Think globally, act locally : policy implications of the climate change regime
Date
2009-05
Authors
White, Richard
Muller, Kobus
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Administratio Publica
Abstract
Climate change with its potential to disrupt all facets of life on earth is
arguably the greatest environmental threat that humankind has faced to
date. The debates on the best methods and means of dealing with the
threat are occupying the agendas of diverse actors in the international,
national and local arenas. In an effort to address the effects of climate
change, governments and policy-makers attempt to translate the results of
this vibrant debate into meaningful policy at home. This article attempts
to describe this journey from debate through policy into action, taking the
complexities of policy environment into account. At the outset the largely
divided international climate change regime endorses the contradictory
stance of energy-intensive developing nations such as South Africa and
inhibits the fostering of a meaningful climate change policy environment
at a national level. The policy context with regard to climate change in
South Africa is analysed and the salient causes of the troubled policy
environment, aside from those commonly associated with developing
nations, are identified as largely administrative. Finally, the policy
environment in South Africa is examined at local level and, while local
governments enjoy more autonomy under the new dispensation, the
administrative fragmentation experienced at a national level permeates
down to the local sphere, with the EThekwini Municipality serving as a
case in point.
Description
Keywords
Climatic changes, Climate change -- Government policy, Environmental policy -- South Africa
Citation
White, R. & Muller, K. 2009. Think globally, act locally : policy implications of the climate change regime. Administratio Publica, 17(2), 143-159