Environment

Essays

1. The integration of environmental concerns into sectoral policies is one of the main future challenges. Describe the meaning of the term “integration” and discuss the main consequences of such integration for environmental policies and management.

2. “In the years of transition faced by countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) decentralization of environmental management has formed part of the institutional restructuring and reform processes”. Analyze this statement and list three major policy areas to be under the responsibility of the local and regional authorities and the consequence of such decentralization.

3. “Sustainable development” has become a policy objective in most countries. Describe the main targets of sustainable development. Then for an imaginary country discuss one major difficulty to attain sustainable development in each of the three areas: energy, agriculture and transport.

Short questions

1. Discuss the pros and cons of currently pursued waste management strategies.

2. Give your opinion on “environmental protection funds” currently in use in several European Transition countries and state the major reasons for your opinion.

3. How do agricultural production techniques affect the quality of environmental media and what are the causes?

4. Why is the maintenance of biodiversity an objective for environmental policy? Which are the risks and which are the policy measures that can reduce risks?

5. What are the major environmental consequences associated with the development of human settlements in Europe?

6. Mineral resource extraction has a multiple direct and indirect impacts on the environment. Briefly explain the kind of degradation that can occur and the consequences on the environment.







7. Which are the main issues that you would look at if you had to assess the effects of road transport on the environment?

8. Public information and participation play an important role in encouraging pollution reduction. Please tell us which measures have been taken by Governments to increase participation in decision-making?



List of topics

Suggested readings include documentation and publications to be found on the UNECE website http://www.unece.org/env/welcome.html,

of UNEP http://www.unep.org/, and

of the Commission on Sustainable Development http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/policy.htm.

Candidates should be able to deal with environmental questions related to economies in transition and western economies and to some extend to the developing countries.