policy Agenda, Joyeeta Gupta, Constanze Haug 

5. Case Studey: Vietnam, Léa Bigot, Nicolien van der Grijp, Joyeeta Gupta, Vu Tan Phuong 

6. Case Study: Indonesia, Mairon Bastos Lima, Joyeeta Gupta, Nicolien van der Grijp, and Fahmuddin Agus 

7. Case Study: Cameroon,Jonathan Y.B. Kuiper, Nicolien van der Grijp, Joyeeta Gupta, Channah Betgen 

8. Case Study: Peru, Felix von Blücher, Nicolien van der Grijp, Joyeeta Gupta and Patricia Santa Maria 

9.Comparative Analysis of Vietnam, Indonesia, Cameroon and Peru, Joyeeta Gupta, Nicolien van der Grijp, Lea Bigot, Mairon Bastos Lima, Jonathan Y.B. Kuiper and Felix von Blücher 

10. REDD Policies, Global Food, Fiber and Timber Markets and 'Leakage', Onno Kuik 

11. The Future of Forests, Joyeeta Gupta, Robin Matthews, Patrick Meyfroidt, Constanze Haug, Onno Kuik and Nicolien van der Grijp

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415526999/

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New Book: Frontiers of Energy and Environmental Engineering Edited by Wen-Pei Sung, Jimmy C.M. Kao, Ran Chen

Frontiers of Energy and Environmental Engineering

Edited by Wen-Pei Sung, Jimmy C.M. Kao, Ran Chen

Published 23rd November 2012 by CRC Press – 872 pages

Description:

Frontiers of Energy and Environmental Engineering brings together 192 peer-reviewed papers presented at the 2012 International Conference on Frontiers of Energy and Environment Engineering, held in Hong Kong, December 11-13, 2012. The aim of the conference was to provide a platform for researchers, engineers and academics as well as industry professionals from all over the world to present their activities in the field of energy and environmental engineering as well as share research results.

This proceedings volume promotes the development of the field of energy and environmental engineering, strengthening international academic cooperation and intercommunication, and encouraging the fruitful exchange of research ideas and results. The book provides a broad overview of the latest advances made in the field of energy and environmental engineering. Topics covered include energy efficiency and energy management, energy exploration and exploitation, power generation technologies, water pollution and protection, air pollution and protection and environmental engineering and management among others.

This volume will be of interest to a global audience consisting of academic researchers, industry professionals and policy-makers active in the wide field of energy and environmental engineering.

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415661591/

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New Book: Governing International Watercourses: River Basin Organizations and the sustainable governance of internationally shared rivers and lakes By Susanne Schmeier

Governing International Watercourses

River Basin Organizations and the sustainable governance of internationally shared rivers and lakes

By Susanne Schmeier

Published 5th December 2012 by Routledge – 368 pages

Description:

This book focuses on River Basin Organizations as the key institutions for managing internationally shared water resources. This includes a comparative analysis of all River Basin Organizations worldwide and three in-depth case studies from three different continents. The detailed case studies are the Senegal (West Africa), Mekong (South-east Asia) and Danube (Europe) rivers.

The book contributes to the academic debate on how shared natural and environmental resources can be managed in a sustainable way and which institutional and legal mechanisms actually matter for doing so. It adopts the neo-institutionalist approach, according to which international environmental institutions do make a difference. The analysis not only confirms this argument for the specific case of shared water resources, but also refines existing hypotheses on the influence of different independent variables, namely the nature of the collective action problem, the constellation of actors and the institutional design of an international environmental institution.

The work also contributes to the policy debate on how to better govern internationally shared natural resources and the environment. It provides policy makers with advice on which exogenous conditions to be aware of when managing water resources they share with co-riparians and which institutional design features and governance mechanisms to set up in order to increase effectiveness in management.

Content:

1. Introduction – Governing International Watercourses Effectively 

Part 1:
2. Building a Theory of River Basin Governance Effectiveness 

Part 2:
3. River Basin Organizations Around the World

Part 3:
4. The Mekong River Commission – Continuous Cooperation in Spite of Adverse Conditions
5. The Danube River Basin and the ICPDR – Strong Achievements by a Narrow Institution
6. The Senegal River Basin and the Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal (OMVS) – Benign Conditions, Deficient Effectiveness
7. Conclusion Annexes. References. Index.

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415623582/

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New Book: Globalization, Political Institutions and the Environment in Developing Countries By Gabriele Spilker

Globalization, Political Institutions and the Environment in Developing Countries

By Gabriele Spilker

Published 8th December 2012 by Routledge – 162 pages

Description:

Though industrialized countries are usually the ones indicted when environmental pollution is discussed, over the few last years the rate of emissions in developing countries has increased by a startling amount. The fallout from this increase is evidenced by the struggle of cities like Beijing to improve their air quality. Yet there also exist developing countries such as Thailand that have managed to limit their emissions to more tolerable levels, raising the question: why are some developing countries more willing or able to take care of their environment than others?

In this volume, Gabriele Spilker proposes two factors for the differences in developing countries’ environmental performance: integration into the international system and domestic political institutions. Focusing on developing countries generally but also closely examining important global powers such as China and India, Spilker employs a rigorous quantitative analysis to demonstrate the importance of considering various aspects of the international system, in order to draw more comprehensive conclusions about how globalization affects environmental performance. She asserts that democratic political institutions can shield developing countries from the negative consequences of either trade or foreign direct investment. But at the same time, developing countries, by avoiding demanding commitments, are more likely to use environmental treaties as a cover than as a real plan of action.

Adding a new dimension to the existing body of research on environmental quality and commitment, Spilker convincingly demonstrates how international and domestic political factors interact to shape developing countries’ ability and willingness to care for their natural environment.

Content:

1: Introduction.
2: What is Driving Environmental Quality? Domestic versus International Integration.
3: Disentangling the Effect of IO Membership.
4: Joint Effects of Economic Globalization and Political Institutions on Environmental Quality in Developing Countries.
5: What is Driving Environmental Commitment? Domestic versus International Integration.
6: Treaty Design and Environmental Commitment.
7: Environmental Performance in China and India.
8: Conclusion.

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415638494/

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New book: Eco-Innovation and Sustainability Management By Bart Bossink

Eco-Innovation and Sustainability Management

By Bart Bossink

Published 18th December 2012 by Routledge – 182 pages

Description:

Sustainability is a phenomenon that must be pursued in a complex system of interrelated elements of business, society, and ecology. It is important to gain an understanding of these elements, the interplay between them, and the behavior of the system. This book explores the business-societal-and-ecological system in which sustainable innovation has to be envisioned, conceptualized, realized, and improved. Author Bart Bossink offers insight into the systematic coherence of drivers of eco-innovation and sustainability utilizing a three-part approach: (1) eco- and sustainable innovation in business is based on ideas and people who cooperatively develop these ideas; (2) groups of people, organized in commercial firms, must realize these ideas cooperatively and create the innovations that can conquer the market; and (3) that people from governmental, non-governmental, not-for-profit, research, and commercial organizations can build institutional arrangements that stimulate these sustainable innovations, changing both industry and society.

Adopting a managerial perspective and discussing concepts and methods to manage eco-innovation in business, this book highlights the interrelated roles of the individual, the firm, partnerships, and business environments. Researchers and practitioners who want to combine a commercial and economical approach with an ethical and social ambition to create an ecologically sustainable firm stand to learn much from these pages.

Content:

1. Eco-innovation and Sustainability
2. Co-ideation by Leaders
3. Co-ideation by Entrepreneurs
4. Co-ideation by Champions
5. Co-innovation in Teams
6. Co-innovation in Projects
7. Co-innovation in Businesses
8. Co-innovation in Public Private Partnerships
9. Co-institutionalization by Market and Society
10. Co-institutionalization by Knowledge and Technology
11. Co-institutionalization by Policy and Regulation
12. Eco-innovation and Sustainability Management

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415818728/

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New book: Ecological Economics from the Ground Up, Edited by Hali Healy, Joan Martínez-Alier, Leah Temper, Mariana Walter, Julien-François Gerber

Ecological Economics from the Ground Up

Edited by Hali Healy, Joan Martínez-Alier, Leah Temper, Mariana Walter, Julien-François Gerber

Published 19th December 2012 by Routledge – 568 pages

Description:

Ecological Economics from the Ground Up takes a unique and much-needed bottom-up approach to teaching ecological economics and political ecology, using case studies that focus on a wide range of internationally relevant topics, to teach the principles, concepts, methods and tools of these fields, which are seen as increasingly important in the context of the current triple social, economic and environmental crisis.

This book provides learning materials which are grounded in the experience of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), with case studies chosen by CSOs and developed collaboratively with leading ecological economists. The case studies come from Europe, India, Latin America, and Africa, and are presented thematically along three lines: 1) social metabolism and accounting methods, 2) institutions and participation, and 3) valuation and environmental policy tools. Core tools, concepts and glossary terms are embedded in topics chosen as a matter of urgency by activist organizations, related to mining and fossil fuel extraction, integrated transport infrastructure development, deforestation and agro-fuel production, sustainable tourism, waste management, wetlands and water management, payments for ecosystem services, natural disasters and hazards, and corporate accountability.

Ecological Economics from the Ground Up has been designed to be an accessible learning aid for students of the sustainability sciences and for those CSOs that have recognised the value that ecological economics and political ecology tools and methods hold for their research and advocacy work.

Content:

Preface Introduction 

Part I: Social Metabolism
1. Aid, Social Metabolism and Social Conflict in the Nicobar Islands
2. The Mining Enclave of the Cordillera del Condor
3. The Manta-Manaus Project
4. High Speed Transport Infrastructure in Italy
5. Life and livelihood in Kenya’s Tana Delta
6. South Africa’s Minerals-Energy Complex 

Part II: Participation and Institutions
7. Local Governance and Environment Investments in Hiware Bazar, India
8. Participatory Forest Management in Mendha Lekha, India
9. Forestry and Communities in Cameroon
10. The Waste Crisis in Campania, Italy
11. The Sedentarization of Tibetan Nomads 

Part III: Valuation and Environmental Policy
12. Nautical Tourism Development in the Lastovo Islands Nature Park
13. Local Communities and Management of the Djerdap Protected Area in Serbia
14. Payments for Ecosystem Services in India from the Bottom-Up
15. The Potential of Redd and Legal Reserve Compensation in Mato Grosso, Brazil
16. Environmental Justice and Ecological Debt in Belgium
17. Multidimensional valuation for socio-ecological conflict analysis in Costa Rica
18. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
19. Conclusion

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781849713993/

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New book: Environmental Commodities Markets and Emissions Trading --- Towards a Low-Carbon Future by Blas Luis Pérez Henríquez

Environmental Commodities Markets and Emissions Trading

Towards a Low-Carbon Future

By Blas Luis Pérez Henríquez

Published 20th December 2012 by RFF Press – 296 pages

Description:

Market-based solutions to environmental problems offer great promise, but require complex public policies that take into account the many institutional factors necessary for the market to work and that guard against the social forces that can derail good public policies. Using insights about markets from the new institutional economics, this book sheds light on the institutional history of the emissions trading concept as it has evolved across different contexts. It makes accessible the policy design and practical implementation aspects of a key tool for fighting climate change: emissions trading systems (ETS) for environmental control.

Blas Luis Pérez Henríquez analyzes past market-based environmental programs to extract lessons for the future of ETS. He follows the development of the emissions trading concept as it evolved in the United States and was later applied in the multinational European Emissions Trading System and in sub-national programs in the United States such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and California’s ETS. This ex-post evaluation of an ETS as it evolves in real time in the real world provides a valuable supplement to what is already known from theoretical arguments and simulation studies about the advantages and disadvantages of the market strategy.

Political cycles and political debate over the use of markets for environmental control make any form of climate policy extremely contentious. Pérez Henríquez argues that, despite ideological disagreements, the ETS approach, or, more popularly, 'cap-and-trade' policy design, remains the best hope for a cost-effective policy to reduce GHG emissions around the world.

Content:

1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Foundations
3. Creating Efficient Environmental Commodities Markets
4. The First Generation of Air Pollution Trading Systems
5. State-of-the-Art Market-Based Environmental Policy
6. Local Market-Based Environmental Policy
7. Interstate Market-Based Environmental Policy
8. International Market-Based Environmental Policy

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781617260957/

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New book: Architectural Theories of the Environment --- Posthuman Territory edited by Ariane Lourie Harrison

Architectural Theories of the Environment

Posthuman Territory

Edited by Ariane Lourie Harrison

Published 3rd December 2012 by Routledge – 336 pages

Description:

As architects and designers, we struggle to reconcile ever increasing environmental, humanitarian, and technological demands placed on our projects. Our new geological era, the Anthropocene, marks humans as the largest environmental force on the planet and suggests that conventional anthropocentric a

pproaches to design must accommodate a more complex understanding of the interrelationship between architecture and environment

Here, for the first time, editor Ariane Lourie Harrison collects the essays of architects, theorists, and sustainable designers that together provide a framework for a posthuman understanding of the design environment. An introductory essay defines the key terms, concepts, and precedents for a posthuman approach to architecture, and nine fully illustrated case studies of buildings from around the globe demonstrate how issues raised in posthuman theory provide rich terrain for contemporary architecture, making theory concrete. By assembling a range of voices across different fields, from urban geography to critical theory to design practitioners, this anthology offers a resource for design professionals, educators, and students seeking to grapple the ecological mandate of our current period.

Case studies include work by Arakawa and Gins, Arons en Gelauff, Casagrande, The Living, Minifie van Schaik, R & Sie (n), SCAPE, Studio Gang, and xDesign.

Essayists include Gilles Clément, Matthew Gandy, Francesco Gonzáles de Canales, Elizabeth Grosz, Simon Guy, Seth Harrison, N. Katherine Hayles, Ursula Heise, Catherine Ingraham, Bruno Latour, William J. Mitchell, Matteo Pasquinelli, Erik Swyngedouw, Sarah Whatmore, Jennifer Wolch, Cary Wolfe, and Albena Yaneva

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415506199/

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New book: Green Buildings Pay --- Design, Productivity and Ecology, 3rd Edition by Brian Edwards, Emanuele Naboni

Green Buildings Pay

Design, Productivity and Ecology, 3rd Edition

By Brian Edwards, Emanuele Naboni

Published 30th November 2012 by Routledge – 296 pages

Description

This third edition of Green Buildings Pay presents new evidence and new arguments concerning the institutional and business case that can be made for green design. The green argument has moved a long way forward since the previous edition, and this fully updated book addresses the key issues faced by architect, engineer and client today.

Green Buildings Pay: Design, Productivity and Ecology examines, through a range of detailed case studies, how different approaches to green design can produce more sustainable patterns of development. These cases are examined from three main perspectives: that of the architect, the client and the user. Completely revised with all new chapters, cases, sections and introductory material the third edition presents:

• over 20 new researched case studies drawn from the UK, Europe and the USA, written in collaboration with the architects, engineers, clients and user groups
• examples of office and educational buildings of high sustainable and high architectural quality
• an exploration of the architectural innovations that have been driven by environmental thinking, such as the new approaches to the design of building facades, roofs, and atria
• cases which demonstrate current practice in the area of energy/eco-retrofits of existing buildings
• documentation of the benefit impact assessment schemes such as LEED and BREEAM have had upon client expectations and on design approaches over the past decade
• beautiful full color illustrations throughout.

In the fast evolving arena of green building, the book shows how architects are reshaping their practices to deal with ever more demanding energy standards and better informed users and corporate clients.

Content
Acknowledgements Foreword Preface Brian Carter Introduction Part 1: The Greening of the Property Industry 1. How Do Green Buildings Pay? Part 2: The Greening of Architectural Practice 2. Designing Green Buildings 3. Research and Development for Green Buildings 4. Green Building Design and the Changing Property Industry Part 3: Case Studies 5. The USA and Canadian Cases 6. The UK Cases 7. Green Office Refurbishments 8. The Danish Office Cases Part 4: Educational Buildings 9. Sustainability and Education Part 5: Green Projects in Emerging Economies 10. Green Offices in Emerging Economies Part 6: Conclusions 11. The Value of 'Green’ to Business and Education


For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415685351/

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Japanese updates: International Collaboration Towards Sustainable Resource Circulation And Management

International Collaboration Towards Sustainable Resource Circulation And Management

Author: Hotta, Yasuhiko|2012/12|In Conference: Resource Efficiency for a Green Economy – Towards Pioneering Actions in Japan and Germany, December 3, 2012.|Publisher: JDZB(Berlin)

Language: English|Publication Type: Presentations|Copyright: IGES

Keywords:

3R, RESOURCE CIRCULATION, RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

Geographic area:

Japan

URL:

http://www.jdzb.de/index.php?option=com_events&task=eventDetails&cat_id=1&Itemid=3&cid=245

Webpage source: http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/view.php?docid=4219

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Japanese updates: Japan's Bilateral Carbon Finance: A New Opporunity For India (Nov 2012)

Japan's Bilateral Carbon Finance: A New Opporunity For India

Author: Usui, Kenta|2012/12|In Sustainability Outlook, Nov. 22, 2012.|Publisher: Sustainability Outlook

Language: English|Publication Type: Non peer reviewed articles|Copyright: Sustainability Outlook

Japan is promoting low-carbon technologies in developing countries through its bilateral carbon finance scheme. The scheme can revive India’s green businesses facing record-low carbon price in the global market.

India is a vast country with a population of 12 billion, but with limited endowments in fossil fuels. Hence India has been very active to promote energy efficiency and develop renewable energies from an early stage.  In the past decade, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), operated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been one of the key drivers to promote and finance energy efficiency and renewable energies. As of November 2012, 932 CDM projects have been registered in India, among which 695 are renewable energy projects and 83 are energy efficiency projects (IGES 2012).

Geographic area:

India

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File name	Size
201212kenta_ushui_sustainability_outlook_4218.pdf	618 KB

URL:

http://www.sustainabilityoutlook.in/content/japan%E2%80%99s-bilateral-carbon-finance-new-opportunity-india

webpage source: http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/view.php?docid=4218

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