지방화?세계화시대 지역 환경관리의 과제와 정책방안 = A Study on Local Environmental Management and Policy Options in Localization and Globalization Era

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In the era of globalization, the provinces are no longer isolated areas that are protected by the national border, but have become independent actors which are directly exposed to the worldwide competition. They are now required to compete with provinces of another country on an equivalent basis. In order to make a province self-reliant and competitive so that it can survive against the turbulent waves of globalization, power and competency of the municipalities should be reinforced. This research touches upon the strategies for provinces in response to globalization, by focusing on environmental issues. It reviews the current status of the local environmental management and problems in four different aspects: division of roles for the environmental administrations between the central and local governments, allocation of environmental budgets between the central and local governments, administration systems of the municipalities, and local environmental governance. This paper provides the following policy options which can contribute to sustainable growth of the municipalities. The suggestions were based on understanding of the current problems and analysis of the current status of the local environmental management. First, for a given environmental problem, it is to decide, if local governments are more appropriate to solve the problem and are the authority to be delegated. Once a decision is made to transfer or delegate the authority to the municipalities, the capability and willpower of the environmental administration and management should be evaluated by the local authority so that a tiered allocation of authority based on the evaluation results can be carried out. Once the authority has been transferred, follow-up activities should be continued and proper incentive or punishment should be given based on the evaluation results, offering a basis for the local government to faithfully carry out the obligations. Second, the resources for tackling the environmental issues at municipalities need to be expanded and they should be given more leeway in budgeting. At the same time, the ratio of subsidizing the municipalities needs to be adjusted in line with the degree of its self-reliance. By integrating the subsidies that have been allocated to each project, a comprehensive type of subsidy system should be expanded and a financial support system based on the evaluation results of the environmental conditions and performance should be in place. Third, in order to realize sustainable growth for the municipalities and for more efficient environmental protection, the environmental-related tasks need to be managed in an integrated approach, classified by the medium of contamination. In particular, an organic job link and support system in charge of economic, social and environmental affairs and adjustment and integration of different policies should be built among the different divisions. For an integrated environmental management, the current management that has been implemented for each single different medium for air, water, soil, waste, and natural environment needs to be integrated. In addition, an installation of the Local Commission on Sustainable Development is required to ensure an organic job connection among different divisions in charge of economic, social and environmental affairs and adjustment of the policies. Fourth, in order to solve the environmental problems affecting a wide area or region such as air or water contamination, it is essential to cooperate with the neighboring municipalities. The environmental problems including the establishment of green networks to preserve the natural ecosystem, an improvement of the water quality of rivers, prevention of spread of air pollution, management of air quality across wide areas, and joint utilization of waste treatment facilities, call for high-level organizations for a coordination of conflicting interests of related municipalities. Fifth, for a successful operation of local environmental governance, a system of consensus based on the mutual understanding and trust among government, enterprise, and civil society is required. Such local environmental governance as the Local Agenda 21 and the Local Commission on Sustainable Development should take root in the local system and an organic link needs to be formed between the two. Sixth, in order for the municipalities to accept the global standards and actively respond to the global environmental issues and international environmental regime, there should be a task force team formed to tackle global environmental problems and promote international cooperation at the level of the municipalities. In addition, they should be actively responding to the environmental problems at the local or global level by setting forth their opinions by attending various international conferences on environmental issues or joining international environmental organizations or promoting cooperation with local authorities of the other countries.