Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Privatization experiments that were undertaken the world over concluded that
optimum results may not be forthcoming since individuals may harvest forests or
over pump aquifers with an eye on short-term pro
t at the cost of longer term
bene
t. Attempts at decentralization which followed, resulted in delegation of a
number of tasks from higher to lower tiers of government but with little autonomy
granted to local governments in terms of local taxes and tariffs. Decentralization in
many respects heightened competition among local governments for central
fiscal
transfers and in some respects limited scope for cooperation for management of
shared resources such as rivers.
UNU-FLORES acknowledges the role of government as a key player in man-
agement of environmental resources. Moreover, it also acknowledges that the role
of government has changed because of the forces that have been unleashed by the
following trends: (a) privatization, (b) decentralization and (c) emergence of
information and communication technologies (ICT). ICTs have been supported by
vast improvements in processing power that now makes it possible to collect,
aggregate and display information based on analysed data from individual con-
sumers and/or physical data points (example: water points) (Schonberger and Cuker
2013
). This trend has the power to transform how we perceive the role of sampling,
con
dence levels and causality in research.
Evidence-based decision-making is founded on assumptions arising from these
trends.
Decision-makers are guided by correlations and not simply by certainty offered
by results of controlled experiments/
eld trials (example: slash and burn agri-
culture reduces soil fertility).
Data visualization is likely to encourage decision-makers to pose questions that
require policy-relevant research (example: Why do certain geographies have
higher incidence of water pollution?).
Data visualization is likely to enable decision-makers to compare performance
on a wide variety of indicators (example: ef
ciency, equity, integration).
Data visualization is likely to promote transparent discussion of trade-offs
(example: increased ef
ciency of water use may be at the cost of equity).
Data visualization is likely to prompt collective action that involves political
negotiation (example: What contributions of
financial and human resources can
authorities at multiple levels commit to achieve a commonly agreed goal?).
3 Divides in Environmental Governance
Environmental governance in developing and emerging economies suffers from
fragmented approaches to planning and policy implementation. Fragmented
approaches arise from competition among urban and rural local governments for
central
fiscal transfers, overlapping jurisdictional boundaries and inadequate man-
agement coordination among line departments and ministries. In many instances,
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