Joshua Chad Gellers

Sisters in sustainability: municipal partnerships for social, environmental, and economic growth

Abstract While debates about sustainable development tend to focus on national- and international-scale problems, sustainability programs and research generally focus on the regional, county, municipal, or even household level. Less research has focused on evaluating the benefits of pairing two cities (i.e., sister city partnerships) with different needs and capabilities to jointly enhance the potential for sustainable practices between the cities. Given shrinking state and federal budgets and the nascent national climate policy, how might US cities use existing resources to achieve greater levels of sustainability? This paper presents a new data-driven mathematical tool—the partnership assessment for intra-regional sustainability—that city planners can use to explore the prospects for improving sustainability practices by leveraging existing resources and establishing synergistic partnerships with neighboring cities. The efficacy of the tool is assessed through the presentation of a Southern California case study and the results of a psychological survey of Southern California residents. Results indicate that cities of different size and scale would benefit from synergistic sustainability programs that pool the resources and needs of both cities. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential societal implications, methodological issues, and barriers to implementation.

Crowdsourcing global governance: sustainable development goals, civil society, and the pursuit of democratic legitimacy

To what extent can crowdsourcing help members of civil society overcome the democratic deficit in global environmental governance? In this paper, I evaluate the utility of crowdsourcing as a tool for participatory agenda-setting in the realm of post-2015 sustainable development policy. In particular, I analyze the descriptive representativeness (e.g., the degree to which participation mirrors the demographic attributes of non-state actors comprising global civil society) of participants in two United Nations orchestrated crowdsourcing processes—the MY World survey and e-discussions regarding environmental sustainability. I find that there exists a perceptible demographic imbalance among contributors to the MY World survey and considerable dissonance between the characteristics of participants in the e-discussions and those whose voices were included in the resulting summary report. The results suggest that although crowdsourcing may present an attractive technological approach to expand participation in global governance, ultimately the representativeness of that participation and the legitimacy of policy outputs depend on the manner in which contributions are solicited and filtered by international institutions.

Environmental Constitutionalism in South Asia: Analyzing the Experiences of Nepal and Sri Lanka

Why do some countries adopt constitutional environmental rights while others do not? This article uses qualitative content analysis of interviews conducted in Kathmandu (Nepal) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) to analyze the cases of Nepal, which adopted a constitutional environmental right in the 2007 Interim Constitution, and Sri Lanka, which has not enacted such a right in any of its governing charters. It finds that the presence of a constitutional environmental right in Nepal and the absence of such a right in Sri Lanka can be best explained directly with reference to domestic political conditions and structures, and indirectly in terms of the international normative environment in which the constitution was written. The article outlines a research agenda which focuses on evaluating the impacts of constitutional environmental rights. This research provides important insights into the process of constitutional design in developing states and the translation of international norms in domestic contexts.

Procedural Environmental Rights and Environmental Justice: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Constitutionalism

The global trend toward the adoption of environmental rights within national constitutions has been largely regarded as a positive development for both human rights and the natural environment. The impact of constitutional environmental rights, however, has yet to be systematically assessed using empirical data. In particular, the expansion of procedural environmental rights—legal provisions relating to access to information, participation, and justice in environmental matters—provides fertile ground for analyzing how environmental rights directly interface with conditions necessary for a functioning democracy. In order to understand the extent to which these provisions deliver on their lofty aspirations, the authors conduct a quantitative analysis designed to evaluate the relationship between procedural environmental rights and environmental justice. The results demonstrate that states with procedural environmental rights are more likely than non-adopting states to facilitate the attainment of environmental justice, especially as it relates to access to information.

Toward Environmental Democracy? Procedural Environmental Rights and Environmental Justice

The global trend toward adopting environmental rights within national constitutions has been largely regarded as a positive development for both human rights and the natural environment. The impact of constitutional environmental rights, however, has yet to be systematically assessed using empirical data. In particular, expanding procedural environmental rights—legal provisions relating to access to information, participation, and justice in environmental matters—provides fertile ground for analyzing how environmental rights directly interface with conditions necessary for a functioning democracy. To understand the extent to which these provisions deliver on their lofty aspirations, we conducted a quantitative analysis to assess the relationship between procedural environmental rights and environmental justice, while also controlling for the extent of democracy within a country. The results suggest that states with procedural environmental rights are more likely than nonadopting states to facilitate attaining environmental justice, especially as it relates to access to information.

GREENING CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

While scholars have expended great effort analyzing environmental discourse and applying a critical lens to environmental law, scant work has used critical discourse analysis (CDA) to study environmental law. This is surprising given the rising prominence of CDA and the continued development of critical environmental law scholarship. The present article seeks to correct for this oversight by highlighting the particularities of environmental law which compel the use of CDA, and outlining a method by which social science researchers can use CDA to understand the role of power in the domain of environmental law.

Survival of the Greenest: A Statistical Analysis of Constitutional Environmental Rights

Why do some countries have constitutional environmental rights while others do not? In this chapter I conduct survival analysis using a Cox regression model on UN-recognized countries over the time period 1983-2010 in order to respond to this inquiry. This section proceeds as follows: (1) I review relevant literature and describe theories which may explain state behavior regarding the adoption of constitutional environmental rights; (2) I conduct statistical tests on five independent variables — International Civil Society Influence, Regional Diffusion, Human Rights Legacy, Natural Resources Dependency, and Monetary Incentives — to determine which factors offer the greatest explanatory value for the phenomenon observed; and (3) I summarize results of the analysis and offer conclusions. I argue that norm socialization and transnational activism offer more explanatory purchase than domestic politics and rationalist-materialist considerations in understanding the trend toward constitutionalization of environmental rights. I find that the enactment of constitutional environmental rights is most significantly associated with International Civil Society Influence and Regime Characteristics, a control variable.

'Cowboy Economics' versus 'Spaceship Ecology': Constructing a Sustainable Environmental Ethic

In order to improve and protect the environment while keeping in mind economic realities that constrain action it is essential to devise an ethical approach amenable to both economics and environmental ethics. This paper endeavors to provide a framework for achieving such a compromise by: (1) Defining critical tenets of neoclassical economics and deep ecology; (2) Reframing the policy problem; (3) Reviewing the weaknesses of regulative, normative, and cognitive institutionalist perspectives on economics and the environment; and (4) Suggesting a normative analytical framework that allows for a dialogue between economics and environmental ethics. I conclude that a more sustainable environmental ethic which promotes both efficiency and justice should be based on three principles: regulation, education, and participation.

Climate Change and Environmental Security: Bringing Realism Back In

In international relations theory literature, realist scholars maintain a traditional view of security based on fear and the attainment of survival through power maximization in an anarchic world, achieved exclusively through military prowess. Liberal scholars of international relations contend that the realist conception of security is unnecessarily limited, and call for the broadening of security to include concerns such as economic security, human security, and environmental security. However, is realism inherently incompatible with the concept of environmental security? I argue that by stretching the conceptual limits of realism it becomes possible to account for security concerns related to the environment and climate change. In this paper I seek to incorporate environmental security into the broader framework of realism by analyzing the extent to which environmental problems pose a threat to the survival of major states. I conclude by calling for the development of a grand conceptual approach to environmental security and more empirical research to be conducted on issues that exist at the nexus between security and the environment.