UN’s Agenda 21 -SECTION IV MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Our real estate development industry has changed by United Nation’s Agenda 21 programs and policies being promoted at the local level.

Learn how Agenda 21 has impacted and changed our real estate development industry  over the past 20 years.

Highlighted in blue are the Agenda 21 subsection titles of the UN document.

I have highlighted specific sections in red to illustrate important UN policies

I have emphasized my comments in green for your consideration.

SECTION IV.  MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Agenda 21 – Chapter 33   FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND MECHANISMS

33.1. The General Assembly, in resolution 44/228 of 22 December 1989, inter alia, decided that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development should: Identify ways and means of providing new and additional financial resources,

33.5. For dealing with environmental issues, special efforts will be required. Global and local environmental issues are interrelated. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity address two of the most important global issues.

LOCAL environmental issues are interrelated to the global environment? So we change our environmental regulations to govern how, where, and what to build in our communities on private land for the betterment of the earth? So a town of 2,500 people in a highly regulated state (there are many) has to follow strict environmental regulations when countries around the world could care less. This is not leading the world but punishing the land owner and hindering entrepreneurs from developing real estate projects.

33.8. All countries should assess how to translate Agenda 21 into national policies and programmes through a process that will integrate environment and development considerations. National and local priorities should be established by means that include public participation and community involvement, promoting equal opportunity for men and women.

For 20 years, local, state, and federal government agencies have been expanding environmental regulations for existing uses i.e. manufacturing, vehicles and for new real estate projects. Environmental regulations have been taking land off the market and limiting its use without compensation. The real estate development industry which includes me has not been successful in stemming the tide of regulation. But what industry has?

The process in which real estate development regulations become “the way it is”.

Agenda 21 policies and programs are infused into each of the administrations since 1990. Federal policies are enacted and funding sources allocated to nudge state and local governments to follow suit.  Environmental protection has seen an avalanche of regulations for over 20 years and now, it is renewable energy.

State and local governments accept federal funding with strings attached. Each state prepares their own environmental protection regulations specific to their location but are attached to the national initiative. This fragmented approach continues to divide our industry’s effort to combat state regulations.

Local governments then use the state regulations as a benchmark to expand (not retract because local regulation can take precedence if more restrictive!) their own environmental regulations.

All of this is being done with public input by special interest groups and individual land owners are never represented or they lack the understanding of how their land will be impacted.

Once regulations are imposed, staff with support of the politicians implement the regulations and in many cases modified by their own interpretation of the regulations. Government staffers thrive on regulations because they have job security, power, and impunity.

So where do government staffers get their inspiration or ideas on how a community should grow? 

Real estate development is governed by restrictions and what you can’t do. Have you ever wanted to rezone a property and the staff says NO?

Can you seek the highest and best use for a property, yes but staff will only support what they think is best.

 

True or Untrue?

 

33.10. The implementation of the huge sustainable development programmes of Agenda 21 will require the provision to developing countries of substantial new and additional financial resources. Grant or concessional financing should be provided according to sound and equitable criteria and indicators. The progressive implementation of Agenda 21 should be matched by the provision of such necessary financial resources. The initial phase will be accelerated by substantial early commitments of concessional funding.

33.13. In general, the financing for the implementation of Agenda 21 will come from a country's own public and private sectors. For developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, ODA is a main source of external funding, and substantial new and additional funding for sustainable development and implementation of Agenda 21 will be required. Developed countries reaffirm their commitments to reach the accepted United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for ODA and, to the  extent that they have not yet achieved that target, agree to augment their aid programmes in order to reach that target as soon as possible and to ensure prompt and effective implementation of Agenda 21.

33.14. Funding for Agenda 21 and other outcomes of the Conference should be provided in a way that maximizes the availability of new and additional resources and uses all available funding sources and mechanisms. These include, among others:

b. The relevant specialized agencies, other United Nations bodies and other international organizations, which have designated roles to play in supporting national Governments in implementing Agenda 21;

34.29. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this chapter to be between $450 million and $600 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

Consider the funding levels of the US government for UN activities which includes changing our real estate industry and private property rights.

 

Agenda 21 – Chapter 36

PROMOTING EDUCATION, PUBLIC AWARENESS AND TRAINING

36.2. Programme areas described in the present chapter are:

a. Reorienting education towards sustainable development;

b. Increasing public awareness;

c. Promoting training.

36.3. Education, including formal education, public awareness and training should be recognized as a process by which human beings and societies can reach their fullest potential. Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues.

So where do government staffers get their inspiration or ideas on how a community should grow?  Now you know!

36.4. Recognizing that countries, regional and international organizations will develop their own priorities and schedules for implementation in accordance with their needs, policies and programmes,

To achieve environmental and development awareness in all sectors of society on a world-wide scale as soon as possible;

o. To strive to achieve the accessibility of environmental and development education, linked to social education, from primary school age through adulthood to all groups of people;

36.9. The objective is to promote broad public awareness as an essential part of a global education effort to strengthen attitudes, values and actions which are compatible with sustainable development.

 It is important to stress the principle of devolving authority, accountability and resources to the most appropriate level with preference given to local responsibility and control over awareness-building activities.

Agenda 21 is not a conspiracy theory. It is a long focused document providing an outline on how to achieve sustainability through UN guidance – implemented at the LOCAL level.

There has been over 20 years of UN funding implementing Agenda 21 programs. This effort is supported by the federal government allocating funding and resources in various Departments, agencies and councils. To mention just a few:

Department of Energy

Department of Transportation

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of Agriculture

Department of Environmental Protection

Department of State

Department of Education

Army Corps of Engineers

 

Please read this section and distribute:

The Agenda 21 plan openly targets Land Ownership.  

For over thirty-five years the UN has made their stance very clear on the issue of individuals owning land;

Land… cannot be:

Treated as an ordinary asset

Controlled by individuals

Subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market.

According to the UN:

“Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice; if unchecked, it may become a major obstacle in the planning and implementation of development schemes. “

“The provision of decent dwellings and healthy conditions for the people can only be achieved if LAND is used in the interest of society as a whole.”

Do your own Homework!

UN’s Division for Sustainable Development --- AGENDA 21

The following excerpts are taken directly from the UN Agenda 21 document:

 

Section 1, Chapter 7

9(f) All countries, especially developing ones, should, as appropriate, formulate and implement programmes to reduce the impact of the phenomenon of rural to urban drift by improving rural living conditions

NOTE: President Obama signed Executive Order #13575 to create the White House Rural Council. The mission of the Council is to:

“…work across executive departments, agencies, and offices to coordinate development of policy recommendations to promote economic prosperity and quality of life in rural America, and shall coordinate my Administration’s engagement with rural communities…”

In my opinion, the White House Rural council was specifically created to comply with Agenda 21 Section 1, Chapter 7, 9 (f). 

Section 1, Chapter 7

16(c) Adopting innovative city planning strategies to address environmental and social issues by:

1.    Reducing subsidies on, and recovering the full costs of, environmental and other services of high standard (e.g. water supply, sanitation, waste collection, roads, telecommunications) provided to higher income neighbourhoods;

Objective

7.28. The objective is to provide for the land requirements of human settlement development through environmentally sound physical planning and land use so as to ensure access to land to all households and, where appropriate, the encouragement of communally and collectively owned and managed land. Particular attention should be paid to the needs of women and indigenous people for economic and cultural reasons.

Activities

7.29. All countries should consider, as appropriate, undertaking a comprehensive national inventory of their land resources in order to establish a land information system in which land resources will be classified according to their most appropriate uses and environmentally fragile or disaster-prone areas will be identified for special protection measures.

Did you Know: that the federal government has in place an organization developing a “comprehensive national land inventory” data base to be used in a variety of ways?

 About MRLC

The Multi-Resolution Land Characterization (MRLC) consortium is a group of federal agencies who coordinate and generate consistent and relevant land cover information at the national scale for a wide variety of environmental, land management, and modeling applications.

The creation of this consortium has resulted in the mapping of the lower 48 United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico into a comprehensive land cover product termed, the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), from decadal Landsat satellite imagery and other supplementary datasets.

The primary objective of the MRLC NLCD is to provide the Nation with nationally complete, current, consistent, and public domain information on the Nation's land cover.

Land cover information is critical for local, state, and federal managers and officials to assist them with issues such as assessing ecosystem status and health, modeling nutrient and pesticide runoff, understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity, land use planning, deriving landscape pattern metrics, and developing land management policies.

 

7.30. Subsequently, all countries should consider developing national land-resource management plans to guide land-resource development and utilization and, to that end, should:

(a) Establish, as appropriate, national legislation to guide the implementation of public policies for environmentally sound urban development, land utilization, housing and for the improved management of urban expansion;

Did You Know: 

S.1619 (111^th): Livable communities Act of 2009

Introduced August 6, 2009 (111^th Congress, 2009-2010)

 

S.1621 (112^th): Livable Communities Act of 2011

Introduced September 22, 2011 (112^th Congress, 2011-2013)

 

Did you read the proposed legislation? And….

WHY do you think similar legislation continues to be introduced?

 

Next Week Blog Post:

Wait to your read about the organizations and groups promoting Agenda 21 policies and programs throughout the US …………………….Next week! Do you own homework!


 

UN’s Agenda 21: Sec 3 –STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS

UN’s Agenda 21: Sec 3 –STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS

The real estate development industry has changed by the implementation of United Nation policies and letting all stakeholders to the table

Highlighted in blue are the Agenda 21 subsection titles of the UN document.
I have highlighted specific sections in red to illustrate important UN policies
I have emphasized my comments in green for your consideration.

Before analyzing Section 3 of Agenda 21, I wanted to provide additional background on the global effort toward sustainable development which is not necessarily a good thing!

DID YOU KNOW:

1. The United States Business Council for Sustainable Development began in 1992 with the innovative, cross-boundary thinking of a few company leaders in the Gulf of Mexico region. The list of companies on the council will make you pause for concern.

2. The United Nations conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which marked the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, was held in Rio de Janeiro from June 20-22, 2012.

With over 40,000 attendees and participation from 191 nations and observers, including 79 heads of states or governments, it was the largest conference ever hosted by the United Nations.

The United States delegation was led by:

Secretary of State Clinton and was composed of over 40 delegates, the Secretary of State attends a Sustainable Development conference – really?
including U.S. mayors and county officials (for example, Oakland and North Little Rock), Local government officials attended on the backs of local citizens for what benefit?
NGO and private sector representatives (for example, National Research Defense Council and the U.S. Council for International Business)
and delegates from 12 U.S. government agencies such as the State Department,
Environmental Protection Agency (led by Administrator Jackson),

U.S. Agency for International Development and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The USDA was represented by Elise Golan, Director of Sustainable Development,

Office of the Chief Economist; Greg Crosby,

National Program Leader, Sustainable Development, Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment,

National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and for the Global Bioenergy Partnership events, Gerald Ostheimer,

AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow,

International Affairs Specialist, Office of Global Analysis Foreign Agriculture Service.

The Rio+20 conference is the 20^th anniversary of the initial Agenda 21conference which set everything in motion.  20 years of funding, organizing, regulating and EDUCATING from federal government to the local level. Very difficult to overcome the momentum but if we do not rally our real estate development industry to counteract this trend, our individual property rights will disappear for the collective!

Most of the recommendations that were made (Agenda 21) have still not been implemented. A number of working groups have thus written to the Obama Administration urging it to develop and implement such as a National Strategy for Sustainability

A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY – really? We can’t even get an energy policy!

Let’s review the approach from one federal agency --- USDA.

As of 2010^[update], a Director of Sustainable Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a mission of advancing the principles and goals of sustainable development through partnerships, collaboration, and outreach. If the USDA has sustainable development as a mission, wouldn’t you think that other federal agencies might even be more engaged in the subject i.e. EPA, Energy Transportation, etc.?

As an example:

The FY 2014 EPA budget request also includes:

• $20 million for climate change research, specifically climate change impacts on human health.
• $1.9 million was requested for the SmartGrowth program, which would strengthen local economies through sustainable community growth and efficient design.
• $7.6 million is slated for the Environmental Justice (EJ) program, which incorporates the considerations of disproportionately impacted minority, low-income and tribal communities into rulemaking processes.

Interagency Partnerships – As part of a partnership between HUD, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the budget includes $75 million in Integrated Planning and Investment Grants to help communities develop housing and transportation plans and improve their resilience to extreme weather and other climate change impacts. This may include incentives to update building codes, revise land-use and zoning ordinances, and other activities to “reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and increase affordable housing near public transit.”

HUD --- Choice Neighborhoods – The budget proposal includes $400 million (versus $120 million enacted in FY 2012) to transform 30 neighborhoods of extreme poverty into sustainable, mixed-income communities

Dept of State ---- In addition, the FY 2014 budget request for the Department of State includes $317 million in bilateral development assistance for climate adaptation, clean energy, and the sustainable landscapes program within the Global Climate Change (GCC) priority area

NOW……………………………………………………….

AGNEDA 21 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION III. STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS

23. Preamble

23.1. Critical to the effective implementation of the objectives, policies and mechanisms agreed to by Governments in all programme areas of Agenda 21 will be the commitment and genuine involvement of all social groups.

23.2. One of the fundamental prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development is broad public participation in decision-making. Furthermore, in the more specific context of environment and development, the need for new forms of participation has emerged. This includes the need of individuals, groups and organizations to participate in environmental impact assessment procedures and to know about and participate in decisions, particularly those which potentially affect the communities in which they live and work. Individuals, groups and organizations should have access to information relevant to environment and development held by national authorities, including information on products and activities that have or are likely to have a significant impact on the environment, and information on environmental protection measures.

Without a question the real estate development industry has been subject to broad public participation in the decision making process. Did you ever question where such an effort to energize the general public was initiated? Agenda 21!

24. Global action for women towards sustainable and equitable development

25. Children and youth in sustainable development

e. Mobilize communities through schools and local health centres so that children and their

parents become effective focal points for sensitization of communities to environmental
issues;

f. Establish procedures to incorporate children's concerns into all relevant policies and

strategies for environment and development at the local, regional and national levels, including those concerning allocation of and entitlement to natural resources, housing and recreation needs, and control of pollution and toxicity in both rural and urban areas.

Remember Al Core’s statement to a group of children: “And when our parents’ generation couldn’t answer that question, that’s when the law started to change. There are some things about our world that you know that older people don’t know,” he continued. “Why would that be? Well in a period of rapid change, the old assumptions sometimes just don’t work anymore because they’re out of date,” Gore said.

26. Recognizing and strengthening the role of indigenous people and their communities

27. Strengthening the role of non-governmental organizations: partners for sustainable development

27.1. Non-governmental organizations play a vital role in the shaping and implementation of participatory democracy. Their credibility lies in the responsible and constructive role they play in society. Formal and informal organizations, as well as grass-roots movements, should be recognized as partners in the implementation of Agenda 21. The nature of the independent role played by non-governmental organizations within a society calls for real participation; therefore, independence is a major attribute of non-governmental organizations and is the precondition of real participation.

I will have a separate blog post on the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives  (ICLEI) which was founded in 1990! Do your own research but don’t be surprised at how our local community efforts are guided by such organizations.

27.2. One of the major challenges facing the world community as it seeks to replace unsustainable development patterns with environmentally sound and sustainable development is the need to activate a sense of common purpose on behalf of all sectors of society

The Federal Budget has allocated enormous amounts of money to sustainable development initiatives. Federal tax dollars, staffing, and on-going programs are allocated resources to change the way we develop land. It may sound good but is it good?

27.3. Non-governmental organizations, including those non-profit organizations representing groups addressed in the present section of Agenda 21, possess well-established and diverse experience, expertise and capacity in fields which will be of particular importance to the implementation and review of environmentally sound and socially responsible sustainable development, as envisaged throughout Agenda 21. The community of non-governmental organizations, therefore, offers a global network that should be tapped, enabled and strengthened in support of efforts to achieve these common goals.

Agenda 21 promotes a link between government agencies and non-government organizations through funding to achieve environmentally sound and socially responsible sustainable development goals.

What is environmentally sound?

What is socially responsible?

Objectives

27.5. Society, Governments and international bodies should develop mechanisms to allow nongovernmental organizations to play their partnership role responsibly and effectively in the process of environmentally sound and sustainable development.

27.8. Governments and international bodies should promote and allow the participation of nongovernmental organizations in the conception, establishment and evaluation of official mechanisms and formal procedures designed to review the implementation of Agenda 21 at all levels.

27.10. Governments should take measures to:

a. Establish or enhance an existing dialogue with non-governmental organizations and their

self-organized networks representing various sectors, which could serve to: (i) consider the rights and responsibilities of these organizations; (ii) efficiently channel integrated non-governmental inputs to the governmental policy development process; and (iii) facilitate non-governmental coordination in implementing national policies at the programme level; b. Encourage and enable partnership and dialogue between local non-governmental organizations and local authorities in activities aimed at sustainable development;

e. Review government education systems to identify ways to include and expand the involvement of non-governmental organizations in the field of formal and informal education and of public awareness;

28. Local authorities' initiatives in support of Agenda 21

The UN’s Agenda 21 reaches into our LOCAL communities!

28.1. Because so many of the problems and solutions being addressed by Agenda 21 have their roots in local activities, the participation and cooperation of local authorities will be a determining factor in fulfilling its objectives. Local authorities construct, operate and maintain economic, social and environmental infrastructure, oversee planning processes, establish local environmental policies and regulations, and assist in implementing national and subnational environmental policies. As the level of governance closest to the people, they play a vital role in educating, mobilizing and responding to the public to promote sustainable development.

28.2. The following objectives are proposed for this programme area: a. By 1996, most local authorities in each country should have undertaken a consultative process with their populations and achieved a consensus on "a local Agenda 21" for the community;

28.3. Each local authority should enter into a dialogue with its citizens, local organizations and private enterprises and adopt "a local Agenda 21". Through consultation and consensus-building, local authorities would learn from citizens and from local, civic, community, business and industrial organizations and acquire the information needed for formulating the best strategies. The process of consultation would increase household awareness of sustainable development issues. Local authority programmes, policies, laws and regulations to achieve Agenda 21 objectives would be assessed and modified, based on local programmes adopted. Strategies could also be used in supporting proposals for local, national, regional and international funding.

29. Strengthening the role of workers and their trade unions

Basis for action

29.1. Efforts to implement sustainable development will involve adjustments and opportunities at the national and enterprise levels, with workers foremost among those concerned. As their

representatives, trade unions are vital actors in facilitating the achievement of sustainable
development in view of their experience in addressing industrial change, the extremely high priority they give to protection of the working environment and the related natural environment, and their promotion of socially responsible and economic development. The existing network of collaboration among trade unions and their extensive membership provide important channels through which the concepts and practices of sustainable development can be supported. The established principles of tripartism provide a basis for strengthened collaboration between workers and their representatives, Governments and employers in the implementation of sustainable development.

30. Strengthening the role of business and industry

30.1. Business and industry, including transnational corporations, play a crucial role in the social and economic development of a country. A stable policy regime enables and encourages business and industry to operate responsibly and efficiently and to implement longer-term policies. Increasing  prosperity, a major goal of the development process, is contributed primarily by the activities of business and industry. Business enterprises, large and small, formal and informal, provide major trading, employment and livelihood opportunities. Business opportunities available to women are contributing towards their professional development, strengthening their economic role and transforming social systems. Business and industry, including transnational corporations, and their representative organizations should be full participants in the implementation and evaluation of activities related to Agenda 21.

"The National Councils for Sustainable Development...almost mirror the CSD's mandate (trustee of the "Spirit of Rio") at the national level. They monitor the state of affairs in national sustainable development efforts; keep sustainability, as a key national priority; enable broad-based partnerships towards sustainable development; generate participatory processes in national sustainable development decision making; and ensure that sustainable development actions taken in their countries are in harmony with each other as well as in harmony with similar actions taken by other countries in their regions and around the world... A missing link for the CSD since its creation has been its lack of direct connection with national sustainable development coordination mechanisms and efforts. National Councils for Sustainable Development...have the potential to help close this gap."

Undersecretary-General Nitin Desai
UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs

31. Scientific and technological community

32. Strengthening the role of farmers

32.6. National Governments should:

a. Ensure the implementation of the programmes on sustainable livelihoods, agriculture and

rural development, managing fragile ecosystems, water use in agriculture, and integrated
management of natural resources;

The key to this section of Agenda 21 is the cooperation of government and non-government agencies to implement Agenda 21 goals and objectives. This has been progressing over the past 20-years with millions of dollars being allocated by government to private groups.

 

More next week………..

 

 

 

Agenda 21: Section 2 – Conservation and Management of Resources for Development.

Agenda 21: Section 2 – Conservation and Management of Resources for Development.

The real estate development industry has slowly changed by the implementation of United Nation policies and objectives.

Highlighted in blue are the Agenda 21 subsection titles of the UN document.

I have highlighted specific sections in red to illustrate important UN policies

I have emphasized my comments in green for your consideration.

AGNEDA 21 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION II. CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT (Section 1 included

9. Protection of the atmosphere

10. Integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources

If, in the future, human requirements are to be met in a sustainable manner, it is now essential to resolve these conflicts and move towards more effective and efficient use of land and its natural resources. Integrated physical and land-use planning and management is an eminently practical way to achieve this. By examining all uses of land in an integrated manner, it makes it possible to minimize conflicts, to make the most efficient trade-offs and to link social and economic development with environmental protection and enhancement, thus helping to achieve the objectives of sustainable development.

Our local and state planning departments have been changing their land use and land development codes for years and the subtle changes are remarkable. Compare your current local zoning code to the one adopted 20 years ago.

10.3 Opportunities to allocate land to different uses arise in the course of major settlement or development projects or in a sequential fashion as lands become available on the market. This in turn provides opportunities to support traditional patterns of sustainable land management or to assign protected status for conservation of biological diversity or critical ecological services.

10.4. A number of techniques, frameworks and processes can be combined to facilitate an integrated approach. They are the indispensable support for the planning and management process, at the national and local level, ecosystem or area levels and for the development of specific plans of action. Many of its elements are already in place but need to be more widely applied, further developed and strengthened. This programme area is concerned primarily with providing a framework that will coordinate decision-making; the content and operational functions are therefore not included here but are dealt with in the relevant sectoral programmes of Agenda 21.

I have been advocate for the housing industry for decades. I have always said that as housing goes so goes the economy. Land development is changed at the local level. Little did I know or realize that many local government initiatives started at the UN and promoted through non-government organizations.

When the land development business is going great, we fail to watch what government is doing to the industry – simply no time. When the land development business is going not so great, we fail to watch what government is doing to the industry --- simply because many professionals leave the industry to make a living. We also do not have a voice at the table! Join the Real Estate Development eAssociation Group on LinkedIn.

Objectives

10.5. The broad objective is to facilitate allocation of land to the uses that provide the greatest sustainable benefits and to promote the transition to a sustainable and integrated management of land resources. In doing so, environmental, social and economic issues should be taken into consideration. Protected areas, private property rights, the rights of indigenous people and their communities and other local communities and the economic role of women in agriculture and rural development, among other issues, should be taken into account. In more specific terms, the objectives are as follows:

(a) To review and develop policies to support the best possible use of land and the sustainable management of land resources, by not later than 1996;

(b) To improve and strengthen planning, management and evaluation systems for land and land resources, by not later than 2000;

(c) To strengthen institutions and coordinating mechanisms for land and land resources, by not later than 1998;

(d) To create mechanisms to facilitate the active involvement and participation of all concerned, particularly communities and people at the local level, in decision-making on land use and management, by not later than 1996.

Citizen participation at the local level:

1970’s                        non-existent

1980’s                        HOA’s and participation at Planning Board hearings

1990’s                       Organized and politically engaged (Not in my Backyard)

2000’s                      Minority rule, environmental activism, public input required            (Citizens against really everything)

2010’s                     Time will tell but what has changed in the politica arena  that          would make our ability to develop land any easier???

My prediction: government will tell us that our land is not our land but land to be used for the good of the community; collectively designed but privately developed. 

11. Combating deforestation

12. Managing fragile ecosystems: combating desertification and drought
13. Managing fragile ecosystems: sustainable mountain development
14. Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development

14.45. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should:

a. Develop and implement programmes to remove and resolve the physical, social and

economic causes of land degradation, such as land tenure, appropriate trading systems
and agricultural pricing structures, which lead to inappropriate land-use management;

LAND TENURE??? I am guessing this means that if you own property (how long is your ownership) but do not take care of it the way they think you should, your land will be taken away from you or you will be fined. Local zoning enforcement agencies police private properties.

Is this happening NOW? Yes…….it is called eminent domain and regulatory taking. By layering regulations upon regulations from local, regional, state, and federal governments, many properties are being restricted and regulated inutility.

14.93. The objectives of this programme area are:

a. Not later than the year 2000, to initiate and encourage a process of environmentally
sound energy transition in rural communities, from unsustainable energy sources, to
structured and diversified energy sources by making available alternative new and
renewable sources of energy;

President Obama issued Executive Order #13575 on June 9, 2011.

This executive order established  THE WHITE HOUSE RURAL COUNCIL and in part:

Executive Order

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and in order to enhance Federal engagement with rural communities:  (d) identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development, outdoor recreation, and other conservation related activities.

 

14.99. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should enhance public awareness of rural energy problems, stressing the economic and environmental advantages of renewable energy sources.

Renewable energy sources has been elevated into our mainstream thought process every recession starting when we had to wait in line to get a gallon of gas. Not one President in the past 40 years has developed a comprehensive energy policy that includes nuclear, natural gas, oil, coal, wind, solar, etc. Why are our gas prices staying above $3.50 per gallon? It is painful to fill up your car just to travel to and from work! Are we seeing a new norm? Why? Is this just another way to market “economic and environmental advantages of renewable energy sources”?

15. Conservation of biological diversity

j. Promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in areas adjacent to protected areas with a view to furthering protection of these areas;

True or Untrue?

We have to save wetlands but in some states, we also have to add a buffer to the wetland line

Does your local government have their own community flood plain line which is over and above the FEMA flood plain?

There are endangered plants and animals and we have to save habitats but in some states we have to provide an additional buffer.

There are buffers along streams.

How about in land areas protected by state regulations, the land use is controlled and the zoning bulk requirements changed to limit development within the special area.

If you are reading this blog, please post your local regulation which illustrates how government is taking land off the market ADJACENT to protected areas.

16. Environmentally sound management of biotechnology

17. Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal areas and the protection, rational use and development of their living resources
18. Protection of the quality and supply of freshwater resources: application of integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources
19. Environmentally sound management of toxic chemicals, including prevention of illegal international traffic in toxic and dangerous products
20. Environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, in hazardous wastes
21. Environmentally sound management of solid wastes and sewage-related issues
22. Safe and environmentally sound management of radioactive wastes

If you make the time and do your own research, you will quickly realize that the federal government has created council’s and charged departments in the implementation of Agenda 21 goals and objectives.  

As an example the Council on Environmental Quality, First Annual Report in 1970 issued the following statement:

"We are coming to realize that our land is finite ....We must accept the idea that none of us has a right to abuse the land, and ... society as a whole has a legitimate interest in

proper land use."

Now fast forward to our current administration:

The Council on Environmental Quality is still in existence!

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) coordinates Federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. CEQ was established within the Executive Office of the President by Congress as part of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and additional responsibilities were provided by the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970.

Constitution of the United States:

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment XIV

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;

Without a question, government’s protection of the environment has taken regulations and the interpretation of those regulations to another level.

We have let government use the environment to dictate our development patterns.

We have let government swing the pendulum away from our basic right of land ownership to consensus design under the banner headline – sustainable development.  

In my opinion, we are all for sustainable development but not the way we are heading. Real estate development has not always been an approach of not what you can do but what you can’t do. Government staff takes local politics and national initiatives and interprets but with restriction as a goal rather than flexibility.

Did YOU KNOW?

ENERGY EFFICIENT MORTGAGE

HUD’s Energy Efficient Mortgage Home Owner Guide - THE ENERGY EFFICIENT MORTGAGE means comfort and savings. When you are buying, selling, refinancing, or remodeling your home, you can increase your comfort and actually save money by using the Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM). It is easy to use, federally recognized, and can be applied to most home mortgages. 

When the home has been built or retrofitted in conformance with the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standards for 2000 or later, then the lender may "stretch" the borrower's qualifying ratios.

LOCATION EFFICIENT MORTGAGE

Seattle, WA - Location Efficient Mortgage Program

“The City is partnering with Continental Bank and Fannie Mae to establish a Location Efficient Mortgage program. This program will permit potential condominium and other home buyers purchasing within walking distance of a station area to qualify for a larger mortgage than they would otherwise be eligible. Since these buyers may have lower or no car payments or transportation-related expenses, they are able to devote a larger percentage of their income to a mortgage (because of their homes’ proximity to transit).”

From the website of The Partnership for Sustainable Communities – “As the White House and Congress seek to reduce energy consumption and fight global warming, they’re turning to location-efficient mortgages as a way to coax consumers and the housing industry to make sustainable choices.”

The level of funding, number of organizations, and decades of advocacy already in motion promoting the policies of Agenda 21 are astounding. It is only a matter of time that the ratings used to evaluate energy and location efficient mortgages are used to approve or deny a real estate development project.

Next Week:

Agenda 21 Section 3. Strengthening the Role of Major Groups