International discussion of environmental management is essential not only because of the international nature of the problems concerned but also to enable workers in one country to benefit from the experience gained in another. This symposium provided an international forum at which to discuss the role of local and regional governments in environmental management. The success of future policies will depend, to a large extent, on the readiness of such local bodies to initiate, co-operate, co-ordinate and implement in this field. The book includes key papers by leading experts from Europe and the USA. Papers are grouped into three main areas: environmental requirements from various participants in the process; policy and practice; new demands on administration and management --- organisational, financial and managerial consequences. Also included are five short papers and the reports of three discussion groups.

This report, entitled "Climate change and local, regional and devolved government", (HCP 225, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215522122) sets out 22 conclusions and recommendations, including: that Central Government has a duty to co-ordinate how different spheres of government interact and integrate in regard of action on climate change; overcoming barriers to progress on climate change is essential and the Government must look at incentives and encouragements it can offer to local, regional and devolved government; all local authorities should be obliged to include climate change indicators in their Local Area Agreements and further, the investrment and development plans for local authorities should consider the need to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change; that local authorities, regional and devolved governments need to be aware of other targets, including biodiversity and energy efficiency; that the Government needs to consider what part carbon impact assessments will play in local, regional and devolved governments and how they can become a central role in decision and policy making.

Problems for environmental management are taking on a new urgency. This book addresses aspects of environmental management that raise fundamental questions about governmental roles and the relationship of humans to the environment. It examines the interaction of local and national governments and the strengths and weaknesses of co-operative vs. coercive environmental management, through a focus on the management of natural hazards. Leading experts in the field examine new and innovative environmental management and planning programmes with particular focus on North America and Australia. This book offers a new understanding of environmental problems and explores the appropriate policy mix that must be developed for environmental management to strive towards environmental sustainability.

Environmental policy is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The problems connected with global change, the need for preventative action, and the growing importance of non-source pollution call for new courses of action and new institutional arrangements. In this situation, it is fairly obvious that both the traditional command and control policy instruments and the more modern financial and economic instruments are increasingly under stress. This volume deliberately aims to break new ground in providing the conceptual tools necessary for the next generation of environmental policies. In doing so, it covers a wide interdisciplinary range, from public policy analysis to international law, and draws upon much international experience, well reflected by the mixed composition of the contributors. On the basis of a shared theoretical framework, the book explores the potential of new policy instruments, such as policy evaluation or mediation, proposes alternative institutional arrangements for dealing with the issues, classifies existing instruments, and illuminates the process through which old and new tools can be set into operation.

This book shows, first of all, that leadership plays a crucial role in reinventing regions and branching out from an old path to something new in order to create more balanced and sustainable regional development. Second, it maintains that leadership is not a solo but a multi-agent and -level activity and that it needs to be discussed and studied as such. Third, as the book argues, leadership is shaped differently in various institutional and cultural contexts and on different scales. This book explores the ways leadership plays our in regional development context contributing to economically, socially and ecologically balanced sustainable future.

This Climate Change Public Expenditure and Institutional Review Sourcebook (CCPEIR) seeks to provide practitioners with the tools and information needed to respond to the public expenditure policy and management challenges arising from climate change. It is a series of notes and supporting materials written as a first step towards consolidating current research and international experience, identifying emerging practice and providing practical and applicable guidance for staff of central finance agencies, development agencies, environmental agencies and other international organizations working on climate change issues. In addition to emphasizing the importance of strengthening national systems throughout, the Sourcebook focuses on the specific public expenditure policy and management challenges posed by climate change, such as decision-making in the face of uncertain future climate conditions, expenditure planning for extreme weather and climate events, the lack of agreed budget definition and classification of climate change activities.

A book that is a "must read" for politicians, policy makers, practitioners and others with interests in Australia's environment.

The field of Environmental Management (EM) involves a broad and evolving repertoire of practices. The field originated around 1970 in response to new policy, regulation and public concern about environmental issues. EM has undergone many changes and improvements since then, progressing from a reactive, compliance-based focus toward, in leading cases, practices reflecting strong commitment to sustainability. And yet, EM remains, for the most part, ill-equipped to deal with the complex and highly uncertain implications of the ecological crisis. Environmental Management offers a rigorous critique of conventional EM and explores alternative ideas, frameworks and approaches that are currently considered "fringe", but which have the potential to transform the practice of EM. This book goes beyond narrow definitions and considers questions regarding the purpose, roles, scope and potential of environmental management. EM is situated and contextualized within the evolving and expanding realm of environment and sustainability literature. The book argues that new approaches to EM need to be more flexible, imaginative and better equipped to address future environmental problems of a scale and severity previously unforeseen. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental management, environmental planning, resource management, and environmental assessment.

Risk and Social Theory in Environmental Managementmarks a timely contribution, given that environmental management is no longer just about protecting pristine ecosystems and endangered species from anthropogenic harm; it is about calculating and managing the risks to human communities of rapid environmental and technological change. First, the book provides a solid foundation of the social theory underpinning the nature of risk, then presents a rethinking of key concepts and methods in order to take more seriously the biophysical embeddedness of human society. Second, it presents a rich set of case studies from Australia and around the world, drawing on the latest applied research conducted by leading research institutions. In so doing, the book identifies the tensions that arise from decision making over risk and uncertainty in a contested policy environment, and provides crucial insights for addressing on-the-ground problems in an integrated way. * First volume to address environmental risk from a social science perspective * Latest theoretical developments * In depth case studies of contemporary issues (e.g. climate change, water shortages)