Kinnaird College for Women

Department Of International Relations

Assignment-2

Submitted By: Zunaira Malik

Azka Syed Awan

Alina Minhas

Shehar Bano

Maryam Yasmeen

Semester: 5th

Session: 2019-2023

Submitted to: Ma’am Nudrat Bano

Course Title: Contemporary Issues in IR.

Submission Date: 7th October’ 2021

 Analyze the role of environmental developments in devising the course of
global political and economic interaction. Register the challenges faced and
possible solutions.

INTRODUCTION

With Global environmental condition detonating and rapidly worsening, environmental

indicators have contributed in the extension of environmental factors in contemporary
international policy making. The entire human race is devastated by the swiftly worsening
natural conditions. The role of environment in global political discourse is synonymously
treated with political practise, policies, actions and behaviours that influence the
environmental spectrum in one way or another. Environmental concerns are continuously
making their positions in the wake of ecological footprints considered to be the most heuristic
measure of the environmental state. The political repertory is now hosting the influence of
environmental lobby and eco warriors. Permitted with ethical dilemmas environmental
concerns become centred attention when human induced climatic problems emerge in the
form of so called Asian brown cloud of smog, marine problems and lots more. The local,
regional and international environmental conditions are influenced when the governmental
administrators, diplomats and international organizations make decisions which influence the
environmental spectrum of planet Earth. This is the whole idea around which the political
discourse with respect to environmental factors is shaped. The actors include states, eco-
warriors, convoys of non-governmental organizations and international as well as regional
organizations are frequently making environmental decisions to ensure speedy recovery.

DEFINING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT IN INTERNATIONAL

POLITICS

Pluralistic perceptions of Global politics reveal the practical and doctrinal nature of this sub
field of International relations. The political issues or happenings in which environmental
well being is concerned formulate the discourse of International environmental politics. The
issues, policies, actions, doctrines of trans-national nature which are perturbed by questions
of environmental well being fall in the category of International environmental politics.

BREIF HISTORY
At first the issue erupted to resolve the prospects of conflict over fisheries in between
England and Castile and by 1875 a number of bilateral agreements were signed. 1900 treaty
ratify the Convention for Preservation of Wild life animals. 1933 national parks were created
by colonial parties in Africa. League of Nations tried to address the marine pollution
squabble in 1929. While under UN forum a number of agreements were signed which include
1960 agreements on acid rain, 1970 on ozone depletion and number of other in 1990s.

THEORETICAL PERCPECTIVES

With global environmental politics taking key positions in the construction of policies
especially after Stockholm Conference/ UN Conference on Human environmental call for the
construction of appropriate environmental endeavours.

LIBERAL INSTITUTIONALISM AND NEO LIBERALISM

Liberals emphasize on the importance of collective efforts in the wake of International

multilateral agreements, treatise and organizations to solve the environmental problems and
concerns and make an ethical extension to the resolution of environmental problems. They
ask for global environmental governance to mitigate state role.

REALISM

Realist have traced the conflictual nature of environment politics that because of
environmental factors three kinds of conflict which include fragile states squabbles, resources
wars and migration related wars could be resulted. They have taken a security perceptive by
establishing links between environmental defoliationand emergence of armed conflict.
Nationalistic interests compel states to either cooperate or deviate from agreements.

STRUCTURALISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS

This school of thought have pushed the Marxist perceptive to analyse role of imperialistic
forces, discrepancies between north and south pole of the planet in aggravating
environmental standards. They held capitalism accountable for all the injuries inflicted on
environment. They also deny the probability of formulating collective action forums.

GREEN THEORY

Standing against the environmental injustices the green theorists fluctuate their stance from
that of state centric one to an anti state perception and thereby supporting the multilateral
frameworks. They emphasize on the fact that environmental problems must be considered as
source of international insecurities.

GREEN DIPLOMACY

Green diplomacy basically discuss international mediation be it multi- or bilateral. It talks

through the problems of environmental degradation and pollution on a global or regional
ground. In the international arena, green diplomacy encourages the states, societies and
individuals to interact on the basis of concerns in regards to natural conditions of
environment. Nations of the states prioritize environmental security actions and
environmental diplomacy.

The prime objective of this renowned form of diplomacy is emphasized as to encourage the
humans, towards protecting, and maintaining prosperity of the global natural heritage. The
steps towards establishing such institutions and structures with global benefit, which will help
deliver environmental problems, take a suitable position and eventually organizing such
meetings which address this theme. We saw it reaching its climax when the so-called “green
Summits” were institutionalized. The examples for various summits are; Stockholm of 1972,
Rio de Janeiro, 1992 and Johannesburg, 2002.

PATTERNS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE

POLITICAL DISCOURSE

ENVIRONMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Insights of the events of 1980s it seemed that the major security threat after cold war was
posed by the environment disorder. During the era, there was a rising tension regarding ozone
depletion, prompt deforestation and burning in Brazil, chemical calamities for instance,
Bhopal and concerns regarding climate alterations, causing weather disorder and water
scarcity.

An optimist approach of Homer Dixon in 1999 was that environmental disorder eventually
lay out opportunities for collaboration rather than disputes; also it was unlikely to cause
interstate warfare. Moreover, it is also under debate that military institution should not be
dealing with environmental matters.

ENVIRONMENT AND PARAMETERS OF POLITICAL ECONOMY

Insight of environmental directive, industries followed a number of strategies in from 1960s
onwards to tackle with environmental crisis. Industries to prevent pollution, innovated
technical fixes Scrubbers and filters, a cap and trade market methodology to attempt and deal
with climate changes. There also is a grave debate on political economy which concerns
production, build up and the part played by wealth and power in positioning environmental
politics. Part of the debate is also that the focus concentration merely in regimes causes
endangerment of losing sight of the economic parameters in production policies, land
allocations and the role of government law imposition regarding pollution.

SOCIO CULTURE FRAMEWORK AND ENVIRONMENT

Basically, culture has a pronounced impact on how the people support or oppose the calls
made to mitigate biodiversity loss or climate alterations. Corrosion resulted by chemicals’
usage and soiling resulted by particles is likely to induce a rise of economic loss but, more
significantly, it can cause destruction of our cultural heritage, which is a vital element of our
individual as well as national identity. Moreover, socially, air pollution is also seen as the
very reason of the prevailing, elevated anxiety and inflated mental disorders which can be
seen in a grave majority in examples of depression, asthma, and autism. Furthermore, the
pollution in the environment may also be counted as a risk factor for abuse, self-destruction
behaviours and suicides.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

It is not new that the environment is constantly being affected by the extreme usage of the
resources of Earth, human activities, globalization and the increase in industrialization.
Damage is being done to the environment through many ways. And these lead to
environmental issues which are quite complex in nature. Global warming, ozone layer
depletion, deforestation, desertification, waste disposal followed by ocean acidification and
all kinds of pollution are included in these issues. The international community including
various institutions, national governments and non-governmental organizations in response to
the emergence of such environmental issues made certain efforts to address these issues and
deal with them in an effective manner.

Even though many attempts to solve these international environmental issues have been done
it seems quite difficult to deal with these problems through a political approach. There are
many reasons behind the problem of, the complexity of the environmental issues being solved
through political solutions and various factors like lack of accountability, fragmentation of
environmental institutions and large number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements etc
led to these reasons. Environmental issues not only add to the inception of conflict but it also
calls for the global coordination and cooperation and that’s why it can be said that
Environmental issues play a vital role in the global system. In International relations,
Environmental issues seem to be one of the contemporary issues and it is thought that it may
even turn the dynamics of international system and the wave of globalization because of its
gigantic potential. Also the future of mankind will be very much affected by the way the
international community deals with the environment and its problems now.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGIMES
Various obligations, series of systems and effective decision making procedures were
introduced by the policy makers, so that global environmental problems can be addressed
more efficiently; these can also be regarded as “International Environmental Regimes”. If we
take institution as a bunch of principles, decision making procedures and rights that allows
participants to practice a role, gives way to a social practice and allows connection between
those who undertake such roles then categorizing international regimes as a kind of
institution would not be wrong.

By complying with the rules of a certain environmental regime, a government conforms to it.
Over the past four decades, the construction of international environmental regimes was
motivated by the diplomacy of intensive international conference. We can take Antarctica as
an example to see how in order to manage the occurrences in the ocean legal regimes have
been structured in a particular way i.e. the environment there shows that it is a global problem
and cannot be solved by one specific state or nation. If the international environmental issues
are to be dealt with the global community needs to come together because the depletion of
ozone layer or air and water pollution does not affect only one state it affects the word as a
whole. If the international community works for the greater safety of the planet by following
certain rules or guidelines or through international regimes only then can these environmental
issues be resolved.

ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

Not only political and social consequences are resulted as a consequence of environmental
pollution and problems but as well as hurdles within the economic discourse as well.
Following provided is a brief theoretical perspective of economic-environmental discourse
i.e. how international trade have affected the environment of the world in addition to different
economic and trade agreements and pacts signed in accord of environmental preservation.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Modern economic theory has formed some approaches to describe the advantages of
international commercial exchanges. One is traditional approach meanwhile the other is
modern approach.

TRADITIONAL THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Traditional approach is based on “Heckscher-Online model”, having following assumptions:

 Both states produce with same technology and consistent re-visitations for scales.
 The supply of factors of production is independent of costs.
 The perfect mobility of factors is among states not nations.
 Consumer priorities are same in both states.
 No externalities are in production.

The principle result of this model is that, one nation will have relative benefit in creation and
export of the goods whose production seriously utilizes the factor that is generally more
abundant in that country as compared to other. Environmental elements may be remembered
for this model in two ways that involve environment as factor of creation or by changing
presumptions of model.

MODERN THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

The new modern approaches give extensions of H-O Model to oblige circumstances i.e.
developing yields, inter-industrial exchange, and economies of scale in creation, monopolistic
consent and separation of material.

In 1997, Beers and van using open economies model made analysis about introduction of
environmental policies stating that goods are produced by monopolist power in international
market but get an autarky price for production in domestic market, therefore the international
market price must be accepted as competition is already there.

PATTERNS OF ENGAGEMENT: EFFECT OF TRADE ON

ENVIRONMENT

The effects of trade on environment and vice versa are discussed in number of way;
  COMBINATION EFFECTS
Combination effects also known as mixed impacts are environmental impacts gotten
from swap in relation between products produced and consumed as a result of
international trade. These impacts can be positive as well as negative depending upon
the relative impact that changes in production in every area may have on complete
stock of environmental changes.
As international trade causes a significant decrease in agricultural production than
non-agricultural production and pollutes less the environmental impact of mixed
effects of production in positive and if it pollutes more, it is negative.
 EFFECTS OF SCALE
Impacts of scale allude to environmental impacts inferred from changes in scale of
economic activity as a result of international exchange while keeping the goods
produced combination steady. Hence, the environmental impact of effects of scale is
always negative.
 EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES
The impacts of externalities catch criticism consequences for consumption and
production that happen because of the natural externalities and different externalities
caused by production and consumption. So, these criticism consequences create more
environmental impact along with those produced by mixed and scale affect. As per
model by Abler and Shortle, the environmental impacts exist and are more
strengthened in the area that pollutes more. So, due to this the environmental impact
of externalities goes in same direction as of mixed and scale effects.
 POLICY EFFECTS
Policy effects allude to environmental impact stemming from change in public and
environmental policies as result of trade. More international trade leads to more
polices which in turn have environmental impacts. This contention alludes with the
impacts on policies not on environmental or changes in international exchange that
happens in response to environmental policies.
 TECHNOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Technological impacts allude to the effects that exchange has on the environment
through creation and reception of new items, new processed advancements for
lessening pollution.

PATTERNS OF ECONOMIC AGREEMENTS

Keeping in view the different affects on environment as a result of trade patterns, it became
necessary to agree on bi-lateral and multi-lateral economic agreements which reflected the
environmental policy. Thus following provided is a list of multiple economic agreements
shaped by trade policy in accord with environmental policy.

 THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT (CTE):

The initial trade policy with respect to environmental concerns was agreed upon under
the framework of WTO. It was directly termed as the committee of trade and
environment, which emphasized focusing on sustainable development.
 SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIATED TREATMENT MEASURES (STD):
It included different boxes related to environmental-economic policies such as, Green
boxes, Blue boxes, Amber boxes and Red boxes, all focusing on rural development,
agricultural enhancement, crops diversification and other environmental related
induced signatures, tending to focus on increased sustainable development.

MULTI-LATERAL ENVIRONMNATL AGREEMENTS IN

RELEVANCE TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE

With the on growing global environmental issues as a result of increased political-economic

interactions as well as increased production of industrial goods in international trade, new
patterns of environmental agreements in relevance to international economical discourse has
also been formed which are mostly of multi-lateral nature, held under international
conventions as provided below:

 Termed as CITES, ‘The Convention of International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora’ is one of the oldest conventional multi-lateral
agreement signed to turn international trade in the direction of protection of
environment. Agreed upon in 1973, it holds the purpose of protection of species
getting endangered as a result of exploitation of environment caused as a result of
international system of trade.
 In 1985, a convention was held in Vienna to discuss the environmental issues of
ozone depletion resulting as a result of increased production and increased
industrialization. This Vienna convention and Montreal Protocol held from years
1985-1987 was a global response to harmful effects of international trade on global
ecosystem and human health. It aimed at protecting the ozone layer by taking
necessary precautionary measures of controlled consumption and production.
  Came following another multi-lateral agreement called as the Basel Convention for
the control of Trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste disposals, signed in
1989 as a propagating campaign to decrease and minimize the risks of production and
wastes. It called for a reduction in the trans-boundary movements by disposing the
wastes in an environmentally approved way.
 Convention on biodiversity (CBD) was also held with the aim of protecting
biodiversity of natural eco-systems in order to foster a sustainable developmental goal
of equitable distribution.
 FCCC i.e. the Framework Convention on Climate Change was one another multi-
lateral agreement signed under Kyoto Protocol. Its purpose was to promote
coordination among the states for the stabilization of greenhouse gases and take
preventive measures in international trade for the conversation of environment.
 The convention of Rotterdam on hazardous chemicals and pesticides used in
international trade was also held.
 The Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety as a measure of safe transportation of
international industrial goods, particularly for trans-boundary movements of goods is
one another example of international multi-lateral environmental economic
agreement.

TRADE MEASURE FOR ENVIRONEMNTAL PROBLEMS

In addition to WTO international measure as well as multiple international multi-lateral

agreements and held conventions, a few trade measures have also been undertaken and
established for international transactions with the aim of environmental protection:

i. REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS:
The economic trade and transactions must be undertaken by assuring that each
participant is a signatory of precautionary agreements under conventions.
ii. CONTAINMENT:
Sometimes, the containment of market and trade operations becomes necessary to be
upheld as limitations to perfectly execute the preventive measure signed upon in
multi-lateral agreements. For example, limiting the trade in proactive environmental
areas to protect the endangered species.
iii. MARKET CONTROL:
 In this liberal nature of international trade, competition is the most hyper feature
which enables a race of export and import. To compete in this international economic
system, industries often neglect the environmental perspective in their increased
production. This results in not just the exhaustion of natural resources but also in
increased pollution and ozone depletion. Thus market control is a necessary trade
measure within the mechanism of environmental agreements in order to limit the use
of resources and promote sustainable developmental trade as well as environmental
externalities to prevent scarcity.
iv. GUARANTEEING COMPLIANCE:
The limitations on trade and market control are the necessary measures taken to
protect environmental agreements. These under multi-lateral agreements, are
important for compliance but it should be noted that these shouldn’t be arbitrary and
disproportionate.

ANALYSIS

Mainstream IR paradigms are used to make assumptions regarding environmental politics.

Their central contentions reflect the areas of state and multilateral frameworks roles in
solving disputes concerning environment. Then role that environment plays in securitization
and de - securitization is of considerable importance on which divergent views exist. One
core example is that of green theory and green diplomacy which when simply put is the
environmental diplomacy which involves states, the individuals and their either optimist or
pessimist behaviour towards environment. Further, the environment does potentially affect
political discourse, globally as environment shares close associations with security dilemma
of the global states, their economic domestic and foreign policies as well as the socio-culture
heritage.

Alinasssssss

In addition to political discourse, environmental developments have also played a dominant

role in affecting the international trade patterns and international economic regimes. Thus
environment and economic can said to have a intertwined relation. The effect of trade on
environment are discussed in number of ways and the environmental impacts of the effects
i.e. technological, mixed, scale or policies are given whether they are negative or positive.
Alongside, to describe the advantages of international commercial exchanges, modern
economic theory has given traditional and modern theory of International Trade.
Furthermore, certain agreements have been signed upon in terms of environmental-economic
perspective according to which certain trade measures are devised such as market control and
trade barriers, in order to make sure the reduction of scarcity of environmental resources as
well as conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem of this planet which have been
endangered due to increased international trade and transactions. Therefore, particular
patterns of agreements have been signed upon in multiple conventions as multi-lateral
agreements for international economy and global environment.
 REFRENCES

Harris, G, P. (2013). Mainstream Theories. Routledge Handbooks. Retrieved from:

[Link]

Mitchell. (2009). Defining and Distinguishing International Environmental Problems.

Sagepub. Retrieved from:
[Link]

Iftime, E. (2021). Green Diplomacy-A New Type Of International Cooperation (Ii). Retrieved
from: Http://[Link]/[Link]/Eco/Article/View/104

Dalby, S. (2021). Environment And International Politics: Linking Humanity And Nature.
Retrieved from: Https://[Link]/Pdf/63492

Sosa-Nunez, G., & Atkins, E. (2021). Environment, Climate Change And International
Relations. Retrieved from: Https://[Link]/Isn/196627/Environment-
[Link]#Page85

Cordero, P., Sepulveda, S., & Rodriguez, A. (2004). Trade And Environment Issues. IICA.
Retrieved from: Http://[Link]/Docs/B0733i/[Link]