- James Meadowcroft holds a Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development. He is a Professor in both ... moreJames Meadowcroft holds a Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development. He is a Professor in both the Department of Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University in Ottawa . His research is focused on the ways governments are adjusting their practices and policies to cope with the emergence of problems of the environment and sustainable development. Meadowcroft has written widely on environmental politics and policy, democratic participation and deliberative democracy, national sustainable development strategies, and socio- technical transitions. Recent work focuses on energy and the transition to a low carbon society, and includes publications on carbon capture and storage (CCS), smart grids, the development of Ontario's electricity system, the politics of socio-technical transitions, and negative carbon emissionsedit
Over the course of the twentieth century the provision of welfare services became an essential focus for government activity in the advanced industrial countries. Since the 1950s the notion of the welfare state has been invoked commonly... more
Over the course of the twentieth century the provision of welfare services became an essential focus for government activity in the advanced industrial countries. Since the 1950s the notion of the welfare state has been invoked commonly to describe a state that, while ...
Research Interests:
These two books draw attention to the role of Canada's oil-producing provinces—“petro-provinces” for Angela Carter and “carbon provinces” for Douglas Macdonald—in the politics of energy, environment and climate change, but they do so... more
These two books draw attention to the role of Canada's oil-producing provinces—“petro-provinces” for Angela Carter and “carbon provinces” for Douglas Macdonald—in the politics of energy, environment and climate change, but they do so in very different ways. Carter's volume examines the erosion of environmental protections in the oil-rich provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador, while Macdonald's focuses on the way interest-based conflicts rooted in regional energy political economies have driven federal/provincial dynamics around energy and climate policy. Both books are well written (not always a given in academic publishing), and they should interest anyone concerned with the politics of energy, environment and climate change in Canada.
Research Interests:
Conceptual innovations are a central feature of global environmental governance. Confronting degradation and unsustainability, scholars and practitioners turn to new concepts to identify, make sense of, and chart new directions towards... more
Conceptual innovations are a central feature of global environmental governance. Confronting degradation and unsustainability, scholars and practitioners turn to new concepts to identify, make sense of, and chart new directions towards meaningful governance solutions. But why do some concepts create lasting changes to governance institutions and governance practices, while others do not? Ideational theories of international relations highlight the importance of normative fit. In this paper we analyze the concept of ecosystem services to show that normative fit is just one dimension of governance fitness, which also includes practical fitness. Ecologists and economists coined the concept of ecosystem services to make biodiversity conservation intelligible to decision-makers versed in economic thinking. It has gained rhetorical traction, but ultimately failed to change how we treat nature because it lacks practical fitness. We interviewed fifty-six individuals working in twelve intern...
Research Interests:
This chapter provides a conclusion to the volume. It begins by synthesising some of the main findings of the eleven individual concept studies. It then considers the light these studies shed on processes of conceptual innovation in the... more
This chapter provides a conclusion to the volume. It begins by synthesising some of the main findings of the eleven individual concept studies. It then considers the light these studies shed on processes of conceptual innovation in the environmental policy domain. Finally, it considers what these cases, and attention to concepts and conceptual innovation more generally, can tell us about the underlying structure and evolution of the environmental policy domain. In particular it discusses four cross-cutting themes which emerge from this enquiry: science and policy, environmental limits, economy and environment, and environmental equity.
Research Interests:
This chapter explores the linkages among sustainable development, limits and growth. It argues that sustainable development requires a shift in the societal development trajectory to pay attention both to environmental limits and to... more
This chapter explores the linkages among sustainable development, limits and growth. It argues that sustainable development requires a shift in the societal development trajectory to pay attention both to environmental limits and to global equity. Only by appreciating the intimate linkages between environment and development will it be possible to open a pathway towards continued social advance while respecting the boundaries of local, regional and global ecosystems. Economic growth can contribute to sustainable development, but all ‘growth’ does not represent real social advance. In particular, growth in physical pressures threatening global biodiversity and climate change must be brought under control.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Business and Smart Grid
This major new book reassesses the liberal political tradition in the light of recent intellectual and political developments.
Research Interests:
Environmental policy integration (EPI) is the incorporation of environmental concerns and objectives into non-environmental policy areas, such as energy, transport and agriculture, as opposed to pursuing such objectives through purely... more
Environmental policy integration (EPI) is the incorporation of environmental concerns and objectives into non-environmental policy areas, such as energy, transport and agriculture, as opposed to pursuing such objectives through purely environmental policy practices. EPI is promoted to overcome policy incoherence and institutional fragmentation, to address the driving forces of environmental degradation and to promote innovation and synergy. But how effective are EPI strategies employed in practice? In this chapter we provide a meta-analysis of scientific, empirical research on EPI to address this question. An important finding is the discrepancy between the adoption of EPI in terms of objectives and commitments and its actual implementation, that is, translation into concrete measures. Overall, we found relatively few cases where environmental objectives were given a substantial status in non-environmental policies. The barriers we identified suggest that the actual detailed design or architecture of the strategies that are employed to promote EPI really matters
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Canada is embarking on a low-carbon energy transition that will involve the diffusion of innovations and the reconfiguration of energy systems. This article examines the potential contribution that transition experiments can make to this... more
Canada is embarking on a low-carbon energy transition that will involve the diffusion of innovations and the reconfiguration of energy systems. This article examines the potential contribution that transition experiments can make to this process. Transition experiments can be understood as deliberate interventions that test novel configurations of social and technical elements that could lead to substantial low-carbon change. The analysis suggests that transition experiments can provide four primary benefits that might be leveraged to open low-carbon pathways for Canada: learning, capacity building, de-risking, and public education and engagement.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Sociology, Renewable Energy, Discourse, Policy, Energy Policy, and 11 moreEnergy and Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Socio-technical transitions, Electricity, Solar Energy, Business and Management, Socio technical systems, Sustainability Transitions, Multi-level Perspective, Energy Transitions, and Solar Photovoltaics
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Human Geography, Economics, Political Economy, Technology, Political Science, and 11 moreEnergy Policy, Politics, Energy and Environment, Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation Strategies, Environmental Sustainability, United Kingdom, Canada, Carbon Capture and Storage, Technology demonstration, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Draws general conclusions from the study of the ten governmental reactions to sustainable development. It explores explanations for the different patterns of engagement displayed by the governments. Considering the governments as a group,... more
Draws general conclusions from the study of the ten governmental reactions to sustainable development. It explores explanations for the different patterns of engagement displayed by the governments. Considering the governments as a group, it also provides a preliminary assessment of the quality of the implementation effort thus far. The chapter goes on to offer a more general interpretation of the overall evolution of environmental policy in the industrialized countries over the past three decades, and relates this to contemporary scholarly concern with the concept of ‘ecological modernization’. Finally, the discussion considers the potential ‘staying power’ of the idea of sustainable development, and reflects on the long‐term viability of the sustainable development agenda.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
'This very timely and important collection draws together some of the world's leading thinkers on environment and development to debate one of the most important issues of our time: sustainable development. They very usefully... more
'This very timely and important collection draws together some of the world's leading thinkers on environment and development to debate one of the most important issues of our time: sustainable development. They very usefully remind us all that in order to be politically sustainable, the sustainability transition will have to find a way to maximise policy synergies in a democratically legitimate manner.' - Andy Jordan, University of East Anglia, U
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Economics, Energy Policy, Politics, Energy and Environment, Pathways to decarbonisation, and 10 moreHistory of Ontario, Multidisciplinary, Socio-technical transitions, Electricity, Social Science Research Network, Electrification, Multi-level Perspective, Energy Transitions, Low Carbon Pathways, and Decarbonization
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The current institutional framework for sustainable development is by far not strong enough to bring about the swift transformative progress that is needed. This article contends that incrementalism—the main approach since the 1972... more
The current institutional framework for sustainable development is by far not strong enough to bring about the swift transformative progress that is needed. This article contends that incrementalism—the main approach since the 1972 Stockholm Conference—will not suffice to bring about societal change at the level and speed needed to mitigate and adapt to earth system transformation. Instead, the article argues that transformative structural change in global governance is needed, and that the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro must turn into a major stepping stone for a much stronger institutional framework for sustainable development. The article details core areas where urgent action is required. The article is based on an extensive social science assessment conducted by 32 members of the lead faculty, scientific steering committee, and other affiliates of the Earth System Governance Project. This Project is a ten-year research initiative under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), which is sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), and the United Nations University (UNU).
Research Interests: International Relations, International Relations Theory, Environmental Law, International Studies, Global Governance, and 20 moreClimate change policy, Sustainable Development, Social Justice, Environmental Management, Globalisation and Development, International Politics, Environmental Justice, Global Environmental Change, Environmental Sustainability, Global Environmental Governance, International Environmental Law, International Environmental Politics, Anthropocene studies, Global Warming, Climate Change Policy Analyis, Anthropocene, Politics and International relations, Climate Governance, Global (North/South) Environmental Politics, and Sustainability
Research Interests:
In response to calls to develop more politically-informed transition studies, a burgeoning literature on discourse-transition complementarities and niche-regime interactions has recently emerged. This paper draws these strands of... more
In response to calls to develop more politically-informed transition studies, a burgeoning literature on discourse-transition complementarities and niche-regime interactions has recently emerged. This paper draws these strands of literature together in order to develop a discursive approach that investigates the process by which actors use language to build or erode the legitimacy of socio-technical innovations and their niches within transition episodes. Conceptualizing this process in terms of multi-dimensional discursive interactions, we adopt a discursive approach to further scrutinize: (1) the way in which actor groups depicted within the multi-level perspective struggle to frame innovations using narrative work and (2) how these narratives are formed through the ideational capacity of actors to link the content and context of an innovation. We demonstrate this approach by applying it to the case of PV diffusion in Ontario, Canada. Our findings contribute to the development of a more politically-sensitive view of transitions as well as recent work on incumbent-challenger interactions and discourse-transition crossovers. Beyond this, we corroborate and extend several observations in the transition literature, including the semi-coherent nature of the regime, the social construction of the landscape, and the prevalence of fit-and-conform orientations within niche empowerment strategies. However, findings also indicate that strategic orientations can be subtle and intermeshed, perhaps explaining why fit-and-conform orienta-tions appear more prevalent.
Research Interests:
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is considered key to mitigating climate change by international institutions and governments around the world. The technology is considered advantageous because it may enable the continued... more
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is considered key to mitigating climate change by international institutions and governments around the world. The technology is considered advantageous because it may enable the continued utilization of fossil fuels while curbing carbon emissions. However, development of the technology remains slow on the ground. It is generally argued that large-scale, integrated demonstration projects are needed as a next step toward commercialization. Despite government support in several countries, few projects exist so far worldwide. This paper asks why it is so difficult to get demonstration projects off the ground. The argument is that it is not only project-specific factors that determine the feasibility of demonstration, but given the need for government support, a variety of political economy factors influence decision-making processes by policy makers and companies. The paper introduces an analytical framework developed on the basis of the political economy literature that considers six sets of factors that influence outcomes. It discusses two specific projects, Longannet in the UK and Quest in Canada, and explains why one failed and the other one is under construction. The analysis shows that although climate change has been a more important policy concern in the UK compared to Canada, the specific political economy situation of fossil fuel rich provinces like Alberta has led to the Quest project going forward.
Research Interests:
Over the last five years there has been increased scientific interest in the role carbon dioxide removal (CDR), or ‘ negative carbon dioxide emissions ’ , might play in addressing anthropogenic climate change. CDR is typically understood... more
Over the last five years there has been increased scientific interest in the role carbon dioxide removal (CDR), or ‘ negative carbon dioxide emissions ’ , might play in addressing anthropogenic climate change. CDR is typically understood to include approaches such as large scale afforestation and reforestation, biomass energy based carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, ocean fertilization, and enhanced weathering. Each of these could remove emissions from the atmosphere, slowing (or perhaps ultimately reversing) the accumulation of carbon dioxide contributing to an enhanced greenhouse effect. Along with solar radiation management (SRM), CDR has been presented as a prospective avenue for ‘ geoengineering ’— the deliberate attempt to modify the global environment, in this case to counteract harm associated with human induced climate change (Royal Society 2009). This article engages with these issues, considering the significance of CDR approaches for climate policy. It is organized in three sections: the first provides a brief introduction to CDR; the second explores its possible place in long term climate policy; the third considers nearer term policy issues.
Research Interests:
This paper considers engagement with sustainable development in the rich industrialized countries since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, focusing particularly on environmental limits. It argues that while the idea of... more
This paper considers engagement with sustainable development in the rich
industrialized countries since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, focusing particularly on environmental limits. It argues that while the idea of ‘limits’ is in one sense ubiquitous, contemporary societies are only beginning to come to terms with its implications. The discussion considers different understandings of environmental limits, explores the example of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, reflects on fruitful ways to approach environmental limits, and references recent ‘green growth’ and ‘green economy’ initiatives associated with Rio+20. It suggests that normative judgments are essential to give social and political meaning to environmental limits, and notes the importance of defining the positive social goods that are to be secured through the recognition of such limits. The paper particularly emphasizes the importance of securing absolute reductions in critical environmental loadings, because this is the side of the issue which tends to be obscured when sustainable development is reduced to a ‘quality-of-life’ agenda and severed from concerns with global equity.
industrialized countries since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, focusing particularly on environmental limits. It argues that while the idea of ‘limits’ is in one sense ubiquitous, contemporary societies are only beginning to come to terms with its implications. The discussion considers different understandings of environmental limits, explores the example of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, reflects on fruitful ways to approach environmental limits, and references recent ‘green growth’ and ‘green economy’ initiatives associated with Rio+20. It suggests that normative judgments are essential to give social and political meaning to environmental limits, and notes the importance of defining the positive social goods that are to be secured through the recognition of such limits. The paper particularly emphasizes the importance of securing absolute reductions in critical environmental loadings, because this is the side of the issue which tends to be obscured when sustainable development is reduced to a ‘quality-of-life’ agenda and severed from concerns with global equity.
Research Interests:
This article employs the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions to explore the historical evolution of the electricity regime in the province of Ontario from 1885-2013 and to interpret the potential for future movement... more
This article employs the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions to explore the historical evolution of the electricity regime in the province of Ontario from 1885-2013 and to interpret the potential for future movement towards decarbonization. With an emphasis on the political and social dimensions of transitions, this analysis traces the key features influencing change within Ontario's electricity system over the past century. This paper uses multiple criteria (the phase of electrification; role of the electricity system in economic development; structures of ownership, market and regulation; dominant technologies; and the relative stability of arrangements) to characterize distinct regime configurations and periods of instability which separate relatively stable system orientations. Lessons are drawn from the historical case with implications for future decarbonization in the province, including the importance of: (1) residual momentum; (2) embedded guiding principles; and, (3) politico-economic coalitions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... interaction, and the participation of all social partners in determining the best ... how can citizens be more directly drawn into the sustainable-development-related decision ... ments and regulatory agencies are involved in almost... more
... interaction, and the participation of all social partners in determining the best ... how can citizens be more directly drawn into the sustainable-development-related decision ... ments and regulatory agencies are involved in almost continuous consultation around environmental issues. ...
Over the past decade European political leaders have increasingly come to refer to ‘sustainable development’ as a legitimate focus of government activity. Starting from the premises that sustainable development is a complex and contested... more
Over the past decade European political leaders have increasingly come to refer to ‘sustainable development’ as a legitimate focus of government activity. Starting from the premises that sustainable development is a complex and contested ideal, and that experiences with state planning in the twentieth century have been deeply ambiguous, this article reflects on the insights which political science can shed
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... The discussion concludes with a presentation of competing technologies of community and an assessment of their significance for the future practice of scientific citizenship. Related papers. ... 2. Debating the earth : the... more
... The discussion concludes with a presentation of competing technologies of community and an assessment of their significance for the future practice of scientific citizenship. Related papers. ... 2. Debating the earth : the environmental politics reader. ...
Research Interests:
More than a decade has passed since the first countries issued national sustainable development strategies. This essay will consider recent developments in this area, and explore the extent to which such strategies can be considered an... more
More than a decade has passed since the first countries issued national sustainable development strategies. This essay will consider recent developments in this area, and explore the extent to which such strategies can be considered an emergent mode of reflexive governance of the type required to promote sustainable development. The argument involves three steps: first, a review of the current state of play with respect to sustainable development strategies; second, an assessment of existing strategy processes, and third, a more theoretically focused discussion of their potential significance.