With increasing globalisation of bioresource use, expanding trade in bio-based products, and transboundary environmental impacts, distinct international dimensions arise in the governance of the bioeconomy. These international dimensions suggest that—despite bioeconomy strategies being largely national endeavours thus far—increased international cooperation and collaboration on the emerging bioeconomy is warranted. This paper looks at the global environmental governance landscape and investigates which fora, institutions, and processes might support and strengthen the international governance of bioeconomy pathways. The paper focuses on institutions that work in a cross-sectoral manner and is, to our knowledge, a first attempt at this exploration in the bioeconomy literature. Thus, the paper aims at increasing our understanding of how global bioeconomy pathways are governed and which venues of cooperation could play a more important role in the future. Based on a focused literature review, stakeholder engagement and semi-structured interviews with bioeconomy experts, we observe that, while there are many institutions playing a role in global bioeconomy governance, several barriers remain. We propose that regional cooperation might be a promising way forward to address common challenges and opportunities.
Background: Low-carbon technologies must be widely adopted at a large scale to address climate change and enhance access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. The uptake of those technologies is often supported by specific policies developed at a national or regional level and those policies, like the technologies themselves, can diffuse from one place to another. This paper sheds some light on this 'policy transfer' and investigates the dynamics, the actors and the processes involved. We illustrate what happens when renewable energy support policies in one country inspire renewable support policies in another country using three case studies in Peru, Thailand and Uganda as examples. Results: Using an adapted version of the policy transfer framework first elaborated by Dolowitz and Marsh (Polit Stud 44:343-57, 1996; Governance 13:5-23, 2000), we describe the policy transfer process in the three case study countries according to several criteria. We find that policy transfer is not a straightforward process where a 'borrower' country simply adopts policies from a 'lender' country, but instead a complex process where many actors-national and internationalinteract to shape the outcome of the process. And while experiences particularly in the EU as well as international developments have influenced the policy transfer in case study countries significantly, domestic issues also play a key role in shaping the transferred policies and in adapting them to local contexts. Moreover, the policy transfer process is not an one-off event, but a continuous process where iterative learning helps the policies to evolve over time. Conclusions: Policy transfer is a complex matter, involving many stakeholders during a continuous process over time. The Dolowitz and Marsh framework proved useful to analyse policy transfer and the actors involved although questions for further research remain. For instance, against what kind of criteria should the 'success' of a policy transfer be measured? Moreover, while comparing three illustrative case studies is a first, useful step, having a larger set of case studies and data might enhance our understanding of the details of the processes involved even further.
Project Background: The project ‘Assessing Best Practices of Impact Based Alerting’ takes a case study approach to assessing the progress that is being made towards implementation of an impact-based paradigm for hydrometeorological warnings in both Europe and Asia. National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (NMHS) agencies around the world have been strongly encouraged by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to transition their alerting programs from hazard-based to impact-based warnings (IBW). This is happening in the context of the Sendai Framework 2015-2030. Currently, at roughly the halfway point to the conclusion of the Sendai Framework, this project performs a ‘check-in’ on the progress of this transition at NMHSs and affiliated partners in both Europe and Asia. This investigation also comes in the wake of recent, high-profile flooding and extreme heat events in both Europe and Asia. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change increases the need for a clear understanding of the requirements and obstacles for NMHS agencies as they transition to an IBW approach. EMS presentation: At EMS 2023, we will present the findings of interviews conducted at NMHSs and associated key stakeholders, investigating the transition process to IBW in the UK, Sweden and Belgium in Europe and also Bhutan and Nepal in Asia. These findings contribute to a final project report (currently being developed as of April 2023). This report will be operationally relevant, speaking directly to NMHS agencies, key stakeholders (utilities, transport operators, health care practitioners, emergency management officers, etc.) and engaged members of the public alike. The focus will be on lessons learned and best practices from agencies who have already made the transition, while identifying concerns or roadblocks that may be holding back organisations who have yet to make the transition to IBW from doing so. The report will function as a tangible, relevant ‘handbook’ helping all NMHS agencies take the necessary steps, in their own national contexts, towards meeting the WMO recommendation.
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