| dc.description.abstract | As the climate change crisis accelerates, and in the wake of the Paris Agreement, the extent of environmental policy integration (EPI) throughout Europe deepens. Civil society, industry and policymakers alike move towards sustainable development in all sectors and across many levels of governance. The cruise tourism sector has experienced dramatic growth in the European market in the last few years. The revenue generated is considered beneficial for many coastal cities and communities. However, many citizens also suffer from the environmental impact, specifically emissions. The role of global governance in climate issues has grown over the last several decades, yet the shipping sector is often overlooked or pushed to the responsibility of the IMO. This lack of a clear leader has left room for other actors on local, national and supra-national levels to set the agenda and create policy innovation. With these challenges of opposing interests among various actors, it leads one to wonder who is setting the agenda. At what governance level in Europe are agenda setters initiating green policy on emissions impacts of the cruise ship industry? This work examines these questions in relation to agenda-setting and policy diffusion, examining the path of the agenda, both top-down and bottom-up approaches. From a local perspective, cases from Southampton and Venice are examined, showing two different approaches to bottom-up movement. These cases both incorporate a strong public and media agenda without much success On a national level, I analyze Germany’s influence on the supra-national agenda versus their lacking domestic agenda. The national case of Norway proves to be one of a policy entrepreneur and innovator with their zero emission fjord policy. Finally, on a supra-national level, I examine the EU and the IMO, and the EU’s attempts to set the IMOs agenda. The research showed that it is not one or the other. There is no traditional top-down or bottom-up, rather multiple levels are setting the agenda and show evidence of policy diffusion. Furthermore, policy can be innovated at any level, yet most often in this issue, seem to come from the national or local level actors who work in cooperation with industry. | |