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Ailawadi, V. S.; Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00153.xpmid: N/A
Poor and inadequate access to clean, reliable and affordable energy is now considered a major concern for sustainable development. India houses about a third of the world's population without access to electricity and about 40% of those without access to modern energy. This article considers India's challenge in this area, examines the energy access situation, and analyses measures pursued to improve it. The article argues that the current focus on rural electrification is unlikely to resolve the energy access problem, due to the low penetration of electricity in the energy mix of the poor. The article also argues that strategies based on energy market reform, promotion of renewable technologies and correct price signals are unlikely to succeed in changing the situation, as acceptance of this policy prescription is rather low. Instead, a bottom‐up, holistic, long‐term approach is suggested that integrates energy access with economic development, and relies on selective market intervention, local resources and local governance.
Creedy, David; Lijie, Wang; Xinquan, Zhou; Haibin, Liu; Campbell, Gary
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00154.xpmid: N/A
China is the largest coal producer and the largest coal consuming country in the world. Approximately half of China's coal comes from small‐scale mines. The sustainability of China's coal industry would be improved if a greater share of the coal come from larger‐scale mines. This article presents a case history of the Shuangliu Mine in Shanxi Province and discusses the issues and benefits of the transformation of this mine. Significant gains were observed in worker safety and benefits, and in more efficient exploitation of the coal resource. Problems included loss of employment opportunities for local labourers, and reduced revenue for local townships. The wider implications of a shift of China's coal supply from small‐scale to large‐scale mining operations are discussed in relation to economic, social and environmental aspects.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00155.xpmid: N/A
Environmental or ‘ecological’ footprints have been widely used in recent years as indicators of resource consumption and waste absorption on the basis of biologically productive land area required per capita with prevailing technology. Such footprints represent a partial measure of the extent to which the planet, its regions, or nations are moving along a sustainable development pathway. They vary between countries at different stages of economic development and varying geographic characteristics. The determinants of environmental footprints in some 113 countries from around the world have been evaluated. Dimensional analysis techniques from engineering and the physical sciences are employed to determine the relative significance of population density, economic wealth, and intensity of pollutant emission. Variations about the resulting ‘power‐law’ correlation suggest the extent to which individual nations are currently frugal or profligate in terms of their resource use and environmental impacts. The scatter associated with footprints, or closely related parameters, also indicates the uncertainty inherent within the international datasets needed to compute them, as well as differences in local climate and terrain. Nevertheless, national footprints alert humanity to the necessity of living within the regenerative capacity of the biosphere in order to ensure ‘environmental sustainability’.
Hezri, A. A.; Nordin Hasan, Mohd.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00156.xpmid: N/A
Over the last five decades, Malaysia has undergone rapid economic, social and environmental change, a process which is still continuing. The pursuit of socio‐economic progress has been accompanied by an unprecedented rate of change in the natural environment. In parallel to this development, governmental responses have also adapted over time to address emerging environmental situations. This article views the recent history of Malaysia's evolving policy response to development needs and environmental change as consisting of four distinct stages. Despite an impressive array of policy statements and strategies to implement sustainable development, many challenges remain today. A clear articulation of normative principles of sustainable development is of paramount importance, as is the monumental task of policy implementation. The article argues that the trajectory of Malaysia's policy on natural resources and environmental issues bears the characteristics of path‐dependent evolution.
Plummer, Ryan; FitzGibbon, John
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00157.xpmid: N/A
Co‐management involves the shared administration of natural resources by two or more parties. This study examines the role of social capital in the process of developing co‐management in three river corridors in Canada. Qualitative analysis reveals that social capital acts as a catalyst helping groups to progress through the stages of the co‐management process. Forms of social capital (bridging and bonding) are identified that advance and/or inhibit the development of co‐management. The article reaffirms the need to expand the institutional basis for natural resource management and provides empirical evidence that social capital plays a fundamental role in developing co‐management. In conclusion, the article suggests that resource agencies need to recognize the value of social capital and the necessity for government representatives to be informed of and practiced in these skills, if they are to engage meaningfully with the civilian population.
Prasad, Krishna C.; Van Koppen, Barbara; Strzepek, Kenneth
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00158.xpmid: N/A
Emerging approaches to water resources development and management typically highlight equity and productivity as two main objectives. In the context of integrated water resources management within a river basin, managers and stakeholders often need a comparative assessment of different options for water augmentation and/or allocation. Pitting such options against predefined objectives, such as equity and productivity, requires an assessment of the effects that available options will have on these objectives. Available documentation indicates that not only does the interpretation of such objectives vary widely, but also the available methods for assessing equity and productivity run into significant limitations in the availability of adequate data. This limitation has largely kept decision makers from gaining a comprehensive overview of equity and productivity scenarios, whether within or across sectors, that could facilitate better‐informed decisions. To address this methodological gap, this article scrutinizes different notions associated with equity and water productivity, and limitations in prevalent assessment methods with the view to develop and demonstrate pragmatic methodologies for assessing equity and productivity in data‐scarce contexts. The discussion and findings are based on a review of relevant literature and empirical and consultative research work in the Olifants River basin in South Africa. The demonstrated methodologies for assessing equity and productivity, besides being useful in data‐scarce contexts, are insightful for initiating several policy measures and also for exploring the relationship between equity and water productivity.
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