* Compiled by Suzall Timm Clip art obtained from Microsoft Office Online.

Centre of Criminology, Public Law Department University of Cape Town

E-mail: crimobservatory@gmail.com Page | 1

Environmental Research Report* August – September 2011

This report identifies resources that are relevant to the various projects being carried out in

the Centre of Criminology, and are arranged according to the ‘general observatory’ category,

as well as according to the specific project categories being environmental governance,

waste, responding to risk, housing and climate policy. Brief descriptions of the resources are

provided as well as information regarding where the resource may be accessed. These

resources can also be viewed at http://uctcriminology.wordpress.com/.

Page | 2

Contents

General observatory .............................................................................................. 3

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) .......................................... 3

Articles related to adaption, pro-poor adaptation, resilience, sustainability and environmental

trends and issues. ............................................................................................................................ 4

Carbon Related Issues: Global to Local ........................................................................................... 5

Insurance/Financial ......................................................................................................................... 6

Reports ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Specific Projects .................................................................................................... 9

Environmental Governance .......................................................................................................... 9

Food Security .................................................................................................................. 12

Climate Policy ............................................................................................................................ 15

Housing ..................................................................................................................................... 17

Responding to Risk ..................................................................................................................... 18

Waste ........................................................................................................................................ 20

Page | 3

General observatory

The resources included here are concerned with meeting the challenge of

transforming high-waste, unstable economies to low-waste, stable economies,

while maintaining human well-being.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Hancock, T. (2011). Cabinet to consider SA’s COP 17 negotiation stance in Oct. Engineering

News, (2 August 2011).

Summary: Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa reported on Tuesday that South

Africa‟s negotiating position for the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change

conference of the parties, or COP 17, would be submitted for Cabinet approval in October.

This is one of three key priorities the South African delegation is focusing on in the build-up to the

gathering, which will be held in Durban between November 28 and December 9, Molewa said at a

media briefing, in Pretoria.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/cabinet-to-consider-sas-cop-17-

negotiation-stance-in-oct-2011-08-02

van der Merwe, C. (2011). Cabinet notes document on national climate change position.

Engineering News, (11 August 2011).

Summary: Cabinet has noted the national position for the negotiations on climate change under the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), spokesperson Jimmy Manyi

said on Thursday.

“Cabinet noted the document entitled „Key Messaging on Substantive Content Issues on the South

African Position and National Interest‟ should be used as a position to articulate the national position

and interest,” he said in a statement.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/cabinet-notes-document-on-

national-climate-change-position-2011-08-11

Page | 4

van der Merwe, C. (2011). SA to benefit should climate funding target be met, Manuel says.

Engineering News, (25 August 2011).

Summary: If the proposed Green Climate Fund committee were able to raise the $100-billion-a-year

targeted for disbursement among developing countries by 2020, South Africa stood in line to receive

between $1-billion and $2-billion of that amount, Minister in The Presidency Responsible for the

National Planning Commission Trevor Manuel reports.

As a disclaimer, Manuel added that the “if” was a “big if”, because, as a part of the transitional

committee aiming to raise fast-start finance under the climate regime, he realised that it was “easier

extracting teeth than getting them [developed countries] to part with their money.”

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-to-benefit-should-climate-

funding-target-be-met-manuel-says-2011-08-25

van der Merwe, C. (2011). SA needs strong, clear policy signals on climate change. Engineering

News, (2 September 2011).

Summary: Strong, clear policy signals are required from government on greenhouse-gas (GHG)

emission reduction, says advisory firm KPMG in a report entitled „South Africa‟s Carbon Chasm‟.

KPMG recommends that government indicate how it intends to achieve its overall commitment, what

actions it expects in each sector, and what policies and incentives will be put in place to ensure the

transition to a low-carbon economy.

Full article available at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/strong-clear-policy-signals-on-

climate-change-required-by-govt-2011-09-02

Articles related to adaption, pro-poor adaptation, resilience, sustainability and environmental trends and

issues.

Dorent, N. (2011). Transitory cities: emergency architecture and the challenge of climate

change. Development, 54 (3): 345-351.

Abstract: Cities are increasingly affected by climate change. Many will be impacted by rising sea

levels and face a substantial increase in risks associated with destructive natural disasters like

tsunamis and floods. When population centres are hit by such disasters, „climate refugees‟ are often

forced to migrate for their survival. Nathanael Dorent argues that there is a need to rethink how cities

are conceived to respond to rapid environmental changes and possible catastrophes. Today,

displaced people are generally parked in refugee camps that are almost always situated outside of

the city. This policy reflects a certain conception of politics and space. In opposition to this model, the

concept of emergency architecture offers an unfolding, alternative transitory space intended to

underscore connectivity and reconfiguring networks within the city. Erasing borders between what are

too often conceived as closed communities of settled citizens and refugees, it could also be a way of

Page | 5

supporting a flexible migratory life. This alternative idea for refugee camps is a conceptual framework

for the development of new cities in the future. Such cities will be in continual flux, responding to ever-

shifting forces. They will adapt to the environment as well as new forms of mobility within and

between urban spaces. In opposition to the vertical or horizontal archaic static models of the cities of

the kind we presently live in, future cities could thus offer sustainability and prevent crises through

their flexible, plastic, transformable and adaptable models.

Pieterse, E. (2011). Recasting urban sustainability in the south. Development, 54 (3): 309-316.

Abstract: Edgar Pieterse offers a critique of the mainstream Brundtland inspired conception of

sustainable cities. His alternative conceptual approach presents the critical dimensions of an

alternative urban development framework. He looks at how three co-constitutive urban operating

systems – infrastructural, economic and spatial – need to be transformed in order to achieve more

sustainable lives and livelihoods. He argues that such transformations depend on grounded

alternative visions and effective politics.

Zarro, A. (2011). Urbanization, poverty and climate change: Interview with David

Sattherthwaite. Development, 54 (3): 305-308.

Description: Angela Zarro coordinator of the SID Forum (http://www.sidint.net) interviewed David

Satterthwaite of the International Institute of Environment and Development and looks at climate

change and its impact on the urban poor globally.

Carbon Related Issues: Global to Local

Gros, D. & Egenhofer, C. (2011). The case for taxing at the border. Climate Policy, 11 (5): 1262-

1268.

Abstract: What is the macro-economic case for border measures? A central tenet of economics is

that the imposition of a border tax (a tariff) will always reduce global welfare. This holds even in the

untypical case that a tariff increases the welfare of the country that imposes it. However, the existence

of a global external effect like the one arising from GHG emissions overturns this rule. The imposition

of an import tax on the CO2 content (including embedded carbon) of all goods imported into the EU

from countries without carbon pricing or regulation would arguably reduce global carbon emissions

and increase global welfare. The net effect of this action is to transfer, at least partially, carbon pricing

across the globe. Border measures could be designed in a World Trade Organisation (WTO)-

compatible way. The equity considerations enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) could be addressed by rebating tax revenues according to the level of

development. Analytical tools to establish responsibility and capability exist in the form of

benchmarking and, more recently, commercial carbon foot-printing schemes.

Page | 6

Urban, F., Mitchell, T., and Villanueva, P.S. (2011). Issues at the interface of disaster risk

management and low-carbon development. Climate and Development, 3 (3): 259-279.

Abstract: Effectively managing disaster risks is a critical tool for adapting to the impacts of climate

change. However, climate change mitigation and low-carbon development have often been

overlooked in disaster risk management (DRM) research, policy and practice. This article explores the

links between DRM and low-carbon development and thereby sheds light on a new and emerging

research and development agenda. Taking carbon considerations into account for DRM and post-

disaster reconstruction can contribute to laying the foundations for low-carbon development and the

benefits it can bring. It can also provide an opportunity to combine adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The article elaborates the carbon implications of DRM interventions and post-disaster reconstruction

practices, drawing on case studies from flood risk reduction, coastal protection, drought risk reduction,

post-disaster housing and energy supply reconstruction. Finally, the article makes suggestions about

how the carbon implications of DRM measures could be accounted for in a coherent manner.

Suggestions include calculating the carbon emissions from DRM and post-disaster interventions as

part of globally standardized environmental impact assessments and improving the linkages between

ministries of environment, energy and climate, and those ministries that deal with disasters.

Energy and Renewable Energy: Global to Local

Mason, M. & Kumetat, D. (2011). At the crossroads: Energy future for north Africa. Energy

Policy, 39 (8): 4407-4410.

NO Abstract.

Insurance/Financial

Linnerooth-Bayer, J., Mechler, R., and Hochrainer-Stigler, S. (2011). Insurance against losses

from natural disaster in developing countries. evidence, gaps, and the way forward. Journal of

Integrated Disaster Risk Management, 1 (1): 1-23.

Abstract: This paper examines recent experience with insurance and other risk-financing instruments

in developing countries, informed by experience in developed countries, to provide insights on the

effectiveness of insurance for reducing economic insecurity. Insurance and other risk financing

strategies are viewed in the overall context of risk management, including the prevention of losses as

well as financing the recovery process through risk pooling and transfer strategies. Specific examples

of public-private insurance programs for households/businesses, farms and governments are

described, including their limitations, especially in light of recent post-Katrina experience in the US. By

examining the costs, benefits and risks of public-private risk-financing programs, insights are provided

on the effectiveness of insurance as a mechanism for providing economic security to vulnerable

communities and governments.

Page | 7

Reports

Cilliers, J., Hughes, B. and Moyer. J. (2011). African futures 2050: The next forty years. ISS

Monograph, 175: 1-91.

Summary: In this monograph the Institute for Security Studies and the Pardee Center for

International Futures provide an extensive analysis of the projected

course of African development to 2050. Combining the deep and wide

knowledge of Africa within the ISS with extensive use of the IFs

modelling system, this discussion goes beyond past work in a number of

ways. It looks across most major issue arenas: demographics,

economics, sociopolitical change, the environment and human

development itself, including health and education. It explores further into

our future than perhaps any other extensive study of African futures has

ever done. While not pushing forward specific policy initiatives, it provides

a context within which those who pursue sustainable human

development can consider policies.

Full monograph available at: http://www.issafrica.org/pgcontent.php?UID=30613

Ma, H. and Nierenberg, D. (2011). Green economy and green jobs in China. World Watch

Report, 15: 1-36.

Summary: China‟s environmental problems remain a cause for global

concern as climate change continues to reduce agricultural production and

create instability in world food prices, according to The Worldwatch Institute‟s

report Green Economy and Green Jobs in China: Current Status and

Potentials for 2020. The report was co-authored with a research team at the

Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies led by Dr. Pan Jiahuathe. It

cites alarming facts about the status of China‟s environmental stability,

including the placement of seven Chinese cities on a list of the top ten most

polluted places on earth. “In 2005, water in 59 percent of rivers was undrinkable, along with 70

percent of water reserves and inland lakes, and one quarter of all aquifers polluted with more than

half of urban aquifers heavily polluted,” according to the report.

Full report available at: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/wordwatch-report-focuses-on-

china%E2%80%99s-green-future-china-green-economy-sustainable-agriculture/

Page | 8

UNEP. (2011). Ecosystems for water and food security. UNEP.

Summary: Against the current challenges to enhance food security

worldwide, the publication aims at illustrating the importance of healthy

ecosystems for the provisioning of key services that contribute to food

security. Such ecosystem services are water provisioning and food

production. In this regard the publication will provide an overview of the

linkages between ecosystems, water, and food security. The publication

further will explore how to manage ecosystems for a variety of ecosystem

services such as provisioning of water and food, and how to manage ecosystems in a sustainable

way so they can substantially contribute to enhancing current and future food security.

Full report available at: http://www.unep.org/publications/contents/pub_details_search.asp?ID=6208

WWF. (2011). Approaching the ‘why, what and how’ of low carbon planning in South Africa.

WWF.

Summary: This document presents the high-level findings from a conceptual exploratory study that

considered the design of a Low Carbon Action Plan (LCAP) for South Africa,

setting out the thinking of how to go about low-carbon economy planning and

implementation. While developed specifically for the South African context,

the approach explores a methodology which could be adopted in whole or in

part by low-carbon economy planners throughout the developing world. As

well as outlining the core elements of the LCAP, this document highlights

some of the challenges and opportunities this process presents.

Full report available at: http://www.wwf.org.za/media_room/publications/

Page | 9

Specific Projects

___________________________________________________________________

Environmental Governance

The resources listed here are concerned generally with environmental

governance.

Featuring Special Issue: The 20th anniversary of 'Governing the Commons' - Part 2 (Guest

Editors: F. van Laerhoven and E. Berge). International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2), 2011.

Berge, E., van Laerhoven, F. (2011). Governing the Commons for two decades: A complex

story. International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 160-187.

No Abstract

Henry, A.D., Dietz, T. (2011). Information, networks, and the complexity of trust in commons

governance. International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 188-212.

Abstract: The publication of Elinor Ostrom‟s (1990) Governing the Commons fueled significant

theoretical and empirical progress in the field of commons governance and collective action, most

notably in the form of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. A central question

within this literature is how trust is created, maintained, and potentially destroyed in the context of

sustainability issues. While the commons literature has provided a deeper understanding of trust,

most empirical work has been done in relatively simple settings that do not capture the complexity of

many global, institutionally-complex dilemmas that we face today. This paper discusses how our

understanding of trust in these more complex settings may be improved by considering how two

broad categories of variables – belief systems and networks – influence trust.

Burns, T.R., Stöhr, C. (2011). Power, knowledge, and conflict in the shaping of commons

governance. The case of EU Baltic fisheries. International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 233-

258.

Page | 10

Abstract: This article aims at contributing to governance conceptualization and its application to case

study analyses. Two of the challenges which the theoretical and empirical work in the article

addresses concern the facilitation of comparability of diverse governance cases and a specification of

several key mechanisms of governance formation and reform. A proposed model of the architecture

of governance systems – their major components and inter-linkages – contributes, as argued and

illustrated here, to greater comparability among cases and with the possibility of improved

accumulation of knowledge about governance systems. These tools are applied to empirical cases of

governance structure and their functioning and reformation. Baltic fisheries, a complex, multi-level

case of commons governance, is considered in some detail in order to illustrate and elaborate the key

factors of power, knowledge, and conflict in the functioning and transformation of governance

systems. In addition to the Baltic fisheries case, we consider briefly for comparative purposes

chemicals and gender relations as additional areas of EU governance. The paper is divided into four

sections. Section I introduces the basic conceptualization and tools of analysis. Section II presents

the case of Baltic fisheries. Section III elaborates the key concepts and tools presented in Section I, in

particular considering additional cases of the functioning of governance systems. Section IV is a brief

conclusion.

Pálsson, G., Prainsack, B. (2011). Genomic stuff: Governing the (im)matter of life. International

Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 259-283.

Abstract: Emphasizing the context of what has often been referred to as “scarce natural resources”,

in particular forests, meadows, and fishing stocks, Elinor Ostrom‟s important work Governing the

commons (1990) presents an institutional framework for discussing the development and use of

collective action with respect to environmental problems. In this article we discuss extensions of

Ostrom‟s approach to genes and genomes and explore its limits and usefulness. With the new

genetics, we suggest, the biological gaze has not only been turned inward to the management and

mining of the human body, also the very notion of the “biological” has been destabilized. This shift and

destabilization, we argue, which is the result of human refashioning and appropriation of “life itself”,

raises important questions about the relevance and applicability of Ostrom‟s institutional framework in

the context of what we call “genomic stuff”, genomic material, data, and information.

Anthony, D.L., Campbell, J.L. (2011). States, social capital and cooperation: Looking back on

'Governing the Commons'. International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 284-302.

Abstract: This paper reflects on Elinor Ostrom‟s classic book, Governing the Commons, and much

work in sociology, political science and organization studies that has appeared since its publication.

We do so in order to expand our understanding of the conditions under which cooperation occurs

resulting in the production of collective goods. We explore two issues that were underdeveloped in

her book that have subsequently received much attention. First, we discuss how states can facilitate

cooperative behavior short of coercively imposing it on actors. Second, we discuss how social capital

Page | 11

can facilitate or undermine cooperative behavior. In both cases we focus on the important

mechanisms by which each one contributes to the development of cooperative behavior and

collective goods. We conclude by extending our arguments to a brief analysis of one of the world‟s

newest and largest collective goods – the Internet.

Rudel, T.K. (2011). The commons and development: Unanswered sociological questions.

International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2): 303-318.

Abstract: Do processes of political and economic development hinder or promote the creation of

common property institutions (CPIs) to govern common pool resources? Despite the seeming

importance of this question, development sociologists have never really tried to answer it. This paper

explores the intersection of development processes, the commons, and common property institutions

and concludes that development has countervailing influences that both impede and promote the

formation of CPIs. Institutional expansion centered around the state facilitates the formation of CPIs

while market expansion through globalization and labor migration weakens CPIs. Business cycles

have similar influences. Economic booms weaken CPIs while subsequent economic downturns

increase the likelihood that resource users will form CPIs.

Acheson, J. (2011). Ostrom for anthropologists. International Journal of the Commons, 5 (2):

319-339.

Abstract: Elinor Ostrom has devoted much of her career to understanding the conditions under which

people have incentives to conserve or over-exploit common-pool resources (e.g., oceans, air,

irrigation, unowned forests and grassland). While a growing number of anthropologists have taken an

interest in this critically important topic, her work is not well known to many anthropologists. This

paper describes three different aspects of Ostrom‟s work which should be of interest to

anthropologists. First is her analysis of collective action problems and the conditions under which

people in local communities have devised rules and institutions to solve those dilemmas to conserve

resources. Second is Ostrom‟s discussion and classification of the complex rules used to manage

resources. Third is her analysis of four kinds of goods (i.e., public goods, common-pool resources, toll

goods and private goods) and the property regimes that produce them in different combinations. Last,

I outline several directions in which her work seems to be going.

Page | 12

__________________________________________________________________

Food Security ___________________________________________________________________

The resources listed here are concerned generally with food security

Featuring: Special Issue on Food Security in Southern Africa: Responses to the Problem of

Hunger

Battersby-Lennard, J. (2011). Urban food insecurity in Cape Town, South Africa: An alternative

approach to food access. Development Southern Africa, 28 (4): 545-561.

Abstract: This paper presents data from the African Food Security Urban Network's 2008 baseline

survey of Cape Town. This survey found that 80% of the sampled households could be classified as

moderately or severely food insecure. In urban areas the main driver of food insecurity is not

availability but access. Access is typically viewed as being directly related to income. Households

were found to use formal food markets, but more frequently depended on informal sector markets and

informal social safety nets. The more food insecure and income poor a household was, the more

likely it was to be dependent on less formal means of securing food. This suggests that there is some

form of market failure in the formal food system. This paper therefore advocates for a food systems

approach that validates and supports the role that the informal sector plays in urban food security.

Crush, J. and B. Frayne (2011). Urban food insecurity and the new international food security

agenda. Development Southern Africa, 28 (4): 527-544.

Abstract: The new global and African food security agenda is overwhelmingly productionist and rural

in its orientation, and is based on the premise that food insecurity is primarily a rural problem requiring

a massive increase in smallholder production. This agenda is proceeding despite overwhelming

evidence of rapid urbanisation and the growing likelihood of an urban future for the majority of

Africans. Urban food insecurity can therefore no longer be ignored. This paper argues that achieving

urban food security is the emerging development challenge for the 21st century and that the

complexities of urban food systems urgently need to be addressed by researchers, policy makers,

and international donors and multilateral agencies.

Biénabe, E. & Vermeulen, H. (2011). Improving smallholders' market participation: Insights

from a business scheme for maize in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Development Southern

Africa, 28 (4): 493-507.

Page | 13

Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that lack of market participation and limited access to agricultural

services contribute to keeping semi-subsistence farmers trapped in poverty. This paper discusses the

potential of an innovative business scheme to enhance smallholders' situations by providing access to

an integrated service provision scheme. The authors conducted an integrated analysis of farmers'

production, consumption and processing patterns using case-based evidence. While confirming that

the presence of rural depots can improve smallholders' access to services, they also highlight some

drawbacks of private intervention and show the importance of taking into account the diversity of

economic and social factors when designing smallholder support instruments.

Hamann, R., S. Giamporcaro, et al. (2011). The role of business and cross-sector collaboration

in addressing the 'Wicked Problem' of food insecurity. Development Southern Africa, 28 (4):

579-594.

Abstract: There is growing interest in the potential for business to make proactive contributions to

food security, particularly as part of some form of cross-sector collaboration. Such collaboration can

improve value chain efficiency and may also begin to address some of the „wicked problem‟

characteristics of food insecurity. Our interviews conducted during the food price crisis in 2008

confirm that a broad cross-section of stakeholders agree that the crisis has cyclical and systemic

causes and that it has serious implications for business. We also describe a range of related

initiatives already being implemented by companies. There is a degree of ambivalence about the

feasibility of improved collaboration, given competitive pressures and concerns about compliance with

competition laws. Nevertheless, a number of respondents emphasised the need for improved

collaboration on particular issues and the paper identifies a number of these, some of which have

since been targeted in a multi-stakeholder initiative, the Southern Africa Food Lab, that builds on this

(and other) research.

Hendriks, S. (2005). The challenges facing empirical estimation of household food (in)security

in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 22 (1): 103-123.

Abstract: This paper sets out to describe current principle theoretical positions in food security

research, describe and compare empirical South African food security studies with key international

methodologies and pose research challenges for food security research in the country. Scant

available food security studies for South Africa seem to indicate that food insecurity and hunger exist

and are likely to increase due to increasing food price trends, greater reliance on cash food purchases

and spiralling vulnerability as a result of HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality. Empirical research is

urgently needed to determine the coping strategies of households under „normal‟ conditions, identify

vulnerable households, and monitor the impact of various shocks and stresses on household food

security

Page | 14

Kelly, C. and Schulschenk, J. (2011). Assessing the vulnerability of Stellenbosch's food

system and possibilities for a local food economy. Development Southern Africa, 28(4): 563-

578.

Abstract: Food insecurity is high in Stellenbosch, despite a strong agricultural context. While the

causes are complex, it is clear that the situation will be worsened by the effects of climate change and

the end of cheap oil on the unstable global food system. This research compiled existing statistical

information to present an overview of the current status of food production, distribution and

consumption in Stellenbosch to determine key vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen

resilience. The region produces predominantly wine grapes and fruit for export, while relying on

imported produce for consumption. Key vulnerabilities of the food system were identified as: focus on

wine production for export, dominance of large-scale commercial agriculture, proliferation of

conventional farming methods, long value chains, dominance of national retailers, food insecurity and

poor nutrition. Suggestions are made for increasing the localisation of the food system to address

inequities and increase resilience to the polycrisis.

MacLachlan, M. and Hamann, R. (2011). Theme issue on food security, Development Southern

Africa, 28 (4).

NO ABSTRACT

O Shisanya, S. and Hendriks, S. (2011). The contribution of community gardens to food

security in the Maphephetheni Uplands. Development Southern Africa, 28 (4): 509-526.

Abstract: Although community gardens are widely promoted, very little empirical evidence exists of

their contribution to food security. This study evaluated the contribution of community gardens to

alleviating food insecurity for 53 community gardeners in Maphephetheni, KwaZulu-Natal, South

Africa. Using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, it was found that 89% of these

households were anxious about food supplies, consumed insufficient food and were severely food

insecure. In addition, 72% consumed poor quality food. Community gardens were unable to solve the

problem of food insecurity, but their contribution to consumption cannot be entirely ignored. Improved

productivity and appropriate agricultural and nutritional advice are necessary. Land availability needs

to be addressed through community and other redress systems to grant communities access to less

marginal and more accessible productive land close to water. Programmes to support non-farm

income are needed and could provide incentives for increased production.

Twine, W. and Hunter, L.M. (2011). Adult mortality and household food security in rural South

Africa: Does AIDS represent a unique mortality shock? Development Southern Africa, 28 (4):

431-444.

Page | 15

Abstract: HIV/AIDS has been described as a household shock distinct from others faced by rural

households. This study examines this characterisation by analysing the impact of an adult HIV/AIDS-

related death on household food security, compared with households experiencing either no mortality

or a sudden non-HIV/AIDS adult death. The research is based in the Agincourt Health and

Demographic Surveillance Site in rural South Africa, and focuses on a sample of 290 households

stratified by experience of a recent prime-age adult death. HIV/AIDS-related mortality was associated

with reduced household food security. However, much of this negative association also characterised

households experiencing a non-HIV/AIDS mortality. In addition, other household characteristics,

especially socioeconomic status, were strong determinants of food security regardless of mortality

experience. We therefore recommend that development policy and interventions aimed at enhancing

food security target vulnerable households broadly, rather than solely targeting those directly affected

by HIV/AIDS mortality.

__________________________________________________________________

Climate Policy___________________________________________________________________

The resources listed here are concerned with tracking domestic efforts

internationally, to develop climate related policy.

Droege, S. (2011). Do border measures have a role in climate policy?, Climate Policy, 11 (5):

1185-1190.

No Abstract

Droege, S. (2011). Using border measures to address carbon flows. Climate Policy, 11 (5):

1191-1201.

Abstract: The carbon leakage debates and the role of trade measures to address undesired effects

from unilateral carbon pricing have significant policy implications. The basic principles found in both

the climate and trade regimes that promote differentiation of national efforts on the one hand, and

non-discrimination of trade partners on the other hand, create a systematic conflict of using trade

measures for promoting climate policy. Moreover, the way in which national emissions are accounted

has implications for the use and usefulness of trade measures. The UN inventory system relates to

the point of production, not consumption, following the `polluter pays' principle. The question of

whether this limits the scope for using border adjustments is examined. In combination with insights

from partial equilibrium models, it is attractive for policy makers to focus their efforts on a few carbon-

intensive industries. However, policy makers not only need to decide about the environmental

integrity, the administration and the political credibility of border measures, but also consider that any

Page | 16

such measure, even if it aims at supporting global emission reductions, could disrupt the international

climate negotiations processes.

Vorster, S., Winkler, H., Jooste, M. (2011). Mitigating climate change through carbon pricing:

An emerging policy debate in South Africa. Climate and Development, 3 (3): 242-258.

Abstract: South Africa is considering how best to contribute its fair share to the global effort to

mitigate climate change. The domestic policy debate is characterized by a vibrant engagement

involving government, business, labour and civil society. The policy option with greatest potential for

reducing emissions is carbon pricing through a carbon tax or emissions' trading scheme. The welfare

and development impacts need to be carefully considered. The broader debate considers economic

efficiency, environmental effectiveness, welfare impacts, competitiveness impacts, design implications

given market concentration, and complexity and transaction costs. This article examines the

challenges of pricing carbon given considerations of political economy, such as high unemployment,

poverty and lack of access to basic services. The article shows a preference emerging for a carbon

tax. A carbon tax does not create equivalent certainty with respect to environmental outcomes, but the

tax level can be adjusted to achieve desired emissions reductions. Where the policy priority is price

stability a tax is advantageous, providing long-term policy signals to investors, as well as price

transparency, fiscal revenue stability, economy-wide coverage of emissions and administrative

efficiency. However, three implementation issues need clarity: limiting welfare impacts on poor

households; the feasibility of a hybrid model; and integrating carbon pricing with the broader transition

to a low-carbon economy.

Westerhoff, L., Kestikalo, E., Carina, H., Juhola, S. (2011). Capacities across Scales: Local to

national adaptation policy in our European countries. Climate Policy, 11 (4): 1071-1085.

Abstract: A framework of adaptive capacity and prerequisites for planned adaptation are used to

identify the resources and conditions that have enabled or constrained the development of planned

adaptation at national to local levels in Italy, Sweden, Finland and the UK. Drawing on 94 semi-

structured interviews with climate change actors at each scale, the study demonstrates that planned

adaptation measures occur as a result of several inter-relating factors, including the existence of

political will, public support (and relevant media portrayal of climate change), adequate financial

resources, the ability to produce or access climate and other information, and the extent of

stakeholder involvement in the design and application of adaptation measures. Specific national

adaptation measures affect local capacities to implement planned adaptations, but in some cases

have been complemented or substituted by internal and external networks that connect local

authorities to information and resources. The study demonstrates that opportunities to engage in

planned adaptation at local levels may occur given adequate interest and resources; however, both

national authorities and non-governmental organizations continue to play an important role in

fostering local capacities.

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Housing

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The resources in this section are concerned generally with improving access to

housing and with creating better low cost housing, more sustainably.

Schilderman, T., & Lyons, M. (2011). Resilient dwellings or resilient people? Towards people-

centred reconstruction. Environmental Hazards, 10 (3): 218- 231.

Abstract: Our review of post-disaster reconstruction in 10 countries has demonstrated some of the

weaknesses in currently dominant approaches, e.g. donor-driven reconstruction and owner-driven

reconstruction. They have often been top-down and exclusionary, focusing on people with existing

title to land and housing, and failing to reach the marginalized, especially in urban areas. Since they

aim for safer dwellings, they rarely tackle people s underlying vulnerabilities. This paper argues that

an inclusive and participatory approach, people-centred reconstruction, should be central to housing

and livelihoods after disasters. Reconstruction programmes need to make people more resilient to

future risks. That requires not just making their buildings safer, but also making people more capable

to adapt to risk. As to housing, many agencies interpret building back is better, as reconstructed

houses are safer than pre-disaster types. That concern for quality leads them to set high standards,

engage architects and engineers to produce designs, and use contractors to construct. The end

product is often inappropriate, difficult to maintain and too expensive to replicate. Damage

assessments after disasters often point at vernacular technologies such as timber frames that have

performed much better than others. Provided if any weaknesses are addressed, they can be

incorporated in reconstruction strategeies because they are well known to local residents and builders

and use mainly local resources, they require less support, thus they are cheaper and quicker. The

reduction of people's vulnerabilities, however, requires more than better housing; programmes also

need to rebuild people's livelihoods, restore local markets and social networks. To strengthen their

capabilities to cope, survivors should play key roles in decision-making and resource management.

Forty years ago, John Turner concluded that the process of housing matters as much as its end

product, as it empowers people. Reconstruction is not different: putting people at its centre empowers

them and strengthens their capabilities and resilience.

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Cronin, V., Guthrie, P. (2011). Community-led resettlement: From a flood affected slum to a

new society in Pune, India. Environmental Hazards, 10 (3): 310-326.

Abstract: This paper describes the resettlement process of a community devastated by annual

floods, to newly constructed housing in Pune, India. The relocation from Kamgar Putala slum to a

housing society at Hadapsar was organized by a community-led NGO partnership in 2004. The

housing development was coordinated by the local NGO Shelter Associates with significant

community participation. The housing has been revisited in 2010 to evaluate the sustainability of the

resettlement project's delivery model via stakeholder perception. The process of organizing for

resettlement after natural disaster is described along with the implementation and evaluation of the

new housing nearly six years after initial occupation. The strong partnership approach overcame a

series of political and financial hurdles at various stages of the relocation project. The story of

resettling Kamgar Putala is detailed alongside an outline of the current political climate for an

alternative slum-upgrading policy in India and Pune. The advantages of an empowered community

supported by an influential local NGO demonstrate a commendable team effort which has tackled the

threat of floods. The paper highlights the merits of a community-led partnership approach to housing

development for achieving sustainable urban development as well as the alleviation of poverty in a

developing context.

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Responding to Risk ___________________________________________________________________

Resources included below are of relevance to the issue of social networks and

social learning in the context of climate change.

Wydick, B. (2011). Social networks, neighborhood effects and credit access: Evidence from

rural Guatemala. World Development, 39 (6): 974-982.

Abstract: We measure the extent to which social networks determine sources of credit from a survey

of 465 households in western Guatemala. We estimate correlated, contextual, and endogenous

effects of networks at the neighborhood, church, and village levels, finding that church networks

display endogenous effects in credit access. We calculate an elasticity of social imitation (ESI)

indicating if the percentage of people accessing microfinance in a church network doubles, the

probability of an individual household accessing microfinance increases by 14.1%, a magnitude

similar to our estimated ESIs for televisions and cell phones within church and neighbor networks.

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Bloch, F., Genicot, G. and Ray, D. (2008). Informal insurance in social networks. Journal of

Economic Theory, 143 (1): 36-58.

Abstract: This paper studies bilateral insurance schemes across networks of individuals. While

transfers are based on social norms, individuals must have the incentive to comply. We investigate

the structure of self-enforcing insurance networks. Network links play two distinct and possibly

conflictual roles. They act as conduits for both transfers and information; affecting the scope for

insurance and the severity of punishments upon noncompliance. Their interaction leads to a

characterization of stable networks as suitably “sparse” networks. Thickly and thinly connected

networks tend to be stable, whereas intermediate degrees of connectedness jeopardize stability.

Finally, we discuss the effect of discounting on stability.

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_________________________________________________________________

Waste

The resources listed here are generally concerned with management of, and

informality in, waste.

Fergutz, O., Dias, S. and Mitlin, D. (2011). Developing urban waste management in Brazil with

waste picker organizations. Environment and Urbanization, 23 (2): 597-608.

Abstract: In Brazil‟s large cities, more than half a million people survive by collecting and selling solid

waste. Most face very poor working conditions and have very low incomes as the intermediaries to

whom they sell pay low prices. Their activities are even considered illegal in some nations. But the

waste pickers save city governments money, contribute to cleaner cities and reduce the volume of

waste that has to be dumped (by up to 20 per cent). After describing the waste pickers and the city

and national associations they have created, this paper describes the recycling industry and gives

some examples of better methods of recycling. These include waste picker cooperatives that can sell

the materials they collect direct to industries and that have partnerships with city governments who

provide access to wastes, better prices and facilities to improve working conditions (including

transferring the recycling from dumps to recycling centres).

Kulsrestha, M. (2011). Waste trade market in the city of Bhopal, India: A case study on recycled

MSW. International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 7 (3-4): 344-355.

Abstract: This paper investigates the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) trade market in the city of

Bhopal, India, and presents results of field surveys conducted to determine the movement of MSW

through a succession of ragpickers and traders to its ultimate destination of Recycling-Units. This

waste-trade is carried out through a hierarchy of waste-dealers who deal in increasing waste

specificities such that profits grow at each level for every waste-item sold. The paper details these

transactions, and discusses some policy issues such as regulation of waste-trade markets, safety

concerns of those involved in waste-collection, and related issues that arise consequent to this study.