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Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215521743
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 116
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Book Description
Greening Government operations is important in its own right, because of the size and range of their environmental impacts. Each year central Government offices produce approximately 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions (around 0.4 per cent of the UK total) and 309,000 tonnes of waste. Central Government spends £60 billion on goods and services each year and through sustainable procurement it could accelerate the take-up of environmentally friendly products. This report examines progress relating to: carbon emissions; renewable energy; carbon neutrality; energy consumption; Government response to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC); the role of the Sustainable Development Commission. The record is poor on carbon emissions. Excellent progress has been made on increasing the use of green electricity, but progress on generating its own electricity from on-site or district renewables has been very disappointing. The target of making the Government Estate carbon neutral by 2012 will depend very heavily on buying offsets. It is important the Government does as much as possible to reduce its own emissions. The newly-announced Greening Government IT programme is encouraging, given that increased use of IT would appear to be the biggest single factor in the upward trend in emissions from civil departments. The Government has, encouragingly, announced significant reforms in its response to the SDC's report. The Commission is having a significant influence in galvanising Government to improve its structures.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215521743
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 116
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Book Description
Greening Government operations is important in its own right, because of the size and range of their environmental impacts. Each year central Government offices produce approximately 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions (around 0.4 per cent of the UK total) and 309,000 tonnes of waste. Central Government spends £60 billion on goods and services each year and through sustainable procurement it could accelerate the take-up of environmentally friendly products. This report examines progress relating to: carbon emissions; renewable energy; carbon neutrality; energy consumption; Government response to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC); the role of the Sustainable Development Commission. The record is poor on carbon emissions. Excellent progress has been made on increasing the use of green electricity, but progress on generating its own electricity from on-site or district renewables has been very disappointing. The target of making the Government Estate carbon neutral by 2012 will depend very heavily on buying offsets. It is important the Government does as much as possible to reduce its own emissions. The newly-announced Greening Government IT programme is encouraging, given that increased use of IT would appear to be the biggest single factor in the upward trend in emissions from civil departments. The Government has, encouragingly, announced significant reforms in its response to the SDC's report. The Commission is having a significant influence in galvanising Government to improve its structures.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215555816
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 152
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Book Description
Funding of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) will cease at the end of March 2011, and Defra's capability and presence to improve the sustainability of Government will be increased. Whilst regretting the Government's decision to stop funding the SDC, the Committee sees an opportunity to reassess and revitalise the architecture for delivering sustainable development. The experience of SDC's work within Government departments to improve their sustainability skills and performance is at risk of being lost, so the Government must ensure that this knowledge and expertise is absorbed by departments. Sustainable development needs to be driven from the centre of Government by a Minister and department with Whitehall-wide influence. They must be capable of holding all departments to account for their sustainable development performance. The Committee does not think Defra is best placed to lead this drive, and recommends that the Cabinet Office assume this role. And the Treasury could use its position to continue to develop 'sustainability reporting' by departments, strengthen the system of impact assessments and the 'Green Book' investment appraisal methodology for policy-making, and embed the results of the Government Economic Service review of the economics of sustainability and environmental valuation into those impact assessments and appraisals. Greater political leadership from the top should be brought to bear. The Government must introduce a full set of indicators to measure sustainable development that can be used to develop policy and must provide a new strategic underpinning for its commitment to sustainable development as an overarching goal of Government policy-making.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215540782
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 100
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Book Description
This is the Committee's eighth report on the sustainable operations on the Government estate. There has been some progress against targets but the Sustainable Development Commission has found that in 2007-08 the Government was not on track to meet its target for the reduction of carbon emissions from its own buildings. The Government was on track to meet its targets for recycling and for the sourcing of electricity from renewable sources, but it performed less well than it had in 2006-07. It must improve the sustainability of its operations each year. The ease with which the Government continues to meet some targets, even when its performance worsens, indicates the urgent need for the Government to set itself more stringent targets. The Government should extend the system of targets and monitoring beyond central government and agencies to the wider public sector, including its outsourced operations. The Government has the potential to drive change in the wider economy through sustainable procurement, through investment in low carbon technologies and by driving the development of "green" skills in the workforce. But the Sustainable Development Commission found that Government performed poorly against its own targets. The Government must use its buying power to drive progress towards a greener economy. Many of the changes to the governance of Government's sustainable operations have been confusing or ineffective. The Government must ensure that there is a clear line of accountability for these matters, and the Cabinet Office Minister responsible must take an active role in overseeing performance management.
Author: Robert Doyle Bullard
Publisher: Earthscan
ISBN: 1849771774
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 360
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Book Description
Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264181377
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 308
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Book Description
This publication presents a data overview of the most recent round of the survey implemented in five areas (energy, food, transport, waste, and water) and 11 countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Author: Kent E. Portney
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262518279
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 399
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Book Description
A theoretically driven comparison of sustainability programs in American cities, updated with the latest research and additional case studies. Today most major cities have undertaken some form of sustainability initiative. Yet there have been few systematic comparisons across cities, or theoretically grounded considerations of what works and what does not, and why. In Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously, Kent Portney addresses this gap, offering a comprehensive overview and analysis of sustainability programs and policies in American cities. After discussing the conceptual underpinnings of sustainability, he examines the local aspects of sustainability; considers the measurement of sustainability and offers an index of “serious” sustainability for the fifty-five largest cities in the country; examines the relationship between sustainability and economic growth; and discusses issues of governance, equity, and implementation. He also offers extensive case studies, with separate chapters on large, medium-size, and small cities, and provides an empirically grounded analysis of why some large cities are more ambitious than others in their sustainability efforts. This second edition has been updated throughout, with new material that draws on the latest research. It also offers numerous additional case studies, a new chapter on management and implementation issues, and a greatly expanded comparative analysis of big-city sustainability initiatives. Portney shows how cities use the broad rubric of sustainability to achieve particular political ends, and he dispels the notion that only cities that are politically liberal are interested in sustainability. Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously draws a roadmap for effective sustainability initiatives.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215545220
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258
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Book Description
Climate projections show that Britain can expect wetter winters, drier summers and a higher likelihood of flash-floods, heat waves and droughts. Yet adaptation to climate change has been given only a fraction of the attention that has gone into reducing greenhouse gases. The Government must build awareness and support for the wide-ranging and urgent programme of action that is needed to protect people, property and prosperity and safeguard the natural environment. Adapting infrastructure and homes will be expensive. To maintain current levels of flood protection for homes, real terms spending on flood defences will need to increase from its current level of around £600 million per annum to around £1 billion in 2035. Estimates in 2009 suggest that by the end of the century around £7 billion may be needed to improve the Thames flood barrier and tidal defences. New homes being built now must be designed to cope with the inevitable changes in climate over the next 50 - 80 years. The Government must make adaptation and mitigation more central to the planning system. New developments should only be permitted if they are suited to future climates. Existing homes will also need to be adapted so that they are comfortable during hotter summers and better protected against the risk of flooding. The Government must help to kick start an integrated retro-fitting programme that covers adaptation, water efficiency and energy efficiency. Green infrastructure - such as water storage, greater tree cover and more open green spaces - must also be promoted.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215559883
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 48
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Book Description
Government response to HC 504, session 2010-11 (ISBN 9780215555816)
Author: Ryan Dupont
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1498749550
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 633
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Book Description
This new edition has been revised throughout, and adds several sections, including: lean manufacturing and design for the environment, low impact development and green infrastructure, green science and engineering, and sustainability. It presents strategies to reduce waste from the source of materials development through to recycling, and examines the basic concepts of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of different pollutants. It includes case studies from several industries, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, metals, electronics, petrochemicals, refineries, and more. It also addresses the economic considerations for each pollution prevention approach.
Author: C.A. Brebbia
Publisher: WIT Press
ISBN: 1784662836
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 215
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Book Description
It is clear that the challenge of achieving a more sustainable development pathway requires both new knowledge and the wider uptake of existing knowledge, polices and technologies. It is also essential that sustainability is built into urban development plans as the world’s population becomes increasingly urbanised and a wide range of social and environmental problems occur. Containing a series of specially selected papers, this book deals with advances in disciplines contributing to sustainable development, such as planning, architecture, engineering, policy making, environmental sciences and economics, and identifies solutions to challenges posed by sustainable development. Written by researchers and practitioners from many different countries, the included papers provide a unique reference of experience and potential solutions to common problems via the application of planning and development strategies, assessment tools and decision making processes.
