PS536, Global Environmental Law and Policy
Spring Semester 2008
PROBLEM ESSAY #1
(Covers Weeks 1-7)
Several authors have questioned whether that the international political system is capable of coping with deepening environmental problems. For example, William Ophuls in Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1977) writes
"Without some kind of international governmental machinery with authority and coercive power over sovereign states sufficient to oblige them to keep within the bounds of the ecological common interest of all on the planet, the world must suffer the ever greater environmental ills ordained by the global tragedy of the commons." (p. 210)
Andrew Hurrell and Benedict Kingsbury (formerly of Duke University) in the introductory chapter to The International Politics of the Environment (Oxford University Press, 1992) ask
"Can a fragmented and often highly conflictual political system made up of over 180 sovereign states and numerous other actors achieve the high (and historically unprecedented) levels of co-operation and policy coordination needed to manage environmental problems on a global scale?" (page 1)
On the basis of your studies in PS536 during the first half of this course, write a 7-10 page (double-spaced) essay which explains your position on the issues raised by Ophuls and Hurrell/Kingsbury. Your essay might address the following questions:
(a) Is a global tragedy the commons unfolding along the lines that Hardin foresees? If so, explain the ways in which it is happening.
(b) Is the existing international institutional and legal machinery, as well as nongovernmental organizations, adequate to the task of avoiding such a tragedy? Explain what machinery is available at the international level as well as its strengths and/or weaknesses.
You may use your books and class notes, but you are NOT to discuss the project with classmates before submitting your essay. Where relevant, include citations from the course readings.
You are NOT expected to do any additional reading or research beyond what has been assigned in the course thus far. This is an exercise in integrating insights that you have gained from the course.
No footnotes or bibliography are necessary. Where you are referring to specific ideas from the readings, simply insert the author and page number in parentheses in the text. For example, (McNeill, p. 128).
Grades will take into account both content and composition. Think of this assignment as an opportunity to synthesize for the instructor what you have learned during the first half of the course.
Your essay is due no later than Tuesday, February 26 by 5:00. Hard copy is preferred, but your paper can be submitted electronically as an email attachment. If submitted in hard copy, simply staple the pages to hold them together---no binders please!