Midterm Flashcards
11 Key Global Env. Problems:
climate change, rivers and lakes, air pollution, biodiversity depletion, endangered species, deforestation, desertification , toxic chemicals, hazardous waste trading, water pollution, whaling
The “Public”
- polarization of left and right wing view of env. issues = big problem.
- Issues seem remote, priority to eminent things.
- Fatigued about env. problems = becomes complacent.
Booster shots of Env:
- negative: disasters that redirect attention i.e. oil spills & nuclear power plant disasters.
- positive: Earth day on April 22, “Silent Spring” Rachel Carson, and climate change activism by younger generations
One shared objective by all people:
Save the Plant, only question of "how?" We disagree on: 1. is there a problem? 2.if so, what is causing it? 3.solutions
Key Actors
States, Businesses, Epistemic Community, Civil Society (NGO’s), and IGO’s.
Climate vs. Weather
Climate= long range calculation Weather = today
Global Warming =
years and years of calculations
Nature of Env. Problems vs. Political Response
Env. problems are immediate and dangerous, but political response is slow and little.
Why is the political response slow to env. problems?
- Slow to get attention
- Requires a lot of scientific info
- States vary (democracy vs. authoritarian)
- Treaty (MEA)
World’s top three greenhouse gas emitters
- China
- USA
- India
World’s top three per capita emitters
- USA
- China
- India
1798 “An Essay on the Principle of Population”
Malthus
Top four populations today:
- China
- India
- USA
- Indonesia
Top three populations in five years:
- India
- China
- Nigeria (2050)
“Aren’t poverty and need the greatest polluters? The env. cannot be improved in the conditions of poverty”.
Indira Gandhi
1969 Major Disasters in USA
Cuyahoga River on Fire and Santa Barbara
Title of Rachel Carson’s Book:
Silent Spring
Global events that attracted global attention:
- 1984 chemical disaster in Bhopal, India
- 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster
- 1989 Exxon oil spill
Tragedy of the Commons
common places/resources will be depleted:
- the rational herder will try to get more and more animals to graze without limit.
- eventually, there will be no more grass.
Rivalrous resources
can be depleted
non-rivalrous resources
infinite
excludable rivalrous/non-rivalrous resources
rivalrous: private goods like my money and car/
non-rivalrous: club goods like cable or satellites.
non-excludable rivalrous/non-rivalrous resources
rivalrous: common goods like air and water
non-rivalrous: public goods like outer space, police safety, and roads
Solutions to Tragedy of the Commons (Hardin)
- Privatization
2. Socialism
Three key assumptions behind Tragedy of the Commons:
- Humans are selfish and short-sighted.
- The “commons” in the parable is completely unregulated.
- There are only two solutions to the problem/ humans are unable to find reasonable solutions to preserve commons.
Stevenson’s critique of Hardin’s assumptions:
- Humans can be cooperative.
- Informal rules or norms probably exist in the herdsmen.
- There are alternatives to socialism and privatization /
Examples of global commons?
- upper layers of the atmosphere and outer space.
- High seas
- Anartica
Four key characteristics of global commons:
- It is not owned by any state or private entity
- It belongs to global community as a whole.
- Its use is intended to benefit humankind a whole.
- The international community can set rules for accessing it or using it.
Define sustainable development: (From the Brundtland Report)
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generations ability to meet their own needs.
Key arguments of Malthusianism:
- World is producing more food = fuels population growth
- Population growth will always grow faster than food supply.
- As population grows, resources lag.
- People cannot control their urge to procreate.
- As populations grow, each individual has fewer and fewer resources. i.e. triggers the conditions that put an end to it: misery, diseases, famine and war.
How to escape malthusian trap?
- Birth rate solution: make fewer children
2. Death rate solutions: letting misery, diseases, famine, and war reduce population levels to sustainable levels.
Neo-Malthusianism
- 1968 “The Population Bomb” Paul and Anna Ehrlich
2. 1972 “The Limits to Growth” by the Club of Rome.
Issue of doubling time
- It took 1650 years to go from 270 million people in the year 0 to 540 million in the year 1650.
- It took only 37 years to go from 2.5 billion people in 1950 to 5 billion in 1987.
Current global population: + how many we add each year
7.6 billion and add 83 million each year
GPG might plateau around year ___ and reach 10-12 billion
2100
92% of future GPG is expected to mostly come from____
Asia and Africa- 2.6% population growth rate, with a fertility rate of 4.7 births per woman.
The global population is aging or new?
aging
Three f’s that impact population growth:
food, fiber, and fuel
UNPF (UN Population fund
promoted birth control in developing countries. women in these countries also promoted development as the best contraceptive.
Critics of Neo-malthusianism say that:
- problem is not population growth, but POVERTY.
2. 1972 UN conference on the human env. in Stockholm agreed to shift focus to poverty and underdevelopment.
Kuznets Curve
An inverted “U”-shaped curve shows the relationship between economic development and pollution effects.
The N-Curve
Some have shown that pollution increases with economic development, then declines once a certain level is reached. The N-curve shows that it restarts climbing when technological innovation cannot keep up with the growing demand for products and services.
The “Illusion of Sustainability”
One other problem is the fact that the environmental progress achieved by wealthier, developed countries may be the result of a “transfer” of polluting activities from the rich countries to the poorer ones.
Developing countries 2 views on env. problems:
- concerned more with economic development.
- env. conditions can have significant effects on selected communities. ex) rising sea level affecting island states and Bangladesh and rice farmers in Vietnam/Indonesia dependance on trees.
Anthropocene Epoch
In our very brief period on earth we have dramatically impacted the ecological balance so much we have entered a new epoch starting in 1950.
Environmentalism is not just for rich people example:
In France, the Gilet Jaunes (yellow vests) challenged President Macron’s new tax on gasoline. The protests were violent. Composed mostly of middle and lower class people from rural areas who would have a greater impact on gasoline taxes.
“Bottom Billion”
Face extreme challenges. ex) 736 million people live with less than $1.90 a day.
2.1 billion lack access to safe drinking water.
Carbon Footprint
a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a factory, a country, an individual, etc. Our footprint is based on primary and secondary.
Primary carbon footprint
what you are doing right now. ex) sitting vs. driving
Secondary carbon footprint
a secondhand measure: stuff like what you are wearing, the electricity on the CTA.
Global warming
the rising temperature of oceans, the land mass and the atmosphere.
Key cause of global warming:
greenhouse gases
Define globalization
the increasing economic, social, political, cultural interconnectedness and interdependence of the world. (free trade)
Supporters of globalization tend to call for:
- reducing trade barriers, deregulation
- facilitating access to natural resources internationally
- making it easier for foreign companies to invest in developing countries.
- can result in sustainable development
Critics of globalization tend to say:
- generates more waste
- resource depletion and overconsumption.
- undermines sovereignty of states
- greater risk of env. accidents and impact
- social and economic inequality
Precautionary Principle’s 3 pillars
- There is no need to have absolute scientific certainty.
- The responsibility of proving otherwise is to those who want continued use.
- Just move onto another possibility and give serious consideration.
Realism’s seven key assumptions:
- The international system is anarchic
- Everyone is suspicious and looking out for themselves (free-rider problem)
- Little cooperation and lots of conflict
- Only a hegemon can enforce cooperation
- States are the key actors
- International law is unimportant
- Power is a key factor in international system
Liberalism’s 4 key assumptions:
- States are interdependent
- This creates strong incentives for cooperation
- Inter. law is an essential part of int. affairs.
- Recognize free-rider problem, but will put in place punishments.
Constructivism
Meaning is based through social interaction. We construct reality through knowledge, ideas, and norms.
International regimes
Made of MEA’s, Soft laws, IGO’s, States, and NGO’s.
-rules and habits with actors implementing and following them to address a specific problem.
Key public international law concept of ‘state sovereignty”:
a state is free to act as it wishes within its territory and with regards to its own citizens
Key public international law concept of ‘sovereign equality of states’:
- under international law, all states are sovereign and equal
- No foreign state has the (legal) right to interfere within the jurisdiction of another state
Key public international law concept of ‘state consent’:
a state must give its consent to be bound by an international rule
Key public international law concept of ‘pact sent servanda’
states are bound to comply with the terms of the agreements they have voluntarily entered into
Sources of Inter. Law:
- Int. treaties
- Customary Int. Law
- General Principles of Law
- Decisions by courts/ writings of scholars
- Case law
Life cycle of treaty 6 step process:
- Raise issue
- Negotiation
- Signing of treaty-signal of consent
- Ratification
- Treaty enforcement
- Withdrawn-part of a uncommon clause.
Customary Law
a rule of international law that has evolved or taken root from the practice or custom of states
Common but differentiated principle
that in every env. problem, all should act, but certain are more to blame.
i.e. advanced countries produced env. degradation for past 100 to get where they are. = advanced countries have a duty to help developing countries with aid and tech.
Hard law
legally binding ex) a treaty
Soft law
not legally binding/ norms/ can be influencial
ex) UN General Assembly resolutions and declarations of intent that happen after conventions.
The “Convention-Protocol” Method
In Environmental politics, states often sign a Framework Convention first and, a few years later, add more detailed provisions to it by signing a “Protocol.”
Important Principles applied in inter. env. law:
- No harm rule
- Principle of prevention
- Cooperation
- Sustainable development
- Common but Differentiated Responsibility.
- The Precautionary Principle
C.O.P.S. and M.O.P.S
Many international environmental treaties or conventions contain provisions that call for periodic meetings of the parties to the treaty. These periodic meetings are usually called: Confernence of the Parties (C.O.P.S) and Meeting of the Parties (M.O.P.S.).
UNFCCC
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
-called for yearly C.O.P.S.
Treaty Secretariats
- Specifically designed to help implement treaties.
- Collect info about factors relevant to treaty
- Raise issues
- Liaise with other IGO’s of other env. issues.
- Suggest amendments or updates to treaty
- Monitor member state’s performance of treaty’s obligations
- Schedule and manage C.O.P.S. and M.O.P.S.
Multi-scaled adaptive governance
- global env. politics no is no longer only arena of nation states, but also the participation of several other actors public or private like:
1. IGO’s
2. Private businesses
3. Civil Society (NGO’s)
4. The public
5. Local indigenous communities
6. individuals
Multi-scaled adaptive governance four key objectives:
- Must allow for consultation of local communities and participation
- Make sure agreements are legitimate.
- Doing 1&2= more justice
- Make treaties easily implemented.
Factors that affect views on env.
nationality, education, religion, employment, and activist or not.
Green Belt Movement
Matai, planting 350 million trees.
Measuring the effectivness of inter. regimes:
- Did it involve as many states/ind. as possible?
- Did the regime fix the problem or make progress?
- Was there great improvement in public’s sensitivity?
- Are principals following ethical needs/democratic? i.e. legitimacy, justice, participation
Are states rational, unitary actors?
- No, they are made up of many institutions that do not agree on everything.
- No, most of time they do not identify the goal and move logically to achieve it.
Type of states:
lead, supporting, swing, veto
Tools used by states to strengthen or weaken regimes:
- Fund research
- Direct public opinion of other countries
- Influence IGO’s
- Influence NGO’s.
- Financial assistance
- Lead by example
What induces whether state will support or oppose regime?
- how does it influence economic development?
- public opinion
- international factors/pressure
- cost/benefit analysis
Biggest IGO
UN
UN Security Council
P5 of USA, Russia, France, UK, China. Other 10 members change every 2 years.
UN General Assembly
193 reps that meet once a year
UNEP
- UN Env. Program that collects env. info and research.
- Located in Kenya
- Lacks power because it is a program.
- It cannot mingle easily with important actors like W.B. because of headquarters.
- Very important in making inter. regimes and facilitating agreements. ex) ozone
agreement.
GEF
Global env. facility. Creates fund by rich countries to help poor countries and persuade them for treaties
IPCC
Inter-governmental panel of climate change. extremely qualified scientists creating a report on climate change, sea levels, etc.
Important IGO’s belonging to inter. regime:
IGO’S PROVIDE FORUMS.
- treaty secretariats
- subsidiary bodies ex) scientists and businesses
- financial Institutions ex) World Bank, G.E.F., and WTO (helps countries develop by facilitating free trade)
NGO’s 6 roads:
- Agitators- don’t allow problems to be ignored and raise issues.
- Conscious keepers- “what I should be doing” Two types: env. protectors and those who protect env. degredation victims.
- Architects
- Enteprenurers
- Witnesses
- Whistleblowers
Climate change regime treaties:
- UNFCCC
- Kyoto Protocol
- Paris Agreement
How MEA’s are structured:
- Preamble-what treaty is about
- Articles-where legally binding stuff is.
- Appendixes-common but differentiated responsibilities & updated sections on banned substances.
Inter. Regime Creation and Strengthening process:
- Agenda setting-finding an issue to be discussed.
- Fact finding- involves scientists and businesses
- Regime creation sub-phases:
a. initial preliminary meetings- meeting with academics from other countries.
b. predatory committee’s- negotiation phase of possible treaties. practical draft is made through networking and mailing lists.
c. meetings of policy makers- negotiate 1% of practical draft to make final draft that is usually signed.
d. ratification process
e. enough countries ratify treaty. - Treaty Implementaion- done at national level with laws.
- Regime review and strengthening
a. stricter deadlines, adding countries
Two level game/ janus face
diplomat at international level vs. back at home to get ratification
First heads of UNEP
Strong and Tolba
UN court of justice
affects how treaties are interpreted.
Key parts of UN:
general assembly, secretariat, security council, and court of justice
Credited Journalists
given permission to be inside important meeting like COPS and MOPS.
Boomerang model of NGO advocacy
NGO’s of country where issue they’re advocating on is not accepted by their government. So, they appeal to NGO in another country to put pressure on their gov’t to put pressure on initial NGO’s gov’t to advocate their issue.
Scientists 3 theories:
- env. scientists have great power in env. politics
- env. scientists are only tools of politics
- env. scientists tend to have more impact on global issue where there is less conflict and less impact when there is more conflict.
inclusiveness vs. impact of treaty
you want to include as many countries as possible, but that generally means the rigor has to be watered down.
Bio-diversity remine
- includes landscapes, animals, and plants.
- case study of frog=alarm bell.
We are reducing bio-diversity ___ times faster than a century ago.
100
1992 Rio Earth Summit =
UNCBD & UNFC
Bio-diversity regime examples:
- 1911 treaty to protect fur seal
- INCW (inter. convention for whaling) 1946
C.I.T.E.S.
Anchor treaty of endangered species regime. Convention on international trade of endangered species = if animal is endangered it cannot be traded or sold for parts.
UNCBD
UN convention of bio-diversity
Order of Severity of Bio-diversity
- Habitat destruction
- Climate change
- Air/water/soil pollution
- evasive alien species
- over-exploitation i.e. overfishing and hunting
clash of common heritage of humanity vs. national sovereignty
-humans have right to enjoy and protect species all over the world. future generations have a right as well
North/South Dilemma
natural resources from developing countries vs. tech from developed countries that can transform natural resources, shouldn’t developing countries benefit too?
Nagolia Protocol and A.B.S.
Access and benefit sharing- countries that signed have to let developing countries where resource came from benefit too.
G.M.O’s
genetically modified plants/organisms that are less susceptible to dying or diseases.
-US is #1 of acceptors
Carta Gena Protocol
have to get permission to bring GMO into a country
Bio-diversity regime’s 6 obligations:
- Each country that joins has to develop national strategies to implement protection of biological diversity and publish it.
- Produce every 2-3 yrs a national report of the degree of implementation.
- Incorporate biological diversity protection into national policies.
- Have to inventory and monitor biological diversity in state.
- Preserve indengious conservation practices
- Give money/tech to southern developing countries.
Countries producing GMO’s have to :
- carta gena protocol
- reduce risk to minimal of GMO’s.
IUCN
Inter. union for the conservation of nature. provides info and tracks species.
member states have:
management authority and scientific authority.
CITIES obligations
Appendix 1,2,3
