CHALLENGES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MAINSTREAMING

Barry Dalal-Clayton

Learning and Leadership Group: Uganda 24-25 July 2012

Outline of presentationWhy do we need EM?

What is EM and what does it achieve?

Making choices about EM – entry points & tactics

The drivers/constraints of EM

RAPIDLY GROWING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ……

… is breaching ecological limits…

Deforestation

Rapid population growth Pollution

Soil erosion

Climate change

Loss of biodiversity

Arctic sea ice, Sept ‘07

MAINSTREAMING ENVIRONMENT NEVER MORE URGENT

From article in “Nature”, 2009• Inner blue shading represents the proposed safe operating space for nine planetary systems. • Red wedges represent an estimate of the current position for each variable – 3 exceeded

• 60% of ecosystems are degraded (MA 2005)

• Cost = 11% of GDP UNEP, 2010)

Breaching planetary boundaries

Human produced N Fisheries collapse – Atlantic Cod

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005

Environmental trends remain negative

Pollutants – residence in atmosphere

GEO 4 2007

Soils with high water erosion risk

Changes in species abundance by region

Condition of planet?

World is suffering from “Environmental Deficit Disorder” (taking a Gaia (organism health) perspective – James Lovelock)

Foolish environmental devaluation & asset liquidation (taking an economic/business perspective)

“The planet will strike back as a result of bad decisions by people” WHO

ENVIRONMENT is

Not certain Not predictable Not valuedNot pricedNot tradedNot ownedNot scrutinisedNot on the political agenda

ENVIRONMENT IS STILL AN EXTERNALITY IN DECISIONS

Climate change concern

UK: Top national political concerns

The political economy of environment is weak

• Envir. and dev‘t institutions separate – different worlds!

• Finance dominates dev’t – $/day, 0.7% aid, budget support

• But finance ‘missing’ from environmentin national budgets (c. 1%)? City budgets (10% Quezon)

• Envir. is treated as technical – but its politics are toxic (Greenpeace)

• Envir. language confuses – goods/bads? science/values?

• Envir. stakeholders ‘push’ – don’t understand mainstream

Environmentalists – not always listened to

‘Who are the bossiest people on earth?’PoliticiansReligious leadersRight-wing newspapersEnvironmentalists I’M AN

ENVIRONMENTALIST. THINK LIKE ME!

Donors are also demanding EM, and are key drivers

• Upstream policy/budget issues and not only projects

• Thus donors focus on SEA, ‘country systems’ and climate change integration

• Need to move beyond env ‘safeguards’ towards positive ENR use

• But ‘mainstreaming’ can be a turn-off word: too many issues being ‘mainstreamed’ assumes the mainstream is on the right track ‘integration’ may be better (as in Spanish, French)

EnvironmentEnvironment

Social

Economic

Beware upsetting the fine balance

Environmental Mainstreaming is critical for sustainable development and green economy

Integrating environment into development policy, planning and investment never more urgent, eg

Climate-proofing infrastructure and agriculture

Making industry water-efficient and clean

Tackling environmental deprivations of poor people

CHALLENGE

“The informed inclusion of relevant environmental concerns into the decisions and institutions that drive national, sectoral, city and local development policy, rules, plans, investment and action”

(IIED, 2009)

ENVIRONMENTAL MAINSTREAMING – A definition

EM: spectrum of outcomesImproved awareness of environmentImproved information base on environmentImproved participation and voice on environment Improved Improved policy, law, plan, strategypolicy, law, plan, strategy on environment on environment Improved capacity to address environmentImproved budget and finance to tackle environment Improved environmental conditions

In any country , who are the different actors best placed to promote and help mainstreaming?

Choice of ‘entry point’Where to build bridges between environment anddevelopment worlds?

1. Govt authorities, or non-govt (business, watchdogs)?

2. Env authorities, or development authorities?

3. Env as a sector, or cross-cut, or one issue e.g. climate?

4. Existing decision-making (national /city plans), or special (SD strategy)?

5. Plan, or upstream (economic policy / rights) or downstream (pilot projects)?

6. National level, or a district, or a sector?

7. Stop bad practice, or support existing good, or innovate?

Choice of tactics for mainstreaming1. Language:

Speak ‘economics’ (still the main language of policy discourse) not ‘environmentalese’

Speak ‘development’ (jobs and growth) not ‘no growth’ Work with politicians and offer solutions, not speaking at them

2. Focus: on financial decisions (budget is key) Present costs, benefits, risks of env integration

3. Attitude: potentials, not only negative safeguards ‘Glimpses’ of desirable outcomes, plus enabling conditions

4. Authority: further strengthen our moral and scientific Involve poor groups; public opinion surveys; accountability Offer specific evidence/cases, not only generic

DRIVERS of environmental mainstreaming

Major drivers Increasing stakeholder

awareness & demands National legislation & regulations Values of progressive

organisations (eg big companies) Donor conditions

Moderately important International commitments Major environmental events and

disasters(eg floods) Company business plans & objectives Risk management Traditional cultural reasons Company/business regulations /

requirements

Others Personal values Visible ‘real’ issues Link between development/poverty reduction & environment Requirements of clients EU accession and approximation process Membership of international business groups (that embrace E M.) Desire to address rising poverty and inequality Need to protect ecosystems and stem environmental degradation

Environmental organisations As regulatory authorities, service delivery organisations, environmental

NGOs, Civil society groups – representing people especially dependent on the

environment Improve efforts to influence ‘the mainstream’ to integrate environment Lobbying, case-making, collaboration, providing information Assert broad vision of Environmental Mainstreaming

Mainstream development organisations Central, sectoral & cityplanning and finance authorities Delivery organisations Corporations National + local levels Need to understand how environment affects development interests; +

associated costs-benefits-risks + their distribution How to meet international / national environmental obligations

MAIN ACTORS

Mainstreaming approachesBroad tactics (ways of raising issues and making a case/getting heard, eg campaigns, lobbying)

Promoting/enabling institutional change (strategic level approaches);

Specific (more micro) instruments, technical tools and analytical methods (eg for gathering information, planning and monitoring);

Methods for consultation and engaging stakeholders; and also

Range of more informal, voluntary and indigenous approaches

Looking for tools to help?

Stuck?

Confused?

CATEGORISING APPROACHES/TOOLS

Economic & financial assessment CBA, green accounting

Impact assessment & strategic analysis

EIA, SEA, SoE, Natural Step

Spatial assessment LUP, poverty mapping

Monitoring & evaluation Indicators, audits, SD reporting

Policy analysis Stakeholder, institutional, governance

mapping

Participation & citizens’ action PLA, citizens’ juries

Political analysis & action Discourse-shaping, coalition-forming,

manifestos, commissions

Conflict management Dispute resolution, arbitration

INFORMATION DELIBERATIVE & ENGAGEMENT

PLANNING & ORGANISING

Legal tools Public interest litigation, rights regime

Visioning Scenarios

Management planning & control QMS/EMS, ISO, risk assessment,

threshold analysis

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) Cost benefit analysis (CBA)ISO standards

**********************************Strategic environmental assessment (SEA)Monitoring (general)Indicators

**********************************Land use planningEnvironmental auditsEnvironmental management system (EMS)Public participation (general)Geographic information system

Green/natural resource accountingState of environment reportCertificationLife cycle analysisEco-management & audit system (EMAS)Workshops & seminarsPublic hearingPublic consultationCommunity meetingsCommunity-based NR managementConflict managementMulti-stakeholder consultation / processesRisk assessmentMedia (campaigns) Economic valuationLegal frameworks / guidelines

TOP APPROACHES/TOOLS IDENTIFIED BY USERS IN COUNTRY SURVEYS

Linking tools and the Policy/planning cycle – opportunities & leverage points

Facilitation & enabling mechanisms

The two best options are:

Planning EM

integrated processesmerged processes

Environmental mainstreaming in planning & policy-making?

Linking EM tools/approaches

InformationInfluence Deliberation & engagement

= Dialogue

Planning & organising

Better PPP.Decisions &Investments

Green economy

Lack of political willLack of understanding & awareness (of environmental issues)Lack of data / informationLack of skills

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Lack of human resourcesLack of fundingLack of awareness of available tools

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Over-complicated/overlapping environmental legislationLack of (access to) methodologies/tools - that workCorruptionFragmentation of environmental responsibilities

Key constraints to environmental mainstreaming

www.Environmental-Mainstreaming.org

Environment Inside

Environment Inside - - builds on:

For your attention !