The search for policy rationality is a quest for hope. _ The hope is that individuals may contribute to the pragmatic resolution of the controversies in which they are embroiled, if only they learn how better to conduct their inquiries. '' Scho« n and Rein (1994, page 37) Appraisal: the changing context Assessment of projects, plans, and programmes has been an increasingly important aspect of environmental policy and has latterly been afforded a prominent role in the quest for policy integration and sustainable development. From the late 1960s onwards, many states enacted legislation for environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects (Glasson et al, 1999; O'Riordan and Hey, 1976;Wathern 1988). More recently, and partly in response to the limitations of a project-based approach, practices such as strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and sustainability appraisal have been promoted, widening the focus from specific projects to the plans, programmes, and policies from which they derive (

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20) was conceived at a time of great concern for the health of the world economy. In this atmosphere 'green economy' was chosen as one of two central themes for the conference, building on a burgeoning body of literature on the green economy and growth. This research examines the relationship and influence between the double crisis and the rise of 'greening' as part of the solution. The aim is to understand what defines and distinguishes the proposals contained in twenty-four sources on the green economy (including policy documents by international agencies and think tanks, and research papers), and what is the meaning and implication of the rising greening agenda for sustainable development as it enters the 21st century. Through a systematic qualitative analysis of textual material, three categories of discourse that can illuminate the meaning and implication of greening are identified: 'almost business as usual', 'greening', and 'all change'. An analysis of their relationship with Dryzek's classification of environmental discourse leads to the identification of three interrelated patterns: (1) scarcity and limits, (2) means and ends, and (3) reductionism and unity-which deepen our understanding of the tensions between emerging propositions. The patterns help explain the meaning and implications of greening for sustainable development, revealing an economisation and polarisation of discourses, the persisting weak interpretation of sustainable development, and a tension between the fixing or shifting of dominant socioeconomic paradigms that underpin its conceptualisation.

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