414 CHAPTER ElEvEn ■ TransnaTional issues
size. They involve intergovernmental organ izations such as the World Bank, charged
with promoting sustainable development and yet hamstrung by the wishes of some
member states to refrain from directly addressing the population issue. Perhaps most
impor tant, the population issue intersects inextricably with other environmental issues.
Populations put demands on land use for enhanced agricultural productivity; they
need natu ral resources and energy resources. Thus, ironically, population may well be
the pivotal global environmental issue, but it may also be the one that states and other
international actors can do the least about resolving.
environmental ngos in action
Nongovernmental organ izations (NGOs) have played a vital role in environmental
issues since the 1960s. Their numbers have grown, and their interests are diverse. They
range from the Nature Conservancy and the Rainforest Action Network to the Earth
Island Institute and the Climate Co ali tion.
NGOs perform a number of key functions in environmental affairs. First, they often
act as international critics, using the media to publicize their dissatisfaction and get
environmental issues onto international and state agendas. For example, Greenpeace’s
Human action has caused significant damage to our environment, but the po liti cal response
has rarely proved commensurate with the harm. Many well- intentioned efforts, like cleaning
landfills, fail to address the larger prob lems of overconsumption and pollution of natu ral
resources.