PCSD: Current Activities
PCSD Draft Report
Climate Change Task Force
Environmental Management Task Force
International Task Force
Metropolitan and Rural Strategies Task Force



Climate Change Task Force updated 2/99

In November 1997, the Task Force approved a set of Climate Principles that were transmitted to the President. Rather than focus on the entire range of issues that emerge when considering climate change, the Task Force is exploring three important areas of policy development that build on those Principles: 1) the role of communities in climate mitigation; 2) development and deployment of climate-friendly technologies; and 3) incentives for early action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Cross-Cutting Policies and Issues Working Group (Co-chairs: Scott Bernstein, Center for Neighborhood Technology; and John Adams, Natural Resources Defense Council) developed recommendations to foster greater community involvement in climate change mitigation strategies that also further progress in other areas of sustainable development. This Working Group also is planning a forum to give banks, regulators, and interested community groups the chance to discuss opportunities to mitigate climate change and achieve other sustainable development objectives in the context of the rapid restructuring the financial industry is experiencing. This forum is tentatively scheduled for early 1999.

Technology Working Group (Co-chairs: John Atcheson, Department of Energy; John Williams, General Motors Corporation; and Donna Wise, World Resources Institute) developed a set of objectives and policy recommendations to achieve greenhouse gas reductions for the agriculture, buildings, electric power, industry, and transportation sectors. The Council incorporated their recommendations in its draft report.

Economic, Regulatory, and Voluntary Measures Working Group (Co-chairs: Marcia Aronoff, Environmental Defense Fund; Ken Blower, British Petroleum; Rob Wolcott, Environmental Protection Agency) developed principles for the design of an early action program. These principles were presented to Vice President Gore on Oct. 27th. (See link below)

Progress Report:
The Climate Change task force sent a letter to the President in November 1997 outlining its first product: a set of climate principles which were agreed upon to help the task force in its policy deliberations. In the letter, the co-chairs of the Council stated: "This consensus statement about climate policy from industry, environmental, citizen and state and local leaders is, as far as we are aware, the first such agreement on climate policy." The principles call for incentives for early action, international commitments, accountability, flexibility, strong measures to encourage technology, and fairness.

Working group meetings began in February 1998. The Working Groups have developed a set of objectives and general policy aproaches to spur technological innovation and a set of principles for early action.



U.S. Environmental and Business Leaders Agree Early Action Is Needed to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Present Principles for Early Action to Vice President Gore


Environmental Management Task Force updated 3/99

The PCSDs' landmark report Sustainable America: A New Consensus for Prosperity, Opportunity and a Healthy Environment for the Future made a number of recommendations regarding the nation's environmental management framework. These included: accelerating efforts to evaluate existing regulations and to create opportunities for attaining environmental goals at lower economic costs; creating an alternative performance-based management system; using market incentives as a part of an overall framework; and shifting tax policies and reforming subsidies that encourage environmentally damaging activities. Recognizing this and other recent work, the Environmental Management Task Force chose to focus in its newly completed report on integrating key concepts, adding others, and recommending next steps for organizing environmental management toward sustainable development.

The first part of the task force report puts forth further observations on the vision of a new environmental management framework and its key attributes (e.g., Improve Performance, Ensure Environmental Stewardship, Involve Communities, etc.). The second part offers some specific recommendations about the next steps in building a new framework to foster sustainable development (e.g., Measuring Progress and Accountability, Improving Environmental Management Performance, Linking Places and Strategies, and New Approaches For Persistent Problems and Emerging Issues). These two sections suggest how and where change can happen -- any new framework would necessarily address a far greater number of issues, as well as the imperative of the international context.

A 21st century framework for environmental management and protection that fosters sustainable development will be one that drives continuous environmental improvement to accompany continuous economic and social gains. To do this, the new framework must consider, accept and strategically optimize the benefits of the dynamic interplay between people, markets, information, technology, and the natural world.

Many environmental management and protection initiatives now underway begin to point the way to an environmental management framework for sustainable development. While none of them individually represents the full model for the future, these reform efforts each suggest elements that could become characteristics of the environmental management framework of the future. The combination of these elements working together, organized for sustainability, would undoubtedly have a multiplying effect, increasing the performance level of each element.

A new environmental management framework will include standard requirements for all but more flexible strategies for those who demonstrate strong environmental performance and increasing improvement. Such a framework will tap a combination of voluntary, regulatory and market mechanisms that motivate improved environmental performance, recognize the value of community, and respect a sense of place. The new framework will focus on more effective environmental protection and encourage more efficient strategies for increasing effectiveness. In summary, it is possible to create more prosperity and more opportunity for more people, with much less burden on the environment, if we agree that is what we want, and we are prepared to make it profitable to attain. This is the underlying premise of sustainable development; it is the assumption guiding this report.


International Task Force updated 2/99

The International Task Force has focused its efforts on three primary topics: examining the links between international private capital flows and sustainable development, interaction with other National Councils on Sustainable Development, and general advice on the promotion of sustainable development in international fora.

Given the enormous increase in international private capital flows to developing countries this decade, the Council examined the impacts of international private capital flows on efforts to achieve sustainable development. To begin to understand these complex issues, the International Task Force convened two fora relating to two timely and critical prospective multilateral mechanisms which would influence foreign investment: the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and the Clean Development Mechanism.

Interaction with other National Councils on Sustainable Development
The Task Force is pursuing interaction with other National Councils on Sustainable Development (NCSD) as part of the National Town Meeting.




Metropolitan and Rural Strategies Task Force updated 3/99

Summary

In February 1999, the Metropolitan and Rural Strategies Task Force completed its report to the Council on how multiple stakeholders can assist communities in metropolitan and rural areas to develop sustainably. The report is a chapter in the PCSD's report to the President, which will be released in April 1999. This work builds, in part, on the results from a workshop, entitled "People, Places, and Markets: Comprehensive Strategies for Building Sustainable Community," which was held from June 28-30, 1998. The task force's work also builds on previous PCSD reports, including Sustainable America (1996), the Sustainable Communities Task Force report (1997), and Building on Consensus (1997).

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