* Compiled by Suzall Timm Clip art obtained from Microsoft Office Online. Centre of Criminology, Public Law Department University of Cape Town

E-mail: crimobservatory@gmail.com Page | 1

Environmental Research Report* June – July 2010

This report identifies resources that are relevant to the various projects being carried out in

the Centre of Criminology, and are arranged according to the ‘general observatory’ category,

as well as according to the specific project categories being environmental governance,

waste, responding to risk, housing and climate policy. Brief descriptions of the resources are

provided as well as information regarding where the resource may be accessed. These

resources can also be viewed at http://uctcriminology.wordpress.com/.

Page | 2

Contents

General observatory ............................................................................................. 3

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ........................................ 3

Articles related to green jobs, adaptation, resilience, sustainability and environmental trends

and issues. ................................................................................................................................. 5

Carbon Related Issues: Global to Local ....................................................................................... 7

Energy and Renewable Energy: Global to Local .......................................................................... 9

Green Building: Local ............................................................................................................... 11

Insurance/Financial.................................................................................................................. 11

Books ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Conferences ............................................................................................................................. 13

Specific Projects ................................................................................................. 14

Environmental Governance ......................................................................................................... 14

Waste .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Responding to Risk ...................................................................................................................... 18

Housing ....................................................................................................................................... 20

Climate Policy .............................................................................................................................. 23

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General observatory

The resources included here are concerned with meeting the challenge of

transforming high-waste, unstable econo mies to low-waste, s table economies,

while maintaining human well -being.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Extracts from news articles. UNFCC Talks in Bonn: 31 May 2010 to 11 June 2010

Poor want 2010 climate pact; others see long haul

Many developing nations insisted at United Nations (UN) climate talks on Wednesday that a full UN treaty should

be agreed in 2010 even though others are resigned to a far longer haul to tackle global warming Many

developing nations insisted at United Nations (UN) climate talks on Wednesday that a full UN treaty should be

agreed in 2010 even though others are resigned to a far longer haul to tackle global warming

Full article available at: http://timessaguardian.com/95283g/poor-want-2010-climate-pact-others-see-

long-haul.htm

New UN climate chief calls for more ambition (9 June 2010)

Extract: The incoming head of the UN climate convention has said rich nations must pledge bigger

emission cuts if climate change is to be tackled effectively. But Christiana Figueres said she was

confident that leaders would meet the challenge "because humanity has to meet it - we don't have

another option." Ms Figueres was speaking at a two-week session of UN negotiations in Bonn. She

said the mood was "constructive"; but major differences are evident between different groups of

countries.

Full article available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10276225.stm

UN seeks fair deal (10 June 2010)

Extract: The United Nations‘s top climate official, Yvo de Boer, yesterday warned that time was

running out to agree on a global, ambitious and fair deal on climate change, even as Bolivia revealed

data which showed industrialised countries‘ greenhouse gas emissions would actually increase if

accounting loopholes are allowed to proceed. Climate talks in Bonn, Germany, began last week to

prepare for a conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of the year, with the smallest and poorest

countries pushing hard for a deal this year

Full article available at: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=111430

Page | 4

Negotiators at Bonn working hard to win trust before Cancun climate change conference (10

June 2010)

Extract: BONN: At Bonn‘s Hotel Maritim negotiators from 194 countries are hard at work, not just

hammering out details but at rebuilding trust among nations. With just over two weeks of negotiations

left before the Cancun climate change conference, all focus is on rebuilding trust and restoring the

primacy of the convention and the Bali Action Plan. With the trust among nations at its nadir in the

aftermath of the Copenhagen conference, the progress on substantive issues has been slow.

Full article available at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Negotiators-at-Bonn-

working-hard-to-win-trust-before-Cancun-climate-change-conference/articleshow/6030394.cms

Setback for South Countries As a New Climate Draft Omits Their Proposals.

Extract: The two-week UN Climate Convention in Bonn ended on June 11 with mixed results for the

developing countries. They suffered a setback when many key points were eliminated or ignored in a

new paper produced by the Chair of a working group on long-term cooperation. On the other hand,

they succeeded in pressing for more action in another working group in which the developed

countries must make new emissions-reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.

Full article can be downloaded at:

http://www.southcentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1334%3Asb48&catid=14

4%3Asouth-bulletin-individual-articles&Itemid=287&lang=en

Tough Climate Talks in Bonn as Deep Differences Remain

Extract: The session in Bonn under UNFCCC (31 May to 11 June) saw the Parties engaging in

substantive talks for the first time since last December's contentious Copenhagen conference that the

Parties engaged in serious substantive talks. It is a sign of how much the climate talks have

regressed compared to last year that it is considered good news that the Parties were even talking to

one another, and in a civil way. The June meeting re-established the UNFCCC as the sole legitimate

venue for global climate negotiations, as the idea by some developed countries to spin off the talks to

a small group of powerful countries has been discarded, at least for the moment.

Full article available at:

http://www.southcentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1333%3Asb48&catid=14

4%3Asouth-bulletin-individual-articles&Itemid=287&lang=en

Joint statement issued by BASIC ministers (25 April 2010)

Extract: The third meeting on climate change of Ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China

(BASIC) convened in Cape Town, South Africa, from 25-26 April 2010. The Group issued a Joint

Statement on 25 April 2010. In their Joint Statement, BASIC Ministers express their determination to

continue to show leadership in acting on climate change. They stress that a legally binding outcome

should be concluded in Cancún, Mexico, in 2010, or at the latest in South Africa by 2011, including an

agreement on quantified emission reduction targets under a second commitment period for Annex I

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Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, as well as a legally binding agreement on long-term cooperative

action under the Convention.

Full article available at http://climate-l.org/2010/04/27/third-meeting-of-basic-group-issues-joint-

statement/?referrer=climate-l.org-daily-feed

Articles related to green jobs, adaptation, resilience, sustainability and environmental trends and

issues. Australia’s Environment: Issues and Trends.2010. Australian Bureau of Statistics. More

specifically, Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends aims to:

Inform decision-making, research and discussion on environmental conditions in Australia,

environmental issues of current and ongoing concern, environmental pressures of interest,

and changes in these over time – by drawing together up-to-date environmental data and

analysis from both ABS and other official sources, and incorporating readily understood

commentary about the statistics.

Support the monitoring and review of progress towards environmental goals, changes in

environmental conditions, and levels of environmental pressures and responses by

presenting a range of issues and trends on a regular basis.

Report available at:

http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/41D729B432E03FA0CA2576B800164E89/

$File/46130_2010.pdf

Bird, J., Lawton, K., Purnell, K. (2010). Green and Decent Jobs: The Case for Local Action, An

IPPR Scoping Paper. Institute for Public Policy Research.

Abstract: Green jobs are often heralded as the solution to the twin challenges of lowering our

greenhouse gas emissions and bringing down unemployment. However, very little has been said

about what new green jobs might look like – who will be doing them, how much might they pay and

where will they be?

Unequal access to jobs, low pay and a lack of progression routes are endemic problems in some

parts of the UK labour market. In this paper we argue that to maximise the benefits of the green jobs

revolution, we must make sure that green jobs are also good jobs, paying a decent wage and offering

more and better employment opportunities to a wide range of people.

To make this a reality, we make the case for greater action at the local level, and by a greater range

of individuals and organisations. We examine the potential for new partnerships between lots of

different organisations – based on examples of best practice from the USA – to help ensure that new

green jobs are right for local communities.

Page | 6

Full text can be downloaded at:

http://www.ippr.org.uk/members/download.asp?f=%2Fecomm%2Ffiles%2FGreen+and+decent+jobs

%2Epdf

Gunderson, L.H. (2010). Ecological and Human Community Resilience in Response to Natural

Disasters, Ecology and Society, Vol. 15 (2):

Abstract: This paper uses the concepts of ecological resilience, adaptive cycles, and panarchies to

compare ecological and human community systems. At least five important findings emerge from this

comparison. 1) Both systems demonstrate the multiple meanings of resilience—both in terms of

recovery time from disturbances and the capacity to absorb them. 2) Both systems recognize the role

of diversity in contributing to resilience. 3) The comparison highlights the role of different forms of

capital and 4) the importance of cross-scale interactions. 5) The comparison reveals the need for

experimentation and learning to build adaptive capacities. All of these ideas have broad implications

for attempting to manage complex systems with human and ecological components in the face of

recurring natural disasters.

Hulme, M. (2010). Learning to Live with Recreated Climates, Nature and Culture, Vol. 5 (2): 117-

122.

Abstract: This article suggests that our current (fearful) preoccupation with climate change emerges

from two paradoxical desires: the desire to recover some mythical benign stable state for the world‘s

climate and the desire to assert ourselves over the world‘s climate by engineering our way to achieve

this outcome. But by seeing climate either as something to be idealized or as something to master,

we fail to see what is happening to the world‘s climate. It is being reinvented as a novel entity, now

co-produced between human and nonhuman actors. Rather than resist and lament the results of this

new creative force, we must learn to live with them.

Sattherthwaite, D. (2010). The Contribution of Cities to Global Warming and their Potential

Contribution, Environment and Urbanization ASIA, Vol. 1 (1): 1-12.

Abstract: Cities are often considered to be major causes of climate change (through being centres of

carbon intensive production and consumption). But as this article explains, the proportion of

greenhouse gas emissions that are generated in cities is usually over-stated. In addition, blaming

cities misses the point that they can be potential solutions as places where high living standards are

achieved with much lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions per person. It also misses the very low

greenhouse gas emissions per person in most cities in low income nations and obscures the issue

that it is not cities but high individual and household consumption that underpins most greenhouse

gas emissions. The article ends by considering what can moderate, stop and reduce greenhouse gas

emissions from two perspectives: where the emissions are produced; and where these are

consumed.

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Swilling, M. (2010). Sustainability, Poverty and Municipal Services: The Case of Cape Town,

South Africa, Sustainable Development, Vol. 18 (4): 194-201.

Abstract: Although many global policies refer to the need to reconcile growth, equity and

sustainability, there is little that demonstrates what this entails, especially in fast growing developing

countries. The sustainable cities literature focuses on environmental constraints, and the institutional

economics literature on governance. The aim of this paper is to provide a conceptual synthesis that

makes it possible to understand the complex dynamics of technological and institutional innovation.

The evolution of Cape Town‘s strategies to deal with post-apartheid inequalities within a context of

severe resource constraints is reviewed.

UNEP (2010) Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority

Products and Materials, A Report of the Working Group on the Environmental Impacts of

Products and Materials to the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management.

Hertwich, E., van der Voet, E., Suh, S., Tukker, A., Huijbregts M., Kazmierczyk, P., Lenzen, M.,

McNeely, J., Moriguchi, Y.

Extract: This report focuses not on the effects of environmental pressure, but on its causes. It

describes pressures as resulting from economic activities. These activities are pursued for a purpose,

to satisfy consumption. Environmental pressures are commonly tied to the extraction and

transformation of materials and energy. This report investigates the production materials-

consumption nexus. The relative importance of industries, consumption categories and materials

varies across the world, as our assessment shows. This assessment offers a detailed problem

description and analysis of the causation of environmental pressures and hence provides knowledge

required for reducing environmental impacts. It tells you where improvements are necessary, but it

does not tell you what changes are required and how much they will contribute to improvements.

Report available at:

http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/documents/pdf/PriorityProductsAndMaterials_Report_Full.pdf

Carbon Related Issues: Global to Local Druckman, A. & Jackson, T. (2010). The Bare Necessities: How much Household Carbon do we

really Need, Ecological Economics, Vol.69 (9): 1794-1804.

Abstract:. The paper uses an environmentally extended Quasi-Multi-Regional Input–Output model to

estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions required in the production and distribution of all goods

and services purchased according to these budgets. Our results show that average household GHG

emissions in the UK would be around 37% lower in the Reduced Consumption Scenario than they are

currently. We explore several implications of these findings including: the need to change social

norms around consumption, the need for investment to improve the thermal performance of homes

and the need to develop new transport infrastructures. We also address the potential to reduce

emissions below the level achieved in this Scenario and discuss the implications for policy.

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Zero Carbon Britain 2030: A New Energy Strategy. Powys: Centre for an Alternative Technology.

Extract: The report starts by examining the current ―context‖ in the Climate Science and Energy

Security chapters. It then moves on to how we can ―PowerDown‖ heat and electricity demand largely

through new technology, efficient design and behaviour change. Land offers tremendous potential not

only to decrease emissions but also to sequester residual emissions. We then move on to how we

can ―PowerUp‖ through the use of renewable technology and finally we examine the policy that can

help bring this about and the job creation that will come with it.

Report available at:

http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Zero_Carbon_Britain_2030.pdf

Chestney, N. 2010. ‘Brits need low-carbon spurs – MP’, Independent Online Business Report (20

July 2010)

Extract: Controversial measures to force Britons to use less energy and cleaner forms of transport

could be necessary to aid Britain's fight against climate change, a senior Conservative MP said

yesterday.

Tim Yeo, the chairman of the UK parliament's energy and climate change select committee,

advocated more investment in nuclear power and renewable energy, but also said much bigger

incentives were needed to encourage people to shift to low-carbon technologies.

Full article available at: http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=561&fArticleId=5561533

America’s Climate Choices: Three New Reports

The U.S. National Research Council has issued three reports emphasizing why the U.S. should act

now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable

impacts of climate change. These reports urge the scientific community to expand upon its

understanding of why climate change is happening and focus on when and where the most severe

impacts will occur, and what we can do to respond.

The reports: Advancing the Science of Climate Change; Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate

Change and Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change are available for purchase at:

http://americasclimatechoices.org/

Van Der Merwe, C. 2010. 'SA business should investigate carbon tax implications', Engineering

News Online. (20 July 2010).

Extract: South African companies must investigate the implications of a carbon tax, the details of

which will be released soon, corporate law firm Webber Wentzel has said.

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The National Treasury has previously confirmed with Engineering News Online that the discussion

document on carbon taxes would be released for public comment by the end of July or the beginning

of August.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-business-should-investigate-

carbon-tax-implications-webber-wentzel-2010-07-20

Energy and Renewable Energy: Global to Local

REN21. 2010. Renewables 2010 Global Status Report (Paris: REN21 Secretariat)

Extract: The year 2009 was unprecedented in the history of renewable energy, despite the

headwinds posed by the global financial crisis, lower oil prices, and slow progress with climate policy.

Indeed, as other economic sectors declined around the world, existing renewable capacity continued

to grow at rates close to those in previous years, including grid-connected solar PV (53 %), wind

power (32 %), solar hot water/heating (21 %), geothermal power (4 %), and hydropower (3 %).

Annual production of ethanol and biodiesel increased 10 % and 9 %, respectively, despite layoffs and

ethanol plant closures in the United States and Brazil.

Report available at: http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf

Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, S. I. (2010). The United Nations and Global Energy Governance: Past

Challenges, Future Choices, Global Change, Peace and Security, Vol. 22 (2): 175-195.

Abstract: The link between energy, economic development and national security has often made

governments reluctant to address energy in global governance. In the United Nations (UN) system

and beyond, the result has been almost a normative and institutional vacuum on energy. In the last

decade some efforts have been made to fill this vacuum within the UN but they have faced

considerable resistance, and instead initiatives have multiplied outside it. This article outlines the

dynamics of the low profile of the energy issue on the agenda of the UN since the organisation‘s birth,

analyses in more detail the efforts to strengthen this agenda in the 2000s, and also why they failed.

Finally, it discusses possible future options for the UN and the international community at large to

address this urgent issue, situates this discussion in the rationalist and constructivist theories of

effective and legitimate global governance and outlines further research avenues.

Edkins, M, Marquard, A., Winkler, H. (2010). Assessing the Effectiveness of National Solar and

Wind Energy Policies in South Africa, For the United Nations Environment Programme

Research Project Enhancing information for renewable energy technology deployment

in Brazil, China and South Africa, Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town.

Extract of Summary: The report assesses the progress made on renewable energy deployment for

the solar and wind technologies over the last 12 years in South Africa. First the report assesses the

potential contribution solar water heaters (SWHs), concentrating solar power (CSP), large-scale

photovoltaic (PV) farms and wind technology can bring to South Africa‘s energy demand by 2030. It

Page | 10

highlights what the mid-term potential for each is by 2030 and compares this with the deployment of

each over the past 12 years. From this a renewable energy policy effectiveness value is calculated

based on the method developed in the Deploying Renewables Report (IEA, 2008a) and this is

critically assessed. Finally, the report assesses the factors involved in renewable energy deployment,

or the lack thereof, in South Africa and discusses recent developments in the field.

Report available at: http://www.erc.uct.ac.za/Research/publications/10Edkinesetal-

Solar_and_wind_policies.pdf

Edkins, M, Marquard, A., Winkler, H. (2010). South Africa's Renewable Energy Policy

Roadmaps, For the United Nations Environment Programme Research Project

Enhancing information for renewable energy technology deployment

in Brazil, China and South Africa, Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town.

Extract of Summary: South Africa‘s renewable energy policy to date has largely been driven by a

10,000 GWh target by 2013 and renewable energy project subsidies offered through the REFSO. In

2009 a REFIT was published, which has resulted in a great interest by IPPs to develop renewable

energy projects in South Africa. Nonetheless, under existing renewable energy policy few renewable

energy projects for electricity generation have been deployed. SWHs have seen some market growth

in 2008 and 2009 largely facilitated by a SWH subsidy and increased energy awareness due to

nation-wide electricity blackouts in 2008.

N this study renewable energy Roadmaps have been projected for electricity generation from wind,

CSP and PV and for high and low SWH rollout programmes that reduce the demand for electricity. Six

roadmaps were developed. Electricity targets of 15% (Roadmaps 5 & 6), 27% (Roadmaps 3 & 4)

and unlimited (Roadmaps 1 & 2) by 2030 were assessed, as well as high (Roadmaps 1, 3 & 5) and

low SWH (Roadmaps 2, 4 & 6) strategies. The policy Roadmaps are compared to a Baseline

projection in which only new supercritical coal power plants, such as those currently under

construction, are built to meet South Africa‘s growing electricity demand and no SWHs are deployed.

Report available at: http://www.erc.uct.ac.za/Research/publications/10Edkinesetal-

Renewables_roadmaps.pdf

Creamer, T. 2010. Search on for 5 000 MW of electricity relief by 2016, Real Economy:

Economic Development (11 June 2010)

Extract: Detailed work is currently under way to determine the ‗state of readiness' of a range of near-

term electricity demand-reduction opportunities, as well as several non-Eskom supply options that

could yield the equivalent of some 5 000 MW and help stabilise the South African system between

now and 2016.

Full article available at: http://www.polity.org.za/article/search-on-for-5-000-mw-of-electricity-relief-by-

2016-2010-06-11

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Davenport, J. 2010. Renewables scale-up to Zille’s sustainability road map, Engineering News

(7 July 2010)

Extract: Western Cape Premier Helen Zille officially released the Western Cape provincial

government's (WCPG) strategic plan on environmental sustainability and resource-use efficiency in

Cape Town on Wednesday, in which a target was set for generating 15% of the province's electricity

from renewable energy sources by 2014.

The overall aim of the plan was to ensure that the WCPG integrated sustainability and resource-use

efficiency into the activities of all provincial departments.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/renewables-scale-up-core-to-zilles-

sustainability-road-map-2010-07-07

Green Building: Local

Van der Merwe, C. 2010. ‘Growing Awareness Supports Green Building in South Africa’,

Engineering News Online. (19 July 2010)

Extract: Global research consultancy Frost & Sullivan (F&S) noted that while green building practices

continued to gain momentum in South Africa, the sector still faced challenges, including a

misconception of the costs involved in green design and construction, and a lack of appropriate policy

and legislation.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/growing-awareness-supports-green-

building-but-sa-lacks-appropriate-policy-2010-07-19

Insurance/Financial

UNU-WIDER Project: Insurance Against Poverty

Project Summary: Households in developing countries face many risks. Informal insurance

mechanisms (marriage, the extended family, and investment in social capital) provide some protection

but are weak in the face of major calamities that affect households en masse (for example drought or

economic recession). Most people cannot obtain formal insurance. The incomplete insurance market

therefore constrains investment, growth, and poverty reduction. Public action to remedy this

deficiency is merited, but what form should it take? The project will evaluate alternatives in widening

insurance provision, including sustainability and poverty effects.

Papers can be downloaded at: http://www.wider.unu.edu/research/projects-by-theme/poverty-

inequality/en_GB/insurance-against-poverty/

Page | 12

Wilkins, M. (2010). The Need for a Multi-Level Approach to Climate Change—An Australian

Insurance Perspective, Geneva

Papers on Risk & Insurance - Issues & Practice, Vol. 35 (2): 336-348.

Abstract: This paper outlines a multi-level approach required by the insurance industry to make a

real and lasting difference, including engaging governments; assisting and educating communities to

be more aware and resilient; incentivising customers through advocacy, product innovation and

appropriate product offerings; and leading by example and providing employees with the education

and tools to facilitate action both at work and at home.

Books

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). Energy Technology

Perspectives 2010: Strategies & Scenarios to 2050, Paris: International Energy Agency.

Summary: ETP2010 will build on the success of earlier editions, by providing decision makers with

more detailed practical information and tools that can help kick-start the transition to a more secure,

sustainable and affordable energy future. The new publication will present:

Updated scenarios with greater regional detail providing insights on which new technologies will be

most important in the different regions of the world

Sectoral deep dives highlighting the key technological challenges and opportunities in each of the

main energy-using sectors and the new policies that will be needed to realise change

Roadmaps and transition pathways identifying the technical and policy barriers to accelerated

deployment of the most important clean technologies and how these can be overcome.

Mwiturubani, D.A. and van Wyk, J.A. (2010). Climate Change and Natural Resources Conflicts,

ISS Monograph, 170: 1-261.

Summary: This monograph contains papers that were presented at the International Conference on

Climate Change and Natural Resources Conflicts in Africa, 14–15 May 2009, Entebbe, Uganda,

organised by the Environment Security Programme (ESP) of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS),

Nairobi Office. The climate change phenomenon is a global concern, which typically threatens the

sustainability of the livelihoods of the majority of the population living in the developing countries.

Africa, particularly the sub-Saharan region, is likely to be negatively impacted by climate variability

and change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa‘s

vulnerability arises from a combination of many factors, including extreme poverty, a high rate of

population increase, frequent natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and agricultural systems

(both crop and livestock production) that depend heavily on rainfall. Extreme natural occurrences

such as floods and droughts are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. Africa‘s high

Page | 13

vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate variability and change is also attributed to its low

adaptive capacity.

Full text can be downloaded at: http://www.iss.co.za/pgcontent.php?UID=30050

Conferences

International Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming (27-29 October 2010) see

http://www.waset.org/

This conference will take place from 27-29 October, 2010 in Kyoto, Japan. It aims to bring together

academic scientists, engineers, industry researchers and scholar students to exchange and share

their experiences and research results about various aspects of climate change and global warmin

Page | 14

Specific Projects

___________________________________________________________________

Environmental Governance

The resources lis ted here are concerned generally with environmental

governance.

Duit, A., Galaz, V., Eckerberg, K., Ebbesson, J. (2010). Governance, Complexity, and

Resilience, Global Environmental Change, Vol. 20 (3): 363-368.

Abstract: This special issue brings together prominent scholars to explore novel multilevel

governance challenges posed by the behavior of dynamic and complex social-ecological systems.

Here we expand and investigate the emerging notion of ―resilience‖ as a perspective for

understanding how societies can cope with, and develop from, disturbances and change. As the

contributions to the special issue illustrate, resilience thinking in its current form contains substantial

normative and conceptual difficulties for the analysis of social systems. However, a resilience

approach to governance issues also shows a great deal of promise as it enables a more refined

understanding of the dynamics of rapid, interlinked and multiscale change. This potential should not

be underestimated as institutions and decision-makers try to deal with converging trends of global

interconnectedness and increasing pressure on social-ecological systems.

Ebbesson, J. (2010). The Rule of Law in Governance of Complex Socio-Ecological Changes,

Global Environmental Change, Vol. 20 (3): 414-422.

Abstract: This article discusses the impact of the rule of law on the resilience of societies for

governing complex socio-ecological changes. It concludes that the notions of the rule of law and legal

certainty have changed, and that they can be compatible with the use of framework laws of a rather

open-textured character, provided certain legal safeguards, such as the right to a legal review, are at

hand. While legal certainty is an important virtue of law, it does not as such necessarily prevent

adequate flexibility in administrative decision-making concerning health, the environment or the use of

natural resources. The article also considers to what extent certain established administrative means

of control in the field of environment protection and the use of natural resources match the findings

and proposals, e.g. on flexibility and adaptability, provided by resilience research. Finally the article

discusses the impact of state sovereignty on governance of large-scale socio-ecological changes,

with reach across state borders. It concludes that, despite some attempts of softening the impact of

Page | 15

state borders in transboundary environmental decision-making and management, state sovereignty

still hampers multilevel governance and management of resources in such contexts.

Leach, M., Scoones, I., Stirling, A. (2010). Governing Epidemics in an Age of Complexity:

Narratives, Politics, and Pathways to Sustainability, Global Environmental Change, Vol. 20 (3):

369-377.

Abstract: This paper elaborates a ‗pathways approach‘ to addressing the governance challenges

posed by the dynamics of complex, coupled, multi-scale systems, while incorporating explicit concern

for equity, social justice and the wellbeing of poor and marginalised groups. It illustrates the approach

in relation to current policy challenges of dealing with epidemics and so-called ‗emerging infectious

diseases‘ such as avian influenza and haemorrhagic fevers, which involve highly dynamic, cross-

scale, often-surprising viral–social–political–ecological interactions. Amidst complexity, we show how

different actors in the epidemics field produce particular narratives which frame systems and their

dynamics in different ways, promote particular goals and values, and justify particular pathways of

disease response. These range from ‗outbreak narratives‘ emphasising threat to global populations,

to alternative but often marginalised narratives variously emphasising long-term structural, land use

and environmental change, local knowledge and livelihood goals. We highlight tendencies –

supported by cognitive, institutional and political pressures – for powerful actors and institutions to

‗close down‘ around narratives that emphasise stability, underplaying longer term, less controllable

dynamics. Arguing that governance approaches need to ‗open up‘ to embrace strategies for resilience

and robustness in relation to epidemics, we outline what some of the routes towards this might

involve, and what the resulting governance models might look like. Key are practices and

arrangements that involve flexibility, diversity, adaptation, learning and reflexivity, as well as

highlighting and supporting alternative pathways within a progressive politics of sustainability.

Owens, S. (2010). Learning across Levels of Governance: Expert Advice and the Adoption of

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reduction Targets in the UK, Global Environmental Change, Vol. 20

(3): 394-401.

Abstract: This paper is concerned with environmental governance and policy formation in the area of

climate change. Specifically, it examines a decision by the UK Government in 2003 to adopt a

demanding, long-term CO2 emissions reduction target, following the advice of one of its longest

standing environmental advisory bodies, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. It

explores the origins of the Commission's recommendation and the reasons for its relatively rapid

uptake in public policy. It argues that in both cases, a complex mix of structural and contingent,

cognitive and non-cognitive factors can be identified, operating at different levels of governance.

Finally, the paper reflects on what we might learn from this particular case about policy processes and

the role of knowledge and expert advice within them.

Page | 16

Underdal, A. (2010). Complexity and Challenges of Long-Term Environmental Governance,

Global Environmental Change, Vol. 20 (3): 386-393.

Abstract: Some important processes of environmental change – including those of climate change

and loss of biodiversity – share three characteristics that make them extremely demanding challenges

of governance. First, time-lags between human action and environmental effect are very long, often

extending beyond one human generation. Second, problems are embedded in highly complex

systems that are not well understood. Third, these problems involve global collective goods of a type

that links them to a wide range of human activities and leaves them beyond the scope of unilateral

solutions. Social science research offers two essentially different models of collective response to

severe challenges. One portrays effective response as collective action through central leadership

and contraction of power. The other conceives of societal response as involving a variety of local

activities undertaken by subunits of a complex and decentralised system. I argue that both models

have considerable merit, but also that they respond to different types of challenges. Therefore, useful

insights can be gained by specifying more precisely the circumstances under which each model

applies.

___________________________________________________________________

Waste

The resources lis ted here are generally concerned with management of, and

informality in, waste.

Ali, A. (2010). Wasting Time on Solid Waste in Developing Countries, Waste Management, Vol.

30 (8-9):1437-1438.

Extract: The development of a modern, sustainable system of waste management in developing

countries is frequently delayed by causes that cannot be directly attributed to technical or economic

reasons. This Guest Editorial points to ―the need for considerable knowledge of technical and

bureaucratic requirements for successful solid waste projects.

Bruce, A. & Storey, D. (2010). Networks of Waste: Informal Economic Systems and

Sustainability in Bali, Indonesia, Local Economy, Vol. 25 (3): 176-189.

Abstract: This article examines solid waste management in Badung Regency, Bali. It argues that

current conventional centralised and decentralised solid waste management approaches are not

proving effective and fail to cater to the needs of the majority of the population, particularly poorer

communities. In contrast, it was found that informal waste networks achieved higher standards of

economic efficiency, service coverage and resource recovery, contributing both to environmental

protection and livelihoods. Much can be learned by planners in developing nations from these

Page | 17

'networks of waste', and in building upon the economic and environmental principles and behaviour

around which informal waste networks function.

Full text can be downloaded at: http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-

papers/2010/en_GB/wp2010-23/

Kazoni, A., von Blottnitz, H., Ngau, P., Kenyatta, K.N.J (2010). Using Local Knowledge

Production and Systems Thinking Approaches in the Development of an Integrated Solid

Waste Management (ISWM) Plan Harnessing Semi-Formal Systems: Lessons from Nairobi,

Kenya, Paper to be Presented at Waste Conference

Abstract: African cities experience high population growth and severe slum conditions. Economic

growth has been insufficient to uplift urban slum dwellers, but coupled to population growth has

translated into rapidly increasing solid waste volumes; in Nairobi waste generation has sharply risen

from 1530 tons/day in 1998 to about 2500-3000 tons/day in 2009. Current waste management, largely

of the ―collect, transport and dump‖ type, cannot be sustained due to low service reach, increasing

disposal costs, increasing scarcity of landfill space, and the environmental risk of bulk waste to

unsecured dumpsites.

The UNEP ISWM programme aims to deliver robust ISWM solutions in developing cities utilising local

knowledge production resources. Using its approach, waste characterisations, field surveys, and

situation assessments were undertaken to inform the development of an ISWM plan for Nairobi.

Information gathered and complemented by other local publications, was analysed from a systems

thinking perspective to inform the development of contextually relevant interventions towards ISWM in

Nairobi, embracing the participation of Nairobi‘s several semi-formal actors in the city‘s future

integrated waste management practice.

Medina, M. (2010). Solid Wastes, Poverty and the Environment in Developing Country Cities:

Challenges and Opportunities, UNU-WIDER Working Paper Series, No. 2010/23, 1-15.

Abstract: This paper examines the challenges and opportunities that exist in improving the

management of waste in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is argued that, despite a worsening trend,

there are opportunities for reducing pollution, alleviating poverty, improving the urban environment,

and lowering greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries by implementing low-cost, low-tech,

labour-intensive methods that promote community participation and involve informal refuse collectors

and waste-pickers. Evidence from several cities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is discussed.

Sembiring, E. & Nitivattananon, V. (2010) Sustainable Solid Waste Management Toward an

Inclusive Society: Integration of the Informal Sector, Resources, Conservation and Recycling,

Vol. 54 (11): 802-809.

Abstract: This paper discusses the role of informal recycling in SWM in Bandung, Indonesia, by

using the material flow method. This study estimates at least 303 metric tons of refuse are collected

by the informal recycling out of a total of 2295 metric tons of garbage generated each day in the city.

Page | 18

This study also uses a questionnaire to investigate how local municipal officers and politicians

perceive the role of the informal recycling. This paper further shows that despite the positive aspects

that the informal recycling brings to SWM in Bandung, there are also negative consequences. It

highlights the dilemma faced by decision makers while trying to include the informal recycling in the

SWM toward inclusive society. Improved efficiency in waste collection may lead to unemployment of

scavengers and waste pickers who belong to the poor strata of society, whereas issues on inclusive

society force municipalities to fight against social exclusion. The normative theory of social exclusion

and the concept of capital forms were used to address the dilemmas faced by decision makers in this

sector.

‘National Environmental Management Act, No 107 of 1998 (NEMA) Environmental Impact

Assessment Regulations (EIA), 2010′

Full article available at: http://www.polity.org.za/article/national-environmental-management-act-no-

107-of-1998-nema-environmental-impact-assessment-regulations-eia-2010-2010-06-22

___________________________________________________________________

Responding to Risk ___________________________________________________________________

Resources included below are of relevance to the issue of social networks and

social learning in the context of cl imate change.

Adhikari, K.S., & Goldey, P. (2010). Social Capital and its ‘Downside’: The Impact on

Sustainability of Induced Community-Based Organizations in Nepal, World Development, Vol.

38 (2): 184-194.

Abstract: This paper examines the role of social capital in the sustainability of induced community-

based organizations (CBOs). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 14 villages and

129 CBOs in Southern Nepal. This paper argues that social capital can be both positive and negative,

affecting collective action and the sustainability of CBOs. Major problems include rule breaking with

impunity and elite capture of resources, especially during the transition phase from external to internal

management. While external agencies play an important role in inducing and sustaining CBOs, they

should also address the complex issue of social capital and its downside.

Dodman, D.; Mitlin, D. & Rayos Co, J. (2010). Victims to Victors, Disasters to Opportunities:

Community-driven Responses to Climate Change in the Philippines, International

Development Planning Review, Vol. 32 (1): 1-26.

Page | 19

Abstract: Advocates of community-based adaptation claim that it helps to identify, assist, and

implement community based development activities, research and policy in response to climate

change. However, there has been little systematic examination of the ways in which existing

experiences of dealing with hazard events can inform community-based adaptation. This article

analyses the experience of the Homeless People‘s Federation of the Philippines in respect of

community-led disaster responses, with the aim of informing future discussions on the role of planning

for climate change adaptation in low- and middle income countries.

Harris-White, B. (2010). Work and Well-being in Informal Economies: The Regulative Role of

Institutions of Identity and the State, World Development, Vol. 38 (2): 170-183.

Abstract: This paper reviews the literature, mainly but not exclusively from India, with three

objectives. First, it questions what brings order to such economic activity and how economic and

social insecurity is instituted. Second, it examines the counter intuitive proposition that social security

rights are de facto, if not de jure, dependent upon work rights. Third, it explores the dynamics of, and

responses to, informalization.

Meagher, K. (2010). The Tangled Web of Associational Life: Urban Governance and the Politics

of Popular Livelihoods in Nigeria, Urban Forum, Vol. 21 (3): 299-313.

Abstract: This paper examines how decentralisation and informalisation are reshaping urban

governance in contemporary Africa. By exploring the interface between urban institutional failures and

popular organisational solutions, the paper considers how informal governance processes feed into

wider structural and political outcomes. Attention paid to issues of institutional process and power

relations reveals how the limited access of the poor to resources and decision-making structures may

distort rather than enhance their agency within decentralised urban governance systems. Drawing on

case studies of informal enterprise associations in Christian and Muslim parts of Nigeria, this paper

explores the differing ways in which networks of ethnicity, class and religion are used to forge links

between dynamic informal organisational systems and formal institutions of government. The varied

outcomes of these efforts raise uncomfortable questions about whether the proliferation of popular

networks and associations amid weak formal institutions is tipping African cities onto trajectories of

popular empowerment and pro-poor growth, or instigating a downward slide into violence and urban

decay.

Page | 20

___________________________________________________________________

Housing

___________________________________________________________________

The resources in this section are concerned generally with improving access to

housing and with creating better low cost housing, more sustainably.

Arimah, B.C. (2010). The Face of Poverty: Explaining the Prevalence of Slums in Developing

Countries, UNU Wider Working Paper Series, No. 2010/30: 1-20.

Abstract: This paper accounts for differences in the prevalence of slums among developing countries

using data drawn from the recent global assessment of slums undertaken by the United Nations

Human Settlements Programme. The empirical analysis identifies substantial inter-country variations

in the incidence of slums both within and across the regions of Africa, Asia as well as, Latin America

and the Caribbean. Further analysis indicates that higher GDP per capita, greater financial depth and

increased investment in infrastructure will reduce the incidence of slums. Conversely, the external

debt burden, inequality in the distribution of income, rapid urban growth and the exclusionary nature

of the regulatory framework governing the provision planned residential land contribute positively to

the prevalence of slums and squatter settlements.

Full text can be downloaded at: http://www.wider.unu.edu/stc/repec/pdfs/wp2010/wp2010-30.pdf

Bernard, T. (2010). Slums of Hope: Land Tenure Reforms, Local Economic Development, and

Environmental Improvement in a Kenyan Shanty Town, Local Economy, Vol. 25 (3): 234-239.

Abstract: Kambi Moto is a village shack settlement in Nairobi's vast eastern peripheral slums. Kambi

Moto differs from the slum around it, however, as it is in the middle of a community-led slum

upgrading programme. This programme has instituted land tenure reform, house building,

environmental improvements and has forced the local community to seek economic development.

The environmental improvements include permanent, formal houses with electric, water and

sanitation infrastructure provision. Roads were also built allowing better access to the community.

Experts state that secure tenure leads to economic, health, education and other benefits (Durand-

Lasserve & Selod, 2007). This 'In Perspective' case study will investigate the Kambi Moto experience

to see if this holds true in practice.

Bredenoord, J. & van Lindert, P. (2010). Equal Access to Shelter: Coping with the Urban Crisis

by Supporting Self-Help Housing, Habitat International, Vol. 34 (3): 274-277.

Extract: This special issue focuses on contemporary practices and policies related with self-help

housing in a selected number of countries.

Page | 21

Karanja, I. (2010). An Enumeration and Mapping of Informal Settlements in Kisumu, Kenya,

Implemented by their Inhabitants, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 22 (1): 217-239.

Abstract: This paper describes an enumeration of all households living in informal settlements in

Kisumu, Kenya, implemented by their inhabitants and supported by savings groups, the Kenyan

Homeless People‘s Federation (Muungano wa Wanvijiji), of which they are members, and Pamoja

Trust, a Kenyan NGO. This work included collecting data on each household, numbering each

structure and providing photo identity cards to each household. It also included the preparation of

detailed maps defining the boundaries of all house structures along with features of the site, with a

level of accuracy and detail needed for upgrading and providing secure tenure. The data from the

enumeration helped inform the residents of each settlement about their needs, and supported their

collective discussions about priorities. The enumeration in Kisumu is part of a larger enumeration and

mapping programme, both within Kenya and in many other nations, supported by organizations and

federations of the urban poor.

Navarro, I.A. & Turnbull, G.K. (2010). The Legacy Effect of Squatter Settlement on Urban

Development, UNU Wider Working Paper Series, No. 2010/25, 1-17.

Abstract: The paper presents a theoretical model that seeks to answer the question of why former

squatter settlements tend to upgrade/redevelop at a slower pace than otherwise similar settlements

originating in the formal sector. We argue that squatter settlers‘ initial strategy to access urban land

creates a ‗legacy effect‘ that curtails settlement upgrading possibilities even after the settlements are

granted property titles. We test our model using the case of Cochabamba, Bolivia and obtain results

consistent with our theoretical model prediction. Our results suggest that the commonly used ‗benign

neglect while keeping the threat of eviction‘ policy has profound impacts on how land is developed in

the informal sector and this poses costly consequences for local governments after legalization.

Full text can be downloaded at: http://www.wider.unu.edu/stc/repec/pdfs/wp2010/wp2010-25.pdf

Pillay, U., Rule, S., Rubin. M., Ntema, L. (2010). A Rapid Verification Study on the Informal

Settlements and Backyard Shacks’ Backlog and Trends within the Eastern Cape,

(Commissioned by the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Housing, April).

Abstract: Extensive scoping, enumeration and enquiries at municipalities across the Eastern Cape

from October 2009 to March 2010 has revealed that there are in the region of 225,000 households

living in informal settlements or backyard shacks. These were primarily concentrated within the two

large urban areas, Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metro, where the official municipal counts were

both approximately 80,000. The remaining 65,000 (28%) were distributed across the other local

municipalities, with the largest concentrations situated in King Sabata Dalinyebo (15,000), Mnquma

(11,500), Maletswai (6,000) and Kouga (6,000). Additionally, there were in the region of 3,000 to

4,000 in three local municipalities: Lukanji, Umzumvubu and Engcobo. A further six local

municipalities had from 1,000 to 2,000 informal households; a further seven had from 500 to 1,000;

and the remaining 18 local municipalities accommodated from 0 to 500 informal households each.

Representative sample household surveys in twelve informal settlements and backyard shacks in

Page | 22

their vicinities showed that more than a third of residents were children; 61% were in the 20 to 60

years category and 4% were older than 60 years. In Ocean View, Nompumelelo and Katilumla,

however, two-thirds or more were in the 20 to 60 year group. The mean household sizes in these

three settlements were the lowest (2,2 to 2,7 people) in comparison with the 3,04 mean across all

settlements. Also noteworthy was that 26% of households comprise one person only.

Full text can be downloaded at:

http://www.hsrc.ac.za/research/output/outputDocuments/6406_Pillay_Arapidverification.pdf

Sengupta, U. (2010). The Hindered Self-Help: Housing, Policies, Politics and Poverty in

Kolkata, India, Habitat International, Vol. 34 (3): 323-331.

Abstract: The housing dimension in Kolkata has been changing in recent years. Since 1991, the city

has initiated housing reform that has taken many forms and manifestations characterized by the

reduction in social allocation, cutbacks in public funding and promotion of a real estate culture in close

partnership between the state and private actors. There has been increasing concern about the

housing condition of the poor in the deserted slums and bustee settlements amidst the evident ‗poor

blindness‘ in housing and investment policies. Against this background the paper discusses self-help

housing in Kolkata. It seeks to answer a simple question – why the concept of self-help has not been

recognised as a viable policy option for a city with widespread slums and bustee settlements by

visiting the complex urban context of Kolkata set within the city's politics, poverty and policies. The

paper concludes that there is a need to recognize the existing structural duality in the city and support

self-help housing as a parallel housing approach.

Tanasescu, A., Wing-tak, E.C. and Smart, A. (2010). Tops and Bottoms: State Tolerance of

Illegal Housing in Hong Kong and Calgary, Habitat International, Vol. 34 (4): 478-484.

Abstract: This paper compares two different forms of illegal housing in two rich cities with very

distinct histories: rooftop squatters in Hong Kong and basement suites in Calgary. As well as

considering these irregular housing forms at opposite poles of the vertical spectrum, the paper

examines the structuring forces emerging from both the top and the bottom of the social structure,

and how they interact to produce the persistence of these housing types. Overlapping and conflicting

interests of various groups and limits on governmental actions make toleration of illegal housing

useful, in part precisely because of its provisional nature.

Todes, A., Karam, A., Klug, N. and Malaza, N. (2010). Beyond Master Planning: New

Approaches to Spatial Planning in Ekhurhuleni, South Africa, Habitat International, Vol. 34 (4):

414-420.

Abstract: The paper concludes that despite some innovative aspects, several elements of traditional

master planning were evident. New approaches to spatial planning were being shaped by older

thinking, but also by the impact of a traditional land use management system. The findings point to

the need for greater attention to debating alternative forms of spatial planning and their

appropriateness in various contexts.

* Compiled by Suzall Timm Clip art obtained from Microsoft Office Online. Centre of Criminology, Public Law Department University of Cape Town

E-mail: crimobservatory@gmail.com Page | 23

_________________________________________________________________

Climate Policy___________________________________________________________________

The resources lis ted here are concerned with tracking domestic efforts

internationally, to develop climate related policy.

Integrated Resource Plan for Energy in South Africa

Prinsloo, N. 2010. DoE hints that mandatory savings will be part of power plan. Engineering

News Online, (7 June 2010)

Extract: The Department of Energy (DoE) confirmed on Monday that demand-side management and

energy efficiency would be key features of South Africa's second Integrated Resource Plan, or

IRP2010, particularly between 2011 and 2013, when South Africa's already low reserve margin was

likely to dip back into single figures.

South Africa State-owned power utility Eskom recently confirmed that the country's reserve margin

had recovered to around 15% in 2009/10, but that it was likely to decrease to below that level this

year and to below 10% ahead of the introduction of the first Medupi unit, during the 2012.

Full article available at:

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/doe-and-eskom-looking-to-reinstate-industry-energy-

conservation-scheme-2010-06-07

Fakir, F. 2010. Climate proofing the second integrated resource plan (21 May 2010)

Extract: The second Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2) should be due anytime soon. It will be a crucial

document that will pretty much define South Africa‘s energy mix for the next 20 years. Getting it to

speak to the right things will involve intense wrangling between advocates for different energy

solutions.

We have to contend with the fact that the IRP2 process is back-to-front because we should have had

a national Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) before the IRP2 is developed. But, in this country, things tend

to happen in a back-to-front manner – one has to be somewhat philosophical about it and not be too

despondent that things will not follow their logical sequence.

Full article available at: http://www.polity.org.za/article/-2010-05-10

Page | 24

Fakir, S. 2010. Reflections on Integrated Resource Plan (16 July 2010)

Extract: The Integrated Resource Plan 2010 (IRP2010) consultation process has begun. It should

provide the ideal vehicle for the convergence of low-carbon energy policy with climate issues and the

development of new industrial opportunities in the cleantech sector.

IRP2010 will allow for conceptual convergence to be accompanied with an implementation

mechanism. Currently, climate policy, energy mix decisions and industrial policy exist as different

terrains of policy engagement without a proper vehicle or platform to connect the dots between them

Full article available at:

http://www.polity.org.za/article/reflections-on-the-integrated-resource-plan-2010-07-16

ANC: Statement by Dipuo Peters, African National Congress NEC member, on the State’s role

in the development of the electrical power generation plan (16 July 2010)

Extract:

Emerging from our apartheid past, in which energy planning by the State was not considered to be

very important and not transparent, it was Eskom's responsibility to determine the energy needs of the

country. The 1994 democratic breakthrough ushered in new ethos of governance that was in sharp

contrast to the apartheid's closed, elitist style.

Full statement available at: http://www.polity.org.za/article/anc-statement-by-dipuo-peters-african-

national-congress-nec-member-on-the-states-role-in-the-development-of-the-electrical-power-

generation-plan-16072010-2010-07-16