Global Environmental Politics: Problems, Policy and Practice

Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Maps
List of Boxes
Preface
List of Abbreviations
1 Global Politics and the Environment
	Summary of Key Points
	Introduction
	State of the Planet
	The Politics of Environmental Change
	Outline of this Book
	Discussion Questions
PART 1: WHY DO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OCCUR?
	2 The Tragedy of the Commons
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Core Assumptions Underpinning the ‘Tragedy’
			Human Beings are Self-regarding and Short-sighted
			‘The Commons’ are Unmanaged and Freely Accessible
			Privatisation and Socialism are the Only Possible Solutions to Avoid Degradation
		Critiques and Corrections
			Human Nature and the Commons
			Historical Inaccuracies
			Alternative Governance Options
		The Global Commons
			What are the Global Commons?
			Managing the Global Commons
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	3 Population and Poverty
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		The Malthusian Renaissance
		Solving the Population Problem
		Trends in Population Growth
		Is Population Control the Answer?
		Is Poverty the Main Driver of Environmental Degradation?
			The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC)
			Questioning the Validity of the EKC
			Outsourcing Production and Pollution
			Do Wealthier People Care More About the Environment?
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	4 Capitalism
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		The Contradictions of Capitalism
			The Traditional Contradiction
			The Ecological Contradiction
		Capitalism’s Rifts
			Alienation from Nature
			Metabolic Rift
			Ecological Rift
		Ecological Imperialism
		Over-consumption
		Is Sustainable Capitalism the Solution?
		Eco-socialism
		Steady-state Economy and Degrowth
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
PART 2: RESPONDING TO GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
	5 Conflict and Securitisation Water Scarcity
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Conflict and the Natural Environment
			Conflicts Over Natural Resources
		Water and Conflict
			State of the World’s Water
			Water Wars: Theory and Evidence
			Weaknesses in International Cooperation
		Securitising the Environment
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	6 Multilateral Diplomacy Sustainable Development
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Multilateral Diplomacy
		Environmental Multilateralism
			The Environmental Movement
			The Birth of Environmental Multilateralism
			North–South Tensions Emerge
			The Golden Age of Environmental Multilateralism
			Environmental Multilateralism in the Twenty-first Century
			Legal and Political Status of MEAs
		Sustainable Development
			The Concept of Sustainable Development
			Institutionalising Sustainable Development: Earth Summit, 1992
			Reality Check: World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002
			Facing Up to Unmet Promises: Rio+20 and Beyond
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	7 Transnational Governance Experiments Climate Change
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Transnational Governance
		Climate Change
			The Science of Climate Change
			A ‘Wicked’ Policy Problem
			Multilateral Cooperation on Climate Change
			Transnational Climate Change Governance
			Governance Experiments
		Virtues of Transnational Climate Governance
		Limitations of Transnational Climate Governance
		Coordinating Governance Experiments: NAZCA
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	8 Aid and Finance Deforestation
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Aid and Financial Assistance
			Multilateral Environmental Agreements
			The Environmental Impact of ODA
			Debt-for-Nature Swaps
			Payment for Ecosystem Services
		Finance and Deforestation
			The Nature of the Problem
			Drivers of Deforestation
			Global Forestry Governance
			Deforestation and the Global Climate Regime
			REDD+
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	9 Individualising Responsibility Unsustainable Consumption
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Consumption and Its Environmental Impact
			Mobile Phones
			Fashion
		Sustainable Consumption: Intergovernmental Initiatives
			Private Sector and Civil Society Initiatives: Individualising Responsibility
			Voluntary Simplicity
			Ecological Footprint
			Carbon Neutrality
			Eco-labelling
		The Limits of Individualising Responsibility
			Over-stating Consumer Sovereignty
			‘Greenwash’
			Attitude–Behaviour Gap
			Depoliticising Unsustainability
		Defending Individual Responsibility
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	10 Problem Displacement Hazardous Substances
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Toxic Elements
			Mercury
			Lead
			Cadmium
			Dioxins and Dioxin-like Substances
		Global Governance of Chemicals and Hazardous Waste
			Fragmented Global Chemical Governance: Overlaps and Gaps
		Displacing the Problem
			The Khian Sea
			Environmental Injustice
			Understanding Environmental Injustice
			The Basel Convention: Weaknesses and Limitations
			E-waste Dumping or Much Needed Trade?
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	11 Resistance and Localisation Unsustainable Agriculture
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		Social Movements and Resistance
		Globalisation and the Environment
		Agriculture and the Environment
			The Rise of Modern Agriculture
			The Relationship Between the Environment and Agriculture
		Resisting Unsustainable Agriculture
			Demanding Sustainable Agriculture
			Practising Sustainable Agriculture
			Brazil and the Landless Rural Workers Movement
			Campesino a Campesino, Central America
			Cuba and Organic Agriculture
			Questioning Agroecology
		Conclusion
		Discussion Questions
	12 Appraising Global Environmental Governance
		Summary of Key Points
		Introduction
		The Nature of Environmental Problems
		Evaluating Policy and Practice
		Distributing Environmental Harm
			Temporal Inequality
			Social Inequality
			Geographic Inequality
		Towards Effective and Equitable Governance
		Discussion Questions
Glossary
References
Index