Environment Flashcards
Neo Liberalist View of the Environment
Environmental regulation attacks the limits of the hegemony of the free market, which is essential for economic prosperity.
Environmental quality is a luxury good, and is a result of economic prosperity. It will be pushed more by the developed world than the developing.
Co-operation is still based on states interest. Those with higher vulnerability and low abandonment costs will push for change.
Its the move from materialist to post materialist economic growth.
Keohane (2005: 82) emphasizes that institutions develop independently of the states that created them, and therefore they take on a permanent character. NGO’s can frame arguments in a certain way.
Neo- Realist View
Its a national agenda as opposed to an international agenda.
Countries will not sign up if it limits their sovereignty. e.g United States and the Kyoto protocol.
The balance of IO pushing for environmental change is regional. This represent a balance in global power.
Institutions lack the coercive authority to be effective.
Co-operation dependant of relative gains - Despite the reducing green house gasses having an overall absolute gain for states, some won’t engage because of they don’t want to be worse of economically than others.
Constructivist
Relatively underexplored
Important contested concepts such as sustainable development or historical responsibility may be understood differently by different actors, then manifests itself within negotiations over climate change policy.
Fogel as ‘climate policy entrepreneurs’ (2007)
a normative consensus on carbon markets, crucial element to shaping climate politics.
What is the history of CC
The UNEP was developed in the 1960’s
In the 70’s the irradiation of poverty was central it put Africa’s dire position in the centre ground.
Science played a key role - represented by the discovery of the ‘ozone hole’ and the creeping realisation that human activities might be endanger ing the global climate
What are the Environmental challenges
Environment as a common pool resource - Individual vs collective rationality - coordination problem.
Lack of clear property rights
Who is responsible for the environment?
Cannot privatise or nationalise the environment such as oceans or atmosphere. Free riding.
Issue linkages - e.g. development and growth.
Environmental regulation attacks the limits of the hegemony of the free market, which is essential for economic prosperity.
North-South divide
Developing countries more effected by climate change than those in the industrialised North
What are the main protocols
Montreal, Kyoto, Copenhagen, Durban, Paris
Why was the Montreal protocol a success
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, global consumption and production of CFCs stopped expanding and began to decrease
Today: 197 states + the EU have ratified the treaty
Because:
1) Scientific working groups were involved
2) Side payments were offered to poorer countries that might not have signed other wise.
3) the breakdown of the ozone issue into small working groups - made flexible for future
ncentives, information, small groups, and iterated diplomatic engagement aided cooperation.
Outline the Kyoto Protocol
The only legally binding treaty that mandates mitigation
Emissions from manufacturing and construction down 12% since 1990
Complexity because of inclusion of multitude of content: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions involves energy, transport, agriculture
Was the Kyoto protocol a success or failure
Why?
Failure:
Covered only 15% of global emissions
Key emitters did not ratify or withdrew
Emission from transport and energy are increasing
Why?
Barret argues that there the cost-benefit analysis was not high enough
And there was no way to stop free riding
Outcome of Copenhagen
1) Developed countries wanted to commit
2) Small states prevented and agreement, Bolivia Sudan
Key issues:
1) Targets: western countries, Brazil India wanted limit to be 2 dc, but small vulnerable countries wanted to to be 1.5 dc.
2) Legal: Developed countries want single binding agreement. Developed want two.
Discuss the Paris Climate change agreement
emission reduction targets are not binding
countries to decide on their reduction targets, which need to be “ambitious” and “represent a progression over time”.
Scientist say this is far too week
America left: would be wrong to presume that it would have been effective if they stayed. The current pledges are insufficient to meet the 2oC target anyway
Now depends on US domestic policy: Cities could take their out initiative and rejoin in future.
What are the other options
Parallel to multilateral efforts and important bilateral talks
US and China in 2014:
US to cut emission by 26%-28% (from 2005 levels) by 2025
China to stop increases in emissions by 2030
Significant in that they account to 45% of global carbon emissions
And smaller initiatives amongst governments and non-state actors (e.g. protection of the Arctic).
What are regime complexes?
What influence them?
This is were there is a certain level of integration in cooperation - ranging on a continuum of highly integrated to segmented.
determinants.
1) if there is a key global player, or shared consensus will be more highly integrated. e.g. With the ozone threaty US lead as a hedgemon and there was general consensus.
2) Uncertainty - if the states is uncertain about there gains then they will form smaller groups. Allows states to hold benefit from those outside.
Linkage to other issue - If an issue has weak links it can lead to a more harmonised regime type.
Keohane
What type of regime structure links to the environment
Clustered - Asian Pacific Partnership. Bush then created the Major Economies Meeting for climate change. The G8 took up climate change issue.
Bilateral Agreements
Why has not one IO emerged
Interest, Uncertainty, Linkages
Similarly, there is not one climate change problem but a series of co-operation game. e.g. coordination of regulations, Compensation. Also political difficulty.
