New Books: Local Commons and Democratic Environmental Governance Edited by Takeshi Murota and Ken Takeshita (Mar 2013)

Local Commons and Democratic Environmental Governance
Edited by Takeshi Murota and Ken Takeshita

PUBLICATION DATA: ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1223-7
LANGUAGE: English
PAGES: 440
PUBLISHER:United Nations University Press
PUBLISHED:March 2013

The rising tide of globalization poses a direct threat to the viability of small communities worldwide. Such communities, however, are our greatest hope for sustainable environmental governance, as they possess unparalleled ability to directly manage common-pool resources.

Providing a much-needed antidote in this age of globalization, this volume advances the idea of collaborative governance as an integration of open and closed commons. Taking into consideration the dimension of conflict resolution, it studies examples of governance structures in various countries around the world to develop a new type of democracy towards multilevel environmental governance that involves the public, private and commons spheres.

With contributions from researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, this volume demonstrates through institutional and empirical analyses the essential role of local commons in providing an axis of resistance to increasing environmental devastation and social inequality towards creating a sustainable future for local communities as well as society at large.

About the Editors:

Takeshi Murota is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Doshisha University, Japan.
Ken Takeshita is a Professor in the School of Law at Kansai University, Japan.

Table of Contents:

Part I: Theoretical Studies of the Commons
1 The tragedy of the conceptual expansion of the commons, Yutaka Suga
Eclectic collaborative commons as an integration of closure, and openness, Makoto Inoue
3 Complementary environmental resource policies in the public, commons and private spheres: An analysis of external impacts on the commons, Gaku Mitsumata

Part II: Institution of the Commons
The custom and legal theory of iriai in Japan: A history of the discourse on the position of the rights of common in the modern legal system, Tatsuya Suzuki
The position of fishery commons in the multilevel fishery resource governance in Japan, Takeshi Murota
Fishermen in China’s Taihu Lake Basin and inland freshwater fisheries: Unsettled questions about the nature of rights, Izuru Ota
Cross-scale institutional linkages: A focus on environmental networks in Kuraburi Estuary, Thailand, Shimpei Iwasaki

Part III: Local Commons and Survival Strategies under Globalization
Community sustainability and adaptation to modernization and globalization: Case study of the Lake Biwa region in Japan, Hiroshi Noda
Recreation, easy access and rediscovery? Possibilities and problems of recent footpath projects in Japan, Rui Izumi and Yuichiro Hirano
Multilayered natural resource management in open and closed commons: A case study on the right of access and the state, community and farm commons in Norway, Daisaku Shimada and Takeshi Murota
The governance of local commons and community administration: The hidden potential of the property ward system, Haruo Saito
The dynamics of cross-scale linkages in the context of global commons: Aspects of “resistance” to wildlife conservation in the Maasailands of Kenya, Toshio Meguro
Local governance for groundwater conservation based on voluntary restrictions on the use of common property: A study of utaki in Miyako, Okinawa, Yasuhiro Nakanishi

Part IV: Collaboration, Democracy and Multilevel Environmental Governance
Environmental governance from a public perspective: A reappraisal of state objectives, Ken Takeshita
Forest volunteer activity in Japan, Shinji Yamamoto
Sustainability of local shopping districts as commons: A case study of the revitalization of the shopping district centred around Kurokabe Corporation in Nagahama City, Yoshio Takatsu
Institutional design of watershed committees in Japan, Tomohiko Ohno
Watershed governance and dam construction projects: A case study on the Daido River Dam in the Yodo River Basin, Congmian Jiao

Conclusion
Building common property regimes to deter resource-wrecking, Margaret McKean

For more information:

http://unu.edu/publications/books/local-commons-and-democratic-environmental-governance.html#overview

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New Books: Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives Edited by Akihisa Mori (Mar 2013)

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives
Edited by Akihisa Mori

Publication data: ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1219-0
LANGUAGE: English
PAGES: 400
PUBLISHER: United Nations University Press
PUBLISHED: March 2013

In order to advance sustainable development globally, it is indispensable to change the course and mode of conventional economic growth in the East Asian region, which has enjoyed rapid economic growth but faces environmental challenges.

This volume gives attention to the evolution of multilevel environmental governance in the East Asian region, including both Northeast and Southeast Asia. It examines how effective emerging environmental governance and policy have been and addresses the underlying causes of local, national, regional and global environmental challenges. Topical chapters include democratization and its effect on decision-making processes, international environmental aid, economic analysis of carbon reduction policy, regional and global environmental regimes and subsequent new financial mechanisms, as well as hybrid systems of environmental governance that emphasize the role of the private sector and civil society in contributing to environmental governance.

Special attention is also given to the regional economic and environmental regimes. The volume examines the advantages, challenges and solutions in addressing local, national, regional and global environmental challenges, and in changing the course of economic growth.

About the Editor

Akihisa Mori is an Associate Professor of Global Environmental Economics at Kyoto University, Japan, and the Director and Secretary General of the East Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Sustainable development and environmental governance in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori

Part I: Environmental governance for sustainable development in the East Asian region 
Evolution of environmental governance in the East Asian region: A historical perspective, Akihisa Mori

Part II: Domestic pressures for national environmental governance
Environmental governance for sustainable development in the Republic of Korea: Origins, drivers and dynamics, Hoi Seong Jeong and Taewook Huh
Thailand’s snail’s progress towards good environmental governance, Akihisa Mori
Towards environmentally sustainable transport? The evolution of cost-benefit analysis for road projects in Japan, Shin’ya Koyama
Carbon-energy tax reform in Japan: A simulation analysis, Yoshihisa Inada and Mitsuru Shimoda

Part III: International assistance for local environmental governance 
International aid for wildlife conservation and local sustainable livelihood: The case of Caohai wildlife protection area in, Li-Chun Chen
Environmental aid for the benefit of poor farmers and the environment: GERES’s assistance for improved cooking stoves in Cambodia, Akiko Furuya and Akihisa Mori
CDM and sustainable development in China’s rural areas: The case of methane fermentation systems, Takasei Kusube and Yoshihisa Inada

Part IV: Regional approaches to economic integration and environmental governance 
The impact of globalization on economic, energy and environmental relations in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori
Environmental and economic impacts of free trade agreements in the East Asian region, Kazuki Taketoshi
Costs and benefits of regional market-based environmental policy: East Asian carbon, Hikari Ban and Kiyoshi Fujikawa
Regional environmental governance in the East Asian region: Collapse or arrested development, Akihisa Mori

Part V: Hybrid systems in environmental governance 
Cross-border diffusion of energy policy in Asia: The case of energy efficiency standards and labeling, Seonghee Kim and Akihisa Mori
Does green supply-chain management enhance environmental management capacity? A case of the machinery industry in Japan and China, Ying Sun, Akihisa Mori, Tetsuhiko Miyadera and Tsuyoshi
Fujita
Non-governmental organizations and environmental policy change in the East Asian region: A case of remedy policy for carbon disulphide poisoning in the rayon industry, Tadashi Hayashi
Effectiveness of multilevel environmental governance in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori
Appendix: Standard GTAP and GTAP-E model, Hikari Ban and Kiyoshi Fujikawa

For more information:

http://unu.edu/publications/books/environmental-governance-for-sustainable-development-east-asian-perspectives.html#overview

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Events: Shale Gas Revolution in China: Game Changer for Coal? organized by Woodrow Wilson Center on 15 Mar 2013

Events

Shale Gas Revolution in China: Game Changer for Coal?

March 15, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am

Webcast: There will be a live webcast of this event.

According to China’s 12th Fifth-Year Plan, the Chinese government is prioritizing more gas in the energy mix, using it as a “bridging” fuel between coal and a cleaner energy future. Although a shale and natural gas revolution is unlikely, at least in the short-term, these forms of energy offer promise of a more low-carbon development path for China. Mr. Xizhou Zhou, IHS CERA Director of the China Energy Practice, will discuss whether China has enough gas to meet the growing demand, as well as the drivers and development potential of gas in China. Ms. Briana Mordick, a Staff Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), will highlight the challenges and opportunities in engaging China on shale gas environmental governance issues.

LOCATION: 

5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

Event Speakers List: 

● Xizhou Zhou // Director, IHS CERA (China)

● Briana Mordick // Staff Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council

For more information: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/shale-gas-revolution-china-game-changer-for-coal

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Events: UNU Interactive Seminar: Extending Environmental Governance Across Borders on 29 Mar 2013

UNU Interactive Seminar: Extending Environmental Governance Across Borders

DATE / TIME : 2013•03•29    15:00 – 17:30

LOCATION : Tokyo

UNU Interactive Seminar on Global Issues #19

“Extending Environmental Governance Across Borders: East Asian Perspectives”

Opening Remarks

• Kazuhiro Ueta, Dean, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University

Speakers

• Akihisa Mori, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University
• Kiyoshi Fujikawa, Professor, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University
• Seonghee Kim, Researcher, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

Discussants

• Hideyuki Mori, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategy (IGES), Japan
• Shunji Matsuoka, Professor, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Director, Institute for Global Sustainability, and General Manager, Campus Asia-EAUI Program, Waseda University

East Asia’s rapid economic growth has intensified economic interconnectedness, stimulating the push towards regional economic integration. At the same time, Asia’s rise has wreaked havoc on the environment, not only at the local and national levels, but at the regional and global levels as well.

In the 1990s, Japan took the lead in addressing this issue in the region. Since then, the approach has shifted from aid and cooperation to regional governance and multilateral negotiation. However, given that East Asia has no region-wide institution comparable to the European Union, several important questions remain: Should East Asia wait until the major nations are rich and developed enough to address these environmental problems on their own? Or can the region capitalize on the rising norms of the global environmental regime, learning to effectively apply environmental policy instruments already used in more advanced regions?

In this interactive seminar, Akihisa Mori, editor of the recently published UNU Press book Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives will address the development of national environmental policies, new approaches to environmental aid, emerging regional environmental governance and private sector provision of environmental governance. Kiyoshi Fujikawa and Seonghee Kim, contributors to the volume, will discuss the costs and benefits of establishing an East Asian common carbon market as a policy instrument to enhance regional environmental governance. They will also evaluate the energy efficiency standards and labelling programme — a case of cross-border diffusion of green energy policy and hybrid environmental governance, initiated jointly by host governments and multilateral firms.

Attendance is free, but advance registration (by 28 March) is required. Please click on the link above to access the online registration form.

For registration and more information: http://unu.edu/events/upcoming/unu-isgi-xix.html#overview

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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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