Beginning in the 1990s, sustainability indicators have rapidly been developed in different political contexts to measure progress towards reaching sustainable development. Previous research has largely focused on developing models and criteria for defining indicators in order to identify scientifically sound systems. However, sustainability indicators represent more than pure aggregated data; they represent values. This thesis takes its departure in seeing indicators as socially constructed, and aims to explore the role(s) indicators play in governance for local sustainable development. The traditional environmental policy discourse characterised by rationality and efficiency became challenged in the 1990s by the Agenda 21 discourse, emphasizing the need for citizen participation for environmental governance. Notions of efficiency and participation are, however, often in conflict since achieving participation is time consuming and efficiency requires results within short time frames. Thus, a tension in governance is created which is especially apparent at the local level and in politics relating to sustinable development. In this study, Sweden is seen as an extreme case in terms of implementing sustainable development policies. Swedish local authorities have been at the international forefront in developing sustainability indicators. Here, the work surrounding seven different sustainability indicator systems in three Swedish municipalities is analysed. The overall research question relates to the tension in governance: Are the sustinability indicators driven primarily by efficiency or participatory claims? The analytical framework combines two different, yet linked theoretical approaches: an institutional approach, which captures the organizational arrangements of the indicator systems; and a discourse inspired approach, shedding light on underlying notions and ‘problem’ representations embedded in the indicator systems. Interviews with politicians and local officers and written material serve as the main empirical sources. The analysis shows that local sustainability indicators vary to a great extent regarding their scope, which implies that sustainable development is interpreted differently depending on the local context. In general, goals linked to ‘soft’ issues like democracy, awareness raising and learning tend to be less indicated than ‘hard’ issues such as pure natural scientific measures. Oftenmost, participation is interpreted in its ‘weak’ form, that is stakeholders and citizens are being informed about political decisions taken or are invitated to attend meetings. Many politicians express concern abut participatory methods that aim for empowering citizens, claiming that this is in conflict with the idea of representative democracy. Surprisingly, the more participatory driven indicator systems have not become established in the municipal organisation despite the involvement of many different stakeholders in the developing process. In contrast, the more efficiency driven systems, have been internally anchored but involved very few external stakeholdes in the process. These latter systems are therefore most likely to be used and implemented. In general, politicians’ trust in expert knowledge in policy making is high and it is difficult to involve citizens in that process. Also, because work with sustainable development issues in general, and indicators in particular, is largely seen as projects rather than processes, the efficiency ideal prevails in local policy making – maybe not in rhetoric, but certainly in practice.

In metropolitan areas where the exploitation pressure increases, also the importance to point out nature areas grows, both for the sake of outdoor life and for biodiversity conservation. Since nature conservancy and spatial planning constitute two different parts of the municipalities land use control, a case study has been carried out in two municipalities in the Stockholm region, Huddinge and Järfälla. Both these municipalities have protected about one third of their land and today there are plans to repeal parts of the reserves to enable exploitation. This thesis shows – from the theoretical concept of sustainable development – officials, politicians and non-governmental organizations perspectives on questions concerning land use together with the work with nature reserves and repeals. The study focuses on how different basic attitudes and paradigms emphasizes different aspects of sustainable development and how this in turn affects the work to repeal nature reserves. Interviews with stakeholders in the municipalities and documents concerning land use and nature reserves demonstrates that there is distinct differences between the planning-paradigm, based on spatial planning, and the environmental-paradigm, based on nature conservation. From the planning-paradigm it is considered that nature reserves had to big impact on the munici­pality's land use and that valuable nature more frequently should be protected by the Swedish planning and building act. From the environmental-paradigms view the nature conservancy is – and should also in the future be – an important tool in the long-term prevention to stop valuable nature from being exploited. The thesis also stresses the importance to in the work with repeals take all effects that this kind of decision can lead to into account – not just in the repealed area but also for the future work with nature reserves on the whole. / I storstadsregioner där exploateringstrycket blir allt större, ökar också vikten av att peka ut naturområden, både för det rörliga friluftslivet samt för bevarande av den biologiska mångfalden. Utifrån det att naturskydd samt fysisk planering utgör varsin del av kommuners styrning av mark­användningen har en fallstudie genomförts i två kommuner i Stockholmsregionen, Huddinge och Järfälla. Båda dessa kommuner har skyddat ungefär en tredjedel av kommunens mark och idag finns planer på att upphäva delar av reservaten för att där möjliggöra exploatering. Uppsatsen visar – utifrån det teoretiska begreppet hållbar utveckling – hur tjänstemän, politiker och intresse­organisationer ser på markanvändningsfrågor samt arbetet med naturreservat och upphävande. Studien fokuserar på hur olika grundinställningar och paradigm lyfter fram olika aspekter av hållbar utveckling samt hur detta i sin tur påverkar arbetet med att upphäva naturreservat. Intervjuer med kommunala aktörer samt dokument rörande markanvändning och naturreservat visar att det finns tydliga skillnader mellan planparadigmet, med grund i den fysiska planeringen, och miljö­paradigmet, med grund i naturvården. Utifrån planparadigmet anser man att naturreservaten har fått för stor inverkan på kommunens markanvändning och att värdefull natur oftare borde skyddas med hjälp av plan- och bygglagens verktyg. Från miljöparadigmets vinkel är naturskyddet – och bör även i fortsättningen vara – ett viktigt verktyg för att långsiktigt förhindra att värdefull natur exploateras. Uppsatsen framhåller också vikten av att man vid upphävande av naturreservat tar hänsyn till alla effekter som ett sådant beslut kan leda till – inte bara i det upphävda området utan även för det fortsatta arbetet med naturreservat i stort.

Most studies in environmental politics have traditionally examined three broad areas: the degradation of the environment; the regulatory regimes governing the environment; or environmental activism within the affluent North. This thesis provides an alternative perspective, exploring environmental activism in the less affluent South. In particular, while human rights and social justice perspectives have historically been largely absent from many environmental movements of the North, this thesis argues that, due to precarious living conditions and authoritarian governance, these issues are of primary importance for environmentalists in the South. As a result this thesis contends that most environmental movements in the South are part of a growing global justice movement and that important cultural diversities within this movement can result in novel forms of resistance and environmental governance. The focus here is on the emancipatory actors within these movements in the South who challenge existing power structures within society. Likewise, by adopting a critical perspective, this thesis argues that large business interests pursue energy projects in the South in the name of energy security and large scale industrial development that are often inappropriate for local development and security needs. To test these hypotheses, four case studies were undertaken that examine transnational gas pipeline and large dam projects at various stages of their development which originate in either Burma (Myanmar) or Thailand. Empirical research, primarily in the form of interviews, undertaken in the countries hosting the various energy projects demonstrated that although environmental activists in the South were assisted by transnational activist networks there were also important local factors that impacted on the emancipatory philosophies, strategies and tactics of many activists in this region. These strategies have achieved some success, with environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes in Thailand now providing a potential opening for the political engagement of communities. Nevertheless, this thesis finds that the power of corporate interests in the international political economy often poses insurmountable barriers for activists to achieve both their short and long term aims. The findings suggest that despite the efforts of activists, local indigenous and ethnic minority communities continue to bear the brunt of the social and environmental costs of transnational energy projects in the South while receiving few of the benefits. Rather than safeguarding these communities from deprivation, these projects often exacerbate existing social tensions and conflicts, resulting in increased community insecurity. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1474397 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, 2009

Since World War Two the world has undergone a profound economic and political transformation, from an international economy and internationalist politics to a global economy and globalist politics. The Bretton Woods international financial institutions have 'structurally adjusted' Third World countries, and similar structural reforms have occurred in First World countries. The environmental consequences of globalising economic activity have been severe and also global; the social consequences of the structural reform process are equally severe. National sovereignty has been radically compromised by globalisation, and previous nationally-based initiatives to manage the activities of capital in order to mitigate its negative impacts on society and the environment, such as social democrat/labour politics, have ceded their authority to globalism. Green parties have arisen to contest the negative environmental and social consequences of the global expansion of capital, and are replacing socialist parties as a global antisystemic political force. Green politics had its origins in the world-wide 'new politics' of the New Left and the new social movements of the 1960s, and the world's first two Green parties were formed in Australia and New Zealand in 1972. A general history of the global forces which gave rise to Green politics, and a specific history of the first two Green parties, demonstrate the interplay of global and local political forces and themes, and provide an opportunity to redefine the core elements of Green politics.

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

A pesquisa tem por finalidade abordar a constituição das redes de Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) no Brasil, tendo como destaque o Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). Para tal, pretende-se traçar a territorialidade da rede de informação ambiental, a questão da própria informação ambiental e o seu contexto no ciberespaço. Também será analisada a Política Ambiental Brasileira que proporciona a constituição dessa rede. O objeto proposto para o estudo apresenta uma complexa realidade, diversificada e prática, de grande interesse aos gestores ambientais, entre eles os geógrafos, que requer o seu desvendamento. / The research has the objective in approach the constitution of the nets of Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) in Brazil, have as feature the Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). To achieve this proposal intended to trace the territoriality of the net of environmental information, the subject of the own environmental information and its context in the cyberspace. It will also be analyzed the Brazilian Environmental Politics that provides the constitution of that net. The object proposed for the study presents a complex reality, diversified and practice, of great interest to the environmental governance, among them the geographers, that requests its to unveil

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

A pesquisa tem por finalidade abordar a constituição das redes de Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) no Brasil, tendo como destaque o Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). Para tal, pretende-se traçar a territorialidade da rede de informação ambiental, a questão da própria informação ambiental e o seu contexto no ciberespaço. Também será analisada a Política Ambiental Brasileira que proporciona a constituição dessa rede. O objeto proposto para o estudo apresenta uma complexa realidade, diversificada e prática, de grande interesse aos gestores ambientais, entre eles os geógrafos, que requer o seu desvendamento. / The research has the objective in approach the constitution of the nets of Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) in Brazil, have as feature the Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). To achieve this proposal intended to trace the territoriality of the net of environmental information, the subject of the own environmental information and its context in the cyberspace. It will also be analyzed the Brazilian Environmental Politics that provides the constitution of that net. The object proposed for the study presents a complex reality, diversified and practice, of great interest to the environmental governance, among them the geographers, that requests its to unveil

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

[pt] O presente trabalho aborda a relação entre o Direito internacional e o Direito Brasileiro referente à proteção da diversidade biológica. Especificamente, realiza-se um mapeamento crítico da tradução do texto da Convenção no direito pátrio. Procura-se, assim, contextualizar a produção do direito ambiental brasileiro no cenário internacional visando a efetiva proteção do enorme patrimônio ambiental que recebemos. O trabalho compreende um capítulo preliminar sobre o contexto do direito internacional e duas partes centrais: uma abordando a negociação e desenvolvimento da Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre Diversidade Biológica e outra abordando os desdobramentos deste texto internacional no direito brasileiro. / [en] This research focuses on the relationship between international and domestic Brazilian law relating to biodiversity protection. Specifically, I map the translation of the Convention on biological diversity locally. I seek, thus, to place Brazilian environmental law in the larger international context. The work comprises a preliminary chapter on the context of international law and two main parts: one on the negotiation and conclusion of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the other on its developments in Brazilian law.