Evaluate the view that environmental issues have received greater attention than
economic issues in global politics. (30)
1)environmental conference (agreement)
•There has been a significant increase in the number of major environmental
conferences and agreements in recent years with the Kyoto conference in 1997,
Copenhagen 2009 and Paris 2015 setting global targets
• An increase in the number and significance of environmental conferences as a
focus of global governance suggests that the environment is a particular recent and
growing issue of the global community in comparison with other concerns
• We could make a judgement that the relatively recent development of
environmental agreements and conferences shows that that environmental
protection and governance are receiving greater attention than other issues such as
economic in the global agenda
2)govt focus (disagreement)
-Governments and Political parties focus on economic policy as a recognition that
the economy tends to be a, if not the key determining factor in deciding elections and
in gaining popular support and approval
• Global economic philosophy is deeply ingrained and any serious attempt to tackle
environmental issues would require a change in economic thinking which is
unthinkable where it challenges consumerism and materialism as ideological
elements of capitalism
• We may conclude that the global concern for economic growth and prosperity is so
deeply ingrained that it will remain the key focus in global politics, particularly when
compared with the environmental disunity represented in the so called 'Tragedy of
the commons'
3)growing interest (agreement)
-Individual countries and political parties have recognised the growing public interest
and support for tackling environmental concerns and have developed environmental
policies as a result whilst there has been an end to the consensus on economic
institutions and free trade economic governance
-The developing consensus amongst countries and political parties over the need to
resolve environmental concerns and the development of similar policies is a
recognition of the global desire to focus on environmental issues at the expense of
others such as economic where we have seen a drift to protectionism and trade
disputes
-We could make the judgement that the weakened economic consensus and
increased questioning of the international financial institutions suggests that they no
longer have the significance that they once held whilst the consensus on the threat
to the environment seems to be evident in the recent actions of the global community
4)opt out (disagreement)
-Environmental agreements tend to include opt outs such as the controversial carbon
sinks and carbon trading that are allowed as part of the Kyoto agreement and similar
treaties such as Copenhagen and Paris where states can often avoid firm targets
• Where agreements are voluntary with no real punishment for those who break the
agreements there has to be concern that states are unlikely to take the agreements
seriously and this is in contrast to the more structured and formalised economic
, agreements
• We may conclude that if environmental governance are based on nonbinding
agreements whilst economic agreements are more rigid and structured such as
within the IMF and WTO then there is more concern for economics rather than the
environment
is effective action being taken against climate change? (30)
1)UN
-The UN has taken this issue seriously since the creation of the IPCC in 1988, not
long after a scientific consensus on climate change began to emerge.
-This was followed by a series of well attended summits which gained world-wide
recognition, all of which have recognised the need to keep down temperature
increases and reduce the emission of GHGs to do this
-There have been two major attempts to create a global system of GHG reduction
targets, Kyoto (1997) and Paris (2015).
-Neither has produced an effective system of targets. Even if the current targets are
met average global temperatures will rise by 2.7 degrees by the end of the century.
2) nation sovereignty
-National sovereignty remains the major obstacle. Kyoto (1997) attempts to set
mandatory targets took ten years to get into place, even with low targets that were
inadequate.
-Paris (2015) has accepted national sovereignty with NDCs, but these are uneven
and many too low (UNFCCC has called Russia's "critically insufficient")
-When Trump withdrew the USA from Paris, he was clear that this was being done
so it can compete economically with China, he stated "We are not going to put our
businesses out of work, and we're not going to lose our jobs. We're growing, we're
going to grow really rapidly."
3)Paris agreement
-The cuts promised under the Paris agreement have been significant.
-EU states have promised to cut emissions by 40% by 2030 and completely by 2050.
-These are becoming a reality, GHGs from EU states are currently 31% lower than
1990s levels.
-While the EU has set ambitious targets, these economies now import many of their
manufactured goods from Asia and have the wealth to convert their economies.
-The rapidly developed economies (particularly China, India and Brazil) show no
clear signs of making major cuts in GHGs.
4)developing countries
-There is little sign that rapid industrialisation that poor countries seek can take place
without fossil fuels.
-The budget of the Global Climate Funds is equivalent to 0.05% of US GDP.
-If less developed countries are to have the funds to create a low-carbon
infrastructure and low-carbon growth, the rich world will need to be much more
generous in their funding for this.
5)"green capitalism"
-There is an increased interest in "green capitalism".
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