New directions in earth system governance research

The Earth System Governance project is a global research alliance that explores novel, effective governance mechanisms to cope with the current transitions in the biogeochemical systems of the planet. A decade after its inception, this article offers an overview of the project's new research framework (which is built upon a review of existing earth system governance research), the goal of which is to continue to stimulate a pluralistic, vibrant and relevant research community. This framework is composed of contextual conditions (transformations, inequality, Anthropocene and diversity), which capture what is being observed empirically, and five sets of research lenses (architecture and agency, democracy and power, justice and allocation, anticipation and imagination, and adaptiveness and reflexivity). Ultimately the goal is to guide and inspire the systematic study of how societies prepare for accelerated climate change and wider earth system change, as well as policy responses

Climate Change Bandwagoning: The Impacts of Strategic Linkages on Regime Design, Maintenance, and Death

The entrée of climate change politics to the center stage of international relations has been accompanied by broad range of strategic linkages, which have produced various institutional interactions. This special issue takes stock of the wide range of ways that international regimes are strategically linked to climate change politics. We do this with a view to better understand both how climate change is shaping the global environmental political landscape, and is being shaped itself through strategic linkages to regimes both within (i.e. forests, biodiversity, fisheries, and desertification) and beyond (i.e. security and human rights) the environmental realm. The contributions that make up this special issue explore when, how, and by whom regime linkages should be pursued, how linkage politics are affecting regime development and function, and in turn how these changes are shaping the evolution of global environmental politics and problem solving writ large. © 2011 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The untapped potential of preferential trade agreements for climate governance

The regulatory contribution that preferential trade agreements (PTAs) make to global climate governance is assessed through an analysis of climate-related provisions found in 688 PTAs signed between 1947 and 2016. Provisions are analyzed along four dimensions: innovation, legalization, replication, and distribution. Innovative climate provisions are found in several PTAs that are in some cases more specific and enforceable than the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Nonetheless, these climate provisions offer limited progress because they remain weakly ‘legalized’, fail to replicate broadly in the global trade system, and were not adopted by the largest greenhouse gas emitters. Despite the inclusion of innovative climate provisions in a number of PTAs, their poor design and weak replication position them as some of the weakest environmental provisions within PTAs

Marketing Linkages: Secretariat Governance of the Climate-Biodiversity Interface

In this article I argue that, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), led by its autonomously entrepreneurial Executive Secretary, influences overlap management by strategically linking biodiversity and climate change issues. Specifically, the Secretariat marketed (filtered, framed, and reiterated) strategic frames of the biodiversity-climate change interface that reframed biodiversity from a passive victim of climate impacts, to an active player in climate response measures (i.e. adaptation). This reframing is significant in that a major hurdle to selling the benefits of biodiversity conservation to countries with more pressing development concerns has been the perceived limited relevance of conservation to human well-being. In emphasizing biodiversity's role in human adaptation and security, the Secretariat has begun to shape member state discourse surrounding the biodiversity-climate change linkage. Ultimately aimed at enriching our emerging theoretical understanding of the role of international bureaucracies in global governance, this article illuminates: (1) how the Secretariat understands and manages biodiversity-climate linkages; (2) the origins of the Secretariat's understanding and activities surrounding this issue; and (3) how Secretariat participation in overlap management is beginning to influence CBD political processes and outcomes. © 2011 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Global Environmental Politics: Understanding the Governance of the Earth

Global Environmental Politics provides a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts, theories, methods, and debates in environmental politics. The authors' analytical approach encourages students to critique a wide variety of political perspectives, equipping them with the necessary tools to develop their own arguments and opinions. Adopts an analytical approach, encouraging students to critique a wide variety of political perspectives, reconsider their own assumptions, and develop their own viewpoints and perspectives Provides up-to-date coverage of developments in environmental policy and debate since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 A well-balanced analysis of a broad range of pertinent topics, from climate change to 'summit diplomacy', and gives students an accessible introduction to the central ideas and debates in the field An interdisciplinary approach draws upon a range of disciplines, including political science, economics, law, and sociology, to introduce students to different perspectives An accompanying website contains a wealth of online learning resources, such as interactive figures and questions, to help students comprehend key trends in issues such as climate change, and test their understanding of the materia

Pandemics and Environmental Crises: Similar Problems; Different Governance Systems

This chapter compares pandemics and environmental crises on two dimensions: their underlying problem structures and governance systems. This chapter highlights how pandemics and environmental degradation present similar problem structures. Yet they have triggered very different policy responses, and their governance systems are also different. Moreover, even if pandemics and environmental degradation are similar types of problems, there is little attempt to coordinate policies that tackle the interrelated aspects of these issues. We explain these incongruities by power differentials and perception biases that lead to an underinvestment in environmental degradation compared to pandemics. The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part illuminates the problem structures of pandemics and environmental degradation, including their similarities and interactions. The second part compares the existing approaches governing each of these issues and explains this variation. We conclude by discussing policy solutions to create positive synergies between the two issue areas