pol essay global governance reducing poverty but failing to protect the environment

political global governance

• has been successful in passing schemes to reduce poverty, has been less successful in coordinating and carrying out schemes to protect the environment

  • BUT counterarg is that there has been some sucess in global economic policies e.g Montreal Protocol

examples of political global governance successful poverty reduction

• UN Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

  • extreme poverty halved from 36% in 1999 to 12% in 2015

  • this shows that coordinated global governance can deliver anti-poverty outcomes

  • World Bank/IMF poverty reduction strategy papers have been used in over 70 low income states

political global governance environmental action weakly enforced examples

Paris Agreement 2015 had weak enforcement - no binding emissions targets or enforcement, relies on voluntary NDCs, states are off track for 1.5 degrees with current policies pointing to 2.7 degrees warming, US withdrawal 2017-2020 shows lack of state buy-in

environmental political global governance success

Montreal Protocol 1987 was a major success - banning of CFCs, over 197 states ratified the Montreal protocol 

poverty reduction not always successful example

chronic poverty persists in conflict-affected regions such as Yemen, Afghanistan, political instability undermines UN efforts

economic poverty reduction policies harm the environment examples

WTO trade liberalisation → rapid industrialisation in China, Vietnam and India

IMF structural adjustment → increased deforestation, mining and water pollution

economic global governance can support environmental goals example

• Green climate fund (10 billion+) finances low carbon development in Global South

• China’s green industrial policy e.g Green Belt and Road initaitve → poverty reduction and the growth of infrastructure continues through investment in EV’s solar and wind

  • economic development is a prerequisite for environmental action, developing states need growth to fund green transitions

examples of poverty reduction morally uncontested vs climate change

e.g Haiti hurricane and Pakistan floods 2022 global sympathy, easier for the UN to distribute aid e.g without backlash

climate change is divisive - major climate denial movements e.g US oil-funded groups, social framing of protest groups e.g XR and Just Stop Oil

positive climate perception examples

Greenpeace, WWF and transnational networks have increased public pressure, ‘Loss and Damage’ global solidarity movement shows emerging moral consensus on climate justice