Calls
Research
Events
Online
New Publications
Jobs and Training
Network News
SDRN debate, launch and reception
To mark the launch of a new phase of SDRN, we would like to invite you to a high-level debate on the research challenges of delivering a green economy. The event will kick off at 6pm on Tuesday 13th December at the Royal Society, London. Speakers will include: Dimitri Zenghelis, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute; Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of The Aldersgate Group and author of 'Greening the Economy: A strategy for growth, jobs and success'; Dr. Gemma Harper, Defra’s Chief Social Researcher; and Prof. Roland Clift, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Technology and founding Director of the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey. Roland is the outgoing Chair of the SDRN Advisory Committee, a role he has held since 2006. The event will be chaired by the newly-appointed, but as yet unannounced, Chair of the SDRN Advisory Committee. The debate will be followed by a Networking Reception to which all are welcome. Places are limited so please register online at the earliest possible opportunity. We look forward to seeing you in December and your involvement in this new phase of the Network.
A new contact for the SDRN Mailing
After nearly four years of working on SDRN, I will be handing over the SDRN mailing to my colleague, Ben Watson, who will continue to bring you all the latest sustainable development-related news and opportunities each fortnight! It would be super if you could add Ben’s email address (b.watson@psi.org.uk) to your ‘safe’ list so that future mailings do not get caught in spam filters, and do send any future items to Ben for inclusion.
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Calls
Trade unions in the green economy – Call for Papers
Papers are invited for a session on ‘Trade unions in the green economy’ being organised as part of the International Sociological Association Conference from 1st to 4th August 2012 in Buenos Aires. The session, to be chaired by Prof. David Uzzell (University of Surrey), will explore the different ways in which trade unions across the world are responding to the challenges of climate change. The effects of climate change are being felt globally, but as the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has written ‘The main victims of climate change will be the workers, in particular in developing countries, whose sole responsibility will be to have been born poor in the most fragile parts of the planet’. Being in Latin America offers the opportunity to invite scholars and trade unionists from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil, where trade unions have been building alliances with environmental movements, trying to find a common agenda to combat climate change and create jobs. The Rio 20+ Earth Summit in Rio will have taken place at the beginning of June 2012. This session will therefore provide an opportunity to discuss the implications of the Earth Summit conclusions for the trade union movement. Climate Change is one of the major global justice issues in which trade unions are engaged, demanding a “Just Transition” to a “Green Economy”. So far there is very little scholarly and public discussion about their practices and perspectives. Abstracts may be submitted online before 15th December 2011. More…
Social marketing and socially responsible management: ‘Taking Responsibility’ – Call for Abstracts
Abstracts are invited for this one day conference, which will take place on 9th May 2012 at the Open University Business School, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes. The event builds on a previous ISM-Open conference ‘Changing Times: New Challenges’. What role can social marketing and socially responsible management play in moving towards a more sustainable and socially equitable economy? The conference aims to bring together academic, practitioner and public policy researchers from these key areas of management research to present and discuss current research relevant to these issues. Delegates are asked to submit an extended abstract (750 words, not including references; no appendices) suitable for one of two tracks; the first will focus on social marketing, and the second on socially responsible management, each with several sub-themes as discussed online. Abstracts of no more than 750 words should be submitted by 3rd February 2012.
Natural Environment White Paper Evaluation Framework and Process Evaluation - Call for Expressions of Interest
The Natural Environment White Paper (NEWP), ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature’, was published on 7th June 2011. The NEWP is a bold and ambitious statement outlining the Government’s vision for the natural environment over the next 50 years, backed up with practical action to deliver that ambition. Defra now wishes to commission an evaluation framework and process evaluation. The key aims of the project are to develop a NEWP evaluation framework for process, outcome, impact and economic evaluation, and undertake initial process evaluation. The evaluation will follow guidance set out in the Magenta Book. The contract is expected to commence in March 2012 and the study should be completed within 12 months from the date of award. The evaluation framework is required after six months in September 2012 and the final process evaluation report after 12 months in March 2013. Defra would welcome proposals from consortia for this project and does not expect the total cost to exceed £100k. Defra will consider the proposals and recommendations put forward in the evaluation framework and the findings of the process evaluation. However, there will be no obligation to undertake any further NEWP evaluation beyond this contract. Defra is now inviting Expressions of Interest, which should be received by 6th January 2012. Further information including the full request for EOIs and the draft project specification will be available on Defra’s Research Competitions webpage from 30th November.
Evidence on impacts of abstraction reform options on the environment and abstractors (excluding water companies) – Call for Proposals
Defra has issued a call for proposals for a new project: ‘Evidence on impact of abstraction reform options on the environment and abstractors (excluding water companies)’. England and Wales are faced with increasing water scarcity and changing patterns of water availability due to climate change together with increasing demand pressures mainly driven by population growth. In parallel with the impacts of climate change on natural water availability, there are potentially changes in demand for abstracted water. How the effects of this changing water availability profile are transmitted through to current or potential abstractors depends on the nature of the abstraction regulatory regime. Different regimes will potentially allow abstractors to manage these risks more or less efficiently and be more or less equitable in how they distribute the impacts of water scarcity. In the Natural Environment White Paper, published in June 2011, the Government committed to reform of the abstraction regulatory regime ‘to provide clearer signals to abstractors to make the necessary investments to meet water needs and protect ecosystem function’. It was stated that this was “because the current regime is not efficient at protecting the environment and meeting our needs for water”. Following this, Defra is seeking to assess the impacts of different reform options, working closely with stakeholders. Full details of the call are available online. Proposals should be submitted by 3rd January 2012.
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Research
Allotment gardening and other leisure activities for stress reduction and healthy aging
This study, published in the ‘HortTechnology’ journal, explored the potential benefits of allotment gardening for healthy aging, focusing on the opportunities provided by allotment gardening for outdoor physical activity, social support, and contact with nature. Participants included 94 individuals aged between 50 and 88 years who were members of various indoor and outdoor activity groups. The participants completed physiological measures and psychometric scales of self-rated health, perceived stress, physical activity level, and perceived social support. A significant difference in perceived stress levels was observed between the activity groups. Allotment gardeners reported significantly less perceived stress than participants of indoor exercise classes (P < 0.05). As there were no significant differences in reported levels of social support and physical activity, explanations for the allotment gardeners' lower stress levels focus on the potential contribution of engagement with nature and psychological restoration. These findings represent a step toward understanding the benefits of allotment gardening activity as a health-promoting behaviour in later life. More…
School carbon emissions in England are on the rise
Typical CO2 emissions from schools in England are rising, despite reductions to their heating demands, because of an increase in electricity consumption, according to new research published in the ‘Building Research and Information’ journal. The study suggests that the new academies, schools funded directly by the state and supported by the present Government, have significantly higher energy consumption profiles than other secondary schools. Researchers drew primarily on a database of Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and obtained information covering about 40% of the primary and secondary schools in England, including academies. In general, it was found that existing benchmarks for energy consumption in schools had over-estimated the fossil-thermal energy they need (primarily to heat the buildings), but underestimated the amount of electrical energy schools consume. The study also found significant differences in energy use between different school types. Both secondary schools and academies were typically found to have higher annual CO2 emissions per m2 than primary schools (6% and 27% respectively). Taking account of the different pupil densities was found to accentuate these differences: typical CO2 emissions per pupil were found to be 47% higher in secondary schools, and 116% higher in academies, both compared with primary schools. These differences are due mostly to greater electrical consumption. Academies typically use one-and-a-half times the electricity per pupil compared with other secondary schools, and over twice that of primary schools. In the context of national and international targets to reduce emissions, the paper establishes the need for continued monitoring and research into the relative roles of building design, systems and occupant behaviour to ensure that the emissions trend is downwards. Current ‘good practice’ electrical consumption in schools in England is actually worse than typical practice in 1995. More…
Ecosystem Management: Tomorrow’s Approach to Enhancing Food Security under a Changing Climate
This paper, published in the ‘Sustainability’ journal, argues that a sustainable ecosystem management approach is vital to ensure the delivery of essential ‘life support’ ecosystem services and must be mainstreamed into societal conscience, political thinking and economic processes. As the world’s leaders worked towards a new international climate change agenda in Cancun, Mexico, 29th November – 10th December 2010 (UNFCCC COP16), it became apparent that without a deep and decisive post-2012 agreement and major concerted effort to reduce the food crisis, the Millennium Development Goals will not be attained. Political commitment at the highest level will be needed to raise the profile of ecosystems on the global food agenda. This paper calls for full recognition and promotion of the linkages between healthy, protected ecosystems and global food security. It argues that sufficient resources should be allocated for improved ecosystem valuation, protection, management and restoration, and that ecosystem management should be integrated in climate change and food security portfolios. More…
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Events
Event – ‘Climate change communication: critical to mitigation policy and carbon governance?’
30th November 2011: Room G10, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield Street, London.
Concern about climate change is fairly high in the UK, yet the problem of climate science scepticism and a value-action gap in the public is increasing. What role does climate communication play and has the media become a political force in defining the direction of our low carbon economy? A group of students from UCL and LSE looked into this and related topics during the summer as part of a research project based at the Environment Institute. They identified a range of complex and unique issues that surround climate change and renewable energy communication, potentially presenting significant barriers to successful mitigation policy and carbon governance. This afternoon event will include a presentation of potential solutions and ways forward applicable to scientists, policy-makers and civil servants working in climate change or renewable energy sectors. This will be followed by a panel discussion with panel members: Richard Dent (Visiting Researcher, Environment Institute); Prof. Mark Maslin (UCL); Prof. Chris Rapley (UCL); Camilla Scassellati Sforzolini (UCL); and Mark Raven. More…
Event – ‘Adapting to an urban future’
6th December 2011: Royal Geographical Society, London.
Millions of people migrate to cities each year. Over half of the world’s seven billion people now live in urban areas and over one billion live in slums and favelas. How will urban centres across the world keep pace with predicted continuing growth? What are the visions of tomorrow’s cities? These questions will be discussed during this evening panel discussion. The panel, chaired by broadcaster Samira Ahmed, will include: Robert Neuwirth, author of ‘Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World’; Peter Bishop, appointed as the first Director of Design for London in 2006; and Doug Saunders, author of ‘Arrival City: How the largest migration in history is reshaping our world’. More…
Public Lecture – ‘Steering the transition from the industrial to ecological age: practical strategies and policies to try to mitigate economic and resource constraint dangers’
12th December 2011: University of Westminster, London.
Peter Head, Chair of the Institute for Sustainability (London) and Executive Chair of the Ecological Sequestration Trust, will present his analysis of how 9bn people could live sustainably on the planet in 2050 and the feedback from presenting this in 30 countries. He will discuss policies and investments needed, and how a fast transition is required from using non-renewable resource wastefully and polluting the planet towards using renewable resources efficiently in closed loops. Calling this a transition towards the Ecological Age, he will argue that the current speed of change is inadequate, with risks of economic collapse looming. He will explain his personal move to set up The Ecological Sequestration Trust, a new UK Charity, to provide open-source tools to help accelerate this change and facilitate the demonstration of what this can achieve on the ground as quickly as possible for the benefit of local communities. He will describe new interconnected urban-rural development models and the opportunities to decouple continuing human development from GDP growth. More…
Seminar – ‘Eco-city politics: national policy, local leadership, public accountability’
10th February 2011: University of Westminster, London.
This is the third event in an ESRC Research Seminar series, bringing together researchers and practitioners to assess the challenges involved in achieving effective leadership for sustainable urban development in different national and sub-national governance and policy contexts. Speakers include: Dr Heike Schroeder, University of East Anglia; Prof. Katarina Eckerberg, University of Umea, Sweden; Anders Franzén, Vaxjo City Council, Sweden; Prof. Wulf Daseking, Freiburg City Council; Dr Alina Congreve, University of Hertfordshire; Sebastian Loew, Barton Willmore, UK; Dr Joanna Williams, University College London; and Prof. Peter Newman, University of Westminster. Early career researchers and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts for poster presentations. Bursaries (covering travel and accommodation) are available on application. More…
ippr Event – ‘How green should we go?’
13th December 2011: Atlee Suite, House of Commons, London.
This event is the second in a series of energy panel discussions run by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) in association with Centrica, which will bring together policy-makers, regulators and energy firms to discuss what needs to be done to reduce carbon in an affordable way. Confirmed speakers include: Phil Bentley, Managing Director of British Gas; and Barry Gardiner MP, Member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. Discussion will be chaired by Nick Pearce, Director of ippr. More…
Conference – ‘Alternatives to economic growth’
18th February 2012: St Paul’s Centre, Cambridge.
A question underlying much of today’s political agenda is ‘How can we get back to Economic Growth as soon as possible?’, yet economic growth alone rarely takes into consideration finite natural resources, social justice and individual wellbeing. How can we escape the dependency of a system based on continuous economic growth? What alternatives are there? How can alternatives be implemented and given the priority they need in our crowded social and political agendas? This ‘Ideas Day’ seeks to bring together prominent speakers and activists who have addressed these issues from a sustainable point of view; as well as a range of individuals and groups who are developing and implementing practical alternatives. Speakers will include representatives from a range of organisations such as the Green Economics Institute, New Economics Foundation, the Transition Movement and the Green Party. There will be opportunities for questions and a panel discussion with speakers at the end of the morning. The afternoon will include table displays and workshops, providing opportunities to browse and discuss a range of local initiatives, such as Transition groups, Carbon Footprint, local money, rural initiatives etc. More…
EAUC Conference *Save the Date*
The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) has announced the date for its 16th Annual Conference, to be held from 27th to 29th March 2012 at the University of York. Each year, the EAUC Annual Conference seeks to provide an opportunity for delegates to hear inspiring keynote speakers from the sector and beyond, attend workshops on current issues, and network with others grappling with similar sustainability challenges in the higher education sector. Further details will be available online shortly…
Event – ‘Achieving more with less across rural and urban landscapes’
2nd February 2012: SOAS, London.
This event aims to champion smarter thinking, co-operation and collaboration to help achieve more with less across urban and rural landscapes and benefit people, places and wildlife. It will provide an opportunity to discuss success factors, such as effective partnerships, pooled resources, effective communication, good practice stakeholder participation, novel collaborations and social enterprise. Speakers will include representatives from the public sector, NGOs, think-tanks, academia and the media. Further details are available online…
Seminar – ‘Big Society: A critical reappraisal’
12th December 2011: National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Regent’s Wharf, London.
This seminar will build on a previous event, the ‘Big Society Evidence Seminar’, held in October 2010. Whilst the previous seminar explored the evidence base for three areas of the Big Society agenda (participation, service delivery and funding), this seminar will aim to undertake a critical reappraisal of the Big Society. It will cover the Coalition Government and the Big Society policy agenda. It will review the impact of Big Society politics and policies eighteen months on from the 2010 election - in particular focusing upon the implications of the Big Society for third sector practice and the relationships between third sector organisations and the state. Research and policy questions will include: (a) What have been the main features of the Big Society policy agenda, and to what extent does this provide a new policy context for the third sector? (b) How are the new policy programmes being implemented? (c) What is the evidence from research and practice about the impact of policy change? and (d) What are the major remaining policy challenges? This seminar is the first in a series of joint seminars by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC), focusing on various issues of relevance to civil society. The seminar is free to attend but places are limited and registration is required. To register for this seminar, please email knowledgeexchange@esrc.ac.uk before 2nd December 2011. More…
Seminar – ‘The role of older citizens in community building’
8th December 2011: Northumbria University.
Older people are typically characterised as recipients of care who make ever increasing demands on over-stretched and under-funded social care services. However, such a view overlooks the important unpaid work older people undertake in the voluntary and community sector. In common with other members of the European Union, England is experiencing population ageing; just over one third of the population is aged over fifty years, while men and women aged between 50 years and state pension age (60 for women and 65 for men) account for almost one in seven of the population. Moreover, the baby boomers are entering old age (over 50 years) and represent a huge body of volunteers able and willing to commit time to others. This seminar will focus on the unpaid voluntary work of older adults and will also seek to examine wider questions such as: What are inclusive communities and how best can we achieve them? How does the interplay of childhood, family, community and wider society influence inequalities in wellbeing? This seminar is the first in a series of joint seminars with the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) and Northumbria University, focusing on various issues related to volunteering. To register for this seminar please email knowledgeexchange@esrc.ac.uk before 1st December 2011. More…
Conference – ‘Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Ethical perspectives on land use and food production’
30th May – 2nd June 2012: Tübingen, Germany.
This four-day conference is the 10th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics (EurSafe) conference. The conference aims to address the topics of climate change and sustainable development under four thematic areas: (1) food production; (2) preservation of natural resources; (3) lifestyles; and (4) general philosophical and historical issues of climate change, sustainable development and food ethics. More…
Debate – ‘Green policy in the midst of the debt crisis’
12th December 2011: Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster, London.
The Aldersgate Group is organising this afternoon parliamentary panel debate, taking place from 3.30pm – 4.30pm, hosted and chaired by Anne McIntosh MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Confirmed speakers include: Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment; Prof. Paul Ekins, Professor of Energy and Environment Policy, UCL; Sir John Harman, Director, Aldersgate Group; and David Baldock, Director, Institute for European Environmental Policy. To register your interest to attend this free event, RSVP to events@aldersgategroup.org.uk. Places will be confirmed by 5th December 2011 with priority given to Aldersgate Group members and supporters. The event will be photographed and videoed.
Workshop – ‘Future visions of sustainable mobility and their role in policy planning’
19th – 20th April 2012: Szentendre, Hungary.
This is the third in a series of ‘Policy Meets Research’ workshops on sustainable mobility. The workshop aims to provide an opportunity for participants to: (a) learn from good practices in scenario building as a policy tool; (b) contribute to the revision of the jointly developed research agenda on sustainable mobility; (c) engage in brainstorming ideas on how to sustain CORPUS network activities in the area of sustainable mobility; (d) network with other European policy-makers and researchers in the field; and (e) learn innovative forms and methods of effective knowledge brokerage. More…
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Online
JRF Microsite: Social impacts of climate change
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has recently launched a microsite focusing on the social impacts of climate change and social justice in the UK. The microsite features: (a) two new JRF publications – ‘Climate change, justice and vulnerability’ and ‘The distribution of UK household carbon emissions’; (b) graphics showing who emits the most CO2 and who is the most vulnerable to floods and heatwaves in the UK; (c) a series of blogs looking at different aspects of climate change and social justice; and (d) existing research on the direct impacts of climate change in the UK. The site will be updated with new research and blogs during the coming weeks and months. More…
Changing the way people view peat bogs
The Sustainable Uplands project was voted the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme’s ‘best impact’ at their end of programme conference. At the event, the project launched a new music video they commissioned from nature photography collective 20:20 Vision, which aims to capture the hidden beauty and importance of UK peat bogs. The full version of the song behind the video, ‘Look Again’ by Ilse and Stephen Ogston, is available to download online. The team also launched a children’s story book about their research, called ‘The King’s Dream’, written by environmental storyteller Jackie Ross and illustrated by Natalie Killany (of VW fame). The story is available to download online or a hard copy may be obtained by emailing Mark Reed (very limited stocks). More…
Online Course: Community-based food systems
The cultivation, preparation, distribution, and consumption of food are processes that shape how we organise ourselves socially, economically, and politically. This online course, from 24th February to 30th March 2012, aims to highlight various approaches to building community-based food systems and movements for food justice around the world. Participants will be given the opportunity to evaluate successful efforts at food system relocalisation and the protection of community food resources, as well as the factors that threaten these efforts. With a special consideration for the needs of indigenous, marginalised, low-income, and migrant communities, participants will develop a conceptual toolkit and set of resources that will allow them to assess the limitations and possibilities of their own community’s food system. More…
The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Consultation
The Department for Energy and Climate Change has published a consultation which presents and invites views on the details of the Green Deal and ECO policies that are to be implemented in secondary legislation and under the energy licensing framework. They are keen to hear from as wide a range of stakeholders as possible including, in particular, organisations with an interest in operating within the framework and members of the general public, including those who might be considering investing in energy efficiency. The Energy Act 2011 made provisions for the development of a Green Deal and a new Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to replace the existing Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), both of which expire in 2012. Green Deal is a market led framework that will allow individuals and businesses to make energy efficiency improvements to their buildings at no upfront cost. Central to the Green Deal is a finance mechanism that will allow access to the finance needed for the improvements with repayment, in instalments, attached to the electricity bill. Underpinning the delivery of the Green Deal is the ECO. ECO will place one or more obligations on energy companies requiring them to generate a specific amount of credit by facilitating the installation of energy efficiency measures in homes in Great Britain before a set deadline. ECO has been designed to fit within the Green Deal framework and provide support, in the domestic sector, where Green Deal finance alone is not enough. The consultation will be open until 18th January 2012. More…
Cambridge Housing Energy Tool **Correct Link**
The English Housing Survey (EHS) includes information about the tenure, age and condition of homes, the demographic make-up of occupants, and detailed information about insulation and energy-consuming equipment in homes. This data is published annually, but it can be hard to access and use. The Cambridge Housing Energy Tool aims to allow users to interrogate the energy-related part of this EHS data easily. It was designed and created by Cambridge Architectural Research and Cambridge Econometrics in response to feedback from stakeholders that they want an Excel-based, user-friendly tool to access the EHS data. The tool is available in the ‘Housing Surveys’ section online…
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New Publications
New Book – ‘Rough Guide to Community Energy’
This book, produced by Rough Guides, aims to highlight how communities can work together to save or generate energy and tackle climate change. The book, written by Duncan Clark and Malachi Chadwick, presents a range of case studies and practical advice about: (a) how to set up a local energy group and keep its momentum going; (b) different types of project, such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass, CHP and energy efficiency; (c) how to get a project off the ground, from fundraising to construction; and (d) real world advice from groups across the UK. The book is free to download online…
LSDC Report – ‘Sowing the Seeds: Reconnecting London’s children with nature’
London is known as a green city - approximately two-thirds of its area is defined as green space and many sites are rich in wildlife. Much work is underway to protect and develop this, most notably through the Mayor's Great Outdoors Strategy, the London Plan which seeks to address deficiencies in line with the Mayor's Biodiversity Strategy, and through partnerships such as the Green Grid, that seek to increase green space provision, and quality, at a local level. Through these, the provision of the resource has been the primary focus. More recently, for example through the Health Inequalities Strategy, the focus has shifted to the benefits of increasing the level and type of use. This report, published by the London Sustainable Development Commission, brings together the findings of existing research suggesting that a child's contact with nature is particularly important; natural environments are said to have restorative qualities that help in relaxing and coping with everyday stress. They are claimed to promote adaptive processes in child development (for instance motor fitness, physical competence and self-confidence). They are said to support learning and education. Finally, it is claimed that spending time as a child in green outdoor environments nurtures lifelong positive attitudes about nature and the wider environment. The report concludes that maximising young people's contact, and the quality of that contact, with nature in the city is fundamental for their health and wellbeing. Children under the age of 12 were taken as the focus for this research. More…
ippr Report – ‘The State of the Economy’
This report suggests the UK economy is at a critical juncture. It calls for the Government to do more to promote long-term, balanced growth in the UK economy, whilst ensuring that the benefits of increased prosperity are shared more equally. According to the report, this will require the development of a modern industrial strategy, designed to support growth in the private sector so that the UK can reduce, or even eliminate, its trade deficit and return to full employment as swiftly as possible. Such a strategy will need to be based on a vision of what the economy might look like in 2020. This vision is unlikely to be right in every detail, but it is necessary to recognise some of the major trends that will occur over the next decade (such as the ageing of the population and the continued development of emerging economies) and the trends that we might wish to see in the UK economy (such as better balanced growth), and to identify what needs to happen, by way of investment in infrastructure and skills for example, to bring about desired outcomes. This survey of the state of the British economy focuses not only on how to promote growth but also the macro challenges ahead (including globalisation and massive technological change), structural issues within the UK economy, a range of supply-side issues such as productivity, innovation and skills, and the economic disparaties, regional and societal, that both reflect the state of the economy and present risks for its recovery. More…
CGIAR Report – ‘Achieving food security in the face of climate change’
This report provides a summary of the findings of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, highlighting that business as usual in our globally interconnected food system will not bring food security and environmental sustainability. Several converging threats – from climate change, population growth, and unsustainable use of resources – are steadily intensifying pressure on humanity and world governments to transform the way food is produced, distributed and consumed. The report presents seven key messages and action points for policy-makers, and highlights a diverse set of policies and programmes that are tackling food security in the context of climate change. More…
New Report – ‘The KfW experience in the reduction of energy use in and CO2 emissions from buildings: operation, impacts and lessons for the UK’
This report suggests that UK home owners could see reduced energy bills if the UK Government's energy policy takes lessons from a pioneering German bank. The report, recently launched by co-author Prof. Paul Ekins of the UCL Energy Institute, welcomes recent UK energy policy initiatives but says much more needs to be done. Insight from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German bank that has had 30 years of experience of major housing programmes to increase the energy efficiency of German buildings, provided a number of possible lessons for the UK. The KfW scheme includes brokering low-interest loans, giving performance-related grants, insisting on expert advice and installation to ensure appropriate work is carried out to a high standard, and adopting a 'whole house approach' to energy saving, even if methods are applied sequentially. With the Energy Bill 2011 having been successfully passed by Parliament in the UK, and the details of the Green Deal, Energy Company Obligation and Green Investment Bank being finalised, Professor Ekins said that while much can be learned from the KfW, the context in the UK is very different, and the application of the lessons from the KfW experience will need to take that into account. More…
New Report – ‘Changing climate, changing conversations: climate change and the health reforms’
This report builds on a workshop hosted by the Local Government Association (LGA) and Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in July 2011 to discuss how climate change can be incorporated into the health and social care reforms. It suggests that a changing climate should be part of the conversations about new structures, responsibilities and ways of working and how a relatively small investment now in strategic thinking and information gathering could make a big difference to the effectiveness of action at a local level. Examples from local authorities, the NHS, and partner organisations illustrate the significance of climate change to assessing need and tackling health inequalities, local leadership, managing risk and improving community resilience. More…
WRAP Report – ‘Adapting waste and recycling collection systems to the changing climate’
This report seeks to provide practical guidelines for local authorities looking to plan for the impacts of climate change in order to avoid disruption to waste and recycling collection systems, and ensure they can continue to deliver their service objectives effectively and efficiently. The report outlines the expected changes to the UK climate over the century, suggests approaches for assessing potential impacts and developing responses; and considers some of the short and longer-term implications for the delivery of waste collection and recycling services. More…
IEA Report – ‘World Energy Outlook 2011’
The International Energy Agency has recently launched this year’s World Energy Outlook (WEO), which explores how the energy system will evolve in the next 25 years, taking account of broad policy commitments that have already been announced by countries around the world to address climate change and growing energy insecurity. The WEO also considers the implications of climate change, including an assessment of what infrastructure "lock-in" means for manoeuvrability to meet the 2 degrees Celsius goal, the potential implications of a rapid slowdown in the use of nuclear power for the global energy landscape, the role of coal in an emissions-constrained world, and the consequences on global energy markets of a possible delay in oil and gas sector investment in the Middle East and North Africa. The book includes a review of energy in Russia, looking at the trends in domestic energy markets, supply prospects and its implications for global energy supply. More…
Demos Report – ‘Good Growth’
This report argues that, whilst the Prime Minister has acknowledged that GDP ‘measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile’, policy-makers and commentators remain fixed on GDP and growth above all else. The Government has asked the Office for National Statistics to discover how happy the population are – to measure ‘general wellbeing’ – but Demos suggests there is no clear policy agenda to follow from the results. Through polling and conjoint analysis, this report aims to highlight what people value when forced to make trade-offs. It finds that wider issues such as work-life balance, health and housing are viewed by the public as critical components of good economic performance, on top of raw GDP. As a result, it recommends that at the same time as tracking GDP, the Government should adopt a ‘good growth’ index, so that economic policy decisions are aligned with citizens’ wishes. More…
Carnegie UK Trust Report – ‘Power: A practical guide for facilitating social change’
Whilst power is frequently discussed, this guide suggests people seldom try to understand it. It argues that power affects everything we do – the decisions that control our lives; what emerges in the public agenda and what does not; even what information we have, what we know, and how we see ourselves as agents and actors. Making change happen means both understanding the power that prevents change from happening – that protects an unjust status quo – as well as understanding the power we have within ourselves and with others to create change, hopefully towards a more just, sustainable and positive future. The guide presents the experience of its authors, Raji Hunjan and Jethro Pettit, in helping grassroots communities analyse power for change. Their practical approach to facilitation builds on a growing body of concepts and methods being used for power analysis by grassroots organisations in the UK and around the world. More…
Scottish Government Publication – ‘Green Infrastructure: Design and place-making’
The Scottish Government has recently published this report, which aims to provide practical tips on incorporating green infrastructure in masterplans. The report is split into two parts: (a) Part 1 introduces the concept of green infrastructure, who should be involved in green infrastructure planning and implementation, when to think about it, and highlights the advantages of taking an integrated approach to green infrastructure in designs; and (b) Part 2 focuses on masterplanning, in particular by showing how green infrastructure can contribute to each of the six qualities of successful places that have been identified within the Scottish Government's design policy. These six qualities are: welcoming, distinctive, safe and pleasant, easy to move around, resource efficient, and adaptable. Also included are examples of how to consider Green Infrastructure during a site appraisal, and two case studies from abroad: Vauban in Freiburg, and the transformation of the disused High Line in New York into an elevated public park. More…
SEI Report – ‘Bioenergy projects and sustainable development: Which types of bioenergy projects offer the greatest development benefits?’
Modern bioenergy sources are often viewed as important components of a low-carbon, energy-secure future. This report suggests that through reducing dependence on imported fuel and providing new employment opportunities, bioenergy production has the potential to stimulate local economies in developing countries. Given the diversity of biomass resources, options, markets and scales, a better understanding of how well different bioenergy project types can provide sustainable development is needed. The analysis presented in this report evaluated how the potential for sustainable development benefits differs across 12 bioenergy project types, in order to help identify which project types are best positioned to provide such benefits. It systematically examines the benefits claimed in project design documents for 76 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) bioenergy projects in India, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. The claimed sustainable-development benefits differ as widely among bioenergy project types as among all other CDM project types. Among CDM bioenergy projects, those that rely on on-farm residues claim to offer the greatest number of benefits, while those that rely on industrial forestry residues claim the fewest. The report calls for improved sustainability assessment of biomass energy project types, including on-the-ground post-implementation evaluations, in order to guide priority-setting for international mitigation finance and CDM reform efforts. More…
Report – ‘A review of the Forest Education Initiative in Britain’
The Forest Education Initiative (FEI), created in 1992, is a partnership of a broad range of bodies including civil society organisations, government organisations and the forestry and education sectors. A review of FEI was undertaken by Forest Research to explore its history and development and identify strengths and weaknesses and opportunities for the future. The work was undertaken through an analysis of documents, a range of interviews and a survey of cluster groups across Britain. Forty four of the seventy three cluster groups in early 2010 responded to the survey. Key findings are reported in relation to its governance, funding, cluster groups, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. A particular strength of FEI concerns the flexibility of its governance structure, with coordinators and steering groups acting as an umbrella of support for cluster groups that can develop and fade depending on local need and enthusiasm. FEI is a wide-ranging network that supports a broad variety of people and groups (teachers, rangers, education providers, private forestry) to work with a diverse range of people in local schools and communities. The range, diversity and size of cluster groups across GB reflect local needs and interests. However, there appears to be a lack of knowledge and understanding of what FEI is, both internally within the cluster groups and amongst partner organisations and externally with other organisations and the wider public. Also noted was a lack of well designed monitoring and evaluation, which means that key activities and achievements of FEI are not fully captured. More…
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