Green Governance: A commentary on Sustainable Development
Green governance, also known as environmental governance, is an emerging discipline that prioritises sustainability and environmental protection in significant policy in decision-making processes, seeking to equitably serve both citizens and the environment. Countries like Sweden and Denmark are considered leaders in green governance due to their focus on sustainable development through the innovative utilization of renewable energy sources, sustainable transportation, and waste management. Importantly, green governance requires a collaborative community-focused approach that engages NGOs, the private sector, government organizations, and citizens to promote environmental conservation and societal progress.
Despite the emphasis on collaboration and partnerships in green governance, power imbalances can still occur. Governments may exercise dominant power over key decisions, promoting vested interests for powerful groups. The Dakota Access Pipeline is a classic example of such beneficial interests, where the government pushed for the construction of a pipeline to carry crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois, despite the possible environmental, cultural, and water resource impact on Native American tribes such as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Limited accountability in green governance often makes it challenging to hold stakeholders responsible for their actions, complicating matters further. History is replete with examples of communities being displaced to promote an eco-friendly society, such as the eviction of fishing communities in the development of the Gulf of Mannar Marine Park to protect biodiversity.
To promote a more sustainable and environmentally-focused system of governance, it is crucial to frame measures that hold stakeholders accountable for their actions. Efforts like the one by Urgenda Foundation in 2015, where 900 Dutch citizens sued the government for neglecting climate change, represent the collaborative role of citizen action and judicial systems in protecting future generations. Moreover, governments need to invest in capacity-building initiatives geared towards enhancing environmental governance. In Canada, initiatives like the Indigenous Support Capacity Programme aim to promote greater participation of indigenous communities in important conversations surrounding sustainable development and environmental policy. Therefore, an increased focus on engaging stakeholders impacted by the differential impact of sustainable development policies can help strive towards desirable change and equity.
After a baseline analysis, it appears that green governance is an essential discipline that influences a large section of society to work on fostering a green footprint. However, there are potential loopholes that need to be addressed, including power imbalances and limited accountability. In the journey ahead, it is important to frame measures that address the aforementioned loopholes in Environmental governance, particularly those that can contribute to a pre-existing imbalance between marginalized communities such as indigenous tribes, and private sector companies or corporations.
