The International Politics of the Environment: Actors, Interests, and Institutions

The International Politics of the Environment: Actors, Interests, and Institutions
ISBN-10
0198277784
ISBN-13
9780198277781
Pages
492
Language
English
Published
1992
Publisher
Clarendon Press
Authors
Benedict Kingsbury, Andrew Hurrell

Description

The most pressing environmental issues, such as global warming, ozone depletion, water and air pollution, deforestation, and the loss of biodiversity generate enormous tasks for science, technology, and economic and social organization. The seriousness and global scale of these problems also
poses new challenges for international relations and demands new forms of co-operation between states. Is such co-operation possible? This book brings together leading specialists to assess the strengths, limitations, and potential of the international political system for global environmental
management. It begins by examining the processes of international environmental negotiation, law-making, and regime formation, and explores the difficulties of implementation and enforcement. Experts close to particular institutions consider the environmental and developmental roles of the United
Nations, the World Bank, and the European Community. Case studies of Brazil, Japan, and the United States explore the wide range of factors influencing international environmental policy, while other contributors examine the increasingly central role of transnational environmental NGOs, the
arguments for justice made by the South, and the special problems of international interest and sovereign rights raised by tropical deforestation. This collection provides an authoritative and timely analysis of the political, economic and moral issues at stake in international environmental
co-operation.