Download Tentative Conference Program

Smart Mixes in relation to Transboundary Environmental Harm
15 April 2016 - Rotterdam
Overall Theme of the Conference
The increasingly complex nature of transboundary environmental problems, such
as global warming, deforestation, fish stock depletion, oil pollution and
biodiversity loss, and the risks associated with such problems, pose a fundamental
challenge to policy makers worldwide, namely that of designing an effective
global environmental governance system.
States have traditionally resorted to the conclusion of international agreements as
a means of targeting environmental problems, thus giving rise to a rich body of
international law. Nonetheless, over the last years doubts have been voiced about
the capacity of these agreements to effectively counter environmental problems.
In response, we have seen a profound expansion in the development of
alternative regulatory instruments that can complement international agreements.
In part, these alternatives reflect a turn to the market as a force through which
environmental goals can be achieved. States themselves increasingly resort to
combinations of command-and-control, economic and informational instruments.
Partly related to the turn to the market, we also have seen an emergence of a
network of private actors, often acting across borders, which engage in the
creation of environmental initiatives, either beyond or in collaboration with the
State. Thus, international environmental law nowadays operates in tandem and
in certain instances interacts with private or hybrid initiatives existing on all levels
of governance.
The conference will seek to present the latest research results on how alternative
modes of regulation (hybrid and private) and different forms of regulatory
instruments (command-and-control, market-based, suasive) can complement the
operation of international agreements.
This conference is organized within the framework of the ‘Smart Mixes in
Relation to Transboundary Environmental Harm’ research project, funded by the
KNAW. This project explores how public and private regulation, as well as
specific regulatory instruments interact with each other, in addressing four types
of environmental problems: deforestation/forest degradation, overfishing, oil
pollution and climate change. The project team has organized two Workshops on
‘Smart Mixes in relation to Forestry and Climate Change Governance’ and
‘Smart Mixes in relation to Fisheries and Oil Pollution Governance’. The two
Workshops have yielded substantial insight into existing mixes in the context of
environmental governance. More information about the project can be found at
the website: www.smartmixes.nl.
The conference aims at presenting and discussing 1) the results of the ‘Smart
Mixes’ project; 2) the results of other research that has been conducted on mixes
that have supplemented or could be considered for supplementing international
environmental agreements, 3) as well as at identifying specific policy
recommendations that can be based on these outcomes of research.
Tentative Conference Program
Friday, 15th April,
Forumzaal, Van der Goot (M) Building,
Woudestein Campus, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3062 PA Rotterdam
08:30 – 09:00
Registration
09:00 – 09:30
Introduction Session
09:30 – 11:00
Smart Mixes: Conceptual Challenges
Linda Senden (Utrecht): Public-private Complementarities in
Regulation and Enforcement Matters
Philipp Pattberg (VU Amsterdam): Governance Architectures
as Complex Systems: How Can We Learn about Fragmented
Environmental Governance?
Rüdiger Wurzel (Hull): Smart (and not so smart) Mixes of
"New" Environmental Policy Instruments (NEPIs) across
Jurisdictions and Time
11:00 – 11:15
Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:15
Stocktaking session I: Smart Mixes in Fishery and Forest
Governance
Markos Karavias (UvA): Interactions between International
Law on Fisheries and Private Certification: Towards
Sustainable Fisheries?
Jing Liu (EUR): Public and Private Interaction in Governing
Common Pool Resources: Forest Governance as an Example
12:15 – 13:15
Stocktaking Session II: Smart Mixes in Climate Change and
Oil Pollution Governance
Marjan Peeters (Maastricht): Public and Private Regulation for
Reducing Greenhouse Gases: Mix or Mess?
Hui Wang (EUR) & Michael Faure (EUR/Maastricht): Smart
Mixes in Oil Pollution Governance
13:15 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 16:00
Cross-cutting Issues Panel
Lars Gulbrandsen (FNI Oslo): Comparing Public-Private
Interactions in Forest and Fisheries Governance
Jessica Green (NYU): Complexity in Global Environmental
Governance: From Concepts to Empirics
Poul Fritz Kjær (Copenhagen Business School): TBC
16:00 – 16:15
Coffee Break
16:15 – 17:15
Roundtable: Formulating Policy Advice
17:15 – 17:30
Closing Session
17:30 – 18:30
Drinks