Page 90 - Module_5_en

Module
5 EXERCISE

This exercise requires completing an analysis of commitments for selected priority
environmental issues.
9-12 December, 2013 ? ? 1. Name of the issue and the specific environmental state that the issue focuses on.
In groups of 4-5, carry out the following tasks:

Select two priority environmental issues from those listed by members of your group.
Complete the analysis of commitments for each issue, making sure to cover the following:

2. Any goals or targets that have been established for the issue
3. The name of a strategy or action plan for achieving the goal and target.

4. The status of implementation in terms of progress in implementing policy instruments
and progress in achieving the goal and target set for the issue.

Time: 20 minutes group, 10 minutes plenary.

6.5 Step C: The policy instrument scan

While the analysis of commitments provides a big picture of the policy landscape for an environmental
issue, a policy instrument scan can provide details. This more detailed picture includes the mix of policies
having an effect on your environmental issue, and an assessment of effectiveness of these policies in
achieving positive change.

The policy instrument scan is designed to help you identify the mix of specific policy instruments
that are having an influence on your environmental issues. For any given issue, policy instruments will
be having an affect (positive or negative) on the entire causal chain, including drivers, pressures, the
environmental state itself and the impacts of changes in the environmental state.

For example, consider river water quality. A number of policy instruments, such as in situ treatment and water
quality standards, could have positive or negative impacts on the state of the water quality. Other impacts
can come from the effects of municipal taxes driving as urban growth, infrastructure development reducing
sewage discharges and food import programmes to compensate for a reduction in fish as a food source.

88 Integrated Analysis of Environmental Trends and Policies