Environmental Science & Policy最新文献

{"title":"Determinants of effective participatory multi-actor climate change governance: Insights from Zambia’s environment and climate change actors","authors":"Kangacepe Zulu ,&nbsp;Ernest Ezeani ,&nbsp;Zhara Salimi ,&nbsp;Easton Simenti-Phiri ,&nbsp;Chitembo Kawimbe Chunga ,&nbsp;Paul Musanda ,&nbsp;Palicha Halwiindi","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Participatory governance has widely been emphasised as essential to achieving SDG 13. However, recent studies have tended to focus on climate change impacts or global-level politics and governance, to the exclusion of providing practical country-level multi-actor climate governance solutions. Our study bridges this gap by examining the determinants of effective participatory multi-actor climate change governance. The objectives were to examine the current state of Zambia’s climate change governance and policy environment, to examine the elements required to actualise participatory multi-actor climate change governance, and to develop a Climate Action Coordination (CAC) Model of participatory multi-actor governance. Using semi-structured interviews with policy-level actors and a survey of implementation-level actors, we find that Zambia’s current climate governance architecture is characterised by intricate political, policy, institutional, and coordination challenges. Despite these complexities, our study reveals that effective participatory multi-actor climate change governance is contingent upon a deep understanding of the prevailing political dynamics and the effective navigation of political interference by climate actor institutions. Within such a political context, a multi-tiered governance institutional framework is essential, anchored on both an influential political authority and robust multi-level technical autonomy. Our results also identify various determinants such as: broad stakeholder inclusion; clarity of roles; decentralisation of decision making, with safeguards to limit policy reversals; harnessing of indigenous knowledge; alignment to the broader national development agenda; adequate financing; leveraging the influence of global commitments; and establishing parliamentary oversight mechanisms, among others. We synthesised these determinants into a practical CAC Model that cuts across the different administrative and sectoral tiers of climate change governance. Our study is unique as it offers a broad, multifaceted, and practical consideration of the determinants of climate change governance. This is particularly useful for a country like Zambia that has embarked on ambitious environmental and climate change sector reforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Innovative governance for sustainable management of Mediterranean coastal aquifers: Evidence from Sustain‐COAST living labs","authors":"Chiara Ceseracciu ,&nbsp;Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen ,&nbsp;Romina Deriu ,&nbsp;Giampiero Branca ,&nbsp;Anthi-Eirini K. Vozinaki ,&nbsp;George P. Karatzas ,&nbsp;Thouraya Mellah ,&nbsp;Hanene Akrout ,&nbsp;Ümit Yıldırım ,&nbsp;Mehmet Ali Kurt ,&nbsp;Seifeddine Jomaa ,&nbsp;Alberto Carletti ,&nbsp;Pier Paolo Roggero","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focuses on groundwater governance in Mediterranean socio-ecological systems, where anthropogenic and climate-related pressures lead to issues such as overexploitation, salinisation, and pollution, particularly in coastal areas. It provides empirical evidence of the practices and processes that foster governance learning and innovation towards adaptive and sustainable groundwater management, drawing on data from a comparative groundwater governance assessment of four case studies,each representing relevant issues within the mosaic of water challenges in the Mediterranean region. This study addresses several knowledge gaps by proposing a framework aligned with a socio-ecological systems approach, allowing for acomprehensive understanding of groundwater governance by consideringinterconnected social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The assessment process integrates diverse data and knowledge sources, and ensures the active participation of local stakeholders. The findings highlight several cross-cutting themes relevant to water governance innovation. These include transdisciplinary collaborations that recognise the multidimensionality of water governance, the role of cultural and social capital as catalysts for community mobilisation, the potential of community participation tools to promote voluntary behavioural changes, and the creation of social learning spaces to co-design scientifically robust and socially acceptable water management options. Furthermore, this study emphasises the integration of the Theory of Change to effectively engage stakeholders in the co-creation of tailored governance solutions, thereby enhancing the potential for sustainable policy outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104038"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Just energy transition from coal in South Africa: A scoping review","authors":"Sean M. Patrick ,&nbsp;Joyce Shirinde ,&nbsp;Kableo Kgarosi ,&nbsp;Takalani Makinthisa ,&nbsp;Rico Euripidou ,&nbsp;Victor Munnik","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104044","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>South Africa’s just energy transition (JET) aims to reduce coal dependency and shift toward a low-carbon, sustainable energy framework. However, achieving this goal requires addressing the socio-economic, health, and environmental burdens that coal dependency has placed on communities, particularly in regions like Mpumalanga. Integrating principles of social and restorative justice is essential to ensure an equitable transition.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This scoping review examine how South Africa's policymaking, regulatory frameworks, and public participation in the JET align with principles of social and restorative justice and global energy transition frameworks.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A systematic literature search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed to identify relevant studies on energy transition and justice frameworks. Network analysis was employed to compare South Africa’s JET strategies with global trends, focusing on indicators related to health, environmental, and socio-economic impacts.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings reveal significant challenges in South Africa’s JET, including regulatory limitations, stakeholder conflicts, and gaps in policy alignment with community needs. Although efforts to incorporate justice principles are emerging, disparities in policy implementation suggest the need for more tailored, inclusive approaches. Network analysis identified both overlaps and gaps between South Africa’s JET policies and international frameworks, particularly in areas of public health and social equity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>To achieve a balanced and inclusive energy transition, the study recommends strengthening regulatory coherence, enhancing public engagement, and implementing concrete actions for social and restorative justice. Aligning domestic policies with international commitments while addressing local socio-economic conditions is critical for South Africa’s JET to serve as a model for coal-dependent economies globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104044"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"People centric policy is needed to create a clean cooling pathway for UK homes","authors":"Richard Hoggett ,&nbsp;Louise King ,&nbsp;Richard Lowes ,&nbsp;Christina Demski ,&nbsp;Carlos E. Ugalde-Loo","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104045","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the climate continues to warm, overheating is becoming increasingly common, creating a range of heat-health issues, and leading to a growing demand for space cooling. How that cooling is provided is important, as there are passive and low impact options available, as well as more environmentally damaging active cooling. Without policy intervention, air conditioning (a form of active cooling) could easily become the default solution for cooling homes, locking-in direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, creating wider impacts for energy systems and equity, and risking air conditioning becoming a new social norm. To avoid this, policy makers need to act with urgency to drive low-carbon cooling whilst also creating the right conditions to support people to take sustainable and climate resilient behaviours. These issues should not be left solely to the market; rather policymakers need to develop a comprehensive, integrated approach to people and cooling. To support this, we provide insights from an avoid-improve-shift cooling decarbonisation framework, alongside an approach to behavioural and societal change that supports individuals whilst also shaping the wider environment in which decisions are made. Whilst focussed on the UK, the insights will be of relevance to other temperate countries dealing with the growing challenges of heat resilience and cooling decarbonisation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104045"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green-digital transition in municipal waste management: Ethnographic perspective on ‘smart’ waste monitoring and management system","authors":"Celina Strzelecka","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper critically examines the Waste Monitoring and Management System (WMMS) implemented in several Polish cities as part of the green-digital transition. Positioned as a tool to advance green and digital transformation in waste management, WMMS promises to reduce environmental impact, improve recycling levels, and optimize waste collection. However, through ethnographic research, including 25 in-depth interviews and participant observations, the study reveals key discrepancies between these promises and the system's real-world outcomes. Rather than delivering environmental benefits, WMMS reinforces private sector control over municipal infrastructures, increases energy consumption due to extended data storage, and exacerbates issues of surveillance and data misrepresentation. These findings suggest that, despite the green-digital narrative, technologies like WMMS risk diverting attention from core environmental challenges by reducing complex ecological problems to technical solutions. The research underscores the need for more integrated approaches that balance technological innovation with local realities to achieve meaningful progress in green policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104037"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686186","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":"Mapping stakeholders' perceptions of agroecological farming practices adoption in Crete, Greece","authors":"Penelope Gouta ,&nbsp;Vasilia Konstantidelli ,&nbsp;Stuart Henderson ,&nbsp;Irene Tzouramani","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study explores stakeholder perspectives on the future adoption of agroecological farming practices in Crete over the ten-year period (2020–2030). The aim is to understand the potential effects of such practices on various environmental and socioeconomic aspects, such as ecosystem services, farmers’ work environment, and the rural labour market. Using Q methodology, 26 Q sorts were collected and analysed, resulting in the emergence of three distinct viewpoints: <em>“Interconnected ecological farms”</em>, <em>“Environment &amp; eco-system services”,</em> and <em>“Skills and labour.”</em> Each viewpoint presents distinct considerations regarding the adoption of agroecological farming, ranging from the prediction of increased cooperation among farms to the potential impacts on the rural economy and water quality. The findings emphasize the importance of tailoring agricultural advisory and training services to accommodate bottom-up diverse learning styles among farmers. Q methodology proves to be a valuable tool for understanding complex and uncertain future scenarios, offering insights into regional policy establishment to promote sustainable and ecologically friendly farming practices. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on Q methodology’s versatility in understanding stakeholder perspectives and informing policy decisions in agriculture and related fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104030"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards environmental justice: A framework and strategic approach for implementing community based participatory research in the earth and environmental sciences","authors":"Alexis M. Wilson ,&nbsp;Emily Polk ,&nbsp;Christopher B. Field ,&nbsp;Scott Fendorf","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104036","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104036","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Community based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach to research that equitably involves community members, academic researchers, and stakeholders in all aspects of the research process. The goal is to enact social change and improve the well-being of the communities involved. CBPR is widely adopted in the fields of psychology and public health but to a lesser extent in the fields of Earth and environmental sciences (EES). Few clear frameworks or examples of successful implementation of CBPR in environmental research has limited its adoption in the field. We seek to fill that gap by providing a case study of a long-term project in Oakland, California. Academic researchers assessed soil contamination in urban school gardens in partnership with the Oakland Unified School District and a local environmental justice organization, Communities for a Better Environment. The effectiveness of the CBPR approach is illustrated in generating scientifically robust data while empowering community members to actively contribute to the research process. To encourage adoption of the CBPR approach in the EES fields, we provide eight strategies employed to foster meaningful collaboration between scientists and community members. Furthermore, the study introduces a novel framework, C.I.R.C.L.E, which outlines the core principles needed to build and sustain strong community partnerships and successfully implement CBPR in research. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on the integration of community perspectives in environmental research and provides a blueprint for future endeavors seeking to address environmental issues through collaborative, community-driven approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104036"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143632130","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":"When Brussels watch from the sky: Negotiating sovereignty over data and forest in Europe","authors":"Jędrzej Niklas","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article examines how the proposed European Forest Monitoring Law (EFM) reconfigures sovereignty and governance in the European Union’s pursuit of climate and digital ovjectives. The EFM aims to harmonize forest data collection through satellite imagery, ground sensors, and big data, reflecting the EU's \"twin transition\" . Yet, it has provoked concerns over national competences and local management traditions. Drawing on critical data studies and political ecology, this research analyzes policy documents, public consultations materials, and interviews. Findings show that once-perceived \"neutral\" forest data can quickly transitions into a political domain, revealing divergent interests over who own and controls information. The study underscore the politicization of data and the evolving concept of sovereignty, which now encompasses governance of digital infrastructures and information flows. This work highlights the tensions between EU centralization and local autonomy, offering new insights into how digitalization shapes environmental governance and sovereignty in contemporary Europe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104033"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143629544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying success factors for integrated coastal zone management: Development of a regional coastal plan in Morocco.","authors":"Ante Ivčević ,&nbsp;Daria Povh Škugor ,&nbsp;Maria Snoussi ,&nbsp;Michaël Karner ,&nbsp;Matthieu Kervyn ,&nbsp;Jean Hugé","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is a policy framework that aims to achieve sustainable development in the context of limited space and resources of (densely populated) coastal areas, by balancing environmental protection, societal needs, and economic development. In this paper, we first reflect on key components influencing the success of ICZM. Second, we compare our understanding to the process of preparation of a coastal plan for the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region in Morocco. Finally, we extend and generalize our conclusions to ICZM as a relevant policy framework, by identifying factors that influence the context-specific interpretation of ICZM in Morocco. We argue that ICZM depends on the integration, implementation, coordination between science and policy, and appropriate governance. In the Moroccan case, a variety of institutions first need to agree on the governance structure and priorities, as a base for a clear direction for the regional ICZM. This calls for a change of stakeholder engagement for certain steering institutions and leadership by ‘wilaya’. The coastal plan preparation process showed a lack of balance between stakeholder participation and institutional coordination, and increased bureaucratization which covers accountability for decision-making. Although coastal governance is supported by the national government, it is still unknown to what extent it is supported at the regional level which oversees the ICZM. We conclude that besides leadership, political support, and institutional commitment, broader stakeholder engagement is crucial for the decisions that shape the future of the coastal zone, which indicates that governance is the most important success factor for ICZM.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 104027"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coproducing water-energy-food Nexus actionable knowledge: Lessons from a multi-actor collaborative learning school in Uganda, East Africa","authors":"Ida N.S. Djenontin ,&nbsp;Bassel Daher ,&nbsp;Jacob W. Johnson ,&nbsp;Kenan Adule ,&nbsp;Birhanu K. Hishe ,&nbsp;Patience Kekirunga ,&nbsp;Vanessa King ,&nbsp;Emma Gaalaas Mullaney ,&nbsp;Patience Nimushaba ,&nbsp;Michael G. Jacobson ,&nbsp;Annette Huber-Lee ,&nbsp;Ellen J. Kayendeke ,&nbsp;Abdullah Konak ,&nbsp;Vicki L. Morrone ,&nbsp;Esther Obonyo ,&nbsp;Losira N. Sanya ,&nbsp;Laura Schmitt Olabisi ,&nbsp;Silvia Ulloa Jiménez ,&nbsp;Christopher A. Scott","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus is an integrative framework for addressing the multi-scalar interdependencies that challenge sustainability solutions across the water, energy, and food systems. However, challenges linked to scale and data availability often make WEF analyses more theoretical, limiting their ability to offer practical, implementable solutions in policy and decision contexts. This paper introduces Collaborative Learning Schools (CLS) as a transdisciplinary process that fosters stakeholder engagement, cross-cultural knowledge exchange, and participatory learning for actionable policy and management solutions from WEF Nexus research, which we tested in Buikwe district in the central region of Uganda, East Africa. Our CLS brings together scientists (professors and students), practitioners, policy makers and implementers, and farmers around a holistic, cross-scale analysis of WEF Nexus issues for innovative and appropriate solutions. The CLS also integrates cross-scale linkages (from community to local government, to national policy context), blended systems and design thinking approaches, and post-evaluations. Our analysis and findings start with an account of the CLS implementation process, while also assessing the utility of integrating the WEF Nexus with systems and design thinking tools. We also present the co-created outputs and evaluative reflections from the non-academic stakeholders. We discuss the CLS value, emphasizing its potential to support participatory co-creations of context-driven multi-scalar WEF-Nexus pathways for problem-solving-oriented knowledge co-production. Through this case study, we contribute promising practices for effective stakeholder engagement and transdisciplinary co-production of actionable knowledge, drawing from tangential but complementary systems thinking and design thinking perspectives. We also provide a real-world illustration of aspirations for true transdisciplinary approaches that include communities and stakeholders in research processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 104028"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}