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Means and ends in environmental policy

Environmental policies and decisions related to managing related to climate change – such as mitigation policies intended to reduce the pace and magnitude of climatic changes, or proactive adaptation to manage the impacts of climatic change – require goals. However, such goals, often concerning very long time frames, have to consider several challenges. In this area of research, the relationship between ambitious goals is investigated. Whilst being uncertain with regards to achievability, such goals can have several important functions, which are discussed from both decision-making, and normative, perspectives. One part of the research concerns the setting of ‘cautiously utopian’ long-term goals. Another part of the research, financed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency under the auspice of research project Climatools (www.climatools.se), investigated managing of goal conflicts in climate change adaptation. The decision-facilitating tool Goal Conflict Analysis, to be used by municipal planners, was developed in this project.

Participating researchers from the Division of Philosophy, KTH:

- Patrik Baard, pbaard@kth.se

- Karin Edvardsson Björnberg, karine@kth.se

- Sven Ove Hansson, soh@kth.se

Project duration: 2011-2015

Publications:

Baard, Patrik. 2015. ’Managing Climate Change: A View from Deep Ecology’. Ethics & the Environment 20(1): 23-44.

Baard, P., Edvardsson Björnberg, K. (in press) Cautious utopias: Environmental goal-setting with long time frames. Forthcoming in Ethics, Policy and Environment.

Hansson, S. O., Lilieqvist, K., Edvardsson Björnberg, K. and M. Vredin Johansson. 2015. Time frames and discount rates in the Swedish public sector: A comparative analysis. Forthcoming in Futures.

Hansson, S. O., Edvardsson Björnberg, K., Vredin Johansson, M. 2015. Making climate policy efficient: implementing a model for environmental policy efficiency. International Journal of Sustainable Society 7(1): 1-21.

Baard, P. (2014) Risk-reducing goals: Ideals and abilities when managing complex environmental risks. Journal of Risk Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2014.961513

Edvardsson Björnberg, K. 2013. Rational climate mitigation goals. Energy Policy 56: 285-292.

Gunnarsson-Östling, U., Edvardsson Björnberg, K., Finnveden, G. 2013. Using the concept of environmental sustainability: interpretations in academia, policy and planning. In: Metzger, J. and Rader Olsson, A. (Eds.) Sustainable Stockholm: Exploring urban sustainability through the lens of Europe’s greenest city. New York: Routledge, pp. 51-70.

Edvardsson Björnberg, K, Hansson, S. O. 2013. Gendering local climate adaptation. Local Environment 18(2): 217-232.

Baard, P., Vredin Johansson, M., Carlsen, H., K. Edvardsson Björnberg. 2012. Scenarios and sustainability: tools for alleviating the gap between municipal means and responsibilities in adaptation planning. Local Environment 17(6-7): 641-662.

Baard, P. 2011. Mill, miljö och hållbarhet. Tidskrift för politisk filosofi 15(3): 29-36.

Edvardsson Björnberg, K., Hansson, S. O. 2011. Five areas of value judgment in local adaptation to climate change. Local Government Studies 37(6): 671-687.