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In light of continuous advancements in science and technology, the global economy is experiencing rapid growth. However, this growth has been accompanied by significant depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation. Consequently, there is a burgeoning global emphasis on energy conservation, emissions reduction, and sustainable development. In this study, based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases from 1990 to 2022, a statistical analysis of energy conservation and emission reduction in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-related publications was undertaken using biblimometric methods. The findings reveal that (1) In recent years, there has been a discernible increase in global research on this subject, especially since 2009, with a sustained trend of exceeding 100 publications per annum. China prominently contributing to this domain, the proportion reached 34.2%, reflecting a growing emphasis on eco-friendly development trends. (2) Due to the burgeoning significance of energy conservation and emission reduction, there has been a notable escalation in research efforts pertaining to "Energy and Fuels," "Environmental Science" and "Green and Sustainable Science and Technology" and other related subjects. (3) Regarding the keyword analysis, "renewable energy" as the most frequently encountered term, often paired with "CO2 emissions." This association underscores the pivotal role of renewable energy technologies in advancing green development initiatives and mitigating emissions. (4) China, United States and United Kingdom occupy central positions in terms of both paper publication volume and collaborative networks, collectively accounting for about 54.7%, and these countries are pivotal contributors to the scholarly discourse on sustainable development and environmental conservation. (5) From 1990 to 2022, the top 20 cited articles predominantly address diverse sub-goals of Sustainable Development Goal 7, with a common emphasis on enhancing energy efficiency, sustainability and renewable energy. These findings furnish valuable analytical insights for subsequent researchers investigating energy conservation and emission reduction as well as sustainable development endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents summaries of papers on engineering sustainability. One of the summary was Green municipal engineering for sustainable communities by P.M. Condon and K. Isaac. This paper details the design and function of the East Clayton green infrastructure plan, focusing on stormwater management, pedestrian and bicycle movement and lowered infrastructure costs, and illustrates the vital and expanding role of the engineer in the move towards liveable, affordable and ecologically sound communities. Another summary was "A review of the UK cycle network," by R.J. Blackwell. This paper explores some of the reasons for this decline in use and reviews the role the National Cycle Network in trying to reverse the trend.

The article introduces papers which examined how much progress the concept of environmental justice has made in Great Britain. From being outside mainstream environmental agendas, concepts of environmental equity and justice now occupy a central position in government policy and have been the subject to growing research scrutiny. Drawing on papers first presented in a dedicated session on environmental justice organized by the Planning and Environment Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers at the International Geographical Congress, held in Glasgow in August 2004, the issue provides an opportunity to explore and reflect upon the recent development of environmental justice concerns in the country. The concept of environmental justice was first popularized and politicized by the emergence of the environmental justice movement, and the increasing space for political and legal contestation of claimed environmental injustices, in the U.S. In Great Britain, the concept has taken a different path, increasingly seen as a means of reconciling the sustainable development agenda with that of social justice.

The objective of this paper is to present the results of discussions at a workshop held as part of the International Congress of Radiation Research (Environmental Health stream) in Manchester UK, 2019. The main objective of the workshop was to provide a platform for radioecologists to engage with radiobiologists to address major questions around developing an Ecosystem approach in radioecology and radiation protection of the environment. The aim was to establish a critical framework to guide research that would permit integration of a pan-ecosystem approach into radiation protection guidelines and regulation for the environment. The conclusions were that the interaction between radioecologists and radiobiologists is useful in particular in addressing field versus laboratory issues where there are issues and challenges in designing good field experiments and a need to cross validate field data against laboratory data and vice versa. Other main conclusions were that there is a need to appreciate wider issues in ecology to design good approaches for an ecosystems approach in radioecology and that with the capture of 'Big Data', novel tools such as machine learning can now be applied to help with the complex issues involved in developing an ecosystem approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish the evidence for, the why and how recent austerity policy atmosphere associated with the UK government affected environmental protection decisions within planning in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative analysis based on perspectives gathered via questionnaire survey targeted at stakeholders involved in planning in Scotland was undertaken. The questionnaire responses were analysed thematically, supplemented by using statistical tests of significance and variance to show how responses differed across participants. Findings: The evidence showed that austerity policy atmosphere resulted in a pervasive neoliberal imperative of resuscitating the economy; whilst producing subtle and adverse effects on environmental decisions. This was best understood within a neo-Gramscian perspective of hegemony, borrowed from the field of political economy of states. Research limitations/implications: The gathered views were constrained within unknown biases that the participants may have had; and because the case study approach was not equipped to generalise the results beyond the study, more research testing cause-effect between the austerity and selected environmental parameters is needed, from various contexts. Practical implications: Decision-making frameworks should explicitly acknowledge the unique pressures during austerity periods; and contemplate resilient decision-making frameworks that can withstand the hegemonic tendencies which prioritise economic goals above environmental ones. Originality/value: Whilst the area of austerity's impacts on the environment remains poorly evidenced, empirically, this seminal paper uses robust analysis to establish how the austerity policy atmosphere affects environmental decisions. This is insight into what may be happening in other similar situations outside Scotland, raising concern as to whether and how we should approach the challenge of hegemonic ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Marine and Coastal Access Bill as it was tabled on 8th December 2008. It explores the failure of the Bill to include marine protection of over 3,000,000 km2 of the waters associated with overseas territories and Crown dependencies. It explains the necessity for close liaison with the European Commission and with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, where responsibility for marine governance is not clear cut. It expresses some disappointment in the failure of the Bill to cover questions of ownership of marine resources in particular the right to fish, which remains held under ancient and flawed common law rules. The paper then investigates the content of the Bill, looking at the role and functions of the Marine Management Organisation including licensing of fishing vessels, wind farm consenting/creation of safety zones, consents under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, research, advice, assistance, training, and prosecutions. The Bill also establishes a framework for marine planning with potential for the creation of marine plans and marine policy statements covering the waters of England and Wales to the edge of the UK Exclusive Economic Zone. Such plans and statements will have persuasive effects on the organisations involved in marine management, but will not be completely binding. The Bill creates powers to licence numerous activities and if necessary delegate licensing function to the bodies such as the Marine Management Organisation. It also established new powers for the creation of Marine Conservation Zones. The paper explores the narrow purposes for which these Marine Conservation Zones and created, and contrasts these unfavourably with the draft Scottish Marine Bill, which permits Marine Conservation Zones for such purposes as community interest. The paper also acknowledges that no target has been set for the creation of Marine Conservation Zones, and raises some concerns over whether Marine Conservation Zones contain severe enough penalties, particularly in respect of commercial fishing where there is a specific exemption for fisheries damage. The paper explores the function of the new Inshore Fisheries Authorities which will replace existing Sea Fisheries Committees, but raises concerns that the new organisations will still remain vulnerable to conflicts of interests because of their membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Problems of Sustainable Development / Problemy Ekorozwoju is the property of Faculty of Environmental Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

British forestry is threatened by numerous pests and diseases. This study investigated the potential for re-introduction of aerial pesticide applications for landscape-scale disease management. In North Scotland in 2013 and 2015, copper oxychloride was applied to Pinus sylvestris L. stands infected with Dothistroma septosporum (Dorogin) Morelet. Helicopters distributed ultra-low-volume (ULV) applications of product via Micronair rotary atomisers, following methods used against D. septosporum in P. radiata D. Don stands in New Zealand. Product deposition was quantified on paper catchers and in foliage, soil and water. Catchers 100 m beyond the plot boundaries intercepted 0.5 per cent of within-plot mean deposition. Foliar analysis revealed slightly elevated copper concentrations (+0.07 μg g−1 dw) 250 m outside plot boundaries. Copper in foliage and needle litter remained above background levels for 109 and 157 weeks after application, respectively, longer than recorded during New Zealand operations. Concentrations in the soil increased over 3 years' monitoring, whilst deposition into water traps resulted in copper concentrations well within limits set by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. No deleterious impacts on vascular and non-vascular ground and canopy flora were recorded. Copper fungicide applications significantly reduced foliar infection at both sites but did not affect needle retention. Further ground-based trials will investigate the efficacy of other actives. In Britain, such aerial operations have not occurred for two decades: this study demonstrated aerial and ground teams have the necessary expertise for their re-introduction, whilst highlighting areas needing further optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The individual has been cast as both the source of and solution to many contemporary environmental problems. Although some individuals may display concern for the environment, actions are undertaken within a societal context that is often ambivalent to environmental issues. To 'become green', therefore, individuals have to negotiate a range of trade-offs between their environmental aspirations and the realities of life in a developed, consumer-based society. This paper draws on extensive field work at one site at which individuals have explicitly sought to manage these trade-offs - the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales, UK. It argues that two distinct strategies are adopted to manage the tensions involved in becoming green: a 'strategy of segregation'- where professional practices are separated from personal actions to establish balance, if not consistency, in everyday life; and a 'strategy of alignment'- where (unsuccessful) attempts are made to unify personal and professional practices in line with environmental ideals. This paper outlines how the inability of these strategies to fully reconcile the tensions involved in becoming green has led to a 'politics of pragmatism' within environmental practice. It argues that this politics offers a way forward for contemporary environmentalism, both within 'ecotopian' spaces such as the Centre for Alternative Technology, but also in more mainstream spaces where the majority live their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom in 1948 there have been significant changes in the way waste materials produced by healthcare facilities have been managed due to a number of environmental, legal and social drivers. This paper reviews the key changes in legislation and healthcare waste management that have occurred in the UK between 1948 and the present time. It investigates reasons for the changes and how the problems associated with healthcare wastes have been addressed. The reaction of the public to offensive disposal practices taking place locally required political action by the UK government and subsequently by the European legislature. The relatively new UK industry of hazardous healthcare waste management has developed rapidly over the past 25 years in response to significant changes in healthcare practices. The growth in knowledge and appreciation of environmental issues has also been fundamental to the development of this industry. Legislation emanating from Europe is now responsible for driving change to UK healthcare waste management. This paper examines the drivers that have caused the healthcare waste management to move forward in the 60 years since the NHS was formed. It demonstrates that the situation has moved from a position where there was no overall strategy to the current situation where there is a strong regulatory framework but still no national strategy. The reasons for this situation are examined and based upon the experience gained; suggestions are made for the benefit of countries with systems for healthcare waste management still in the early stages of development or without any provisions at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates around the impacts of the UK's exit from the European Union ('Brexit') have exposed the limited critical attention given to how planning systems intersect with environmental protection. This is an important omission, especially given deregulatory pressures on both planning and environment in many countries. In response, this paper uses documentary, interview and focus group data, to conceptualise different regulatory styles governing the environment-planning interface, and assess UK planning practitioner attitudes to EU environmental legislation and scenarios for future change. The data show practitioners largely supporting the fixed standards and robust oversight characteristic of EU environmental regulatory styles, anxious about deregulation, and interested in procedural flexibility. More fundamentally, it also reveals the compromises struck in regulatory design, and the importance of concrete development-environment challenges in constructing arguments for change. Consequently, planning occupies a pivotal position within wider debates about new environmental policy fixes, warranting more extensive professional discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The UK is reportedly an international leader in the application of environmental policy appraisal (EPA). From the late 1980s until 2004, UK central government sought to produce ex ante assessments of the potential environmental impacts of different policy options. Critics maintain that EPA had a very limited impact on policy-making activities in Whitehall departments. However, the empirical basis for these claims is surprisingly thin. This paper seeks to better understand what facilitated or retarded EPA by looking at its use in Whitehall, with the aim being to draw lessons for the UK's new and more integrated appraisal regime, as well as similar systems in the European Union. The paper finds that the implementation of EPA was both weak and highly sectorised, and that there is an underlying resistance to policy appraisal per se in Whitehall. These weaknesses urgently need to be addressed otherwise new systems of integrated appraisal will not deliver what is expected of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To report findings from an updated survey of environmental policy and practice among UK organizations. To draw conclusions about the relationship between environmental concerns and organizational strategy making. Design/methodology/approach - The paper reports findings from a 1999 survey of 911 UK organizations, updated by interviews conducted with participant organizations in 2004. The paper represents an extension of a ten-year longitudinal study of environmental policy and practice in UK organizations. Findings - The gap between policy formulation and implementation in the environmental area has continued to narrow, but environmental concerns appear not to have moved towards the centre of the strategy making process in many firms. Organizations are still primarily influenced by short-term rather than long-term imperatives, and although recognition of opportunity offered by the environment is increasing, organizations are still liable to adopt a reactive position, increasingly so as the size of the organization decreases. Research limitations/implications - It offers a contribution to the debate over the ongoing relationship between organizational strategy and environmental factors as a determinant of organizational strategy. It locates the debate in the wider discussion of determinants of organizational strategy. Practical implications - It highlights the complex decision-making processes facing managers in satisfying a variety of stakeholders who may be making competing demands of their organization. Originality/value - The paper offers a longitudinal review of changes to environmental policy and practice among UK organizations, providing an opportunity to explore the nature of change over a ten-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper seeks to ascertain if there exists a uniform approach towards reporting on contaminated land in practice standards employed in Australia and the UK. The UK is a highly industrialised country and Australia is less so. The paper also tries to find out if the practice standard in a less industrialised country is less stringent than the practice standard in a highly industrialised country. Design/methodology/approach - The paper compares the valuation practice standards in Australia and the UK. In the former country, formal guidance on contaminated land valuation was first published in 1994 by the Australian Institute of Valuers and Land Economists (now the Australian Property Institute) in the Contaminated Land Practice Standard. This document was subsequently downgraded from a practice standard to a guidance note, "Guidance Note 15 Reporting on Contaminated Land" of Professional Practice 2002. In the UK practice standards are contained in the RICS guidance note Contamination and Environmental Matters their Implications for Property Professionals. (RICS, 2003a). Findings - Both Australia and the UK have developed significant and detailed guidance notes on contamination and environmental matters. The respective guidance notes reflect the varying socio-economic backgrounds of the two countries in particular differing industrial legacies. Despite a high degree of similarity in the approaches and procedures adopted there are nonetheless significant differences across the two sets of standards. The extended guidance in the UK highlights the increasing knowledge on contamination and environmental matters as it affects all types of chartered surveyors rather than focussing solely on the valuation function. In contrast the Australian guidance note appears to be more prescriptive concentrating on the details of the valuation role. Originality/value - Contaminated land is an environmental problem that causes great concerns among the general public, landowners, occupiers, investors and financial institutions. Despite the negative image of contaminated land, valuers are from time to time instructed to assess its market value. In this regard, valuation institutions in most developed countries have prepared a practice standard to help members report on contaminated land. Each country has its unique socio-economic background. The various practice standards will no doubt reflect the respective conditions in their country and the reporting standards will be different. Thus, it can be inferred that there is a substantial difference in the reporting standards between highly industrialised countries and less industrialised countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concepts of sustainable development have stimulated innovation in the delivery of environmental management. In particular, new partnership approaches have been developed in recognition of the need to adopt more holistic perspectives and facilitate multi-sectoral and cross-sectoral working. River catchments are complex systems and have been one particular focus of experimentation in environmental management mechanisms. This paper provides a brief overview of river management experience in the UK, charting changing approaches in terms of scope and organisation since the 1970s. This sets the context for a more detailed examination of the Mersey Basin Campaign and, in particular, its River Valley Initiatives. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the merits of this approach in relation to sustainable river management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once considered a scientific, technocratic activity, marine governance has shifted from a top down, state directed process toward participatory and deliberative approaches. In parallel, there has been increasing acknowledgment of the need to consider the human dimensions of marine and coastal issues, and the role of citizens in delivering the sustainable management and protection of the marine environment. By doing so, a more complete understanding of the complex relationship between society and the sea may be achieved. Research has shown that marine practitioners recognise that higher levels of civic involvement and citizenship in the management of the marine environment would be beneficial. Despite this, questions are raised as to whether existing governing institutions, legal structures, and planning instruments enable this to readily happen in practice. This paper explores the extent to which existing marine governance instruments are positioned to engender a society of marine citizens to meaningfully engage with marine stewardship behaviours in the UK and Ireland. A multi-phased research approach critically analyses existing relevant legislation, legal and policy frameworks, focusing on themes associated with the human dimensions of marine governance, including marine stewardship. This evaluation highlights a limited inclusion of terms relating to marine stewardship nationally, but recognises the foundations are there a more strategic and cognisant recognition of human-ocean relationships within marine governance across a range of scales and contexts. • Marine governance has shifted from a top-down to a more participatory process. • Practitioners recognise a need for higher civic involvement and citizenship. • Research critically analyses existing instruments for human dimensions. • Recommendations call for explicit inclusion of people in marine governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper considers the prospect that the United Kingdom's decision to withdraw from the European Union may have a detrimental effect on its environmental protections. Brexit may provide the opportunity to pursue a more environmentally focused agenda, but it is argued that the UK's plan to transpose EU legislation underestimates the complexity of the task and that the UK lacks the resources to replicate the system it currently enjoys. On this basis it is thought that a reordering of environmental law is more likely than a radical re writing of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses two diverging interpretations of resilience to review and assess current UK policies and guidelines for urban resilience, a term generally associated with the strength of key systems and cities and their capability to maintain functionality in the face of external shocks. Both developed in scientific studies, the first interpretation (engineering resilience) is based on a mechanistic model of systems that can recover their original state aftershocks, and the second (ecological resilience) is based on an evolutionary model enabling adaptation to disturbances. Through a literature review, practical applications to planning are discussed for each model in terms of long-term efficacy. The contribution of this paper to an understanding of urban resilience is therefore twofold. First, an identification of the long-term consequences on the built environment of the policies associated with each model is provided, with the mechanical model ultimately hindering, and the ecological model favouring, adaptation. Second, some approaches to generate effective responses to environmental and societal change are identified, together with enabling tools. Ultimately, this paper emphasizes that the idea of a resilient city is fit for this age characterized by uncertainty, although it requires the recognition within planning practice that urban adaptation cannot be attained with current methodologies, and that much can be learned from theories on the resilience of ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural planning and housing have provoked challenging debates in Ireland and England through periods of economic growth and, more recently, crisis and austerity. In this paper, we comparatively review an extensive literature in both countries relating to the formation of their planning systems and cultural predispositions surrounding rural housing development. We highlight that in both cases selective constructions of rurality have shaped policy discourses surrounding rural housing provision that aimed to implement policies prioritising homeownership in Ireland, and environmental conservation in England. Both selective ruralities, however, have produced compromised outcomes, discussed here as 'spatial anarchy' and 'spatial apartheid' respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cardiff Business School, University of Wales, is currently undertaking a research programme on the influence of environmentalism upon the United Kingdom cosmetics and toiletries market. This paper examines four mare areas in relation to the environment and the development of environmentally acceptable products. The survey considers products and their environmentally acceptable attributes, the research of companies into the production of environmentally acceptable products; the production processes of companies and the environmentally conscious activities of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Natures Sciences Sociétés is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years within the UK, behaviour change as a policy tool has gained popularity. Concurrently, the role of local authorities in both tackling unsustainability and reducing carbon emissions has become more prominent. This paper describes a recent study in the UK that aims to understand how local authorities are working to tackle unsustainability and encourage pro-environmental behaviour change in the population. Through interviews with local authority sustainability officers from London, this paper reviews the extent of sustainability work currently being undertaken by local authorities to assist residents transition to a more sustainable lifestyle. The study discusses key findings from the interviews, drawing on the commonalities and factors that influence local authority sustainability programmes. The key finding from these interviews is that there is a need for more robust monitoring and evaluation of local authority sustainability programmes. Robust evaluation would improve understanding of the potential contribution that local authority sustainability work could make towards addressing unsustainability and meeting national emission reduction targets. In addition, it would assist the development of the evidence-base on behaviour change interventions and their effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & Events is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the contemporary policy debates during the 10 years of Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) in Great Britain. It states that the issue arises when observers reacted that the aim PPT which is to eliminate world poverty, was radical and more orthodox which reflects the neo-classical consensus that dominated economic and trade policy since the 1980s. The article also discusses the endorsement of poverty reduction, research concerning, the impacts of tourism on conservation, and the radicalism of the PPT approach.

Purpose - This paper aims to report on a government funded doctorate research project examining the developments in and applications of integrated management systems (IMS) applied to the environment, quality, and safety of construction projects in the UK. The research focused on how the integration of standards-based management systems used by major contractors operating within the construction sector could contribute to improvements in the environmental performance of their corporate organisation and their projects. Design/methodology/approach - The research project utiised a triangulated approach collating qualitative and quantitative data acquired by multiple collection methods of a questionnaire survey, structured and semi-structured interviews and case studies. Qualitative approach involved the development of theory from data, or grounded theory, and evaluation of data, or analytic induction, whilst quantitative approach used data-sampling methods and database coding and analysis. Findings - The findings show that a number of prominent UK principal contracting organisations have introduced effective integrated standards-based systems for managing a construction project's environment, quality, and safety. Notwithstanding these exemplars, industry-based problems are manifest and include: lack of management systems awareness; passive environmental standpoints; litigious project-participant relationships; and cost-driven, rather than environmentally empathic, cultures. Survey data have identified where and why current problems exist whilst detailed interviews and case studies have identified effective methods of integrating management systems, together with the critical success factors and potential benefits. Originality/value - The research examines environmental performance within the project environments of the construction industry. The findings add to the current body of knowledge and will be of value to contractors seeking to address environmental aspects of their business through effective management approach. Furthermore, the research has wider value through its experiences and transferable-applications to other industry sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Non-marketable natural coastal resources such as beaches, sand-dune systems and cliff sides have an economic value deriving not least from the various services which they provide as well as the human demand for consuming some of these services. Coastal defence projects designed to protect the coast against erosion and flooding by the sea have often caused irreversible degradation to coastal natural resources. The main aim of this article is to investigate whether the joint use of cost-benefit analysis and environmental resource valuation techniques can give any insights toward the sustainable use of the coast. Design/methodology/approach - This paper employs cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in order to assess the justifiability of carrying out coast protection works in a particular location. This paper also uses contingent valuation methodology (CVM) to estimate the economic values of non-marketable coastal environmental services. In particular, this paper employs willingness to pay (WTP) technique and try to elicit satisfaction values from beach users by conducting an on-site questionnaire survey. Findings - his paper argues that there are many advantages in approaching shoreline protection project appraisal both from an environmental as well as an economics point of view. However, when conducting a cost-benefit analysis the monetary value of environment elicited by contingent valuation techniques has very limited use in it self. It can set the financial budget within which likely coast protection options should be considered but it cannot determine which option is more sustainable. What the decision-maker needs is to give real meaning to this value by translating it into people's specific preferences and behavioural characteristics. The next step should be setting out pragmatic project characteristics to accommodate the above preferences. Practical implications - Knowledge-based planning and scheduling as well as informed coastal protection decisions is central to achieving sustainability in the coastal zone. Prior to managing a coastal area, the baseline information needed is the economic value of services that the coastal location in question provides. Originality/value - Generally speaking, the economic value of non-marketable natural coastal resources such as beaches is closely associated with the way in which society perceives the environment. Both use and non-use values that are placed upon the environment by individuals have an anthropocentric basis. In this respect, it could be argued that these values often reflect multiple coastal zone uses, conflicts of human interests, levels of environmental education, environmental awareness and environmental appreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to roam adopted in the UK as part of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 increased the public's ability to use private lands, some of which include sensitive natural resources. This paper first compares UK public access law to that the US, including constitutional limitations. The paper then analyses the historical, cultural, and legal differences that result in the two countries' divergent views on how to provide for countryside access. Finally, the paper will compare US and UK mechanisms to protect the environment while providing for public recreation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews policies relating to planning and pollution control - their drivers, their implementation and the challenges they face. Throughout the 30 years since the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution reported on the use of planning controls over air pollution, the UK government's position has been characterised by ambivalence: urging the use of planning powers to control pollution while warning them to avoid encroaching on the remit of other regulatory agencies. While the language of planning controls over pollution and the pollutants of most concern have changed over the years, the role of planning in mitigating pollution must now be understood within the context of adaptation to European environmental policy, to recurrent demands for deregulation and, above all, to the pursuit of sustainable development. The paper argues that inadequate weight is given to pollution prevention in determining planning applications because of central government's reluctance to allow local planning authorities to jeopardise economic development. It suggests that public and political endorsement of clarified environmental objectives, together with improved procedures, are essential if planning is to continue to adapt to play its full port in combating the effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents updates relative to environmental law in Great Britain. Before the Parliament, the Sustainable Communities Bill was filed to promote the sustainability of local communities through a number of means. In Stephen and Suzanne Roper v. Tussauds' Theme Parks, the court ruled that the Crown Court had been correct in having regard to commercial considerations. Consultation on proposed changes to powers to restrict non-essential uses of water has been made in Britain.

The majority of UK ports, and especially those in England, lie within estuaries or on coastlines that are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Ramsar sites for their international wildlife interest. The EC Habitats Directive establishes an audit trail for evaluation of commercial development and its impact on Natura 2000 sites (SAC and SPA). It is therefore inevitable that port activity will come under scrutiny, both in terms of capital projects and ongoing operations. Much experience has been gained since the Habitats Regulations passed into UK law in 1994. Dredging has been at the forefront of the debate because it has the potential to influence the way in which inter-tidal habitats evolve, maintain themselves and support wildlife interest. It is also highlighted as having possible impacts on fish, especially migratory fish for which some estuaries are designated. This paper explores some of the issues and the solutions that have been found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the recent case study of cliff recession at Hunstanton, North Norfolk. The cliffs at Hunstanton are composite weak rock cliffs which have retreated by up to 30 m since 1885 in a series of failures of varying size and nature. The paper describes a programme of cliff monitoring and analyses the findings in the context of the available historical data. The geological control over the failure mechanisms, erosion cycle, and hence failure return period is investigated and discussed. Based on observations made, the cliffs have been mapped according to cliff behaviour characteristics, each cliff behaviour unit comprising a recession rate class and a failure type class. In this way the behaviour of the cliffs can be described semi-qualitatively, based on real recession data and the nature and extent of failures. The boundaries between units are seen to traverse the cliffs with time, reflecting the transient nature of the cliffs' response to erosion. The case study demonstrates the importance of high-resolution spatial data in understanding the mechanisms involved in the cliff erosion cycle. The detailed monitoring data collected have enabled a transition from macro-scale predictions of future recession rates for the entire cliff section towards real hazard-related predictions based on failure size and return period at specific localities such as vulnerable structures. The benefits of this approach to coastal managers and planners are illustrated through discussion of remedial options and the anticipated impact of those remedial options on the cliff behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the historical evolution of the UK approach to contaminated land. It is argued that the rationale and character of the current policy regime are structured by the dominant discourse dealing with the problem. Successive British governments have pursued a 'development managerialist' approach to contaminated land, rather than treating it primarily as an issue of environmental quality or public health. Cost effectiveness has been a recurrent theme in the discourse. It has been made manifest through five key features of the emergent system: (i) the way that contaminated land is defined; (ii) the distinctive liability regime; (iii) the notion of 'suitable for use'; (iv) its 'risk-assessment-based' aspects; and (v) its decentralized, bifurcated structure. A preliminary analysis of the regime suggests that, so far, it has succeeded in containing costs but may leave a toxic debt for future generations to address. In addition, a hitherto un-noted aspect of the contaminated land policy regime is identified; that is, that the differing natures of its two elements - the planning system and Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 ('Part IIA') - have produced operational tensions that affect policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prasad and Elmes (2005) provide an appealing critique of the ways in which current 'green' rhetoric may be used to deliver programmes which do little to protect the natural environment. The following paper will present evidence in support of their argument through reference to recent UK government proposals for the aviation industry. At the same time, it will be suggested that there are a variety of limitations with Prasad and Elmes' (2005) thesis, including a failure to address critique of the constructionist treatment of nature, an inappropriate use of Alvesson and Karreman's (2000) concept of mega-discourse, and a lack of attention to the tension between idealism and praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the use of metaphor in public policy and learning as a context for a reflective discussion of a nationally funded initiative focusing on the dissemination of good practice in education for sustainable development in the UK's post-16 sector. Learning to Last was the first, and so far only, project of its kind. Its conception and management epitomised the use of the toolkit metaphor, and reinforced and reproduced the instrumental rationality characterising educational governance and public management in the UK. The potential for metaphor or metaphorical concepts such as natural capital to articulate and stimulate new ways of thinking and behaving or even possibly offering a glimpse of a paradigmatic shift in institutional policy and practice relating to education and sustainability was not fully realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the impact of ‘new’ environmental policy instruments (NEPIs), such as eco-taxes, tradable permits and environmental agreements, on the politics of regulating industrial greenhouse-gas emissions. Intense academic debate surrounds the extent to which environmental policy is driven by the public interest, public choices between actor and stakeholder interests, or embedded institutional traditions. However, the effects on environmental politics of the recent shift from direct regulation to NEPIs remain seriously under-researched. Surveys and interviews with industry and policy-makers on the implementation of United Kingdom and German climate policy indicate that, although economic pressures do influence the design of policy instruments, public choice is far from dominant; nor are industry reactions to particular NEPIs uniform between countries. This suggests that national institutional traditions are far more influential in informing policy choices and industry reactions to policy innovations than is often acknowledged. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Participation at the local level is an important factor in determining the success of programmes developed to achieve sustainable development. This paper is concerned with debates over the role of the individual citizen in relation to that participatory process. In particular, it focuses on the UK Governments’ citizens environmental initiative ‘Going for Green’ (GFG). Through this initiative a five-point Green Code was developed to assist in the delivery of its sustainable development message to the general public. The initiative's overall approach to participation was based on an assumption that the primary barrier to translating environmental concern into local action was a lack of information, and that individuals would respond to messages in a similar way. As a research strategy, the case study was used to evaluate how the initiatives’ pilot Sustainable Communities Project was implemented in two comparative geographical communities in Merthyr Tydfil (South Wales). Research findings from this study have demonstrated that the case study was invaluable in terms of understanding the participatory process and experiences of broad a range of community stakeholders. Promoting a single model of participation, GFG was found to restrict the participatory process in terms of who was encouraged to participate, the scope of their participation, and those outcomes that could be achieved. This paper concludes that if significant progress is to be made in relation to achieving sustainable development, the role of the individual citizen needs to be extended beyond that of a consumer of the environment, and involve active participation in a process that is based on collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade resistance against environmental destruction has spread throughout much of the developed world. Over this period Environmental Direct Action (EDA) has evolved into an inventive and dynamic movement that not only rallies against specific environmental damages, but also the broader political and economic systems that are perceived to facilitate them. With the growth of Environmental Direct Action there has been a concomitant increase in the number wishing to understand and explain the phenomenon. This expansion of academic interest raises two questions: (1) Are conventional academic epistemologies suitable to understand and explain the motivations of and challenges posed by EDA?, and (2) Do the power relations inherent within such approaches facilitate or preclude our opportunities to make sense of this resistance movement? This paper uses experience gained from my own empirical work on EDA in the UK to explore these issues. Beginning with what Soja terms the 'Secondspace' approach to social science research, it will focus on the problems posed by issues of positionality and power relations for the study of EDA. The paper will go on to illustrate that, although entailing a number of problems, a 'Thirdspace' approach offers some solutions that can secure important insights into this political practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a list of consultation papers presented on issues related to environmental protection in Great Britain till March 2003. Details of the proposal on 'Recovery and Recycling Targets for Packaging Waste' in 2002; Revelation that aggregate levy will be charged from April 2002 onwards; Information on consultation on 'Location and Impact Assessment of Landfill Sites.'

This paper reports the results of a preliminary investigation into how green issues are influencing the process of research and development (R&D) as a contributor to innovation. R&D and other managers in UK companies were interviewed about their work, the methods used to select and manage that work and the way in which the green agenda is affecting the organization and its activities. The investigation looked at changes the ‘green agenda’ may be making in the innovation framework of firms, and differences between the flows of signals about green issues and those about other product performance issues around these frameworks. The paper concludes that, if the process of developing greener products and services is to be speeded up, then supply companies with the capacity and will to innovate need to push green issues on to the agenda of their dialogue with users in order actively to seek opportunities for progress. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]