The Global Environment and World Politics

(Paperback, 2nd edition)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Environmental issues are increasingly important factors in world politics - just think of the intense speculation over the climate change discussions at the forthcoming G8 summit. The study of global environmental politics draws on a variety of academic traditions. It uses international relations theory to look at the concerns and actions of states, but has also had to find a variety of new concepts and perspectives in order to explain issues unique to the study of the environment. Here, DeSombre examines four important aspects of the field: international environmental cooperation; the relationship between the environment and security; the issues of science, uncertainty and risk; and the role of non-state actors. In the second half of the book she examines these issues through the use of case studies on specific problems facing the global environment, including global change, the politics of whaling, the protection of Amazonian biodiversity and acid rain in Europe and North America.

Reviews

"In this well-written second edition of her book, Elizabeth DeSombre presents a broad but focused analysis of the ways in which global environmental politics and policy interact with and alter the larger system of world politics." -Bruce Doern, Technology and Culture, Vol. 49, October 2008

Author Bio

Elizabeth R. DeSombre is Frost Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College, USA.