Syllabus
PS536 - GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY
Spring Semester 2008
North Carolina State University
Time: Tuesday/Thursday 11:45-1:00
Place: Winston 003
INSTRUCTOR
Professor of Political Science and Public Administration
Office: Caldwell 207
Phone (with voice mail): 515-3755
E-Mail: msoroos(at)mindspring.com
Office: 207 Caldwell Hall
Website: http//:social.chass.ncsu.edu/soroos/
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00-11:30; 4:15-5:00
Texts
Pamela S. Chasek, David L. Downie, and Janet Welsh Brown, Global Environmental Politics, 4th edition Westview, 2006
Donald Kennedy and the Editors of Science, State of the Planet 2006-2007. Island Press, 2006
J. R. McNeill, An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World. W. W. Norton, 2000
Additional readings are either accessible on-line either through clickable internet links or through the D.H.Hill Library's electronic reserves.
Overview and Background
PS536 will explore the responses of the international community to environmental problems. Over the past two decades, concerns about the environment have converged on the concept global change. In this context, "global change" refers to the tendency for the rapidly expanding and economically developing world population to alter the basic physical and biological processes of the planet Earth. Of particular concern are changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere that cause acid deposition, depletion of the ozone layer, and climate change. However, numerous other environmental problems demand attention, such as population growth, the spread of deserts, water quality and scarcity, the state of the world's forests, loss of biodiversity, marine pollution, depletion of fisheries, persistent organic pollutants, and disposal of toxic wastes.
A substantial evolution in global environmental governance has occurred since the landmark United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972. A series of single-theme world conferences, or "global town meetings," discussed specific environmental problems and action plans for addressing them. New international institutions have been created, the most notable being the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, while previously existing organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization, UNESCO, the European Community, and the World Bank have expanded their activities in the environmental realm. Finally, hundreds of international treaties and other international agreements have been concluded on subjects ranging from the marine environment to outer space and from species preservation to protecting the ozone layer.
Political issues inevitably arise from the growing competition among the world populations for the limited resources of the planet. Moreover, environmental degradation has a greater impact on some societies than on others, which accounts for varying degrees of commitment to addressing environmental problems. Finally, conflicts of interest arise over the terms of international cooperation on addressing a wide range of environmental problems. The divisions between the North and South were all too apparent at the Earth Summit in Rio 1992 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, as the less developed countries refused to sacrifice their aspirations for economic development to further the environmental agenda advocated by the rich industrialized nations. The hope for forging a global partnership to preserve the global environment lies in defining and implementing a strategy to achieve "sustainable development."
In the early years of the 21st century, global environmental concerns seem to have receded as a public concern has focused on other issues. The first is the threat of terrorism that was forcibly driven home by the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 and the geopolitics that followed, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The second is rise of economic globalism following the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, which has increasingly become the focus of political and social protest around the world. Nevertheless, the global environmental predicament that humanity faces continues to deepen in ways that threaten the welfare of peoples throughout the world. In particular, continuing scientific research on global climate change, including prospect of abrupt climatic changes, suggest even more disturbing scenarios for the 21st century. Public concern about environmental problems seems to be on the rise again in United States and elsewhere.
This course draws upon the subfields of international law, international public policy, international organizations and regimes, international negotiation, international politics, and international political economy as they apply to efforts to address global environmental problems. The first part of the course presents an overview of these subjects that will provide conceptual and analytic tools which will be used in the second part to explore international responses to specific environmental problems.
Course Objectives
knowledge of the challenges posed by global environmental problems for international policy makers,
an understanding of the basics of international law and how it has evolved to address international environmental problems,
a familiarity the principal international organizations and regimes that have roles in the environmental field,
an appreciation of the role that nongovernmental organizations and civil society plays in international governance,
a sensitivity to how economic and political troubles of developing countries are intertwined with environmental imperatives,
an awareness of the role that the United States has played in international environmental diplomacy, and
an introduction to the emerging academic field of international environmental law and policy.
Seminar Project
Each student taking the course for credit is required to undertake a substantial research project leading to a paper of 15-25 typewritten pages, which is due on or before Thursday, April 17 at class time. A topic for the seminar paper should be submitted on Tuesday, February 19 and an outline on Thursday, March 20. No credit will be given for papers of less than 12 pages. Papers will be graded on both content and composition. They should be on one of following types of topics, although alternative types of topics may be undertaken with the approval of the instructor.
(a) Analysis of an environmental problem and the international response to that problem. The problem may be global in scope, such as contamination by persistant organic chemicals (POPs), international trade in toxic substances, the decline of whales, the widspread use of drift nets, the spread of deserts, the dying of coral reefs. Alternatively, it may be a regional problem, such as as those associated with regional seas (e.g., the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, or Aral), or international river systems (e.g., the Danube, Nile, or Mekong). Finally, the paper could focus more narrowly on a bilateral problem, such as water or air pollution along the US/Mexican border.
(b) Case study of an international environmental institution or major international environmental meeting. The institution may focus largely or exclusively on environmental matters, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Alternatively, it may be one that has become controversial for the implications of its policies and programs for the environment, such as the World Trade Organization or the World Bank. Meetings could be major world conferences, such as the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo 2004), the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996), the World Summit on the Sustainable Development (Johannesburg 2002), or the COPll/MOP2 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Milan 2003).
(c) Case study of an international environmental dispute, incident or court case. Historical examples are the Trail Smelter Case (1941) between the US and Canada, the Torrey Canyon oil tanker accident (1967), the three Cod Wars between Iceland and Britain (1959-1976), the Bhopal disaster in India (1984), or the Chernobyl accident in the USSR (1986). Among more contemporary examples the Gabcikovo Dam Case between Slovakia and Hungary, the Turbot War between Spain and Canada (1995), the tuna-dolphin trade dispute between the US and Mexico, or the dispute between Europe and the United States over exports of hormone treated beef or genetically modified food.
Generally, speaking the narrower topics work better than broad ones, assuming that sufficient information is available.
Some Information Sources
Google (all purpose search engine)
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (an on-line service that can be used to locate newspaper, magazines, and journal articles on any subject, by conducting a keyword search; it is updated daily and contains texts of articles; click on "news"--then "general news")
IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development) Linkages (a website that can be used to access current and previous issues of Earth Negotiations Bulletin, an online newletter which provides detailed day-to-day coverage of major international negotiating sessions on a variety of environmental problems; also Linkages Update which has short articles on a wide range of international environmental topics, has brief summaries of past meetings, lists forthcoming meetings, and abstracts of recent literature in the environmental field)
Encyclopedia of the Earth (a wiki style, but carefully reviewed and edited, on-line encyclopedia on resource and environmental topics. It is still in an early stage of development, so the number of entries is limited.)
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI) (a highly useful database of environmental treaties and ratifications that can manipulated to provide a number of useful types of lists)
United Nations Environment Program (contains links to websites on a United Nations treaties and other initiatives that address a number of environmental problems, such as climate change, ozone depletion, pesticides, desertification, biodiversity, etc.)
Problem Essays
In lieu of in-class examinations, each student will write two essays of 7-10 pages due at classtime on Tuesday, Feb 26 (classtime) and Thursday, May 1 (5:00 PM)), which draw upon the course readings and class discussions. The assigned topics will be circulated approximately two weeks before the due dates. Papers may be submitted electronically.
Assignment for Problem Essay #1
Assignment for Problem Essay #2
Class Sessions
Regular attendance and participation in class discussions is expected of all students. Assigned readings should be read prior to the class session for which they are assigned.
Grades
The course will be graded on an A,B,C,D,F basis. Pluses and minuses will be attached to the letter grade when appropriate, although they may not be calculated into the GPAs of all students. The grades will be based on the seminar paper (40%), the problem essays (50%), and class attendance and participation (10%). The grade scale will be 97-100 (A+), 93-96 (A), 90-92 (A-), 87-89 (B+), 83-86 (B), 80-82 (B-), 77-79 (C+), 73-76 (C), 70-72 (C-). A grade below 60 is failing.
Tentative Schedule and Reading Assignments
Week 1 (Jan 10) - Course Introduction
McNeill, preface, chs. 1, 2
Donald Kennedy, "Life on a Human Dominated Planet," in Kennedy et al, pp. 5-12
Donald Kennedy, "Preserving the Conditions for Life," in Kennedy et al, pp. 39-48
Optional websites
Kenneth Boulding, "The Economics of the Coming Space Ship Earth," (1966)
Millennium Ecological Assessment (Wikipedia summary and links)
Environmental Sustainability Index
Environmental Performance Index (rankings of nations)
Week 2 (Jan 15,17) - History of International Environmental Policy (outline)
Chasek et al, ch. 1
McNeill, ch. 11
Optional Websites:
UN Conference on Environment and Development-1992 (collected papers)
IISD Portal on the World Summit for Sustainable Development - 2002
Week 3 (Jan 22,24) - The Problem of The Commons (outline)
Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," in Kennedy et al, pp. 115-125
Soroos, "The Evolution of Global Commons," in Ho-Won Jeong, ed., Global Environmental Policies: Institutions and Procedures, Palgrave, 2001, pp. 39-65 (PS536 electronic reserves)
Donald Kennedy, "Managing Our Common Inheritance," in Kennedy et al, pp. 101-114
Herschel Elliott and Richard Lamm, "A Moral Code for a Finite World," Chronicle of Higher Education, November 15, 2002, pp. B7-B9 (on line)
McNeill, chapter 6 (general background reading)
Optional Websites
Wikipedia Encyclopedia, "The Tragedy of the Commons"
Encylopedia of the Earth, "The Antarctic Treaty System"
International Association for the Study of Common Property
Week 4 (Jan 29, 31) - International Environmental Law - a Crash Course (outline)
Scott Barrett, "International Environmental Agreements," ch. 6 in Environment and Statecraft: The Strategy of Environmental Treaty-making. Oxford University Press, 2003. (PS536 electronic reserves)
Lisa Mastny and Hilary French, "Crimes of (a) Global Nature," Worldwatch, Sept.-Oct 2002, 12-23 (PS536 electronic reserves)
Oliver Hauck, "Tales from a Troubled Marriage: Science and Law in Environmental Policy," in Kennedy et al, pp. 183-193
United Nations, Treaty Reference Guide
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI) - (browse ENTRI Table of Contents, on-line)
Karl Inderfurth, "Washington's Phobia of Global Treaties," Christian Science Monitor, Deceiber 24, 2007
Optional Websites:
Fletcher School International Relations Resources
Fletcher School Multilaterals Project
ECOLEX-A Gateway to Environmental Law
American Association of International Law--Guide to Electronic Resources
Week 5 (Feb 5, 7) - International Environmental Institutions (outline)
Chasek et al, ch. 2 (pp. 41-73), ch. 4
Thomas Dietz et al, "The Struggle to Govern the Commons," in Kennedy et al, pp. 126-141
Optional Websites:
International Organizations and NGOs
Week 6 (Feb 12, 14) Environmental Movements and Nongovernmental Organizations (outline)
Chasek et al, ch. 2 (pp. 73-95)
Jules Pretty, "Social Capital and the Collective Management of Resources," in Kennedy et al, 141-148
Wikipedia Encyclopedia, "Greenpeace"
"Japanese Whalers, Green Peace in Ocean Battle," Reuters, December 22, 2005
"Evangelical Leaders Join Global Warming Initiative," New York Times, February 8, 2006 Statement of Initiative
Optional Websites:
Sarah Mazur, Environmental NGOs: An Information Database
saveourenvironment.org (coalition of 21 environmental NGOs)
Michael Schellenberger and Michael Nordhaus, "Death of the Environmental Movement"
Week 7 (Feb 19, 21) - Global Population Problems and Policy (outline) (optional articles)
Submit term paper topic at class on February 19
Joel E. Cohen, "Human Population: the Next Half Century," in Kennedy et al, pp. 13-21
Population Reference Bureau, "What is Overpopulation"
Nicholas Eberstadt, "The Population Implosion," Foreign Policy, No. 123, 2001, pp. 42-53
Phillip Longman, "The Return of Patriarchy, Foreign Policy, No. 153, March/April 2006, pp. 56-65
Lincoln C. Chen, et al, "Women, Politics and Global Management: The Cairo Conference," Environment, Vol. 37, No. 1, Jan/Feb 1995, pp. 5-9, 31-33 (electronic reserves for PS536 #12)
Population Reference Bureau, World Population Data Sheet 2007- (browse on line)
Ann Hwang, "Exportable Righteousness, Expendable Women," World Watch, January/February 2002, pp. 24-31 (PS536 electronic reserves #3)
McNeill, chapter 9 (on urbanization)
Optional Websites:
National Ecological Footprints Ecological Footprint Quiz World Consumption Cartogram
IIASA, Chinese Population Trends (Animation)
United Nations Population Division
United Nations Population Fund
United Nations Population Information Network (POPIN)
United States Census Bureau-International Population Center
International Planned Parenthood Federation
Negative Population Growth (an NGO---statistics on US population growth)
Week 8 (Feb 26, 28) - The Atmosphere, Transboundary Pollution and the LRTAP Regime (outline) (optional articles)
Problem Essay #1 Due at Classtime
McNeill, , chs. 3-4
Marvin S. Soroos, "Preserving the Atmosphere as a Global Commons," Environment, Vol. 40, No. 2, March 1998, 8-13, 32-35 (PS536 electronic reserves)
Chasek et al, ch. 3 (pp. 97-106)
Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain, "Acidification" and "The LRTAP Convention" (browse on-line)
Hajime Akimoto, "Global Air Quality and Pollution," in Kennedy et al, pp. 79-87
Jacques Leslie, "The Last Empire: Can the World Survive China's Headlong Rush to Emulate the American Way of Life," Mother Jones, Vol. 33, No. 1, January/February, 2008, pp. 29-39, 83-85.
Optional Websites:
Encyclopedia of the Atmosphere
Encyclopedia of the Earth, "Air Quality in Mega-Cities"
Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain
Carlines (emission and fuel efficiency standards for autos around the world)
Week 9 (March 11, 13) - The Ozone Depletion Regime (outline) (optional articles)
Chasek et al, ch. 3 (pp. 106-115)
EPA, "On the Trail of Missing Ozone" (cartoon)
UNEP, Twenty Questions and Answers about the Ozone Layer-2006 Update (browse on line)
UNEP, Backgrounder: Basic Facts and Data on the Science and Politics of Ozone Protection, 2005 (browse on line)
"Cool Rooms in Asia Warming the Planet," International Herald Tribune, February 22, 2007
Optional Websites:
Ozone Science Crossword Puzzle
US EPA Ozone Depletion Website
Week 10 (March 18, 20) - The Climate Change Regime (Scientific Issues) (outline) (optional articles)
Submit outline of term paper at class on March 20
Thomas Karl and Keven Trenberth, "Modern Global Climate Change," in Kennedy et al, pp. 88-98
Union on Concerned Scientists, "Global Warming Science" (browse website)
Naomi Oreskes, "The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change," Science, December 3, 2004, p. 1686
Donald Kennedy, "Climate Change and Climate Science," Science, June 11, 2004, p 1565.
Spencer Weart, "The Discovery of Rapid Climate Change," Physics Today, Vol. 56 (8), August 2003 (on-line)
"New Climate Report Too Rosy, Experts Say," Washington Post, January 29, 2007
UNEP, Fact Sheet: Climate Change at a Glance, 2007 (highly recommended for a good summary of climate change issues)
Optional Websites:
IPCC, "Climate Change 2007: The Synthesis Report," (Summary for Policymakers)
Climate Change Newsfeed (extensive compendium of newspaper articles on climate change)
National Snow and Ice Data Center
World Meteorological Organization (news releases)
New Scientist Environment, "Climate Change: A Guide for the Perplexed"
Climate Change Information Service (extensive compendium of recent newspaper articles)
Christian Science Monitor, Climate Change website
Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change (2006) Summary of Conclusions
EPA Global Warming Site (check for a good summary of impacts of global warming)
American Institute of Physics, The Discovery of Global Warming
AAAS, Climate Change Resources, Statement on Climate Change, 2006
RealClimate (focuses on scientific issues)
Cool Heads Coalition (skeptical website)
Global Warming Information Center (National Center for Policy Research) (skeptical perspective)
World Climate Report (skeptical perspective)
Week 11 (March 25, 27) - The Climate Change Regime (UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol) (outline) (optional articles)
Chasek et al, ch. 3 (pp. 115-128)
Hasselmann et al, "The Challenge of Long-Term Climate Change," in Kennedy et al, pp. 172-178
Robert T. Watson, "Climate Change: the Political Situation," pp. 179-182
Swedish NGO Secretariat, "Fact Sheet---Kyoto Protocol"
Marvin S. Soroos, "Science and International Climate Change Policy," in Neil E. Harrison and Gary C. Bryner (eds.), Science and Politics in the International Environment. Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, pp. 83-108 (PS536 electronic reserves)
Ross Gelbspan, "Two Paths for the Planet," The American Prospect, July/August 2007, pp. 45-48.
McNeill, ch. 10
Optional Websites:
The Times (UK), "Green Hits: the 20 Most Read Climate Change Articles This Year" (Some interesting articles)
Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Summary of the Bali Conference (2007), see in particular pp. 18-21
US (White House) Policy on Climate Change
Official UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Website
IISD Linkages-Framework Convention on Climate Change
Program on International Policy Attitudes--Global Warming
Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
League of Conservation Voters, Voter Guide on Presidential Candidate Climate Change Positions
Week 12 (April 1, 3) - The Law of the Sea (outline) (optional articles)
Martin Glassner and Chuck Fahrer, "The Law of the Sea," ch. 31 in Political Geography, 3rd edition, Wiley, 2004 (electronic reserves)
Martin Glassner and Chuck Fahrer, "The Political Geography of the Sea," ch. 32 in Political Geography, 3rd edition, Wiley, 2004 (electronic reserves)
McNeill, ch 5 (general background reading)
Optional Websites:
UN Division for Ocean Affairs, "UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: A Historical Perspective" (brief explanations
of the provisions of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea)
Oceans and Law of the Sea (main United Nations LOS website)
Text of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
Wikipedia Encyclopedia, "UN Convention on the Law of the Sea"
International Maritime Organization
Pew Oceans Commission report America's Living Oceans
Week 13 (April 8, 10) - Conserving Fisheries, Wildlife, and Biodiversity (outline) (optional articles)
Martin Jenkins, "Prospects for Biodiversity," in Kennedy et al, pp. 22-27
Daniel Pauley et al, "World Fisheries: the Next 50 Years," in Kennedy et al, pp. 29-36
Chasek et al, ch.3 (pp. 143-195)
McNeil, ch. 7, ch 8 (pp. 229-52, 262-66)
Soroos, "The Turbot War: Resolution of an International Fishery Dispute," in Nils Petter Gleditsch, ed., Conflict and the Environment. Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 235-252. (PS336 electronic reserves)
Optional Websites:
Earth Portal, Transboundary Protected Areas
Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) (full text)
UNEP, In Dead Water, 2008 ( report on the impact of climate change and overfishing on the oceans fishing grounds)
Global Biodiversity Outlook (see chapters 1 and 2)
World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, Our Forests, Our Future
(Summary Report)
King of Sushi, CBS 60 Minutes Report (video)
Week 14 (April 15, 17) - Presentation of Seminar Papers
Tuesday, April 15
Iovu, UNEP and CSD
Lou, Functions of the IPCC
Griffith, Chernobyl Case Study
Hardison, Chernobyl's Effect on International law
Behringer, US/EU Debate over GMOs
Thursday, April 17: Guest, Dr. Elena Nikitina, Russian Academy of Sciences and member of the IPCC
(catered lunch to follow)
Seminar Paper Due at Classtime on April 17
Week 15 (April 22, 24) - Presentation of Seminar Papers
Tuesday, April 22
Galvin, TRAFFIC/Biodiversity
Peacock, Shrimp Turtle Case
Stewart, Whales
Oruma, Biodiversity in Sub-Sahara Africa
Bernard, Haryana Case Study: Sustainable Forestry
Thursday, April 24
Davasthali, Plastic Pollution in Oceans
Pyles, Pollution in the Mediterrean Sea
Scott, Desertification: the International Response
Gross, Desertification in Ghana
Porter, Environmental Issues in Ghana
Problem Essay #2 Due Thursday, May 1, by 5:00 PM
Miscellaneous Articles that May be of Interest
Bill McKibben, "Reversal of Fortune," Mother Jones, March/April 2007