28Sep 2017
CEP explore global megatrends in Slovenia

CEP COMMISSIONED TO UNDERTAKE A STUDY ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBAL MEGATRENDS IN SLOVENIA

CEP has been commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and Slovenian Environment Agency to undertake a study to understand the implications of global megatrends (GMTs) on the state of the environment in Slovenia.

The study will involve adapting and implementing a methodology and toolkit previously developed by CEP on understanding the impacts of global megatrends at the national level. This work will particularly consider the implications of two specific GMTs identified by the European Environment Agency in their assessment of global megatrends published in 2015: Intensified global competition for resources (GMT 7); and Increasingly severe consequences of climate change (GMT 9).

CEP’s work will involve undertaking desk-based research and assessment of how these two GMT’s might impact the national environmental priorities and efforts to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals, focussing in particular on the aims of the Slovenia National Environment Action Programme and Slovenian Development Strategy.  As part of this study CEP will organise and facilitate two national expert workshops to discuss potential GMT impacts and assess risks and opportunities for the environment and environmental policy in Slovenia.

The project will run from September 2017 until September 2018.

For further information contact Owen White (Project Director) or Rolands Sadauskis (Project Manager). 

* For more information on megatrends see here

 

Team CEP
20Sep 2017
CEP running public dialogues on the Clyde Regional Marine Plan

Photo credit: ‘Sunset on Clyde’ by john mcsporran on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP starting first of two public dialogues on the Clyde Regional Marine Plan (CRMP)

CEP has been commissioned by the Clyde Marine Plan Partnership to run two public dialogues on the Clyde Regional Marine Plan.  Round 1 of the first dialogue will be held in Tarbert, Argyll on Saturday 23 September.  The dialogue is an innovative process designed to enable members of the public to provide insights to improve the regional marine plan and policy making.  Discussions during the day will look at what is important for local people, the main issues for the area and potential solutions.  Participants will also be able to comment on assumptions about what may be practical for the plan to address and the way that issues are prioritised in the plan.

The results will be used to provide information for the Clyde Marine Plan Partnership.

The workshop will be run by CEP’s Dr Peter Phillips who will be working with Jasper Kenter of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and a joint team from CEP and SAMS. 

Team CEP
18Sep 2017
CEP to present at European foresight meeting

CEP’s Owen White invited by the European Environment Agency to present recent work on global megatrends at European meeting of foresight experts

CEP have recently been delivering a number of projects related to global megatrends and their implications for Europe and European countries, including developing a methodology for understanding implications of global megatrends at the national level; and adapting and applying the methodology in a case study of global megatrend implications in the Western Balkans region.

In the context of the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) own work on global megatrends, and CEP having recently been awarded a framework contract by the EEA to provide expert assistance on forward looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions, CEP’s Owen White has been invited to participate in and present at the EIONET (European Environment Information and Observation Network) annual meeting for the network of European experts in forward-looking information and services (NRC FLIS) to be held in Bratislava, Slovakia on 27th – 28th September 2017. 

Specifically, Owen will be presenting the outcomes to date from the Western Balkans global megatrends study, and participating in discussions related to how the EEA can develop an improved understanding of the implications of global megatrends for Europe and European countries.

For more information please contact Owen White (Principal Consultant).

Team CEP
14Sep 2017
Clare Twigger-Ross at Flood Management Conference

CEP’s Dr Clare Twigger-Ross presented at the 7th International Conference on Flood Management in Leeds

Dr Clare Twigger-Ross presented a paper at the 7th International Conference on Flood Management, Leeds on 6th September: Catalysts for transformative resilience to flooding? The role of community volunteers.

The paper was part of a special session on Local Scale Approaches to community flood resilience chaired by Dr. Jessica Lamond (University of the West of England) and co-authored with Paula Orr, Katya Brooks and Rolands Sadauskis, and drew on data collected for the Defra Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder (FRCP) evaluation (report can be found here).  The slides from the session can be found here.

Team CEP
13Sep 2017
CEP to develop EEA’s urban sustainability knowledge base

CEP commissioned to develop integrated knowledge base for EEA urban sustainability assessments

CEP has been commissioned to lead the first Specific Contract let under the CEP-led framework service contract for the European Environment Agency (EEA) on the provision of expert assistance on forward looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions (EEA/IEA/16/003). The project will provide support to the EEA’s urban sustainability assessments by developing the integrated knowledge base for urban sustainability issues. CEP is working with consortium partners LSE Cities and various other experts from the CEP-led consortium. 

The project will review existing EEA data products, reports, and research programmes to assess the current state of knowledge “in-house” and any key gaps. Drawing on this, a conceptual framework and vision for urban sustainability related activities within the EEA will be developed and tested with EEA internal and external stakeholders, via participatory meetings to be held at EEA offices in Copenhagen during October and November 2017. 

For more information on this project please contact the CEP Project Manager Dr Peter Phillips.  

CEP’s Owen White is the overall Framework Contract Manager and can provide general information on the framework.  CEP’s Dr Bill Sheate is the Framework Contract Director.

Team CEP
13Sep 2017
Clare Twigger-Ross at IAPS board in Spain

Photo credit: ‘‘A Coruña’ by Gabriel Gonzalez on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP’s Dr Clare Twigger-Ross at IAPS board in A Coruña, Spain

Dr Clare Twigger-Ross attended the International Association of Person-Environment Studies (IAPS) board meeting and AGM  on the 29th and 30th August, A Coruña, Spain.  She is the Treasurer of the IAPS board and part of the executive along with Prof. Ricardo Garcia Mira and Dr. Tony Craig.  The meeting covered a wide range of topics concerning the running of IAPS including the next IAPS conference in Rome, 2018 see here for details on the call for papers and the conference itself which is titled: Transitions to sustainability, lifestyles changes and human wellbeing: cultural, environmental and political challenges

 

Team CEP
12Sep 2017
CEP at CECAN Workshop on increasing the impact of policy evaluation

CEP at CECAN Workshop on increasing the impact of policy evaluation

CEP participated in a workshop organised by CECAN to explore how evaluation practice can become more impactful in the future. The workshop ‘Increasing Impact of Policy Evaluation in Complex Settings – What Works?’ took place on 5 September 2017 in London. It sought to:

  1. share recent experience on successful evaluation impact in complex nexus policy areas
  2. share expertise in maximising the impact of evaluation in these policy settings
  3. generate practical recommendations for policymakers, analysts and evaluators
  4. generate ideas for focussing future R&D in this area
  5. produce a policy note on how evaluation practice can become more impactful in future

CEP’s  Dr Clare Twigger-Ross discussed the impact of CEP’s evaluation of Defra’s Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder.

Further details of the workshop can be found here.

Team CEP