Environmental Science & Policy最新文献

{"title":"How consistent are adaptation strategies with ongoing climatic and environmental changes in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: A systematic review","authors":"Thi Minh Hoang Vo ,&nbsp;Thi Phuong Linh Huynh ,&nbsp;Peter Tamas ,&nbsp;Marie-Noëlle Woillez ,&nbsp;Etienne Espagne ,&nbsp;Laurent Umans ,&nbsp;Sepehr Eslami ,&nbsp;Hong Quan Nguyen ,&nbsp;Philip S.J. Minderhoud","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The densely populated Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD), the third-largest delta globally, plays a vital role in regional and global food security. However, it has undergone significant climatic and environmental changes over recent decades, driven by intricate interactions between global climate change and human activities within the VMD and its upstream river basin. The rapid evolution and quantification of these changes, as evidenced by recent scientific studies, suggest continued and substantial alterations in the near future, posing a serious threat to the delta's sustainability. Given the urgency of these environmental transformations, it is imperative to evaluate the extent to which current climate adaptation policies and delta development plans integrate state-of-the-science knowledge on environmental changes and future trajectories. To assess the coherence between scientific knowledge and prevailing policy directives shaping delta development, we conducted a systematic review of 27 existing adaptation plans and/or strategies for the VMD. This review, supplemented by an examination of projects in five provinces identified as hotspots for relative sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion, is enriched by an analysis of evolutionary trajectories of various key policies and adaptation plans over time, offering valuable insights into their historical influence on the delta. We found that while most documents acknowledge the reality of climate change, they often lack clarity regarding which dimensions of its environmental effects are addressed. The predominant focus tends to be on issues related to saltwater intrusion, floods, and seasonal inundation, whereas the existential threat posed by accelerating land subsidence and consequent relative sea-level rise receives comparatively less attention. Moreover, the significant role of sediment starvation, particularly due to sand mining, in exacerbating saltwater intrusions in the VMD’s estuary system is largely overlooked. Our results show that the climatic and environmental pressures garnering the most attention are typically those resulting in obvious, direct, and event-based impacts on the delta's population and livelihoods. However, these pressures often serve as symptoms of underlying, steadily escalating, longer-scale processes, such as land subsidence or sediment starvation, which are inadequately addressed in current policy steering documents and adaptation plans. Neglecting these potentially existential environmental pressures not only leads to missed opportunities for adaptation and mitigation in current delta development but also jeopardizes the delta's long-term sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104064"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Just sortition, communitarian deliberation: Two proposals for grounded climate assemblies","authors":"Nicole Curato ,&nbsp;Amiltone Luís ,&nbsp;Melisa Ross ,&nbsp;Lucas Veloso","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sortition or recruiting randomly selected everyday citizens is a core feature of climate assemblies. Sortition, the argument goes, enforces the principle of inclusiveness, as everyone has a fair shot at getting invited to the climate assembly. This form of recruitment, however, faces criticism. It challenges traditional structures of representation and decision-making where elders, religious leaders, elected representatives, and community organisers typically give voice to the ideas and grievances of everyday people. For some, sortition valorises the atomised individual who can speak their mind in a forum, without any mechanism for the individual to reconnect their deliberative experience to the wider community. In this article, we draw on the experience of the province of Zambezia in Mozambique as one randomly selected Assembly Member took part in the world’s first Climate Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and feedback sessions with local organisations in Zambezia, we offer practical insight on how sortition can deepen community connection and maximise the impact of climate assemblies in delivering practical outcomes for climate change adaptation. Using grounded normative theory, our study demonstrates how sortition can promote justice by elevating the voices of those most impacted by climate change. We also demonstrate why a communitarian approach to citizen assemblies enhances accountability and shared learning and empowers members to translate global deliberations into local actions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104070"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of decision support tools in drought management: Insights from the Netherlands","authors":"Marleen R. Lam ,&nbsp;Liduin M.T. Bos-Burgering ,&nbsp;Miriam (A.M.J.) Coenders-Gerrits ,&nbsp;Ruud P. Bartholomeus ,&nbsp;Petra J.G.J. Hellegers ,&nbsp;Lieke A. Melsen ,&nbsp;Adriaan J. Teuling ,&nbsp;Pieter R. van Oel","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104065","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104065","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Droughts have an increasing impact on the entire European continent. As the frequency and intensity of droughts rise in many parts of Europe, the implementation of effective drought adaptation and mitigation strategies becomes increasingly important. However, it is not known how diverse tools are used in drought management with increasing drought severity. This study explores the role of Decision Support Tools (DSTs) in strategic and operational drought management in the Netherlands. Through a survey among national and regional water authorities, this study shows the increasing reliance of water managers on field measurements, Data Information Systems (DISs), stakeholder consultation, and legislation with increasing drought severity. Weather forecasts and expert knowledge remain important throughout all drought management phases. Despite the increased use of DISs with drought severity, the use of hydrological models does not follow the same trend. DISs, which often incorporate hydrological models, reveal a ‘hidden’ use of these models. Rather than serving as ‘key artifacts’ for modelers, they become active ‘participants’ in broader data systems during advanced phases of drought management. All these aspects influence key responsibilities in model use including appropriateness and transferability, reproducibility, and transparency. These factors are critical to consider when aiming to bridge the gap between science and policy in the application and development of DSTs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104065"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143837906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of governance in large-scale mining sector in Latin America","authors":"Manuel A. Zambrano-Monserrate","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a surge in global raw material demand since 2021, suggesting the onset of a potential minerals and oil supercycle. This rebound has been driven by post-pandemic economic growth, infrastructure expansion, the transition to renewable energy, and sector electrification. These dynamics offer an opportunity to improve mineral resource governance, as highlighted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which stresses the role of institutional design. In this context, State Mining Enterprises (SMEs) have gained renewed importance, as several countries promote them to strengthen state ownership, foster innovation, and support public investment. While state-owned enterprises dominate the oil, gas, and mining sectors globally, they often face challenges related to inefficiency and corruption. This paper analyzes the governance of SMEs in Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia, focusing on differences in sustainability practices, transparency, and their capacity to promote innovation and value creation. In Chile, CODELCO and ENAMI demonstrate a stronger institutional framework and lead innovation efforts within the region. In contrast, Bolivia’s COMIBOL and YLB struggle with operational implementation and lack effective oversight mechanisms. Ecuador’s ENAMI EP is shifting its strategy toward diversification beyond mining, particularly in energy and infrastructure. However, sustainability and transparency standards remain weak across the three countries, with CODELCO standing out as the only enterprise consistently aligning with international best practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104071"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Out of sight, out of mind? The crisis of decentralized water and wastewater servicing in Indigenous communities","authors":"Ayla Lauret ,&nbsp;Kerry Black ,&nbsp;Stavan Golwala ,&nbsp;Tim Vogel","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Access to clean water and adequate wastewater services is a fundamental human right, yet many Indigenous communities in Canada continue to face significant challenges in this area. Despite governmental commitments and ongoing efforts, numerous communities remain under longstanding drinking water advisories, and inadequate wastewater management persists, creating a public health and environmental crisis. This review examines the complex interconnections between decentralized water and wastewater systems in Indigenous communities, with a primary focus on rural Alberta. It highlights the critical gaps in available data, the lack of holistic approaches to understanding these systems, and the barriers created by current regulatory frameworks and funding policies. The analysis reveals how decentralized systems, such as cisterns and septic tanks, often fail due to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, and regulatory ambiguities. Particular attention is given to the pervasive issue of \"shoot-outs\"—untreated wastewater discharges that disproportionately impact First Nations communities. The paper argues for a re-evaluation of current policies and funding models to better address the unique needs of Indigenous communities, proposing a framework that integrates technical, social, and political considerations. This review calls for an urgent response to reconcile disparities, enhance collaborative governance, and ensure equitable access to safe water and wastewater services for all Indigenous peoples in Canada.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104058"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143837905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Critiquing the Dublin Declaration based on underpowered analysis and inadequate methods undermines trust in the sciences – A response to Krattenmacher et al. 2024","authors":"Keith Belk,&nbsp;Frank R. Dunshea,&nbsp;Peer Ederer,&nbsp;Michael R.F. Lee,&nbsp;Frédéric Leroy","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104054","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104054","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104054"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143837900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating citizens’ assemblies into local climate governance: Lessons from a UK case study","authors":"Alice Moseley,&nbsp;Rebecca Sandover,&nbsp;Patrick Devine-Wright","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the growing international use of citizens’ assemblies to address climate change challenges, there remains a lack of consensus about the best means of integrating these into existing political decision-making contexts, particularly at the local level. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research which evaluates the ‘robustness’ of efforts to integrate mechanisms such as climate assemblies into structures of governance whilst also examining their role in unlocking creative solutions to climate change. We fill this gap with findings from an interview-based study of a local climate assembly in Devon, England. We apply and evaluate the framework of Boswell et al (2023) which incorporates three dimensions of robust integrative design relating to polity, policy and politics. The framework aids in the identification and categorisation of facilitators and processes of integration relevant to local climate assemblies. However, our research also identifies salient barriers to integration on each dimension, which occur both within and across scales of governance. Recognising and addressing these obstacles, we suggest, is as important as adopting formal processes of integration. Barriers to <em>polity</em> robustness include party political differences and competing priorities across organisations. Challenges for <em>policy</em> robustness include resource and capacity issues, a lack of clarity over implementation responsibility, and national government policy. <em>Political</em> robustness is inhibited by difficulties with engaging certain stakeholders such as business, and cross-sectoral tensions. Finally, a narrow focus on achievable outcomes linked to existing organisational priorities may undermine climate assemblies’ more transformational potential, suggesting trade-offs between polity/policy robustness and political robustness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104052"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A conceptual framework to improve climate-resilient health among Indigenous communities","authors":"Chrishma D. Perera ,&nbsp;Eranga K. Galappaththi ,&nbsp;Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo ,&nbsp;Timothy D. Baird ,&nbsp;Korine N. Kolivras","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104069","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104069","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is affecting Indigenous communities’ well-being, especially health. The World Health Organization has introduced a climate-resilient health system approach to minimize climate-associated health risks. Indigenous communities are poorly served by this approach, given its limited recognition of Indigenous health practices compared to non-Indigenous practices. By conducting a global systematic literature review, we aim to identify opportunities to improve climate-resilient health system approaches among Indigenous communities. We analysed 137 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2013 and 2023. The study is aimed at three objectives: i) to identify health drivers of Indigenous communities, ii) to develop a health drivers-based conceptual framework to improve climate-resilient health system approach among Indigenous communities, and iii) to apply the proposed framework in case studies. We applied latent and manifest content analyses to examine the data, capturing explicit meanings and underlying themes from the quotes we collected through the systematic literature review. First, we identified fifteen health drivers for Indigenous communities, which were categorized into three categories: i) risk (n = 6), ii) protective (n = 3), and iii) overlapping (n = 6). Second, we developed a conceptual framework with two main components: (i) a place-centered feedback loop and (ii) the shaping of health drivers. The place-centered feedback loop consists of five elements: (i) place, (ii) causations, (iii) infirmities, (iv) interventions, and (v) sustaining. The shaping of health drivers includes three aspects: (i) shaping types, (ii) shaping opportunities, and (iii) stakeholders. Third, the case study assessment affirmed the applicability of the conceptual framework in different geographic locations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104069"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143828776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regional governance solutions for sea-level rise adaptation: Perspectives from Humboldt Bay, California","authors":"Kristen Orth-Gordinier ,&nbsp;Laurie Richmond","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sea-level rise (SLR) is a complex challenge which could require the development of new special-purpose governance arrangements that allow for better coordination across jurisdictions and levels. This paper explores perspectives related to regional coordination for SLR adaptation in Humboldt Bay, California. Humboldt Bay is experiencing one of the fastest rates of SLR on the West Coast and exists in a complex regulatory environment with over 20 government entities, three Tribes, and numerous community members and groups connected to the issue. Through a mixed-methods approach that included 46 semi-structured interviews with and a survey of 107 coastal professionals connected to the Bay, we sought to capture local perspectives related to the barriers and opportunities for SLR adaptation, potential regional governance solutions for SLR, and the incorporation of community and equity considerations into SLR planning. Respondents identified several barriers including competing priorities and timelines, ineffective communication, lack of funding and capacity, and the strictness and inflexibility of environmental regulations and permitting processes. There was near universal agreement among respondents that some form of regional coordination on SLR was necessary, but views on the best governance framework were murkier. There was most support for establishing a formal collaborative partnership among local government entities and least support for creating a new authority with concerns that it could siphon time and funding and create an additional layer of bureaucracy. Most respondents preferred the planning authority to be under shared local and state control and preferred coordination to occur on a bay-wide scale, perhaps nested with planning at other scales. Respondents consistently brought up a need for a neutral facilitator to support coordination and they indicated a need to better incorporate community engagement and equity considerations. Findings reveal that development of novel arrangements related to climate governance needs careful consideration as there are potential advantages and drawbacks to new approaches. Development of these frameworks should not be a top-down process foisted upon local areas, but rather be a more bottom-up process designed and led by local actors with a stake or jurisdiction in the specific climate planning process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 104053"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143817014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Twinning green and digital futures in waste management","authors":"Charlotte Benedix ,&nbsp;Alena Bleicher ,&nbsp;Lina Sofie Schöne ,&nbsp;Diana Ayeh","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104042","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In waste management, a classic field of environmental governance, the political idea of “twinning” the green with the digital transition can be expected to gain performative power. To explore the question of how far this is the case and to what effect, we argue for a closer examination of enactments of and contestations around the twin transition policy discourse in daily practices of technology use. As a sensitizing concept, we use Mike Michael’s (2017) idea of the “ecology of futures” in order to help us explore ways and means by which digital and green futures are envisioned and become material in the technology-practice assemblages of a municipal waste management company in Germany. We identify three different “modes” of linking and decoupling these futures to and from each other. More precisely, we reveal how the “win-win” of a technology-mediated twinning policy is enacted, complemented, and even contested by other future visions at the company level. These are related to experimental playgrounds where, in their everyday routines, many workers do not refer to environmental goals at all. We conclude that considering such a plurality of perspectives may provide the basis for opening up and re-politicizing the debate around the twin transition. What role green visions of the future will play in this, however, remains open.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"168 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}