Actors in International Environmental Politics

From the O'Neill Reading

5 main types of actors and the two subcategories they fit into

nation states (state actors); international organizations, global environmental movement, corporate sector, expert groups (non-state actors)

2 groups of actors that are largely absent from the study of global environmental governance

broader public, specific individuals

factors that have contributed to the roles of actors changing over time

changing governance structures, entrepreneurialism

which group of actors has decision-making authority in the international system?

nation states

there is debate over WHY states are cooperative:

for their own benefit? or because they are interested in gains for everyone?

what are some of the leading states in IEP?

Scandinavian nations, EU; USA also has a lot of power but isn’t leading in progress

NIEs & “fourth world” (HIPC)

newly industrializing economies, highly indebted poorer countries

IGOs and some examples

international governmental organizations - UN, World Bank, IMF, GATT, WTO

what makes the EU unique as an IGO?

sometimes it acts as a sovereign state, and other times as an IGO

which 5 states are part of the UN’s main governing body?

USA, UK, Russia, China, France

specialized agencies

agencies linked to the UN but have autonomy

civil society actors - definition and examples

voluntary associations and movements that act as a counterbalance; Greenpeace, WWF, Climate Action Network

which non-state actors are the most controversial?

corporations and the private sector, very much blamed (especially Multinational Corporations and those that deal with raw materials and extraction)

questions about scientists and expert groups

what makes good science? what is appropriate knowledge? Is there unbiased scientific inquiry? is all science political? what classifies an “expert”?

co-production model

the interaction between science/scientists and policy/policymakers is not all political or all scientific, varies over time, depends on who is involved

epistemic communities model

identifies transnational groups of scientific experts who can work together and influence govt.