The head of the UN climate change secretariat, Yvo de Boer, held a press conference yesterday to mark the halfway point of the Bonn talks.   The meetings in Bonn are meant to make progress on a final global climate change agreement due to be signed in Copenhagen in December.

de Boer summed up the four points of "clarity" that he thinks are prerequisites for a final agreement:

• Clarity on individual greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for industrialized countries

• Clarity on what large developing countries (like China and India) will do to minimize the growth of their emissions

• Clarity on financial support for developing countries on adaptation and mitigation

• A governance structure for adaptation and mitigation aid that gives developing countries a voice in how money is spent.

It's hard to disagree with de Boer's analysis.  At this point there is little clarity on any of these points, but perhaps as the week progresses some broad contours will be revealed.

According to the Morris County New Jersey Daily Record, regional planning efforts in the northwest part of the state have resulted in "stopping sprawl."  The article cites the fact that no new large subdivisions were constructed in the county as evidence of sprawl's demise.

While the economic downturn, depressed housing prices, and the credit crunch may also have had something to do with halting development, the article emphasizes the power of a 2004 state legislative initiative-- The Highlands Act--as being the primary reason.

The Act was established to protect open space and water quality in northern New Jersey.  My understanding is that the seven counties and over 80 municipalities that are located in the Highlands area have to insure that their plans are in compliance with the regional Highlands Plan.  Additionally, the Plan is governed by a regional council that has veto power over large development decisions.

This type of regional decision making power is essential to minimize the negative consequences that accompany the typical fragmented land use decisions seen elsewhere in North America.  If it seems like the Highlands Plan is really influencing the trajectory of development in northwestern New Jersey, it might be a useful model for other states to follow in order to bring some coherence to metropolitan development. 

Normally, governors or state officials who recommend regional planning with teeth meet significant levels of resistance from legislatures and municipalities.  The Highlands Act seems to have been an exception.