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EVALUATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT in the Built Environment SECOND EDITION Peter S. Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

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EVALUATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

in the Built Environment

SECOND EDITION

Peter S. Brandonand

Patrizia Lombardi

A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

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EVALUATING SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT

in the Built Environment

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This leading book is about one of the greatest challenges faced by human kind. Sustainable development impacts on everyone and all need to take ownership of, and get involved with, the concept. Universities are strongly engaged in this process, as recognised by both the Hokkaido and Turin G8 Summit Declarations. This book represents a reference point in the field, for both students and lecturers. It is clearly written and it illustrates evaluation approaches to, and frameworks for decision-making for, sustainable development. The book was selected to be circulated to the over 150 delegates who attended the G8 countries’ Turin University Summit on this important subject.

Professor Francesco Profumo – Rector of Politecnico di Torino,Italy, Chair of the 2009 G8 University Summit

This book addresses a key aspect of sustainable development. It asks what framework is required to answer the question ‘have we made progress?’ and it also suggests the mechanisms and methods which might be used in the assessment of such progress. The first edition of the book has been well received and this revision updates the reader and suggests in more detail how it might work in practice. It is an enormous issue and the authors have provided a very clear introduction to this complex subject. The book is fast becoming a standard text in the field and has an international readership. Practitioners, academics, students and universities will find it extremely useful in developing their thinking.

Professor Martin Hall – Vice Chancellor ofthe University of Salford, UK.

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EVALUATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

in the Built Environment

SECOND EDITION

Peter S. Brandonand

Patrizia Lombardi

A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

9781405192583_1_pretoc.indd iii9781405192583_1_pretoc.indd iii 9/1/2010 12:00:40 PM9/1/2010 12:00:40 PM

This edition first published 2011© 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd © 2011 Peter Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi

Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing programme has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.

First edition published 2005Second edition published 2011

Registered officeJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ,United Kingdom

Editorial office9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, United Kingdom2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300, USA

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks.All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any productor vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brandon, P. S. (Peter S.) Evaluating sustainable development in the built environment / Peter S. Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi. – 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-9258-3 (alk. paper)1. Urban ecology (Sociology) 2. City planning–Environmental aspects. 3. Sustainable architecture. 4. Sustainable development. I. Lombardi, P. L. (Patrizia L.) II. Title. HT241.B73 2010 307.76–dc22

2010029191

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Set in 10/12pt Palatino by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, IndiaPrinted in Malaysia

1 2011

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v

About the Authors ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xv

1 Setting the Context for EvaluatingSustainable Development 1The environmental perspective 1

The international policy debates 5

Extension of the debate 12

The impact of the built environment 13

The current response of the built environment community 16

Sustainability: a definition 20

Seeking a shared set of values 22

Striving for a common frameworkand classification system 24

The characteristics of assessment and measurementfor sustainable development 25

Management and intervention for sustainable development 30

Implementing management decisions 32

Summary 33

Contents

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vi Contents

2 Time and Sustainability 35Innovation and stability 37

Perceptions of sustainable development 38

Critical failure points 42

Time in evaluation 47

Future aversion 48

Clever or wise? 50

Practical assessment of ‘time’ 50

The luxury of the ‘time’ horizon 52

3 Approaches to Evaluation 54The Natural Step 55

The concept of community capital 58

The ecological footprint 61

Monetary (capital) approach 64

The driving force-state-response model 65

Issues or theme-based frameworks 66

Accounting frameworks 67

Frameworks of assessment methods’ tool kits 67

Summary and conclusions 70

4 Indicators and Measures 73Why evaluate? 73

Traditional versus sustainable development indicators 75

Generic and specific questions 78

International indicators 80

Aggregated indicators 82

Discussion 84

Summary 87

5 Assessment Methods 89A directory of assessment methods 91

An outline summary of the main assessment methods, toolsand procedures in use 96

Summary and conclusions 118

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Contents vii

6 A Proposed Framework for EvaluatingSustainable Development 122

The need for a holistic and integrated framework 123

The theoretical underpinning of the framework 126

The built environment explained by the modalities 128

The 15 modalities for understanding sustainabledevelopment in the built environment 129

Development of the multi-modal frameworkfor decision-making 138

Key questions for examining sustainable developmentwithin each modality 139

Synthesis of results 145

Summary 146

7 The Framework as a Structuring Tool: Case Studies 148

Case study 1: selection of a municipal wastetreatment system 151

Case study 2: evaluation of sustainable redevelopmentscenarios for an urban area 155

Case study 3: ‘multi-stakeholder’ urban regenerationdecision-making 163

Case study 4: social reporting of Modena City strategic plan 168

Summary and conclusion 173

8 Towards Management Systems and Protocols 176Who manages? 180

The planning framework 181

Management in a learning organisation 183

Soft system methodology 185

Wicked problems 187

Process protocols 188

A possible approach 191

The Vancouver study 192

The conclusions of the Vancouver study 196

Follow through on the Vancouver study 197

Resilience 199

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viii Contents

9 Education and Research 203A research agenda 213

In conclusion 215

Appendix A: The Philosophy of the‘Cosmonomic Idea of Reality’ 217

References 223Websites 236

Bibliography 239

Index 255

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ix

Professor Peter S. Brandon OBE was a pro-vice chancellor for research and postgraduate stud-ies at the University of Salford and the director of the University Think Lab and is now a profes-sor emeritus in the School of the Built Environment. He has played a major role in the devel-opment of research in the UK and internationally, and when head of the present School of the Built Environment at Salford, he led the school to the highest rat-ings for research in the UK, a position they have held ever since. He has written widely on a number of topics, including building economics, construc-tion management, construction information technology and sustainable development. He has over 30 books to his credit as author, co-author or editor, and has published over 150 papers in more than 30 countries.

Professor Patrizia Lombardi from the City and Housing Department at the Politecnico di Torino is a leading expert in the use of environ-mental assessment methods and an established figure in the field of evaluating sustainable development and has been active in the field for

About the Authors

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About the Authors x

over 20 years. She has coordi-nated or served as lead partner in several pan-European projects on topics related to sustainable urban development, including the BEQUEST network, the INTEL CITY Roadmap, the INTELCITIES integrated pro-ject, the SURPrISE (Sustainable Urban Renewal Programs In Southern Europe) Interreg III C, the ISAAC (Integrated e-Services for Advanced Access to Heritage in Cultural Tourist Destinations) project and PERFECTION (Per-formance Indicators for Health, Comfort and Safety of the Indoor Environment). She is the editor or co-author of about 10 books on sustainability evaluation and is the author of over 100 papers in specialised textbooks and international scientific journals.

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xi

Five years is a long time in the development of an emerging subject, especially when it seems the whole world is now interested in its con-tent. Since the first edition, the concept of sustainable development has risen in the human consciousness and is beginning to change behav-iour around the globe. It is being driven by the concern about climate change and the impact this will have on human settlements. Individuals, governments, institutions and agencies are making their own contribu-tions to change the rate of global warming or at least to mitigate its consequences. The situation is considered to be extremely serious and every ‘foresight’ type exercise has placed ‘sustainable development’ at the top of its agenda. In 2008, the US National Academy of Engineers identified 13 ‘grand challenges’ for engineering and of these 5 were directly related to climate change and all of the remainder were related to human survival.

In fact, human survival is at the root of the whole debate on sustain-able development. The planet will look after itself and, indeed, it has for millions of years. It is life forms, sustained by the planet, which suf-fer as the surface is altered and changed by the natural evolution of planets and cosmic systems. It is estimated that 97% of all species that have lived on earth are now extinct. However, the human species is a relative latecomer to life on earth and is the first to begin to exercise conscious mediation of the planet’s subsystems. In previous millennia, ‘nature’ would have controlled human growth and its chance of sur-vival. As Derickson (2006) suggests ‘We are not dumb enough to sur-vive, but are we clever enough?’ In other words, if nature took its course then natural selection would take place and it is probable that the earth’s population of humans might well diminish. The current massive interest in what is often described as ‘the most important issue to ever have faced mankind’ is largely concerned with the human race

Preface

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xii Preface

attempting to prove it can be sufficiently clever to adapt to a change in climate which threatens a very significant proportion of the popula-tion. The question is still whether we can do it.

However, climate is not the only feature of sustainable development, important though it is. Within the subject is also the quality of life enjoyed by current and future generations. Survival is the most impor-tant factor but even without this threat there appears to be a moral duty not to impair the life of future generations by the actions we take today. Once we move into the quality-of-life dimension, the subject becomes exceptionally complicated. It is one reason why there are so many definitions of sustainable development. All aspects of life are interrelated and a decision in one area has impacts elsewhere, often without our knowledge. It is one of the reasons why we face climatic problems. Our decisions, particularly with regard to technology sup-porting economic development have resulted in consequences which were not foreseen. The subject becomes so complicated that simple definitions always appear inadequate in time (see Chapter 1). Perceptions change, needs change, the technological infrastructure changes, our scientific knowledge changes and what future genera-tions of humans will require is impossible to predict. However, we believe we can avoid creating an environment which destroys the capacity for future generations to respond positively to change; other-wise, the subject would be pointless.

The last 30 years have seen a plethora of measures, indicators and evaluations which attempt to make some assessment of what is hap-pening to our planet and the actions of human beings upon it. The origins of this book lie in trying to get a grasp on what we mean by ‘sustainable development’. The authors felt, in their research, that if they could measure it then they would be forced to define it, otherwise how would we know what to measure? In addition, the measure would allow us to discover whether we were making progress or not. However, the complexity of the problem makes an exhaustive meas-ure impossible. Whatever we do, it will be partial. That is not to say it will not be useful and provide potentially new insights. It will and it does. It can only be part of a recognition that our tools and our ‘clever-ness’ are often helpful but inadequate for the task as defined by most commentators.

So, how do we address this problem? At the heart of the issue is the interdependence between events, activities and processes. To address this, it is important to ask ‘why’ these events occur and where their behavioural relationship lies. This leads to a much more fundamental investigation of the problem and engages philosophy. Philosophy is ‘the academic discipline concerned with the nature and significance or ordinary and scientific beliefs, investigating the intelligibility of con-cepts by means of rational argument concerning their presuppositions, implications and inter-relationships’ (Collins English Dictionary, 2000).

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Preface xiii

It should shed light on the key issues and how they emerge and evolve over time. It recognises that its work is almost never complete but it guides and directs our thinking towards solutions which are appropri-ate for the time, including our response to future events.

Like all emerging subjects for study there is a period of transition from the original concept to an established structure upon which knowledge can build. This structure needs to be robust yet flexible enough to accommodate new thinking. In Chapter 6, we have put for-ward a secularised view of one philosopher, Herman Dooyeweerd, as a possible basis for this structure. The background material for Dooyeweerd’s work is complex but rich and at an application level the authors and others have found it intuitive and enlightening particu-larly with regard to interrelationships between all the aspects of the cosmos which impinge on sustainable development.

This book will focus on two main issues. These are, firstly, how do we create a structure of knowledge and thinking which will allow us to develop a vocabulary which all participants in sustainable develop-ment can own and to which they will feel able to contribute and, sec-ondly, how do we assess progress in sustainable development? The first is important because it enables a dialogue to take place between all the stakeholders in such a way that the complexity of the problem can be exposed, structured and communicated in order to gain confidence from all the parties. The second is important because unless we can evaluate what contributes to sustainability it will be very difficult to know whether a sustainable environment has been created.

These are fundamental and important issues. Implied in the struc-turing is not only a recognition that many people are engaged but also that they come from a variety of backgrounds, disciplines and levels of commitment which all provide a different ‘filter’ for the individual or group to view the problems or issue through. For them to come to agreement requires a structure which they can all understand and to which they can contribute their particular view. It also requires mutual respect and a desire to come to a solution that may involve compro-mise. It involves education because all need to understand the position of the others and it needs a language, which is not exclusive, but which includes all participants wherever possible. In terms of technique, it requires a confidence that the techniques for evaluation are fair and transparent so that the inputs and outputs are not favouring one par-ticular view or, if they are, that all parties are aware of this limitation. There are very few, if any, techniques that are completely neutral in their advice.

This book is an explanation of some of these concepts and it attempts to provide an approach that can be built on and evolve over the ensuing years. There is a fast-developing subject known as ‘sustainability sci-ence’ which has been described by the Harvard University Centre for International Development as seeking to ‘advance basic understanding

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xiv Preface

of the dynamics of human–environment systems; to facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation of practical interventions that promote sustainability in particular places and contexts; and to improve link-ages between relevant research and innovation communities on the one hand and relevant policy and management communities on the other’. Others have focused more on the practical application and have defined it as ‘use-inspired basic research that seeks to learn about the interac-tions among humans (including their cultural, political, economic, and demographic characteristics), their technologies and the environment’ (Burns & Weaver, 2008). Note that it is the dynamics of the human/technology interface which is central. One without the other will not result in a satisfactory understanding of the problem.

This subject is emerging and evolving as the subject matter becomes more of an established domain of study. Our understanding of what we mean by the term, and how it will be viewed, will change, but this book attempts to provide a contribution towards a structure and approach which will endure these evolving concepts and processes and provide a platform which allows the subject to grow and develop in a consistent and coherent way.

Peter S. Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi

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xv

The authors acknowledge the important contribution made to this book by a number of individuals, including:

❏ The members of the BEQUEST European Network (sponsored by the European Commission and led by Professor Steve Curwell of the University of Salford), who have debated many of these issues over the past 12 years. Their work has provided a useful source of infor-mation for many aspects of this book and we value the critique that they have provided of many of the ideas presented. In particular, we would like to thank Steve Curwell and Mark Deakin (of Napier University, Edinburgh) who have critically analysed and interpreted the results of the assessment methods survey reported in Chapter 5.

❏ Hanneke van Dijk, who has played a very important role in bring-ing this volume to print. Her patience, particularly in the later stages, was exemplary and we appreciate the task she undertook in conforming to the publisher’s requirements.

❏ Dr Andrew Basden, who provided guidance on the work of Herman Dooyeweerd and enabled us to create the structure pro-posed in Chapter 6.

❏ Our respective families, who suffered from the time demands but provided support throughout.

The sections “Monetary (capital) approach” (part of), “The driving force–state–response model”, “Issues or theme-based frameworks” (part of) and “Accounting frameworks” (part of) in Chapter 3 and “Aggregated indicators” (part of) in Chapter 4 are reproduced with permission from Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies © United Nations, 2007.

Acknowledgements

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1

The environmental perspective

The subject of sustainable development is one of the key research and policy issues as we enter the early years of the twenty-first century. This book takes the broad view, but the world focus at the time of writing appears to be the concerns on climate change and on pollution levels threatening the survival of the human species. The importance of this focus can be seen by the high regard that the global community places on these problems. At the Rio conference in 1992, 100 heads of states attended, representing 179 governments that committed themselves to an agenda for addressing the perceived problem. In 2002, 109 governments were represented at the Rio + 10 conference in Johannesburg and vowed to continue the focus on what they consid-ered to be an important area. More recently, the Kyoto Protocol regarding carbon emissions has been ratified by most of the countries of the world and the Copenhagen World Summit on climate change has committed itself to an accord to prevent the rise in global tem-perature going beyond a further 2°C (although this was not made legally binding). This is the maximum that experts feel the world can accommodate without major catastrophe, although many will still suffer. Over the past 5 years the European Union has committed a substantial proportion of its research and development monies to sustainability issues and the majority of governments that have a national research programme have also committed funds to the cause. So why the interest and why is it at, or near, the top of global policy for research and development?

1Setting the Context for Evaluating Sustainable Development

Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment, Second Edition By Peter S. Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi © 2011 Peter S. Brandon and Patrizia Lombardi

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2 Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment

With all new ideas, there is a long gestation period before they are taken up as policy or identified as a key issue for researchers to address. There is little doubt that the current interest in sustainable develop-ment has come from the pressure groups and particularly those associated with the green movement who saw the depletion of non-renewable resources (and particularly energy stocks), the pollution of the air and water and the breakdown of social conscience through glo-balisation as leading to the demise of mankind and the balance of nature (the ecosystem), which presently sustains living creatures. They considered that there was a moral imperative to take the long-term view and to consider the impact of decisions taken now on generations that would follow. It is true to say that within this general thrust there was, and probably will be, a variety of opinions on such matters as the extent of the damage being done to the environment, the responsibility for the current situation and the manner in which it can be remedied.

There is, however, a growing consensus that something is wrong and that mankind has a duty to do something about it. There has been a cre-scendo of concern from almost every quarter of human society led by some very significant figures in government, academe and pressure organisations. These are the new prophets, forecasting a calamity and demanding that the world turn from its fallen ways! In nearly all cases, their forecasts have been on the conservative side in recent years, partic-ularly with regard to global warming. It appears that the world is getting warmer at a faster rate than was expected, that it appears to be accentu-ated by the behaviour of mankind and that humankind is facing a losing battle to remedy the situation. Hence, the focus on resilience (i.e. the abil-ity to retain function through adversity) to assist in containing the prob-lem. Leading thinkers and politicians such as Gore (2006), Lovelock (2009), Rees (2004), Jackson (2009) and many others have brought to the attention of the world the potential plight which faces life on earth.

Knowing what to do is of course another matter and there is a spec-trum of views (see Fig. 1.1). At one end of the spectrum are those who suggest that we should conserve at all costs, change the way we live and seek a reduction in economic growth as a means of reducing consump-tion. At the other end are those who believe that necessity is the mother of invention and that a ‘technical fix’ will be found which will remove the need for such drastic measures to be taken. They believe that the markets will drive up the price of non-renewable resources and that this in turn will encourage innovators to provide sensible alternatives. Against this argument others would say that in the time it takes for the markets to realise what is happening, irreparable damage may have been done to the planet for which future generations may have to pay the full price.

These two extremes can also be viewed through the themes which arose from the Johannesburg Summit. There were two major schools of thought. One appeared to be arguing that man could exercise control and dominion over the earth, mainly by technological advancement. The other thought that humans must review their position as part of nature

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Setting the Context for Evaluating Sustainable Development 3

and seek to work in harmony and in empathy with the cycles of nature and the planet. This polarisation of view is often seen as detrimental to advancement and that much can be achieved by developing the technol-ogy whilst appreciating, respecting and recognising the second. There is a paradox in this dialogue because if we were not able to intervene then nature would probably have found ways to limit population growth (as it has with so many species) and avoid the excessive use of non-renewa-ble resources. Population growth is at the heart of the problem – we can-not sustain this number of people with the resources available.

Despite this, much of this debate is at the level of the planet. Saving spaceship earth is the clarion call and we must all be engaged in the earth’s preservation and its delicate ecological systems. This attitude may also be debated, for many would point out that the earth has been in turmoil ever since its formation and species have come and gone, climatic changes far outweigh the actions of mankind in terms of their devastation and in the very long term the earth itself will disappear and will probably be engulfed in a black hole or other stellar catastro-phe. The response to this would be that we are the first species able to create its own downfall and the first to be able to at least extend its sojourn on earth, so why should we not rise to the challenge and try to extend the life of the species? The focus is on the environment and it is through this filter that human activity will be judged. This does not seem unreasonable as future generations will probably judge the activ-ities of the current generation in the same way that we often judge the misdemeanours of the past: by the way they affect us now.

Figure 1.1 The spectrum of views on sustainability.

Conserveat allcost

Seektechnical

‘fix’

Sustainability

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4 Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment

The question of time is a key one and the text will return to this in due course. Over what period should we view sustainable develop-ment? It is a critical issue for the systems and techniques we employ to measure progress. If we take the very long term, the planet is probably doomed anyway. If we take the short term, we can probably muddle through and overcome or manoeuvre around the problems that we have created. How far ahead can we look? Is it one, two, several or hundreds of generations? Most commentators would suggest that our ability to make interventions that would aid future populations is lim-ited to two or three generations. Beyond this, we would probably need to be prophets or exercise witchcraft to know what to do. Predictions made 200 years ago, extrapolating the knowledge of the time, seem naive and stupid with the benefit of hindsight. For example, it was thought that London would be waist-deep in horse manure at the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth century because of the growth of horse-drawn transport! Would it have been sensible to ask the people of Europe 300 years ago to sacrifice their gruel in order that our genera-tion would benefit from having the asset of computer technology? Of course not.

There is perhaps one area where we can predict a potential problem and that is with the demise of non-renewable resources. Who knows of what value these resources will be to those who will follow? We do not know what benefits to health, to quality of life and to the supply of use-ful products these resources will bring, because our knowledge of their potential is still limited. We do not understand how they may be used in different, complex combinations linked to other knowledge, for example of the nature of genes, to the benefit of our children and beyond. If some of these resources disappear, what legacy are we leav-ing? We tend to view these resources in terms of what they can provide now and not what their potential benefit could be in the future. Our outlooks are determined by their impact on us and the horizons that science and technology have set for us at this point in time. Often these are limited to the human lifespan.

Since the mid-1970s, these debates have grown in intensity and have risen up the international agenda to the point where it is heads of gov-ernment who find themselves gathered together to address the prob-lem. Partly this is a recognition that it is a global problem. Most of the environmental problems are not confined within national boundaries. (A hole in the ozone layer or a leak from a nuclear energy plant does not respect the arbitrary limits of territory designated by human beings.) Partly it is because this subject is recognised as being an issue of morality in which all must cooperate if action is to be taken that will change the course of environmental well-being. No one wants to be seen to show a lack of commitment to such a key issue. Partly it is because in each country there is a political imperative to address these issues because the nature of the problem has permeated the public

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Setting the Context for Evaluating Sustainable Development 5

conscience. It is unlikely that the subject will go away and indeed for some time to come it is likely to be a major item on the international agenda despite the fact that there are differences of opinion on how the matter should be tackled. For example, President George W. Bush of the USA refused to sign the Kyoto Agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in his first term of office because of the vested inter-ests of industry in the USA. It was not until President Obama came into office that a new narrative was created and the USA joined in the debate to limit the speed of climate change. Sometimes the rapidly developing countries such as China and India are criticised for following the devel-opment path of the developed nations but the signs are that they are more sensitive to this problem and are addressing the issue whilst still encouraging economic development. They face a dilemma in improv-ing the economic prosperity of their people whilst avoiding the pitfalls of the past. The developed nations such as Europe and the USA face the dilemma of maintaining what they perceive to be a high standard of living whilst at the same time addressing the kind of world they wish to leave for their grandchildren. They may have to decide to make sac-rifices now in order to protect the future. This may not be easy.

The international policy debates

Table 1.1 shows some of the key events in the development of the world approach to addressing the problems of sustainable development. All have made their contribution since the 1970s and it is this groundswell of views at the very highest levels of global governance that has begun to change the actions of government and the investment in research into sustainable development. Many of the world conferences and the publications were about the context within which the discussion should take place. This context included the debates on the reduction in non-renewable resources and the apparent pollution of land, water and air. However, at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 (UNCED, 1992) a significant change took place. An agenda for change (Agenda 21) was agreed upon and signed up to by 179 world governments. Not only did they sign up, but they also defined sustainability in a new way, extending its boundaries beyond just environmental issues.

The full implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Commitments to the Rio princi-ples, were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. The Summit confirmed that significant progress has been made towards achieving a global consensus and part-nership among all the people of our planet. The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development highlighted the important role placed by governance at all levels for the effective implementation of

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6 Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment

Agenda 21, the Millennium development goals and the Plan of Implementation of the Summit. The leadership of the United Nations was also reaffirmed as the most universal and representative organisa-tion in the world which is best placed to promote sustainable develop-ment, and a commitment to monitor progress at regular intervals towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals and objectives was undertaken under the slogan ‘Making it happen!’ (http://www.un.org/). Finally, it also acknowledged the key role played by education as the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable development, increasing people’s capacities to transform their visions for society into reality. In recognition of the importance of education for sustainable and responsible development, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2005–2014 the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development while UNESCO was requested to lead and to develop an International Implementation Scheme for the Decade.

The signatories of these various agreements embraced the notion that environmental issues often had their origins in the behaviour of the human race. When humans dump toxic chemicals or do not seek to conserve energy, or create social unrest leading to misuse or damage to existing resources, their behaviour has an impact on the environment. When the legal systems and regulations employed by governments make it difficult or even impossible to act in an environmentally friendly way, this aspect of human organisation has a detrimental impact on environmental issues. When the striving for economic growth results in poor use of the earth’s resources, this human action and policy lead to more degradation of the environment. When there are big differentials between those who have and those who have not, unrest can follow and the damage can be substantial. The threat of ter-rorists gaining access to nuclear bombs is now spoken of quite openly and the terrorists gain much of their support from those who are eco-nomically or politically disadvantaged.

A tangled web of issues leads to actions that eventually have an impact on the environment. The way we live affects the world on a global scale when we piece the whole of the jigsaw together. In the words of John Donne, ‘no man is an island entire of itself’ (Donne, 1623). The environment at one level is fairly robust, taking care of the events that occur over time in a very practical way which is often not apparent to a single generation. At another level, it can be presented as a very sensitive entity in which it is easy, through the interactions of man, to destabilise the whole superstructure and the interrelationships which provide the balance and allow the life forms that exist today to survive and prosper. It is the survival of what we have today, the bio-diversity, the climatic conditions, the level of water supply and so forth that provides the basis for the argument for sustainability. No one seems to be arguing for natural evolution which could see the demise of the human race in favour of some other life form.

9781405192583_4_001.indd 69781405192583_4_001.indd 6 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM

Table

1.1

Si

gnifi

cant

inte

rnat

iona

l con

fere

nces

sho

win

g th

e gr

owin

g im

porta

nce

of s

usta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent.

Date

Act

ion

Outp

ut

1972

: 6–1

6 Ju

neU

N C

onfe

renc

e on

the

Hum

an E

nviro

nmen

t, St

ockh

olm

Nee

d fo

r a c

omm

on o

utpu

t to

insp

ire a

nd g

uide

the

peop

le o

f the

wor

ld in

the

pres

erva

tion

of th

e hu

man

env

ironm

ent:

(a)

Act

ion

plan

for t

he h

uman

env

ironm

ent.

(b)

Educ

atio

nal,

info

rmat

iona

l, so

cial

and

cul

tura

l asp

ects

of e

nviro

nmen

tal i

ssue

s ha

ve to

be

face

d.(c

) C

onstr

uctio

n of

a fr

amew

ork

for e

nviro

nmen

tal a

ctio

n.(d

) Re

com

men

datio

n fo

r act

ion

at th

e in

tern

atio

nal l

evel

.(e

) Id

entif

icat

ion

and

cont

rol o

f pol

lutio

n of

bro

ad in

tern

atio

nal s

igni

fican

ce.

(f)

Dec

lara

tion

of th

e U

N.

1992

: 3–1

4 Ju

neU

nite

d N

atio

ns R

io d

e Ja

neiro

Con

fere

nce

The

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e w

as a

dopt

ed o

n 9

May

199

2 an

d op

ened

for

sign

atur

e a

mon

th la

ter a

t th

e U

N C

onfe

renc

e on

En

viro

nmen

t and

D

evel

opm

ent i

n Ri

o de

Ja

neiro

(Bra

zil)

Age

nda

21, t

he R

io D

ecla

ratio

n on

Env

ironm

ent a

nd D

evel

opm

ent,

the

Stat

emen

t of

Fore

st Pr

inci

ples

, the

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e an

d th

e U

nite

d N

atio

ns C

onve

ntio

n on

Bio

logi

cal D

iver

sity

. As

an o

utpu

t the

sub

sequ

ent

follo

w-u

p m

echa

nism

s w

ere

crea

ted:

(a)

Com

mis

sion

on

Susta

inab

le D

evel

opm

ent

(b)

Inte

r-age

ncy

Com

mitt

ee o

n Su

stain

able

Dev

elop

men

t(c

) H

igh-

leve

l Adv

isor

y Bo

ard

on S

usta

inab

le D

evel

opm

ent

1994

: 27

May

The

Firs

t Eur

opea

n C

onfe

renc

e on

Sus

tain

able

C

ities

& T

owns

, Aal

borg

(D

enm

ark)

A C

harte

r was

sig

ned

by E

urop

ean

Citi

es &

Tow

ns ‘T

owar

ds S

usta

inab

ility

’ whi

ch

prov

ides

a fr

amew

ork

for t

he d

eliv

ery

of lo

cal s

usta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent,

and

calls

on

loca

l aut

horit

ies

to e

ngag

e in

Loc

al A

gend

a 21

pro

cess

es (h

ttp:/

/ec.

euro

pa.e

u/en

viro

nmen

t/ur

ban/

pdf/

aalb

org_

char

ter.p

df).

1995

: 7 A

pril

Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

to

the

UN

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e 1

(CO

P 1)

, Ber

lin

The

Berli

n M

anda

te w

as a

dopt

ed a

t the

firs

t Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

(CO

P) o

n 7

Apr

il 19

95. I

t ack

now

ledg

ed th

at th

e co

mm

itmen

t of d

evel

oped

cou

ntrie

s to

take

m

easu

res

aim

ed a

t red

ucin

g th

eir G

HG

em

issi

ons

to 1

990

leve

ls by

the

year

200

0 w

as n

ot a

dequ

ate

to a

chie

ve th

e C

onve

ntio

n’s

obje

ctiv

e. T

he m

ain

obje

ctiv

e of

the

Man

date

was

to s

treng

then

the

com

mitm

ents

for t

he d

evel

oped

-cou

ntry

Par

ties

afte

r the

ye

ar 2

000

with

out i

ntro

duci

ng a

ny n

ew c

omm

itmen

ts fo

r dev

elop

ing

coun

tries

, whi

le

reaf

firm

ing

exis

ting

com

mitm

ents

of a

ll Pa

rties

con

tain

ed in

Arti

cle

4.1

and

cont

inui

ng

to a

dvan

ce th

eir i

mpl

emen

tatio

n.

Con

tinue

s

9781405192583_4_001.indd 79781405192583_4_001.indd 7 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM

Table

1.1

C

ontd

.

Date

Act

ion

Outp

ut

1996

: 3–1

4 Ju

neU

nite

d N

atio

ns In

tern

atio

nal

Con

fere

nce

on H

uman

Se

ttlem

ents

– H

abita

t II,

Istan

bul

This

was

the

seco

nd c

onfe

renc

e or

gani

sed

for d

iscu

ssin

g th

e is

sue

of h

abita

tion

(Hab

itat I

Con

fere

nce

was

hel

d in

Van

couv

er in

197

6). I

t spe

cific

ally

focu

sed

on

curr

ent b

uilt

envi

ronm

enta

l pro

blem

s in

rela

tion

to m

ajor

glo

bal c

hang

es

(e.g

. pop

ulat

ion

grow

th, m

igra

tion

tow

ards

urb

an a

reas

, tou

rism

, urb

an re

gene

ratio

n).

1997

: 8–1

9 Ju

lyC

onfe

renc

e of

the

Parti

es to

th

e U

N F

ram

ewor

k C

onve

ntio

n on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

2 (C

OP

2), G

enev

a

At t

he s

econ

d C

OP,

a la

rge

num

ber o

f min

iste

rs a

gree

d on

the

Gen

eva

Min

iste

rial

Dec

lara

tion,

whi

ch p

rovi

ded

polit

ical

impe

tus

to th

e Be

rlin

Man

date

pro

cess

.

1997

: 1–1

0 D

ecem

ber

Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

to

the

UN

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e 3

(CO

P 3)

, Ky

oto

Prot

ocol

(Jap

an)

The

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol s

ets

up ta

rget

s to

redu

ce G

HG

em

issio

ns. T

he P

roto

col w

as in

itial

ly

adop

ted

on 1

1 D

ecem

ber 1

997

in K

yoto

, Jap

an, a

nd c

ame

into

forc

e on

16

Febr

uary

20

05. S

ince

the

UN

FCC

C c

ame

into

forc

e, th

e pa

rties

hav

e be

en m

eetin

g an

nual

ly in

C

onfe

renc

es o

f the

Par

ties

(CO

P) to

ass

ess

prog

ress

in d

ealin

g w

ith c

limat

e ch

ange

, and

be

ginn

ing

in th

e m

id-1

990s

, to

nego

tiate

the

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol to

esta

blish

lega

lly b

indi

ng

oblig

atio

ns fo

r dev

elop

ed c

ount

ries

to re

duce

thei

r GH

G e

miss

ions

. Fro

m 2

005,

the

Con

fere

nces

hav

e m

et in

con

junc

tion

with

Mee

tings

of P

artie

s of

the

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol

(MO

P), a

nd p

artie

s to

the

Con

vent

ion

that

are

not

par

ties

to th

e Pr

otoc

ol c

an p

artic

ipat

e in

Pro

toco

l-rel

ated

mee

tings

as

obse

rver

s. U

nder

the

Prot

ocol

, 37

indu

stria

lised

cou

ntrie

s (c

alle

d ‘A

nnex

I co

untri

es’)

com

mit

them

selv

es to

a re

duct

ion

of fo

ur g

reen

hous

e ga

ses,

in

the

hydr

oflu

oroc

arbo

ns a

nd p

erflu

oroc

arbo

ns p

rodu

ced

by th

em, a

nd a

ll m

embe

r co

untri

es g

ive

gene

ral c

omm

itmen

ts. C

ount

ries

agre

ed to

redu

ce th

eir c

olle

ctiv

e G

HG

em

issio

ns b

y 5.

2% fr

om th

e 19

90 le

vel.

The

prot

ocol

left

seve

ral i

ssue

s op

en to

be

deci

ded

late

r by

futu

re C

onfe

renc

es o

f the

Par

ties

(CO

P).

1998

: 2–1

4 N

ovem

ber

Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

to

the

UN

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e 4

(CO

P 4)

, Bue

nos

Aire

s

At C

OP

4 (B

ueno

s A

ires,

Nov

embe

r 19

98),

Parti

es a

dopt

ed th

e so

-cal

led

‘Bue

nos

Aire

s Pl

an o

f Act

ion’

, ww

w.u

nfcc

c.in

t/re

sour

ce/d

ocs/

cop4

/16a

01.p

df, s

ettin

g ou

t a

prog

ram

me

of w

ork

both

to a

dvan

ce th

e im

plem

enta

tion

of th

e C

onve

ntio

n an

d to

fle

sh o

ut th

e op

erat

iona

l det

ails

of th

e Ky

oto

Prot

ocol

. Thi

s pr

ogra

mm

e of

wor

k w

as

cond

ucte

d in

the

subs

idia

ry b

odie

s an

d at

CO

P 5

(Bon

n, O

ctob

er/N

ovem

ber

1999

), w

ith a

dea

dlin

e of

CO

P 6

(The

Hag

ue, N

ovem

ber

2000

). H

owev

er, P

artie

s w

ere

unab

le to

rea

ch a

gree

men

t on

a pa

ckag

e of

dec

isio

ns o

n al

l iss

ues

unde

r th

e Bu

enos

Aire

s Pl

an o

f Act

ion

at th

at s

essi

on. N

ever

thel

ess,

they

dec

ided

to m

eet

agai

n in

a r

esum

ed s

essi

on o

f CO

P 6

to tr

y on

ce m

ore

to r

esol

ve th

eir

diffe

renc

es.

9781405192583_4_001.indd 89781405192583_4_001.indd 8 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM

1999

: 25

Oct

ober

–5

Nov

embe

rC

onfe

renc

e of

the

Parti

es to

th

e U

N F

ram

ewor

k C

onve

ntio

n on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

5 (C

OP

5), B

onn

Min

iste

rs a

nd o

ffici

als

from

166

gov

ernm

ents

agr

eed

on a

tim

etab

le fo

r co

mpl

etin

g th

e ou

tsta

ndin

g de

tails

of t

he 1

997

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol b

y N

ovem

ber

2000

in o

rder

to

inte

nsify

the

nego

tiatin

g pr

oces

s on

all

issu

es b

efor

e th

e si

xth

CO

P.

2000

: 13–

24

Nov

embe

r, Th

e H

ague

; 16

–27

July

200

1, B

onn

Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

to

the

UN

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e 6

(CO

P 6)

, The

H

ague

and

Bon

n

Pled

ge to

con

tribu

te €

450

mill

ion

per y

ear b

y 20

05 to

hel

p de

velo

ping

cou

ntrie

s m

anag

e em

issi

ons

and

adap

t to

clim

ate

chan

ge. T

he C

onve

ntio

n on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

has

been

ratif

ied

by 3

7 co

untri

es.

2001

: 29

Oct

ober

–9

Nov

embe

rC

onfe

renc

e of

the

Parti

es to

th

e U

N F

ram

ewor

k C

onve

ntio

n on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

7 (C

OP

7),

Mar

rake

sh

Parti

es fi

nally

suc

ceed

ed in

ado

ptin

g th

e Bo

nn A

gree

men

ts o

n th

e Im

plem

enta

tion

of

the

Buen

os A

ires

Plan

of A

ctio

n, w

ww

.unf

ccc.

int/

reso

urce

/doc

s/co

p6se

cpar

t//0

5.pd

f, re

gist

erin

g po

litic

al a

gree

men

t on

key

issu

es u

nder

the

Buen

os A

ires

Plan

of

Act

ion.

The

fina

l Kyo

to r

uleb

ook

was

set

. Cou

ntrie

s m

ust c

ut 8

0% e

mis

sion

s. T

he

Mar

rake

sh M

inis

teria

l Dec

lara

tion

emph

asis

es th

e co

ntrib

utio

n th

at a

ctio

n on

clim

ate

chan

ge c

an m

ake

to s

usta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent,

calli

ng fo

r ca

paci

ty b

uild

ing,

te

chno

logy

, inn

ovat

ion

and

coop

erat

ion

with

the

biod

iver

sity

and

des

ertif

icat

ion

conv

entio

ns. U

p to

Mar

rake

sh, 4

0 co

untri

es h

ad r

atifi

ed th

e Ky

oto

Prot

ocol

.

2002

: 26

Aug

ust–

4 Se

ptem

ber

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

Wor

ld

Sum

mit

on S

usta

inab

le

Dev

elop

men

t, Jo

hann

esbu

rg

Key

obje

ctiv

es to

reac

h:(a

) A

revi

talis

ed a

nd in

tegr

ated

UN

sys

tem

for s

usta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent.

(b)

A n

ew d

eal o

n fin

ance

– e

nabl

ing

a de

al o

n su

stain

able

dev

elop

men

t.(c

) A

n in

tegr

atio

n of

trad

e an

d su

stain

able

dev

elop

men

t.(d

) A

cle

arer

und

ersta

ndin

g of

how

gov

ernm

ents

shou

ld m

ove

forw

ard

natio

nally

in

impl

emen

ting

Age

nda

21.

(e)

A n

ew c

harte

r whi

ch c

ould

lay

the

foun

datio

ns fo

r cou

ntrie

s to

fram

e th

eir

susta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent p

olic

ies.

(f)

A re

view

of t

he w

ork

of th

e pr

esen

t set

of R

io c

onve

ntio

ns –

look

ing

at th

e ov

erla

ps,

gaps

and

obs

tacl

es.

(g)

A s

et o

f new

regi

onal

or e

ven

glob

al c

onve

ntio

ns.

(h)

A s

et o

f pol

icy

reco

mm

enda

tions

for t

he e

nviro

nmen

tal s

ecur

ity is

sues

that

face

the

wor

ld.

(i)

A c

lear

set

of c

omm

itmen

ts to

impl

emen

t agr

eed

actio

n by

the

UN

, gov

ernm

ents

and

maj

or g

roup

s.

Con

tinue

s

9781405192583_4_001.indd 99781405192583_4_001.indd 9 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM

Table

1.1

C

ontd

.

Date

Act

ion

Outp

ut

2002

: 23

Oct

ober

–1

Nov

embe

rC

onfe

renc

e of

the

Parti

es to

th

e U

N F

ram

ewor

k C

onve

ntio

n on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

8 (C

OP

8), N

ew

Del

hi

The

usua

l div

ision

bet

wee

n de

velo

ped

and

deve

lopi

ng c

ount

ry p

ositi

ons

on m

any

issue

s w

as

in e

vide

nce

at C

OP

8. P

artie

s co

nven

ed in

neg

otia

ting

grou

ps o

n a

num

ber o

f iss

ues

prev

ious

ly le

ft of

f the

age

nda

due

to th

e pr

essin

g ne

gotia

tions

und

er th

e Bu

enos

Aire

s Pl

an o

f A

ctio

n. T

he D

elhi

Dec

lara

tion

reaf

firm

s de

velo

pmen

t and

pov

erty

era

dica

tion

as o

verri

ding

pr

iorit

ies

in d

evel

opin

g co

untri

es a

nd im

plem

enta

tion

of U

NFC

CC

com

mitm

ents

acco

rdin

g to

Pa

rties

’ com

mon

but

diff

eren

tiate

d re

spon

sibili

ties,

dev

elop

men

t prio

ritie

s an

d ci

rcum

stanc

es,

but i

t doe

s no

t cal

l for

a d

ialo

gue

on b

road

enin

g co

mm

itmen

ts.

2003

: 1–1

2 D

ecem

ber

Con

fere

nce

of th

e Pa

rties

to

the

UN

Fra

mew

ork

Con

vent

ion

on C

limat

e C

hang

e 9

(CO

P 9)

, Mila

n

Acc

ordi

ng to

the

way

the

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol (K

P) w

as w

ritte

n, it

will

go

into

effe

ct o

nly

if 55

of

the

signa

torie

s ra

tify.

The

se s

igna

torie

s m

ust a

ccou

nt fo

r 55%

of t

he C

O2 e

miss

ions

at t

he

then

spe

cifie

d da

te –

199

0. T

here

is n

o pr

oble

m w

ith th

e fir

st co

nditi

on, a

s 12

1 co

untri

es h

ave

ratif

ied

the

KP b

ut th

e U

SA (t

he c

ount

ry a

t the

fore

front

of G

HG

em

issi

ons)

sta

ted

that

it w

as n

ot g

oing

to re

pres

ent t

he re

quire

d m

inim

um o

f 55%

of

emis

sion

s w

ithou

t a R

ussi

an ra

tific

atio

n of

the

KP.

2004

: 8–1

1 Ju

neTh

e A

albo

rg +

10

conf

eren

ce, A

albo

rg

(Den

mar

k)

One

obj

ectiv

e of

the

Aal

borg

+ 1

0 co

nfer

ence

was

to a

sses

s th

e 10

yea

rs o

f ex

perie

nces

sin

ce th

e es

tabl

ishm

ent o

f the

Aal

borg

Cha

rter a

nd th

e Eu

rope

an

Susta

inab

le C

ities

& T

owns

Cam

paig

n. N

ine

hund

red

parti

cipa

nts

shar

ed th

eir

expe

rienc

es a

nd m

et in

ope

n di

scus

sion

s an

d di

alog

ues.

Cur

rent

ly th

e C

harte

r is

sign

ed b

y 27

64 c

ities

(see

: http

://w

ww

.aal

borg

plus

10.d

k/m

edia

/sho

rt_lis

t_18

-02-

2009

_1_.

pdf).

2005

: 28

Nov

embe

r–9

Dec

embe

rTh

e fir

st M

eetin

g of

the

Parti

es to

the

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol

(MO

P 1)

alo

ng w

ith th

e C

onfe

renc

e of

the

Parti

es to

th

e U

N F

ram

ewor

k co

nven

tion

on c

limat

e ch

ange

11

(CO

P 11

), M

ontre

al

It w

as o

ne o

f the

larg

est i

nter

gove

rnm

enta

l con

fere

nces

on

clim

ate

chan

ge. T

he e

vent

m

arke

d th

e en

try in

to fo

rce

of th

e Ky

oto

Prot

ocol

. Hos

ting

mor

e th

an 1

0 00

0 de

lega

tes,

it w

as o

ne o

f Can

ada’

s la

rges

t int

erna

tiona

l eve

nts

ever

and

the

larg

est

gath

erin

g in

Mon

treal

sin

ce E

xpo

67. T

he M

ontre

al A

ctio

n Pl

an is

an

agre

emen

t ha

mm

ered

out

at t

he e

nd o

f the

con

fere

nce

to ‘e

xten

d th

e lif

e of

the

Kyot

o Pr

otoc

ol

beyo

nd it

s 20

12 e

xpira

tion

date

and

neg

otia

te d

eepe

r cut

s in

gre

enho

use-

gas

emis

sion

s’ (W

ikip

edia

).

9781405192583_4_001.indd 109781405192583_4_001.indd 10 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM

2005

: 6–7

Dec

embe

rTh

e EU

Min

iste

rs o

n ‘C

reat

ing

Susta

inab

le

Com

mun

ities

in E

urop

e’,

Bris

tol A

ccor

d (U

K)

The

2005

Bris

tol A

ccor

d sa

ys th

at: S

usta

inab

le c

omm

uniti

es a

re a

big

idea

for

a bi

gger

Eur

ope.

It o

ffers

a c

hanc

e to

cre

ate

thriv

ing

and

succ

essf

ul p

lace

s in

whi

ch th

e pe

ople

of E

urop

e w

ill h

ave

a m

ore

secu

re a

nd p

rosp

erou

s fu

ture

. The

Acc

ord

build

s on

the

wor

k of

pre

cedi

ng in

itiat

ives

in th

e ar

ea, s

uch

as th

e Ro

tterd

am u

rban

acq

uis

2004

(prin

cipl

es o

f com

mon

suc

cess

ful u

rban

pol

icie

s), t

he r

evis

ed L

isbo

n ag

enda

for

jobs

, com

petit

iven

ess

and

grow

th, t

he g

oals

of e

nviro

nmen

tal s

usta

inab

ility

agr

eed

at

Got

henb

urg

2001

, the

Lill

e Pr

ogra

mm

e (2

000)

(lon

g-te

rm c

oope

ratio

n on

urb

an

sust

aina

bilit

y w

ithin

the

EU) a

nd th

e ef

fect

ive

dem

ocra

tic g

over

nanc

e ag

reed

at t

he

War

saw

Sum

mit

in M

ay 2

005

(see

: http

://w

ww

.euk

n.or

g/bi

narie

s/eu

kn/e

ukn/

polic

y/20

06/5

/bris

tol-a

ccor

d.pd

f).

2007

: 24–

25 M

ayIn

form

al M

inis

teria

l mee

ting

on u

rban

dev

elop

men

t and

te

rrito

rial c

ohes

ion,

Lei

pzig

(G

erm

any)

The

‘Lei

pzig

Cha

rter

on S

usta

inab

le E

urop

ean

Citi

es’ s

ays

that

stre

ngth

enin

g Eu

rope

an c

ities

and

thei

r re

gion

s –

prom

otin

g co

mpe

titiv

enes

s, s

ocia

l an

d te

rrito

rial c

ohes

ion

in E

urop

e an

d in

its

citie

s an

d re

gion

s ar

e ke

y po

licy

issu

es

that

impa

ct o

n th

e Eu

rope

an C

ounc

il de

cisi

ons

on s

usta

inab

le d

evel

opm

ent t

hat

need

to b

e ap

plie

d in

con

cret

e te

rms

to th

e sp

atia

l dev

elop

men

t of u

rban

ne

ighb

ourh

oods

, citi

es a

nd r

egio

ns (s

ee: h

ttp:/

/ww

w.e

nerg

ie-c

ites.

eu/I

MG

/pdf

/le

ipzi

g_ch

arte

r.pdf

).

2007

: 15

Dec

embe

rU

N C

onfe

renc

e on

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

(CO

P 13

), Ba

li (In

done

sia)

Agr

eem

ent o

n a

timel

ine

and

struc

ture

d ne

gotia

tion

on th

e po

st-20

12 fr

amew

ork

(a s

ucce

ssor

to th

e Ky

oto

Prot

ocol

) was

ach

ieve

d w

ith th

e ad

optio

n of

the

Bali

Act

ion

Plan

(Dec

isio

n 1/

CP.

13).

The

Ad

Hoc

Wor

king

Gro

up o

n Lo

ng-te

rm

Coo

pera

tive

Act

ion

unde

r the

Con

vent

ion

(AW

G-LC

A) w

as e

stabl

ishe

d as

a n

ew

subs

idia

ry b

ody

to c

ondu

ct th

e ne

gotia

tions

aim

ed a

t urg

ently

enh

anci

ng th

e im

plem

enta

tion

of th

e C

onve

ntio

n, u

p to

and

bey

ond

2012

. The

se n

egot

iatio

ns to

ok

plac

e du

ring

2008

(lea

ding

to C

OP

14/M

OP

4 in

Poz

nan,

Pol

and)

and

200

9 (le

adin

g to

CO

P 15

/MO

P 5

in C

open

hage

n, D

enm

ark)

.

2009

: 7–1

8 D

ecem

ber

UN

Con

fere

nce

on C

limat

e C

hang

e (C

OP

15/M

OP

5),

Cop

enha

gen

(Den

mar

k)

The

over

all g

oal w

as to

esta

blis

h an

am

bitio

us g

loba

l clim

ate

agre

emen

t for

the

perio

d fro

m 2

012

whe

n th

e fir

st co

mm

itmen

t per

iod

unde

r the

Kyo

to P

roto

col e

xpire

s.

Min

iste

rs a

nd o

ffici

als

from

192

cou

ntrie

s to

ok p

art i

n th

e C

open

hage

n m

eetin

g an

d,

in a

dditi

on, p

artic

ipan

ts at

tend

ed fr

om a

larg

e nu

mbe

r of n

on-g

over

nmen

tal

orga

nisa

tions

. A la

rge

part

of th

e di

plom

atic

wor

k th

at la

id th

e fo

unda

tion

for a

po

st-Ky

oto

Agr

eem

ent w

as u

nder

take

n by

the

CO

P 15

. At t

he e

nd o

f the

con

fere

nce

an a

ccor

d w

as a

gree

d bu

t thi

s w

as n

ot to

be

lega

lly b

indi

ng a

t thi

s sta

ge. H

owev

er, i

t w

as s

igna

lled

that

this

wou

ld b

e th

e lo

nger

term

obj

ectiv

e.

9781405192583_4_001.indd 119781405192583_4_001.indd 11 9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM9/1/2010 11:54:42 AM