Lecture 12 Flashcards
According to Jared Diamond, can states adapt to meet environmental challenges, or why do states collapse?
- Failure to anticipate, lack of awareness/understanding.
- Failure to perceive, any change can be a slow change/when we don’t see the problem.
- Rational bad behaviour, we find excuses for how we treat the environment (Tragedy of the Commons).
- Disastrous values, irrational behaviour (embracing consumption, reliance on fossil fuels, modernity vs. environment). – We’re not willing to give up capitalist economic system.
- Other irrational failures (short-term focus, psychological failures – not able to think about immediate threats/visualise problems we create).
- Unsuccessful solutions, we’re nearing point where we cannot solve the problems of climate change, too little too late? – We still have time.
What are the four categories of environmental world views?
- Market liberals
- Bioenvironmentalists
- Institutionalists
- Social greens
What are the environmental world views of Market Liberals?
- Scientific developments and advances (experiments/endorsement).
- Humans dominate, nature is resource to satisfy human needs.
- Emphasis on economic growth, neoliberal capitalism will generate higher income, after which people will care about the environment.
What are the environmental world views of Institutionalists?
- Stronger global norms/institutions to tackle problems, informed consumers.
- Long-term perspective, legitimate/strong state leadership, reformist approach; need to reform capitalist economy
- Get rich more slowly, sustainable development.
- E.g. ‘The Green State’, Montreal Protocol 1987.
What was the main idea of the book ‘The Green State’?
- Reformist view/institutionalists
- Relying on states to act as green states.
- Importance of education, democratic practices.
- Ecological modernisation, ecocitizens, ecomultilateralism.
- Transnational dialogue, and eco in character
- States as go-between, provider of public goods.
What are the similar views of Bioenvironmentalists and Social Greens?
- Critique economic globalisation and neoliberalism.
- We’re reaching the ‘carrying capacity’, unsustainable.
- Focus on Tragedy of the Commons, problematise it.
- Decentralisation, more power for local level.
- Raise awareness among people and civil society, transnational environmental activist group.
- Critical views
What is the idea of a ‘deep ecology’?
- Complex interrelationship of all beings, whereby all organisms are dependent on the health of all ecosystems.
- Humankind is simply one being in an interconnected natural environment. (Note: opposite to what market liberals argue, that human kind dominates)
To what extent are the bioenvironmentalists different from the Social Greens?
Bio:
- ‘Limits to growth.’ The problems we’re facing is the result of overpopulation.
- Population control is main focus.
- [There are] too many people + economic growth = environmental disaster.
To what extent are the Social Greens different from the Bioenvironmentalists?
- Overconsumption rather than overpopulation. This world can manage the amount of people living on this planet.
- Empower marginalized people.
- Emphasize indigenous/local knowledge.
- Reject the anarchical structure of IR. Propose local, ecocentric communities.
- Communal living, communal approaches to life.
What are critiques on Social Greens?
- Parochial, unrealistic, local focus not global.
- Running away to a commune to escape a global problem.
- Unrealistic to expect people to change their lifestyle.
What is Peter Newell’s idea on climate capitalism?
How to enable economic growth without relying on fossil fuels? Neoliberal capitalism to blame for climate crisis.
Critiques of carbon economy:
- ‘Carbon colonialism’ – tendency to regard global south as a sink for emissions of global north.
- Carbon trading not reducing.
- Lack of regulation. E.g. link you can click for compensating for emission when flying, forced removal of people form their lands.
We need:
- Better governance, regulation, transparency & fairness of carbon markets.
- Promote renewable energy and sustainable development.
- Stringent environmental standards and certification.
Is meaningful cooperation possible?
- Reluctance to accept legally binding rules.
- Problem of realizing cooperation over collective goods.
- Division between developed and developing world.
- Emphasis in the developing world in the right to develop.
States & firms are more interested in their own interests than global commons
Were the Paris Climate Accords a success?
Success
- Diplomatic success.
- Legally binding, international treaty.
- Powerful mobilizer, more mobilisation for changed, normative power.
- Emphasized decarbonization, new energy = cheap & viable.
Failure
- Didn’t address climate crisis, 2 degree C is inaccurate and misses key points.
- Is about creating provisions are facilitative.
- Not providing any progress on ‘liability or compensation.’
- Obstruction by US, using its power to undermine alternatives.
Can only radical action tackle climate change?
Yes
- Dangerous delays; should not delay more
- Myth of ‘easy’ solutions; there are no easy solutions
- Economic restructuring; market capitalism needs to be restructured
- Post material society; having enough and not more
No
- Exaggerated fears
- Adapt to change; climate change brings new opportunities
- Market solutions; consumers ask for more environmental approaches, and corporations will deliver
- Human ingenuity; power to create new solutions
What are “water wars”?
- population growth in 3rd world
- stress on natural resources
- conflict and environmental refugees