7. Greener Growth

Sustainable development became the dominant discourse in global environmental affairs in the 1980s, spurred by the landmark Brundtland report to the United Nations, and remains widely popular, embodied for example in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by an assembly of all the world’s countries in 2015. Sustainable development combines ecological protection, economic growth, social justice, and intergenerational equity, which can be sought globally and in perpetuity. “Green growth” becomes possible, while ecological limits and boundaries fade into the background. However, it is necessary for a collective effort that involves governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations, and citizens to make this happen. Sustainable development is an integrating discourse that covers local and global environmental issues and a host of economic and development concerns. Beyond this shared discourse, different actors (such as corporations and environmentalists) ascribe different means to the idea. Despite its popularity as a discourse, sustainable development has not actually been achieved anywhere.

Japan and the Environment

This chapter examines the evolution of environmental politics in Japan over the postwar period and identifies the main factors and actors shaping environmental policy. The literature on Japanese environmental politics has shifted its focus over time from domestic to global environmental issues, mirroring transformations in Japan’s political economy and international status. After successfully confronting the domestic problem of severe pollution in the 1970s and early 1980s, Japan became one of the world’s largest donors of environmental foreign aid, starting in the early 1990s and continuing today. Throughout all periods, there have been continuities as well as changes. In terms of representation and democracy, the Japanese state has consistently prioritized concerns of business and local governments in the policymaking process. In addition to having greater voice, these constituencies have also benefited materially from policies through their access to various green funds. In contrast, NGOs and citizens have tended to be left out of policy discussions and have exercised voice largely through protest and critiques of government policies. The chapter ends by examining the case of climate change to explore these patterns in more recent years.

Green Power? European Normative Influence on Chinese Environmental Policy

This article claims that—notwithstanding limitations—in environmental cooperation with China Europe has been effective in projecting international norms that China has shown interest in embracing. On the one hand, European normative power effectiveness is due to its power of example in global environmental issues and Beijing’s acknowledgement of Europe’s leading global role in this area. On the other hand, it is a result of Beijing’s recognition of the urgency of the issue domestically, indispensable to secure further economic growth and global influence. This suggests the relevance of the power of domestic interest to Beijing’s approach towards international cooperation with international standards as pursued by Europe. Persisting limitations to Europe’s effectiveness, however, include the normative divergence burdening relations with China, and its fragmented governance system. In addition, the economic, political and social problems Europe is facing following the 2008 financial crisis have challenged its global standing, constraining its normative ambitions concerning China.

The adoption of environmental strategies in large Colombian businesses

This research explains the adoption of environmental strategies of large companies in Colombia. Large companies play an important role in global environmental issues, aimed at controlling climate change and resource scarcity.They are increasingly expected to address these environmental issues. However, companies adopt different strategies; some companies focus primarily on environmental compliance, while others implement new technologies and adopt proactive strategies such as eco-design, cleaner production and industrial symbiosis for waste recycling and shared resources in green systems design.

Forest Fire Detection and Monitoring

Forest fire is one of the major global environmental issues, causing havoc in places as disparate as cold Siberia, tropical Amazon, and the temperate HKH region (Fig. 8.1).

Abundance and Distribution of Microplastics in the Water and Riverbank Sediment in Malaysia – A Review

One of the major global environmental issues often discussed and brought up by many governments in the world today is microplastic pollution. Microplastic pollution causes severe harm to biodiversity, especially aquatic organisms. In Malaysia, an estimate of 0.94 million tons of mishandled plastic wastes is generated daily. A total of 0.14 to 0.37 million tons of these plastic wastes are washed into the oceans, causing severe pollution to the aquatic life. Notable effects of microplastic pollution towards the aquatic organisms are deterioration of health, blockage of the digestive tract, the intoxication of the aquatic organisms, etc. Hence, this review will discuss the microplastic sources and prevalence, fate, and transport of microplastics, methods to access microplastics, and the impacts of microplastics. Given that research regarding the area of microplastics is still scarce in Malaysia this review will help to give some insight regarding the current situation and issue of microplastic pollution globally and in Malaysia. The review mainly focuses on microplastic abundance and distribution within the freshwater system and the sediments within it.

Adaptation of Religion and Local Wisdom in Global Environmental Issues in Indonesia

This study focuses on how the adaptation efforts and survival strategies of local communities in Indonesia to the non-natural pressure on nature and the value of their local wisdom in protecting and preserving the environment. Anthropological, ecological, and related literature on local communities are used as a review and analytical framework. The selected local communities are the Mentawai tribe, the slopes of Mount Merapi, and the Balinese in Indonesia. These three case studies show that the adaptations and strategies carried out by local communities are diverse and have different knowledge implications. The Mentawai tribe in maintaining the tradition of arat sabulungan and Balinese in revitalizing Wariga can adjust and adapt well when faced with natural ecological cycles and non-natural penetration. That is because its application is more flexible, practical, and intellectual than putting forward the device of beliefs and myths. While the case of the local community on the slopes of Merapi, which has local significance in the form of cosmological teachings in disaster management, tends to prioritize faith that is rooted more in myth than knowledge related to the objective world. Therefore, when this set of knowledge in local wisdom struggles to surpass marginalized status, the two cases of the Mentawai and Balinese communities can become persuasive and adaptive. In contrast, the local community on the slopes of Merapi is more challenging to adapt. The study also recommends that it is time for traditional knowledge originating from local wisdom in Indonesia to be adapted, modified and used as an essential resource in managing contemporary environmental issues effectively and collaboratively.

Introduction

This introductory chapter presents global environmental politics as an important area of international and transnational cooperation and as a distinct field of study. First, as an area of cooperation, global environmental politics emerged out of the need to work together internationally and transnationally to address some pressing environmental problems, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, the depletion of the ozone layer, and the rapid reduction of global fish stocks. Independent state action at the local and national levels is not sufficient to address global environmental issues: these issues require cooperation through global governance. Second, as a field of study, global environmental politics investigates the various dimensions of emerging actions on global environmental issues. It is a diverse field of study from both theoretical and disciplinary perspectives.