Suchergebnisse

British Politics and Policy at LSE ran a series on Climate Change and Environmental Policy in 2012. This ecollection is a select sample of some of the most interesting posts from that series. Access to the full spectrum of articles on this theme is available online.

THIS ARTICLE CONSIDERS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE GROWING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU). MANY HAVE PRAISED RECENT EU MEASURES DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARGUE THAT SINCE MANY ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS TRANSCEND NATIONAL BORDERS, THE SOLUTIONS SHOULD AS WELL. OTHERS, HOWEVER, POINT TO THE ORIGINS OF THE UNION AND TO THE FACT THAT IT IS STILL AN ESSENTIALLY CAPITALIST CLUB BENT ON MAINTAINING FREE TRADE AND HEALTHY PROFITS. THEREFORE, ANY ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION IS SECONDARY TO THE PRIMARY GOAL OF CREATING WEALTH. THE FUTURE REMAINS AS UNCLEAR AS THE AIR OVER MUCH OF EUROPE.

If sustainability is our goal, social and environmental policy must be treated as one and the same field. Examples from Agriculture, Nutrition, Forestry, Urban Planning, Care Work, Tourism, and University Management show that such a paradigm shift is indicated, important, and timely. They also show that Environmental or Social Impact Assessments are no longer adequate. The new paradigm synthetically combines environmental and social policy. Not to do so leads to policy inefficiency and perverse effects. One policy domain may counteract or outright "sabotage" the other. To synthetically combine environmental and social policy calls for a trans-disciplinary perspective to include both policy fields and academic disciplines. This is well illustrated by the contributors in this book who represent numerous academic disciplines. They help professionals and students appreciate the centrality of trans-disciplinary thought and practice in working toward sustainability