Unit 7
Global Governance and the Global Commons

Overview

In this section, we examine the development of law and governance in the environmental realm. Much of the focus in the readings is on the issue of climate change and the efforts that have been made at the global level to address the issue of global warming. This section will look at the various political and material interests that have been involved in developing such agreements as the Kyoto Protocol. Once again, this section will provide an assessment of the various factors that have shaped the debates and legal practices on environmental issues.

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Unit 7, you should be able to achieve the following learning objectives:

1. Identify the range of environmental issues that have an international dimension
2. Explain the development of international concern for environmental issues
3. Describe the process leading to the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol
4. Discuss why certain states are refusing to support the Kyoto Protocol
5. Explain the role of epistemic communities in the development of international environmental law
6. Discuss the role of GSMs in the formation of international environmental law
7. Describe how citizens have become important subjects of international environmental law