The Environment and International Relations

Abstract

The environment and international relationsThe Environment and International Relations examines the relevance of the theoretical approaches currently used in international relations to the study of the global environment. Rather than following the usual case-study approach, this book covers both theoretical issues and a range of key international processes.The opening chapters deal with the neorealism-liberal institutionalism debate that has dominated the study of international environmental cooperation; they also bring a variety of other perspectives -from normative theory through gender studies to international political economy -to bear on such issues as environmental security and global environmental change. In the second part of the book, the emphasis shifts towards the organisations and processes involved in the formulation of global environmental policy. Here the contributors discuss the monitoring and implementation of environmental agreements, the relations between science, power and policy, and the role of trade interests and ideology in international negotiations on the environment.The critical importance of environmental issues for international relations is now well established. This is a book that no student of international relations or environmental policy can afford to ignore.

Precarious work or sustainable livelihoods? Aligning Prestea's Programme with the development dialogue on artisanal and small‐scale mining

“…There may be a strong incentive for large-scale mining to enhance corporate reputations (Sethi et al, 2017) and impact on the direction of global discussions on sustainability, in that performance standards are usually voluntary (O'Neill, 2017). Nevertheless, this leads us to examine if the search for sustainability standards could contribute to the de-contextualization of local development needs (Maconachie and Hilson, 2013).…”

Environmental governance: A practical framework to guide design, evaluation, and analysis

“…Indeed, interest in environmental governance has led to research at all scales from the local to the global and focused on issues such as resource scarcity and conflicts, allocation and access, and biodiversity conservation in forest, agricultural, freshwater, marine, and even atmospheric systems. One broad and enduring insight from this research is that governance is one areas of common-pool resource governance (Agrawal, 2003;Ostrom, 1999), adaptive governance (Armitage, Berkes, & Doubleday, 2010;Brunner, 2005;Folke et al, 2005), anticipatory governance (Boyd, Nykvist, Borgström, & Stacewicz, 2015), institutional governance (Adger, Brown, & Tompkins, 2005;Paavola, 2007), good governance (Graham, Amos, & Plumtree, 2003;Lockwood et al, 2010), and global environmental governance (O'Neill, 2009;Young, 1997) to name but a few subfields. A prevailing sentiment across these literatures is that of "good" governance -or that the evaluation of environmental governance is inherently normative.…”

From the Cold War to Global Warming: Observing Complexity in IR

“…The recognition of such interwovenness between human and non-human systems defines global life not merely as international politics, but as coexistent 'worlds', 'domains', 'projects' or 'texts' of ongoing and overlapping interconnections (Kavalski, 2008, p. 425). Thus, the paradigm shift inherent in the engagement of the environment in IR exposes the urgency of understanding what is happening, why it is happening and how we can/should react (Harris, 2009a;2009b;O'Neill, 2009). It rests on the recognition that 'human attempts to tame nature typically result in unforeseen negative outcomes' (Price-Smith, 2009, p. 24).…”