Beyond Resource Wars Scarcity, Environmental Degradation, and International Cooperation

by Dinar, Shlomi

• ISBN13: 9780262515580
• ISBN10: 026251558X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-18
• Publisher: The MIT Press

Summary

Common wisdom holds that the earth's dwindling natural resources and increasing environmental degradation will inevitably lead to inter-state conflict, and possibly even set off "resource wars." Many scholars and policymakers have considered the environmental roots of violent conflict and instability, but little attention has been paid to the idea that scarcity and degradation may actually play a role in fostering inter-state cooperation. Beyond Resource Warsfills this gap, offering a different perspective on the links between environmental problems and inter-state conflict. Although the contributors do not deny that resource scarcity and environmental degradation may become sources of contention, they argue that these conditions also provide the impetus for cooperation, coordination, and negotiation between states. The book examines aspects of environmental conflict and cooperation in detail, across a number of natural resources and issues including oil, water, climate change, ocean pollution, and biodiversity conservation. The contributors argue that increasing scarcity and degradation generally induce cooperation across states, but when conditions worsen (and a problem becomes too costly or a resource becomes too scarce), cooperation becomes more difficult. Similarly, low levels of scarcity may discourage cooperation because problems seem less urgent. With contributions from scholars in international relations, economics, and political science, Beyond Resource Wars offers a comprehensive and robust investigation of the links among scarcity, environmental degradation, cooperation, and conflict

Author Biography

Shlomi Dinar is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University. He is the author of International Water Treaties: Negotiation and Cooperation along Transboundary Rivers and coauthor of Bridges over Water: Understanding Transboundary Water Conflict, Negotiation, and Cooperation.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
List of Contributors	p. xi
Introduction
Resource Scarcity and Environmental Degradation: Analyzing International Conflict and Cooperation	p. 3
Scarcity and Degradation of Global Commons
Climate Change, Cooperation, and Resource Scarcity	p. 25
Ozone Depletion: International Cooperation over a Degraded Resource	p. 43
Biodiversity Protection in International Negotiations: Cooperation and Conflict	p. 59
Scarcity and Degradation in a Regional Context
Transboundary Cooperation to Address Acid Rain: Europe, North America, and East Asia Compared	p. 89
Conflict and Cooperation in the Mediterranean: MAP from 1975 to Today	p. 117
Scarcity and Degradation of Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Degradation and Cooperation on the High Seas: The Case of International Fisheries Management	p. 141
Conflict and Cooperation along International Rivers: Scarcity, Bargaining Strategies, and Negotiation	p. 165
Is Oil Worth Fighting For? Evidence from Three Cases	p. 201
Responses to Alternative Forms of Mineral Scarcity: Conflict and Cooperation	p. 239
Conclusion
Resource Scarcity and Environmental Degradation: Implications for the Development of International Cooperation	p. 289
Index	p. 307
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