Polkuja ympäristöpolitiikkaan – Paths

to environmental policy(MYT2017: Monitieteinen ympäristötutkimus –kurssi)

Janne I. Hukkinen, ympäristöpolitiikan professori

Valtiotieteellinen tdk

Bio- ja ympäristötieteellinen tdk

Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tdk,

Helsingin yliopisto

janne.i.hukkinen@helsinki.fi

Outline

• Background to environmental policy– What is environmental policy?

– Evolution of environmental issues

– What is sustainability?

• Rules that guide environmental policy– Environmental institutions

– Systems of environmental regulation

• Environmental policy tools– Impact assessment and life cycle analysis

– Eco-efficiency tools

• Outlook on sustainability– Economic growth and the environment

• Opportunities to study environmental policy

What is environmental policy? The socio-ecological system (Ostrom

2009)

What is environmental policy?

Environmental politics:

The art of conducting public environmental affairs

Environmental policy:

Plan or course of action with which an organization

pursues sustainability by transforming itself, its

operations or its environment

Evolution of environmental issues

1960-70 1970-80 1980-90 1990-

dominant

environ-

mental

discourse

pollution,

carson

limited natural

resources, club of

rome

complex techno-

logical systems,

nuclear power

sustainable

development,

brundtland

institution environ-

mental

officials

regulate

pollution

environmental

concern to

sectoral organi-

zations

self-regulation of

complex systems

complex institu-

tional innovation

with mix of

instruments

techno-

logy

end-of-the-

pipe

process-specific

end-of-the-pipe

clean techno-

logy minimizing

material flows

industrial ecology

Your task

• On the basis of your reflection during and after the lecture, add the next

chronological column(s) to the table Evolution of environmental issues (i.e.,

characterize the evolution of environmental issues since 2000s)

• Justify each characterization (i.e., box in the table) with a few descriptive

sentences

1960-70 1970-80 1980-90 1990-

dominant

environ-

mental

discourse

pollution,

carson

limited natural

resources, club of

rome

complex

techno-logical

systems,

nuclear power

sustainable

development,

brundtland

institution environmental

officials

regulate

pollution

environmental

concern to

sectoral organi-

zations

self-regulation

of complex

systems

complex institu-

tional innovation

with mix of

instruments

techno-

logy

end-of-the-pipe process-specific

end-of-the-pipe

clean techno-

logy minimizing

material flows

industrial ecology

2000-

???

???

???

What is sustainability?

Raise or lower water level in lake?

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is a set of preferred

pathways of development

– socially constructed by

people: Different social groups

hold well-reasoned but

different views of

sustainability—difficult to

choose ‘correct’ or ‘optimal’

– objectively constrained by

ecology: Ecosystem may have

several locally stable,

ecologically sustainable states

– Which path to choose?

Deliberate!

Outline

• Background to environmental policy

• Rules that guide environmental policy– Environmental institutions

– Systems of environmental regulation

• Environmental policy tools

• Outlook on sustainability

• Opportunities to study environmental policy

Rules that guide environmental

policy: environmental institutions

SOCIETY GAME

Institutions (laws,

regulations, customs)

Rules of the game

Organizations Teams playing the game

Individuals Players

Policies and strategies Strategies

Systems of environmental

regulation• command and control

• agreements

• economic instruments

– Taxes

– Tradeable pollution permits

• organizational reform

Command and control

ambient

standards

effluent

standards

technological

performance

standards

Economic instruments: taxes and fees

PRODUCTION CONSUMPTION

ENVIRONMENT

Product

Waste Waste

Virginnaturalresource

Recycled waste

RECYCLING

Waste

Technosystem

Ecosystem

Economic instruments: tradeable pollution permits

SA

CE1

SE1

CE2

SE2

CE3

SE3

• C = actual emission concentration

• S = concentration limit (standard)

• if CEi < SEi, then have assets to sell in the market

• if CEi > SEi, then must either invest in new technology or buy

pollution permits in the market

Outline

• Background to environmental policy

• Rules that guide environmental policy

• Environmental policy tools– Impact assessment and life cycle analysis

– Eco-efficiency tools

• Outlook on sustainability

• Opportunities to study environmental policy

extract

manufacture

transport

distribute

use

dispose

ECOSOCIAL IMPACTS

matter

energy energy

matter

ECOSOCIAL IMPACTS

Impact

assessment /

life cycle

analysis

Indicators of eco-efficiency

• eco-efficiency, material efficiency (service/material intensity)

• MIPS (material intensity/service)

• ecological rucksack (weight of natural resources used to produce product)

• ecological footprint (land area required to produce product)

In all indicators life cycle analysis used as analytical tool

Challenge: Rebound effect (efficiency feeding consumption)

Outline

• Background to environmental policy

• Rules that guide environmental policy

• Environmental policy tools

• Outlook on sustainability– Economic growth and the environment

• Opportunities to study environmental policy

Quantifying humanity’s impact on the environment

• Ehrlich and Holdren: I=PAT, where – Impact (kg),

– Population (cap),

– Affluence (eur/cap),

– Technology (kg/eur) (NOTE: this is MIPS)

• CO2 goal: Stabilize I in 40 yrs

Outlook on humanity’s impact

I = P*A*T• Trend of past 40

yrs:– P ↑

– A ↑

– T ↔

• Prognosis for next 40 yrs:– P ↑

– A ↑

– T ↓ somewhat

• Need to take degrowth (A down) seriously!

Population (1800-2100)

Affluence (1960-2008)

Technology MIPS (1980-2006)

Tentative grounds

for optimisim in

reducing T:

humanity’s material

metabolism (UNEP

2016)

Growth will slow down, want it or not – therefore:(Jackson 2009; Latouche 2007; Hukkinen 2010)

• Absolute limits to use of natural resources and ecosystem services

• Investment in green infrastructure and work

• Limits on drivers of consumption (advertising, bank loans)

• Development of indicators for GDP, well-being and happiness

• Work sharing and limiting

• Advancing socio-economic equality (min and max wages)

• Non-profit organizational experiments

• North-South equalization

• Ecological tax reform

• Macro-economics for the reality of absolute ecosystem limits

Outline

• Background to environmental policy

• Rules that guide environmental policy

• Environmental policy tools

• Outlook on sustainability

• Opportunities to study environmental policy

Courses in environmental policy

• ENV-103 Introduction to environmental policy (5 cr)

Time: 2nd period.

• ECGS-084 Environment, technology and culture (5 cr)

Literature exam in Examinarium.

• ECGS-081 Analytical approaches to human-environmental

interaction (5 cr)

Time: 3rd period.

Environmental change and global sustainability (ECGS) master’s programme teaching plan (opetussuunnitelma): Overview

Thesis 30 cr

EC modules 30 cr

Thesis 30 cr

Core module30 cr

EC, GS or thematicmodule 15 cr; free

choice 15 cr

GS modules 30 cr

EC study line GS study line

In-depth studies 60 cr

Other studies 60 cr

Relevant literature

• Haila, Y. and Jokinen, P., eds (2001) Ympäristöpolitiikka—Mikäympäristö, kenen politiikka. Tampere: Vastapaino.

• Niemelä, J., Furman, E., Halkka, A., Hallanaro, E.-L. and Sorvari, S., eds(2011) Ihminen ja ympäristö. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.