Reforming International Environmental Governance

by Chambers, W. Bradnee; GREEN, JESSICA F.

• ISBN13: 9789280811117
• ISBN10: 9280811118
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-18
• Publisher: United Nations Univ

Summary

More than 500 international agreements and institutions now influence the governance of environmental problems ranging from climate change to persistent organic pollutants. The establishment of environmental institutions has been largely ad hoc, diffused and somewhat chaotic because the international community has addressed key environmental challenges as and when they have arisen. The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 underscored the need to reform the current institutional framework for environmental governance, but failed to come up with any substantive recommendations. This book takes up the question left unanswered at Johannesburg: what international institutional framework would best promote the protection of the global environment? The contributors take a systematic approach to formulating proposals for institutional changes in international environmental governance and examine three potential models: enforcement, centralisation, and co-operation through increased co-ordination and collaboration. They review alternative institutional arrangements to address identified weaknesses, they elaborate upon specific reform proposals generated through recent policy debates, and they evaluate the potential of each proposal to remedy current weaknesses within the international environmental governance system.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
A.H. Zakri, UNU-IAS Director
List of contributors	ix
Introduction: Toward an effective framework for sustainable development	1	(12)
W. Bradnee Chambers and Jessica F. Green
1 From environmental to sustainable development governance: Thirty years of coordination within the United Nations	13	(27)
W. Bradnee Chambers
2 Clustering of multilateral environmental agreements: Potentials and limitations	40	(26)
Sebastian Oberthür
3 Strengthening international environmental governance by strengthening UNEP	66	(27)
Richard G. Tarasofsky
4 A World Environment Organization	93	(31)
Steve Charnovitz
5 The World Trade Organization and global environmental governance	124	(26)
Gary P. Sampson
6 Judicial mechanisms: Is there a need for a World Environment Court?	150	(28)
Joost Pauwelyn
7 Reforming the United Nations Trusteeship Council	178	(26)
Catherine Redgwell
8 Expanding the mandate of the United Nations Security Council	204	(23)
Lorraine Elliott
Index	227