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The Politics of Sustainable Development: Emergent Arenas and Challenges for

Political Science

James Meadowcroft

International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique, Vol. 20, No. 2,

The Pursuit of Sustainable Development: Concepts, Policies and Arenas. La recherche du

d\u00e9veloppement viable: concepts, politiques et forums#. (Apr., 1999), pp. 219-237.

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Sun Feb 10 18:52:22 2008

I n te r n a tio n a l P o litic a l S c ie n c e R e v ie w

(1999), V ol. 20, N o. 2, 219-237

T h e P o litic s o f S u s ta in a b le D e v e lo p m e n t: \ue000

Em ergent A renas and C hallenges for \ue000

P o litic a l S c ie n c e \ue000

A B S T R A C T .There has been a rem arkable evolution in environm ent-related

p o lic y -m a k in g

a t b o th

n a tio n a l

a n d

in te rn a tio n a l

le v e ls

d u rin g

th e

te n

years since the Report of the B rundtland Com m ission form ulated its well-

know n

a p p e a l fo r s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t. T h is a rtic le

exam ines three d e v e lo p m e n ts in in d u s tria liz e d c o u n trie s w h ic h a p p e a r to b e c lo se ly a sso c i- a te d w ith n a tio n a l e ffo rts to e n g a g e w ith s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t: (1 ) th e p re p a ra tio n

o f

n a tio n a l

e n v iro n m e n ta l

p o lic y

p la n s

a n d

s tra te g ie s

fo r

s u s ta in a b le

d e v e lo p m e n t;

(2 )

th e

g ro w th

o f

p a tte rn s

o f

m u lti-p artite

environm ental governance; and

(3) the

e m e rg e n c e of S u s ta in a b le C itie s

a n d

Local A genda

2 1 in itia tiv e s . I t is a r g u e d

th a t th e s e

phenom ena, as w ell as a series of other im portant changes in approaches to the m anage- m ent of environm ental burdens now

occurring in contem porary societies,

re q u ire se rio u s a tte n tio n fro m

p o litic a l s c ie n tis ts .

I n tr o d u c tio n

D u rin g

th e

last w eek

of June

1997, the

U n ite d

N a tio n s

G eneral A ssem bly

h e ld

"Special Session to Review the Im plem entation of A genda 21" (U N G A SS).

The purpose

o f th e g a th e rin g w a s to a sse ss in te rn a tio n a l p ro g re ss in a d d re ssin g e n v iro n m e n t-a n d - developm ent related issues over the five years since the U nited N ations C onference o n E n v iro n m e n t a n d

D e v e lo p m e n t

(U N C E D )

i n

R io . A g e n d a

21 w as the

a m b itio u s

" a c tio n

p la n "

a d o p te d

b y

governm ent

le a d e r s

a t

th is

1 9 9 2 R io

"E arth

S u m m it"

(U nited N ations,

1 9 9 3 ). O u tp u ts fro m

th e

m eeting in New

Y o rk in c lu d e d

a short

" S ta te m e n t

of C o m m itm en t"

w h ic h

p le d g e d

t o

m a in ta in

th e

"global partnership

e s ta b lis h e d a t U N C E D ,"

and reaffirm ed

that Agenda 21 remained

"the fundam ental

p ro g ra m

o f a c tio n fo r a c h ie v in g s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t" (U N G A S S ,

1 9 9 7 : p a r a s . 3 ,5 .).

T h e r e w a s a lso a s o b e r re v ie w o f in te rn a tio n a l e ffo rts to im p le m e n t A g e n d a21 w hich

0 1 9 2 -5 1 2 1

(1 9 9 9 /0 4 )

2 0 :2 , 2 1 9 -2 3 7 ;

0 0 6 9 8 1

1 9 9 9 I n te r n a tio n a l P o litic a l S c ie n c e A s s o c ia tio n

SA G EP u b lic a tio n s (L o n d o n , T h o u s a n d O a k s ,C A

a n d N ew

D e lh i)

2 2 0

International Political Science R eview2 0 ( 2 )

n o te d p o in ts o n w h ic h p ro g re s s

h a d

b e e n

m a d e , id e n tifie d

a re a s re q u irin g u rg e n t in te rn a tio n a l a c tio n , a n d fu re d th e w o rk p la n fo r th e U n ite d N a tio n s C o m m issio n o n S u s ta in a b le D e v e lo p m e n t (U N C S D )

fo r th e fiv e y e a rs le a d in g u p to th e n e x t c o m p re -

hensive review of A genda 2 1, scheduled for 2002.

T o the extent that the m eeting in New York was covered by the m edia, reports

w e re g e n e ra lly

b le a k -h ig h lig h tin g

th e

m a g n itu d e

of the

e n v iro n m e n t-a n d -d e v e l-

o p m e n t re la te d

p ro b le m s w h ic h

c o n fro n t w o rld

leaders; the

sim m ering disputes

b e tw e e n

N o rth

a n d

S o u th

over issues

s u c h

a s

o v e rs e a s

d e v e lo p m e n t

a s s is ta n c e ,

te c h n o lo g y

transfer, and the

a d o p tio n o f in n o v a tiv e

fin a n c ia l in s tru m e n ts to fu n d

s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t; a n d

th e

g e n e ra liz e d

re lu c ta n c e

of states to

co m m it to

b in d in g tim e -ta b le s a n d p la n s o f a c tio n . M u c h w a s m a d e o f th e la s t-m in u te s c ra p -

p in g o f a " D ra ft P o litic a l S ta te m e n t fro m

H eads of State and G overnm ent." Above

a ll, th e d e p r e s s in g a tm o s p h e r e o f " re a l-p o litik "

a n d d ip lo m a tic h o rs e -tra d in g th a t

perm eated

U N

h e a d q u a rte rs in

1997 was contrasted w ith the enthusiasm

a n d id e a l-

is m

th a t

re dom inated in h o five vears earlier.

O n

th e

basis of such

re p o rts

o n e

m ig h t c o n c lu d e

th a t in te rn a tio n a l

efforts to a d d re s s e n v iro n m e n t-a n d -d e v e lo p m e n t p ro b le m s h a v e la rg e ly s ta lle d , a n d th a t th e p o litic s o f s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t re p re s e n ts little m o re

th a n rh e to ric

(T hom as,

1996).And yet the decade since the report of the Brundtland Com m ission(W C E D ,

1 9 8 7 ) firs t p o p u la riz e d

the notion of sustainable developm ent has seen a rem ark- a b le e v o lu tio n o f e n v iro n m e n t-re la te d p o lic y -m a k in g a t b o th th e in te r n a tio n a l a n d n a tio n a l le v e l. T h e F ra m e w o rk C o n v e n tio n o n C lim a te C h a n g e a n d th e C o n v e n tio n on Biodiversity have both com e into force, w hile institutions such as the W orld B ank a n d

th e

O E C D

have devoted increasing

a tte n tio n

to e n v iro n m e n t-a n d -d e v e lo p m e n t r e l a t e d i s s u e s ( W o r l d B a n k , 1 9 9 4 ; O E C D , 1 9 9 5 ) . A t t h e n a t i o n a l l e v e l t h e r e h a s b e e n c o n tin u in g in s titu tio n a l in n o v a tio n , e x p e rim e n ts w ith a ra n g e o f n e w

e n v iro n m e n -

ta l

p o lic y

instrum ents, and

a tte m p ts

t o

in te g ra te

e c o n o m ic

a n d

e n v iro n m e n ta l

fa c to rs in d e c is io n -m a k in g .

In this articleIw o u ld lik e to e x a m in e th r e e re c e n t d e v e lo p m e n ts in th e in d u s - tria liz e d c o u n trie s w h ic h a r e c lo se ly a s s o c ia te d w ith n a tio n a l e ffo rts to e n g a g e w ith s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t, th e

U N C E Dprocess, and the im plem entation of Agenda 21.

These are: (1) national environm ental policy plans and

s tra te g ie s fo r s u s ta in a b le

d e v e lo p m e n t;

(2 )

m u lti-p artite

e n v iro n m e n ta l

g o v e rn a n c e ;

a n d

(3 )

S u s ta in a b le

C itie s a n d L o c a l A g e n d a 21 in itia tiv e s . A fte r d is c u s s in g e a c h o f th e s e p h e n o m e n a ,

Iw ill m a k e so m e g e n e ra l o b s e rv a tio n s a b o u t o n g o in g e ffo rts to c o m e to g rip s w ith

e n v iro n m e n ta l p ro b le m s in in d u s tria liz e d s o c ie tie s . S u c h m a tte r s a r e a lre a d y o f h ig h p o litic a l s a lie n c e , a n d a r e lik e ly to b e c o m e m o re p r o m in e n t in th e f u tu r e . T h e y ra is e in te r e s tin g a n d c h a lle n g in g q u e s tio n s w h ic h p o litic a l s c ie n c e is o n ly b e g in n in g

t o

a d d r e s s .

N a tio n a l E n v ir o n m e n ta l P o lic y P la n s a n d S tr a te g ie s fo r S u s ta in a b le \ue000

D e v e lo p m e n t \ue000

O v e r th e p a s t d e c a d e , g o v e rn m e n ts o f m a n y in d u s tria liz e d c o u n trie s h a v e in itia te d p ro c e sse s to d ra w u p n a tio n a l e n v iro n m e n ta l p o lic y p la n s o r n a tio n a l s tra te g ie s fo r s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t. T a b le

1 lists exam ples of these efforts along w ith other

in s titu tio n a l

in n o v a tio n s

i n

e n v iro n m e n t

a n d

s u s ta in a b le -d e v e lo p m e n t-re la te d p o lic y -m a k in g fo r s e v e n s e le c te d c o u n trie s .' T h e f o r m a l o b je c tiv e o f th e s e p la n s a n d s tra te g ie s is to a llo w a m o re c o m p re h e n s iv e , in te g ra te d , a n d lo n g -te rm