On the 26th of May 2020, the Ninth International Workshop on Advances in Cleaner Production was held in Melbourne. You can listen to my keynote presentation, ‘Addressing Environmental and Social Harm through the Independent Accountability Mechanisms of the Multilateral Development Banks,’ which is part of my project on the independent accountability mechanisms.
Implications of the Narrabri Gas Project proposal /
You can learn more about this project and its implications for the environment in NSW through these links:
The Conversation, ‘A contentious NSW gas project is weeks away from approval. Here are 3 reasons it should be rejected’, Aug 11 2020, written with Madeline Taylor.
In this piece, we outline three key claims made about the project, which we find have not been adequately substantiated. They are that the project:
will improve gas security for NSW
does not pose a significant risk to important water resources
will not cause significant impacts to people or the environment.
Read more on the Sydney Environment Institute Blog.
Submission to the Independent Planning Commission
In July, a group of leading experts and researchers convened by the Sydney Environment Institute have found serious inadequacies within the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) Assessment Report recommending approval of the proposed Santos Narrabri Gas Project.
The Independent Planning Commission has been asked to make a determination regarding the NGP, with a final hearing commencing this week, to determine whether the NGP is in the public interest.
This submission finds that the DPIE’s recommendation for approving the NGP is based on a systematic failure by the DPIE to provide robust evidence in effectively evaluating Santos’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The DPIE Assessment Report provides flawed evidence that the public will be guaranteed net community benefits, which constitute serious inadequacies in the planning and assessment process.
This project is led by Michelle St Anne, Deputy Director and Operations Manager – Programming, Impact and Engagement at the Sydney Environment Institute.
This report is co-authored by Greg Bourne, Matthew Currell, Tanya Fiedler, Rebecca Lawrence, Susan Park, Nathaniel Pelle, Madeline Taylor, Gemma Viney and Alison Ziller.
On Jul 23, the report was presented to the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s Narrabri Gas Project Hearing.
Read the report here:
Upcoming Author Webinar: International Organisations and Global Problems /
Upcoming Author Webinar (29th September)
Join Susan Park on the 29th of September, 11-12 UTC (CET) to talk about her book International Organisations and Global Problems.
Professor Park will answer questions regarding global governance and the role of international organisations in solving contemporary political problems. The event will also give advice to lecturers on how to use Susan’s textbook, particularly whilst distance teaching.
Susan is an Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Sydney. She has published in journals including International Politics, Global Governance and Global Environmental Politics. She is also the author of World Bank Group Interacts with Environmentalists: Changing International Organisation Identities (2010) and co-editor of Owning Development: Creating Global Policy Norms in the IMF and the World Bank (Cambridge, 2010).
'How do international organizations (IOs) solve problems? In this theoretically driven book, Dr Susan Park examines how IOs tackle the complex global issues of the day. With a keen eye towards the politics that empower and constrain IOs, Park produces a pragmatic approach to understanding the dense ecosystem of IOs, how they should function, and - most importantly - how they actually perform in the real world.' Catherine Weaver, University of Texas, Austin
RSVP and learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/328008524944371
Read MoreTeaching Earth System Governance: New approaches for learning and action - Conference in Mexico /
Some action from the ESG conference in Mexico.
The conference was held from the 6th to the 8th November 2019 in Oaxaca, Mexico. The conference was hosted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Earth System Governance Project.
A panel of excellent presentations chaired by Dahlia Simangan
Do global governance processes create more accountability gaps? @spark_syd opens a series of pitches on recent @ESG_Project publications at #ESG2019 pic.twitter.com/DKRDVC4L8k
— ESG Project (@ESG_Project) November 6, 2019
Innovative session on 'Teaching Earth System Governance: New approaches for learning and action', inspiring ESG teaching in an equally inspiring setting #ESG2019 @ESG_Project pic.twitter.com/aZjn67bUtt
— ESG Project (@ESG_Project) November 6, 2019
Governance of Environmental Disasters - Sydney Ideas Event /
Who should govern environmental disasters, and how?
As global warming rapidly heats up our planet, the likelihood and frequency of environmental disasters caused by extreme weather events – from bushfires to floods – rises substantially. As part of the Environmental Disasters Symposium, organised by Professor Susan Park, this Sydney Ideas event brings together scholars working on environmental disasters from a range of disciplines, issue areas, and countries to grapple with critical questions. What we need to do to govern such disasters effectively? Who should govern environmental disasters and how?
The speakers:
• Professor Linda Hancock, Deakin University
• Professor Susan Park, University of Sydney
• Postdoctoral Fellow Francisco Molina Camacho, CIGIDEN
• (Chair) Professor Abbas El-Zein, University of Sydney
When:
Thursday 21 November, 6 – 7.30pm
Where:
University of Sydney - Social Sciences Building (A02)
RSVP: environmentaldisasters.eventbrite.com.au
This event is part of the Environmental Disasters Symposium (21-22 November), a collaboration between Sydney Social and Humanities Advanced Research Centre, Sydney Environment Institute and the Office of Global Engagement.
Scholarship Update: New Collaboration, Senior Hans Fischer Fellowship (2019-2022) /
Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship
Read MoreBook Launch Photos! Global Environmental Governance and the Accountability Trap /
Book launch for “Global Environmental Governance and The Accountability Trap”.
Read MoreInternational Studies Association - 60th Annual Conference /
International Studties Association (ISA) celebrates 60 years of connecting scholars & practitioners in the field of international studies
Read MoreAcademic & Research Advice for International Relations Students /
Dr Susan Park gives advice on how to get your academic career off to a flying start. Susan is in the Government & International Relations Department at the University of Sydney. In this video she answers common questions from students starting out in studying and researching International Relations and Political economy.
Read MoreHow to hold new types of development finance to account? An action plan for multilateral development banks /
New forms of finance for development projects are creating problems in terms of accountability. As MDBs increase their lending to financial intermediaries compliance with social and environmental policy becomes much harder.
Read MoreUNEP Masterclass with Professor Maria Ivanova via zoom from UMass Boston /
UNEP Masterclass with Professor Maria Ivanova via zoom from UMass Boston
Read MoreBook Launch! Global Environmental Governance and The Accountability Trap /
“Global Environmental Governance and The Accountability Trap” will be launched in Toronto, Canada, at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. 6-8pm, Wednesday March 27
Read MoreElecting the World's Banker: What does Dr Jim Kim's resignation mean for the World Bank? /
Can the United States be stared down? No. The reason why it is likely for a US candidate to be president is that the United States has informal influence within the Bank as well as formal voting power (controlling 16.88 percent of the vote in the Bank, which gives it the power to veto decisions that require a super-majority to pass).
Read MoreConference and workshop: Governing Minerals for Renewable Energy /
The full cost of renewables needs investigation. Specifically, the value chains of minerals used to produce renewable energy remains hidden.
Read MoreMultilateral Development Banks, Accountablilty, Research - Dr Susan Park, Sydney University /
Dr Susan Park discusses her research into Multilateral Development Banks
In this interview, Dr Park discusses her latest research into Multilateral Development Banks and accountability structures of the the MDBs.
Power, Intergovernmental Organisations and the International Political Economy /
Dr Susan Park discusses the relationship between power, Intergovernmental organisations, and political economy. International organisations discussed include the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations and the IMF.
Read MoreConference Presentations - Susan Park /
Susan recently presented at the following conferences:
The International Political Studies Association annual conference in Brisbane in July 2018. Paper titled: "The Declining Independence of the World Bank Inspection Panel?". See more here.
Presented at the Asian Studies Association of Australia conference in Sydney in June 2018. Paper titled: "Environmental Justice and the Asian Development Bank". See more here.
Presented at the International Studies Association Annual conference 2018 in San Francisco in April 2018. Papers titled: "Greening the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development through Accountability?". See more here.
Conference News - Keynote speaker at Earth Systems Governance Conference, Utrecht, The Netherlands /
Susan Park, keynote speaker at 2018 Utrecht Conference on Earth System Governance, the Netherlands
Read MoreInternational Organisations and Global Problems: Theories and Explanations /
How do international organizations (IOs) solve problems? In this theoretically driven book, Dr Susan Park examines how IOs tackle today’s complex global issues.
Read MoreOur new book will be out Feburary 2019 /
Global Environmental Governance and the Accountability Trap
Edited by Susan Park and Teresa Kramarz
An examination of whether accountability mechanisms in global environmental governance that focus on monitoring and enforcement necessarily lead to better governance and better environmental outcomes.