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ESPM 169: International Environmental Politics
Fall 2003
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11-12.30
240 Mulford
Professor Kate O’Neill
129 Giannini
Office Hours: Tuesday 2.15-3.30, and by appointment
Office Phone: 2-3747
E-Mail:
CCN: 30727; 4 units
Graduate Student Instructors:
Mark Henderson
E-Mail:
Office Hours, Tuesday 1-2, 222 Mulford
Barbara Haya
E-Mail:
Office Hours: Thursday 10-11, 399 Barrows
Sections: Monday 2-3 (107 GPB), Tuesday 4-5 (139 Mulford), Thursday 2-3 (332 Giannini)
Course URL:
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Course Description
Global environmental problems, from acid rain to population policy to biodiversity and climate change have become pressing political concerns in a globalizing economy. In response, a sophisticated structure of global governance has emerged, under which nation states have begun to cooperate with each other to an unprecedented extent, although not without facing significant obstacles. This class examines the different sorts of politics, actors, processes and tools that have emerged in the arena of global environmental politics.
The class proceeds in three parts. Part one sets the context, tracing the history of global environmental cooperation, the issues involved, and the international policy process. Part two examines global environmental politics through the lens of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This Convention not only has a ten year history, it also encompasses the key issues and concerns around international environmental politics and policy processes. As well as looking at the treaty itself, we talk about the different sorts of politics around it - of knowledge, power, money and activism, and about the politics of national implementation, relating them to broader issues. Part three consists of short presentations by groups of students on other international environmental problems and efforts to solve them. These will include: climate change, hazardous waste trading, forestry, ozone depletion, oceans management and whaling. Finally, in weekly sections, students will be able to read and discuss “classic” and/or controversial readings on topics related to that week’s lecture.
Assignments
1. Group Project: 35% of final grade
At the end of the semester, we will devote several class sessions to group presentations on other international environmental issues. These will be chosen from climate change (2 groups), hazardous waste trading, forestry, ozone depletion, whaling, wildlife trade and persistent organic pollutants (the final tally will depend on the number of students in the course. No group will be more than 5 people).
As a group, you are expected to put together a short (20-30 minute) presentation according to guidelines that will be handed out in the first class. You should be prepared to answer questions from the rest of the class. In addition to the presentation itself, each group will submit 1) an annotated list of sources consulted; and 2) a chronology of events relating to the issues (this should also be a handout for the class during the presentation). Each member of the group will also submit 1) a short report (half a page) on what you learned from the exercise; and 2) presentation notes. Your grade for the presentation will be based 50% on group effort and 50% for each individual.
Deadlines:
By September 19: e-mail me a ranked list of 3 issues you’d like to work on. The GSI and I will assemble the groups following first choices as much as possible.
September 23: Class will be devoted to discussing the exercise and getting group members acquainted.
October 14 and November 6: Official “group check-in” sessions in class
November 18 - December 2: Presentations (2-3 per class)
2. Reading Reviews (2 out of 3): 20%
Two 2-3 (double-spaced) reviews of 2 readings of your choice (from lecture or section), showing a critical understanding of their arguments and relating them to the themes of the course.
You may choose 2 out of the three deadlines. However, you are strongly urged to pick the early one. If your grade is low on the first attempt, you may make it up by doing the following two (we’ll pick the best two grades). If your grade is good, then you will have the peace of mind of getting a task out of the way!
Deadlines (due in class):
September 23
October 16
December 2
3. Take-Home Final: 20%
You will pick one question out of a list of 3 or 4, and write a 3-4 page essay in response. These questions will pick up on the main themes of the class (for instance, problems of international cooperation or the role of NGOs or the effectiveness of the Biodiversity Convention).
Deadline: Friday, December 12
4. Participation: 20%
This class affords many opportunities for participation. You are expected to attend and participate in both the lecture classes and one section per week, and display a knowledge of the readings. Sections will discuss readings from class and occasionally an extra assigned article, which takes a different perspective on the week's topic. Finally, some class discussions will involve (a small amount of) homework.
Note that “participation” is not “domination of discussion”; the aim is that we all learn together. Feel free also to contact the GSI or myself with questions or ideas that come up, inside or outside class.
Grading Notes:
a. I have reserved 5% of the grade as “free-floating”, to be allocated to the section of the course in which you are doing the best
b. Late Policy: You are strongly urged to hand in work on time. However, we recognize that things come up, and despite the best of intentions, you may not be able to make a deadline. If this happens, you must contact either the GSI or myself by 5 pm on the day the assignment is due, tell us when to expect it and why, truthfully, it is late. Otherwise (except in very extenuating circumstances) your work will be penalized. If you must take an incomplete, I will finish your grading on my own schedule.
Textbook (Required)
Porter, Gareth, Janet Welsh Brown, Pamela Chasek. (2000). Global Environmental Politics, Third Edition. Boulder, Westview Press.
Additional required readings are either included in the course Reader or available online. The Reader may be purchased from Odin Readers at Ned’s Books, 2480 Bancroft Way. Articles in the Reader are marked with ** in the syllabus. Articles available online are marked with ## in the syllabus. You may follow the URL links in the syllabus to these articles, or find them through the Berkeley Library. These links will work best from on campus, otherwise you must set up a proxy service from home. The course web page has direct links to some of the journals we use most often.
All required readings will also be available on reserve at the Bioscience Library (Valley Life Sciences Building).
Official Websites:
Webpage of the Convention on Biological Diversity at (has great selection of links)
Global Environmental Outlook at
Global Biodiversity Outlook at
Week 1
August 26 - Introduction
No Reading for Class
August 28 - International Environmental Issues: A Brief History
Porter, Brown and Chasek, Chapter 1, pp. 1-25
##Wapner, Paul (2003). "World Summit on Sustainable Development: Toward a Post-Jo'burg Environmentalism." Global Environmental Politics 3(1): 1-10. Online:
**Soroos, Marvin. Chapter on Global Environmental Governance, in Vig, Norman J. and Regina S. Axelrod, Eds. (1999). The Global Environment: Institutions, Law and Policy. Washington, Congressional Quarterly Press.
Porter, Brown and Chasek, chapter 3 (especially sections on ozone depletion, whaling, ivory, toxic waste trade and climate change) and pp. 199-212 (on forests) Note: this chapter must be read by September 23 in order for you to pick which environmental issues you’d prefer to work on for your group presentation.
No sections this week
Week 2
September 2 - Playing Well with Others? International Cooperation as a Central Problem
##Simmons, P.J. and Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, Eds. (2001). Managing Global Issues: Lessons Learned. Washington DC, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Introduction (pp. 3-22). Online:
**Susskind, Lawrence E. (1994). Environmental Diplomacy: Negotiating More Effective Global Environmental Agreements. New York, Oxford University Press,Ch. 2, "The Weaknesses of the Existing Environmental Treaty-making System."
September 4 - What is Biodiversity?
**Wilson, E. O. (1988). The Current State of Biological Diversity. Biodiversity. E. O. Wilson. Washington, National Academy Press, pp. 3-18
##Lovejoy, Thomas J. (1994). Biodiversity: The Most Fundamental Issue. Australian Academy of Science, at
##Global Biodiversity Outlook, chapter 1 (status and trends). Online:
Sections, September 2/4/8: Class Discussion
Week 3:
September 9 - Library session
Meet Reference Librarian Norma Kobzina at 11 a.m. at the Circulation Desk or the Instruction Room of the Koshland Biosciences Library
September 11 - Issue Emergence and Early Negotiations
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 124-130
##Koester, Veit (2002). "The Five Global Biodiversity-Related Conventions: A Stocktaking." RECIEL 11(1): 96-103. Online:
Discussion Questions to be distributed in class for next week's session on the CBD text
Reading for Sections, September 9, 11, 15:
**Haas, Peter M., Robert O. Keohane, et al., Eds. (1993). Institutions for the Earth: Sources of Effective International Environmental Protection. Cambridge, Mass., M.I.T. Press, chapter 1
Week 4
September 16 - The Convention on Biological Diversity
**##Full Text of the CBD (also online:
**Guruswamy, Lakshman D. (1998). The Convention on Biological Diversity: A Polemic. Protection of Global Biodiversity: Converging Strategies. L. D. Guruswamy and J. A. McNeely. Durham, NC, Duke University Press.
## McGraw, Désirée M. (2002). "The CBD - Key Characteristics and Implications for Implementation." RECIEL 11(1): 17-28. Online: .
Optional Task: Explore the CBD website, to look at Convention signatories, associated bodies, and other aspects of Convention organization
September 18 - Issue Redefinition and On-Going Negotiations: The Biosafety Protocol
##Raustiala, Kal and David G. Victor (1996). "The Future of the Convention on Biological Diversity." Environment 38(4): 16. Online:
##Gupta, Aarti (2000). "Governing Trade in Genetically Modified Organisms: The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety." Environment 42(4): 22-33. Online:
Section Reading: September 16, 18, 22
**Birnie, Patricia, "International Environmental Law: Its Adequacy for Present and Future Needs," in Hurrell, Andrew and Benedict Kingsbury, Eds. (1992). The International Politics of the Environment. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Week 5
September 23 - SESSION ON GROUP PRESENTATIONS
September 25 - Implementation and Compliance
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 147-156
**O'Neill, Kate, William C. G. Burns, et al. (2002). Implementation and Compliance: The View from Political Scientists. International Environmental Law and Policy, Second Edition. D. Hunter, J. Salzman and D. Zaelke. New York, Foundation Press.
##Herkenrath, Peter (2002). "The Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity - A Non-Government Perspective Ten Years On." RECIEL 11(1) 29-37. Online:
Section Reading, September 23, 25,29:
##Weiss, Edith Brown and Harold K. Jacobson (1999). "Getting Countries to Comply with International Agreements." Environment 41(6): 16-20, 37-45. Online:
Week 6
September 30 - Funding Biodiversity: international organizations and the Global Environment Facility
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 44-60; 156-166
##Streck, Charlotte (2001). "The Global Environment Facility - A Role Model for International Governance?" Global Environmental Politics 1(2): 71-94. Online:
October 2 - Environmental Politics in China (Lecture: Mark Henderson)
**##Kenneth Lieberthal, "China's Governing System and its Impact on Environmental Policy Implementation." China Environment Series, 1997, pp.3-8. Also online (without figures):
**Lester Ross, "China: Environmental Protection, Domestic Policy Trends, Patterns of Participation in Regimes and Compliance with International Norms." China Quarterly, 1998. pp.809-835.
##Li Daqun, "New Diplomatic Endeavors Concerning World Environment". Guoji wenti yanjiu, 1990. Online:
Sections, September 30, October 2, 6:
**Shiva, Vandana. 1993. “The greening of the global reach.” In Wolfgang Sachs, ed., Global ecology: a new arena of political conflict. London: Zed Books.
**Agarwal, Anil and Sunita Narain (1991). Global Warming in an Unequal World: A Case of Environmental Colonialism. New Delhi, Centre for Science and Environment (short version from Green Planet Blues; the full version is available on reserve)
Week 7
October 7 - Power Politics I: States and National Interests
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 35-44
##Putnam, Robert D. (1988). "Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games." International Organization 42(3): 427-460. Online:
**Haas, Peter M. [forthcoming, 2003]. "Environment Multilateralism and the United States," Down to Earth. New Delhi, India: Center for Science and Environment.
October 9 - Power Politics II: North-South Relations
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 175-182
**Agarwal, Anil, Sunita Narain, et al., Eds. (1999). Green Politics. New Delhi, Centre for Science and Environment, chapter on biodiversity
Section Reading, October 7, 9, 13
**Haas, Peter M. (1990). "Obtaining Environmental Protection through Epistemic Consensus." Millennium 19(3): 347-363.
**Sheila Jasanoff, “Skinning Scientific Cats”, in Conca, Ken and Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Eds. (1998). Green Planet Blues: Environmental Politics from Stockholm to Kyoto. Boulder, Westview Press.
Week 8:
October 14 - Knowledge Politics I: Science and Policy
##Masood, Ehsan (1998). "Biodiversity Body 'Needs More Science'." Nature 391(6664): 215. Online:
##Freyfogle, Eric T. and Julianne Lutz Newton (2002). "Putting Science in its Place." Conservation Biology 16(4): 863-873. Online:
October 16 - Knowledge Politics II: Local Knowledge + group reports
**Guruswamy and McNeely, pp. 180-189 (“Rewarding Local Communities for conserving BD: The Case of the Honey Bee”, by Anil Gupta)
##Long Martello, Marybeth (2001). "A Paradox of virtue?: "Other" Knowledges and Environment-Development Politics." Global Environmental Politics 1(3): 114-141. Online:
##Anuradha, R.V. (2001). "IPRs: Implications for Biodiversity and Local and Indigenous Communities." RECIEL 10(1): 27-36. Online:
Sections, October 14, 16, 20: Class Discussion
Week 9
October 21 - Activist Politics I
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 61-71
##Betsill, Michele M. and Elisabeth Corell (2001). "NGO Influence in International Environmental Negotiations: A Framework for Analysis." Global Environmental Politics 1(4): 65-85. Online:
##Redford, Kent H. et al. (2003). "Mapping the Conservation Landscape." Conservation Biology 17(1): 116-131. Online:
October 23 - Activist Politics II (Guest Lecturer Alastair Iles)
Readings: TBA
Sections, October 21, 23, 27:
##Osgood, Diane (2001). Dig It Up: Global Civil Society's Responses to Plant Biotechnology. Global Civil Society 2001. London, LSE Centre for the Study of Global Governance. On-line: plus 2002 update: updates.pdf
Week 10
October 28 - Corporate Politics
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp.71-78
##Gereffi, Gary, Ronie Garcia-Johnson, et al. (2001). "The NGO-Industrial Complex." Foreign Policy: 56-65.Online:
##Di Leva, Charles E. (2002). "The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources through Legal and Market Based Instruments." RECIEL 11(1): 84-95. Online:
Review Osgood reading
October 30 - National Politics I: Domestic Politics and IEP
**Raustiala, Kal (1997). The domestic politics of global biodiversity protection in the United Kingdom and the United States. The Internationalization of Environmental Politics. M. A. Schreurs and E. Economy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
**O'Neill, Kate (2000). Waste Trading Among Rich Nations: Building a New Theory of Environmental Regulation. Cambridge, MIT Press., chapter 7 (conclusion)
##Steinberg, Paul F. (2003). "Understanding Policy Change in Developing Countries: The Spheres of Influence Framework." Global Environmental Politics 3(1): 11-32. Online:
Section Reading, October 28, 30, November 3:
##Sprinz, Detlev and Tapani Vaahtoranta (1994). "The Interest-based Explanation of International Environmental Policy." International Organization 48(1): 77-105. Online:
Week 11
November 4 - National Politics II: Country Cases
**Weiss, Edith Brown and Harold K. Jacobson, Eds. (1998). Engaging Countries: Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Accords. Cambridge, MIT Press, chapter 1 ("A Framework for Analysis")
Class exercise: This book (Weiss and Jacobson) has country-by-country analyses of compliance with 5 different environmental agreements (most of which we are using in the group presentations). We will give each of you one of 6 country chapters (the EU, Japan, Russia, India, Cameroon, Brazil) for discussion and comparison in class. Aim: to understand the sorts of national characteristics (from demographics to political structure) that affect compliance. Chapters will be given out on October 30.
November 6 - Global Biodiversity Politics at the Local Level; Group Check-in
##Hackel, Jeffrey D. (1999). "Community Conservation and the Future of Africa's Wildlife." Conservation Biology 13(4): 726-734. Online:
**Peluso, Nancy, "Coercing Conservation", in Conca and Dabelko, Green Planet Blues
##Stoll-Kleeman, Susanne and Timothy O'Riordan (2002). "From Participation to Partnership in Biodiversity Protection: Experience from Germany and South Africa." Society and Natural Resources 15: 161-177. Online:
##Jacobs, Katharine L., Samuel N. Luoma, et al. (2003). "CALFED: An Experiment in Science and Decisionmaking." Environment 45(1): 30-41. Online:
Section Reading, November 4, 6, 10:
**Conca, Ken (2002). Consumption and Environment in a Global Economy. Confronting Consumption. T. Princen, M. F. Maniates and K. Conca. Cambridge, MIT Press.
Week 12
November 11 - Veterans Day; No Class
November 13 - Issue and Regime Linkages I
Porter, Brown and Chasek, pp. 182-199
**Norgaard, Richard B. (1988). The Rise of the Global Exchange Economy and the Loss of Biological Diversity. Biodiversity. E. O. Wilson. Washington, National Academy Press, pp. 206-211
##Conca, Ken (2000). "The WTO and the undermining of global environmental governance." Review of International Political Economy 7(3): 484-494. Online:
##Cors, Thomas A. (2000). "Biosafety and International Trade: Conflict or Convergence?" International Journal of Biotechnology 2(1/2/3): 27-43. Online:
Sections, November 13, 17:
##DeSombre, Elizabeth R. and Samuel J. Barkin (2002). "Turtles and Trade: The WTO's Acceptance of Environmental Trade Restrictions." Global Environmental Politics 2(1): 12-18. Online:
Week 13
November 18 and 20: Group Presentations
Section Reading, November 18, 20, 24:
**Jasanoff, Sheila (2001). Image and Imagination: The Formation of Global Environmental Consciousness. Changing the Atmosphere: Expert Knowledge and Environmental Governance. C. A. Miller and P. N. Edwards. Cambridge, MIT Press.
Week 14
November 25: Group Presentations
November 27: Thanksgiving - No Class
Section December 1: Revision for Final
Week 15
December 2: Group Presentations
December 4: Wrapping up the Course
Sections, December 2, 4: Revision for Final