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Environmental Policy Making

Principals And Practices Of Democratization In Environmental Policy - Making

Particular Reference To The UK

World is changing, and how?, so during this time when the scientists are busy coming out with more statistical “deadlines” of natural resources remaining on earth and people are busy getting one on one with the “global warming” glossary of terms, fewer have started the leap toward new ways of living that are less daunting on our planet.

People are reminded of a serious “shift of origin” like condition of the planet when researchers declare that the rising temperatures due to global warming will harm the wine industry in the regions of California or the decreasing ICE CAP for polar bear survival or the melting glaciers of the Himalayas close to India. But still now in times of severe hunger and poverty stricken countries of the world, where survival comes before living, fewer will be courageous to take report of the now termed “planet in peril”.

On the positive side, there is some relief in watching the efforts of international level organizations and NGOs come to light the way towards a “prolonged” stay here, on earth. Greenpeace, Care, UN and among others are the forth runners in this task.European union has been at the job when we see that continuous efforts are being made by European nations to take up projects in theirs as well as in other developing nations [UK - Sustainable Development Projects In India, 2006].

With the advent of the new policies on environment and global warming scenario, the carbon trading has become an important corner stone of majority of manufacturing industries. In this study, as following from the title, we will restrict ourselves to the democratization going on in environmental policy making in the UK and we will also follow what are the practices and the principles, that apply there for the successful policy making and execution towards a safer tomorrow.Democracy in its simplest definition would be “public participation in the decision making process” and the Greek meaning of it also says “rule of the people”.

Under this principle of democratization, starting from the earlier 1980s, there was availability of information regarding the occurring environmental degradation [Pellegrini &Gerlagh, 2006 page3] witnessed by the soviet union, Asia, Africa and even the Latin America.With democracy, was the ability to protest against the loose grip of the authorities on the optimum use of the resources available.

Thus, the democratic setup helped the cause of raising voice high enough to reach the ears of the undertakers. By exploring the link between democracy and environmental policy we can find the nature of effect that each has on other, as for instance, countries with a democratic setup have a political commitment to the people of healthy environment. And democracy is a significant positive determinant of environment protection.

The UK initiatives out of region have been in the developing countries, of which the present work will limit it to India. As India is arriving in the developed country arena with the zest never seen before, the sustainability model will be largely dependent on the shoulders of the youth of the nation. The UK s sustainable development projects in India aim at Natural Resource Management, Climate change policy, mainstream sustainable development and production aiming at reduced emissions

[UK - Sustainable Development Projects In India, 2006].

The UK Strategy for Sustainable

Development, which uses that definition of sustainable development, has four objectives:

• Social progress which recognizes the needs of everyone

• effective protection of the environment

• prudent use of natural resources

• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.[Mapping Common Grounds, 2001]

UKs latest initiative on the matter of democratization in environment policy making is the launch of the website on ‘Aarhus Convention – Environmental Democracy’ < http://aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org/news.cfm?id=1000066> through which local communities have access to the information on environmental studies going on in Europe, the present condition and the future commitment of the state in accordance with the set targets to achieve.

A number of NGOs and other independent social activists will have access to the wide information base accumulated at one place and hence they too will add to the on going effort to involve everyone in this aspiration. The presence of NGOs in the process suggests a higher level of objectivity in the surveys and avoids the complacency typical of governmental self - reporting [Pellegrini &Gerlagh, 2006 page 8].

The authors go on to argue about the triple relationship of the income, democracy and the subsequent environmental policy which follows from the extent of involvement of income and democracy in molding the proposed environmental policy (which tends to me more strict when the higher income demands the same from the democratic setup.

Now, we will discuss the kind of interaction that goes on between the so called pure sciences or research on environmental factors and t he subsequent policy making and decision implementation that compliments that study. As we see the researchers all around the world continuously come out with newer findings about the effect of our activities on the environment and the degradation that goes on following it, we find out that the policy and strict action that should be followed sometimes lacks appreciably than expected from the democratized environment policy making setup and as it goes on scientists establish the facts about environmental realities, and policy - makers come up with policy options in the light of the facts [Keeley & Scoones].

Following the findings of the scientists, the facts sometimes are more so applied in technical decision making rather than the related governmental actions, this gives us with the overall picture of the whole situation as evident from the example of rangeland ecologists, delivering the facts about what is happening to pastures; climatologists tell us in return what is happening to the greenhouse; soil scientists offer assessments of changes in the soil fertility status of soils; and forest scientists inform us of rates of loss of primary forest cover [Keeley & Scoones].

The environmental research findings and the other facts act strongly to make sure that the administrative setup cannot ignore the need to make some changes which are required by the environmental policy. Hence, it adds to the effect in terms of overall awareness through establishment of facts in the light of research and making it available it to the people in order to direct the democracy in the direction that is decided upon by the masses.

This act is termed truth speaking to power rightly so because of the ability of science to perceive the things as right under the light of rational though process which recognizes reasoning that has been set by logical following of the facts.

Scientific knowledge and policy go together hand in hand. Scientists contribute to the framing of issues and the agenda for climate change by defining what evidence they can produce and by making claims about its significance for policy - makers[Keeley & Scoones]. As it has been asserted above, the environmental policy making efficiency really gets help from the evident research findings and the facts, there is other side to the story as well.

As is the case, in some cases the general people tend to keep their focus on the more basic of the findings and the detailed study of other complex areas of research are not considered for the policy making and also the post second world war, the dependence of democratic policy making has become more dependent on technical expertise as politicians now look to technical experts to support decisions across a wide range of policy issues - economic, military, and social as well as scientific and environmental [What Drives Environmental Policy, 2006]

However, as we have been talking about the global climate change and the environmental hazards generated before us and our possible theories and action plans on how to deal with it, it would be unfair as to not to talk of those who have had a chunk of part in causing such degradation that measured up to the size of globe level changes in climate. The developed nations or as we call the first world countries historically had caused the origins of environmental changes. But its effect is to be shared by the poorer countries equally (if not less)[Carolyn, 2007].

As we see in our own cities, more and more stress is laid on paved development and well planned and structured cities are replacing the green lands. The concept of green cover in contemporary times is more and more restricting to the man made gardens and jogging parks, and the actions of people in cities in the rich world are deeply linked to the well - being of the overall ecosystem and of people worldwide.

With the third world people already under so much toll taking from the hunger and poverty in their countries, complimented exponentially by the presence of shameless corruption which has a negative effect on environmental policy making[Pellegrini &Gerlagh, 2006] and as seen democracy and corruption both influence environmental policy. Countries with a democratic history tend to be less corrupt.

Therefore, we should prefer democracy as a way to promote economic and environmental welfare. Carolyn [2007] discusses the concept of environmental justice aimed at confronting those who are evidently more involved in the cause of such climatic change, those who due to their higher working areas through out history have been safe from their own actions which have caused so much turmoil on the poorer countries/people.

Environmental justice as it should be applicable to everyone in same amount and intensity was first introduced in the US. Justice and equality are the roof under which the democracy takes shelter and prefers to remain there. Environmental justice/equality is relatively a newer concept with the assertions that those who cause such harm to the environment should also be at the receiving end. It is becoming a movement that encompasses international environmental policy making democracies. The centre of thought is the safe environment for the future generations to come.

As a definition of environmental justice says:

‘that everyone should have the right and be able to live in a healthy environment,

with access to enough environmental resources for a healthy life’[Carolyn, 2007]

In Europe the public is gaining more access to information on environmental harms through policy mechanisms such as the Aarhus Convention[Carolyn, 2007]. In the above work we considered “environmental justice as a means to treat all equally (democratic setup). However, it becomes more relevant in case of democracy to talk about the environmental equality because democracy asserts that every individual has the foremost right to live in equally good and healthy environment that his/her counterpart in a developed nation lives. However, for many people, sustainable development is about the environment, but the UK Strategy makes it clear that "Everyone should have a share in the benefits of increased prosperity and a clean and safe environment. We have to improve access to services, tackle social exclusion, and reduce the harm to health caused by poverty, poor housing, unemployment and pollution. Our needs must not be met by treating others, including future generations and people elsewhere in the world, unfairly.[Carolyn, 2007]

On the other hand, all said and done is not the case in environmental policy making, as there are some key barriers to the ultimate aim of sustainable development (which is the most sought after structure of environmental policy making)

The key barriers as discussed [Mapping common grounds, 2001] are as cited:

• Compartmentalism

• In funding, policy, politics and tools - funding in silos and thinking in silos

• Organizational and professional boundaries including fear of failure

• Absence of effective participation

• Governmental organizational structures work against integration and 'joined up - ness'

• The power of organizational culture, including gendered culture, top - down and bottom up, the 'canteen culture'

• Knowledge and power

• Exclusion of grassroots interests and knowledge

• Vested interests against breaking down differential distribution of power and

Resources

• Lack of core funding for developmental time

• Sheer number of people and organizations to be involved

• Focus on outputs rather than outcomes

• Lack of links in the Neighborhood Renewal Strategy to transport, energy, waste,

• Planning

However, the future for the environmental policy making through democratization is clearer and it is going to be a key issue for the coming organizational setups. The industrial revolution of the 1900s has had initially profound effect on the global environment which are now showing up. There is a need for table turning policies and stringent actions that need to be taken against the climate change. The renewal of Kyoto protocol is scheduled in 2012, which is seen as a cornerstones in this rally towards reverting the effects caused on earth by our rapid development.

Works cited

Keeley & Scoones, Understanding Environmental Policy Processes: A Review, IDS working paper 89, Environment group, Institute of development studies, University of Sussex.

Mapping Common Ground on environmental equality, A roundtable event led by Capacity and the Environment Agency, South Bank University, London. 11 October 2001

Pellegrini &Gerlagh, Corruption, Democracy, and Environment Policy, The Journal of Environment //7 Development, Volume 15 Number 3, September 2006 332 - 354

Stephens Carolyn, Environmental justice: a critical issue for all environmental scientists everywhere, Environmental Research Letters, Environ. Res. Lett. 2 (2007) 045001 (2pp)

UK - Sustainable Development Projects In India, 3 July 2006

What Drvies Environmental Policy?, Editorial, Global Environmental Change 16 (2006) 4–6.

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