Suchergebnisse

Environmental mainstreaming (EM) is a policy instrument to integrate environmental risks and opportunities into planning and implementation. A body of knowledge exists on identifying barriers for EM at the national level. This paper identifies contributions of regional institutions for improving capacities for EM at the national level, using the Caribbean region as a case study. The methodology adopted combines in-depth interviews with senior policy-makers and participatory workshops for medium- and junior-level staff of government agencies. Four barriers for EM are analyzed with specific roles for regional agencies, including weak leadership, insufficient science–policy linkages, deficits in quantity and quality of human resources, and institutional aspects. Research findings identify regional leadership as crucial to supporting the science–policy interface, to share data and knowledge across countries facing similar challenges, to provide assistance with national policy development for EM involving transboundary issues, and to ensure cross-sectoral perspectives in regional initiatives, especially those on economic development.

The research project 'Measuring sustainable development (SD) in Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs)' was initiated by the NAMA Partnership Working Group on Sustainable Development (WG-SD). The aim of the research project is to improve quantitative and qualitative measurement of the SD outcomes of NAMAs, thereby enhancing understanding of how NAMAs can contribute to meeting national development goals. The UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP), in collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have jointly carried out the research. The link between NAMAs and SD is crucial for developing countries, and although work is underway on this topic, it is still in its early stages.1 The Bali Action Plan agreed under the UNFCCC in 2007 agreed that enhanced action on mitigation would include NAMAs by developing country parties in the context of SD. However, the question of how SD impacts are to be integrated into NAMA processes remains open, as do questions regarding which impacts should be assessed and how they should be measured. A substantial body of research and best practices exist regarding how SD considerations have been integrated into the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), such as the Executive Board CDM SD Tool launched in 2014 and the Gold Standard (GS) certification of SD benefits in mitigation projects, which can inform NAMA SD assessments. The global and flexible approach to the selection of SD criteria and indicators found in these standards are common to all types of mitigation actions, but they may not be directly suited to NAMAs, since globally defined standards may not be in the interests of the implementing host countries. NAMAs are much broader than the project-based CDM, potentially involving policy and sectoral actions, and may require additional or different SD assessment tools. In this context, the objective of the report is to develop a framework with criteria and indicators for the assessment of the SD impacts of NAMAs, based on a review of the literature on sustainability assessment tools and approaches, and a study of the different stakeholder perspectives among developing country governments, support agencies, the private sector and civil-society organisations.

This volume uses a theoretical framework that centers on norm evolution and change to study norms that underpin some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its chapters are written by authors with diverse backgrounds and in-depth knowledge of different areas of sustainable development.

Towards Sustainable Well-Being examines existing efforts and emerging possibilities to improve upon gross domestic product as the dominant indicator of economic and social performance. Contributions from leading international and Canadian researchers in the field of beyond-GDP measurement offer a rich range of perspectives on alternative ways to measure well-being and sustainability, along with lessons from around the world on how to bring those metrics into the policy process. Key topics include the policy and political impacts of major beyond-GDP measurement initiatives; the most promising possibilities and policy applications for beyond-GDP measurement; key barriers to introducing beyond-GDP metrics; and complementary measures to ensure new measurements are not merely calculated but taken into account in policymaking. The book highlights a distinction between a reformist beyond-GDP vision, which seeks to improve policymaking and quality of life within existing political and economic institutions, and a transformative vision aiming for more fundamental change including a move beyond economic growth. Illustrating the many advances that have occurred in Canada and internationally, Towards Sustainable Well-Being proposes next steps for both the reformist and transformative visions, as well as possible common ground between them in the pursuit of sustainable well-being