Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
bills or budgets.
144
The suggested approach addresses these issues to a large
extent as it requires both the periodic review of all governmental action in
different areas and the formation of policy that meets the framework
'
s
objectives.
Third, mechanisms for horizontal coordination are required to over-
come dif
culties with orienting governments towards the pursuit of
cross-cutting environmental goals. These derive from the long-standing
practice of giving responsibility for different sectors of public life to
separate ministries.
145
The resulting fragmentation and tendency of
ministries to concentrate on advancing their own policy agendas, irre-
spective of the environmental consequences, was identi
ed in the
Brundtland Report, and has been cited consistently in following interna-
tional declarations, as a barrier to realising sustainable development.
146
The aim of a whole of government approach would be to replace division
with a culture of collaboration on advancing ecological goals. As consid-
ered in the following sections, the establishment of joint ministerial
bodies and of institutions for reviewing policy proposals have key roles
to play in bridging gaps between ministerial power centres.
3.4.2 Promoting change in the culture
of governmental decision-making
The reform of policy-making to introduce a structured approach is
necessary to ensure that ecological considerations are given due weight
in the formation of policies, and that this is seen to be done. However,
more than the surface imposition of a structure on an existing process
will be required to change the entrenched culture and conventions of
governmental decision-making
'
behind closed doors
'
.Inparticular,it
may be dif
cult to accustompoliticians to the notion that their authority
to determine whether activities should be enabled or regulated should
144
Gibson et al.,
'
Sustainability Assessment
'
,p.151;Noble,
'
The Canadian Experience
'
,
12
Strategic Environmental Assessment of Policies and Plans:
Legislation and Implementation
-
13; R. Buckley,
'
'
(2000) 18 Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal,
211; Lyhne,
'
Between Policy-making and Planning
'
,335.
145
Jordan and Lenschow,
'
Environmental Policy Integration
'
,150
-
1; Ross,
'
Sustainable
Development
Sustainable Development as Governance Reform
Agenda: An Aggregation of Distinguished Challenges for Policy-making
'
,p.102;R.Steurer,
'
'
, Discussion
Paper 1
2009, Institute of Forest, Environmental and Natural Resource Policy,
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (
2009
).
-
146
Steurer,
'
Sustainable Development as Governance Reform Agenda
'
,p.5.
