ABSTRACT
In the Philippines the 1991 Local Government Code devolved a number of functions to provincial municipal and barangay governments including the provision of basic services and some natural resource responsibilities. The North-West University's evaluation of medium-sized local authorities in the southern South African development community illustrated the value of simple education measures to inform greener governance. Investment has been focused on: renewable energy electricity grids, mass transit, low-carbon vehicles, building efficiency, environmental conservation, education, health-care and the restructuring of tax and financial incentives. While many local councils were ill-prepared to take on this decentralised responsibility, alliance-building elsewhere allowed local social movements to deal with natural resource management not covered by national programmes, which led to improved livelihoods and the return of biodiversity. Concepts such as fairness and social justice are crucial, as they influence how desirable change is to people.
