Global environmental politicstheinternational trading system, aid programmes and the structures of debt
relief, exacerbate the interlinked problems of poverty, inequality and envi-
ronmental degradation (Jackson 1990 ). National governments struggle to
resolve these problems because they lack the autonomy to choose their own
economic path or the capacity to deliver the radical policies that might ben-
efit the environment. Thus many forms of environmental degradation are
inextricably tied up with the working of the global capitalist economy (Stevis
and Assetto 2001 ). Thenext chapterexamines the relationship between the
international political economy and global environmental politics, focusing
on the relationship between international trade and the environment.
Critical question 3
What is the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental treaties?
◗ Global environmental politics and
sustainable development
Global environmental politics has implications for all five core principles
of sustainable development identified in Chapter8,but three in particular
have been highlighted in this chapter: theprecautionary principle,equityand
democracy.
First, recent environmental diplomacy has undoubtedly strengthened the
importance of theprecautionary principle.Both the ozone and climate change
conventions and the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol have either implicitly or
explicitly applied the precautionary principle to a problem still charac-
terised by scientific uncertainty. Whereas earlier regimes addressed prob-
lems that were already apparent and requiring urgent action (such as
declining whale populations or polluted seas), by promising to ban CFCs,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions or limit the trade of genetically modified
products, states have agreed to act before there is conclusive proof of a
problem.
Secondly,equityconsiderations have dominated environmental diplomacy,
particularly the climate change and ozone depletion negotiations. By accept-
ing the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ developed
states have conceded their historic responsibility for causing the problems
and that they continue to be the major contributors to it. By setting up
mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility (see Box9.3)andthe
Multilateral Ozone Fund they have acknowledged that poorer countries need
help to implement environmental agreements. Conversely, less developed
countries have (more or less) conceded that Northern concern about the
environment is not an ‘eco-colonial’ device to deny them the fruits of eco-
nomic growth. They accept that these global environmental problems will
harm everyone – North and South, rich and poor – and require preventive