ABSTRACT
Ireland’s submission to the Earth Summit 2002 conceded that ‘underlying problems in the relationship between the economy and the environment in Ireland have not been fully addressed’ (DoELG 2002a). Traditionally among the EU environmental laggards this would seem to imply that Ireland’s commitment to sustainable development is more rhetorical than real. This chapter examines sub-national engagement with the promotion of sustainable development in the Irish case. It considers the relationship between the use of traditional methods of government and emerging new modes of governance by illustrating challenges to implement waste management policy. In particular the focus on waste management addresses the case of domestic waste, since local authorities have been given responsibility for managing and dealing with the public on this issue. Above all, the discussion questions whether policy innovations and rhetoric at central government level have resulted in the emergence of effective governance capacities to realise sustainable solutions in waste management.
