why we are not regulating carbon
TRANSCRIPT
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
The issues surrounding the needto protect our global
environment have only recentlycome to light over the last fifty
years, dating to the 1962
publication of biologist RachelCarson s groundbreaking book,Silent Spring.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
While govt. officials are aware ofthe problems caused by
environmental degradation andabuse, they are often reluctant
to take the steps needed to curbsuch abuses lest they offend
special interest groups i.ebusinesses and multi-nationalcorporations (MNCs)
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
As governments and consumers in(wealthier nations of) the global
North have restricted or banned anumber of tobacco products,pharmaceuticals and pesticides;
global marketing (by MNCs) hascreated new outlets for these
goods in (developing countries of)the global South and Far East. [1] [ 1] Jan Aart Scholte Globalization. A critical introduction , (New York: St.Martins Press, 2000):213-214
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
Environment NGOs have beenmoderately successful raising
overall global public awarenessand in one particular instance,pressuring most countries to sign
an international agreement todeal with the environmental issue
of CFCs and ozone depletion.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
The ozone regime establishedthrough the 1985 Vienna
Convention and the 1987 MontrealProtocol was particularly successfulinitially, but less so more recently.
By 1997 world production of mostozone-depleting substances hadfallen to 76 percent of the 1988
level.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
1. The limited number of uses forCFCs also weren t considered
essential in much of the world2. DuPont scientists were able to
develop an economically suitable
replacement chemical (HFCs)3. Only a few MNCs, operating
mainly in the developed world,
were producers of CFCs
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
Unfortunately, progress on other
environmental issues, such ascutting the CO2 emissions thatcontribute to climate change, has
been slow to non-existent inmost countries around the world.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
In the classical economics model,the search for and development
of economical substitutes for anyproduct is driven by a need or a
desire by consumers andproducers for lower cost
alternatives.
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Figure 1: Inflation adjusted price ofimported oil for past ten years vs 1981 peak
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Figure 2: Inflation adjusted real vs. nominalprice of imported oil past 30 years
Imported Crude Oil Prices: Nominal and Rea l
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Short Term Energy Outlook-January 2009
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Figure 3: Inflation adjusted real vs.nominal price of gasoline for past 90 years
Real Gasoline Pump Price: Annual Average 1919- 2010
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Short Term Energy Outlook January 2009
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
It is therefore hard to envision anyinternational agreement to
regulate the use of fossil fuels andreduce greenhouse gas emissionsbeing as achievable or successful
as the agreement on ozonedepletion, especially since the
world's two biggest emitters, theUS and China, have still not cut
their outputs under Kyoto.
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Figure 4: Total EU greenhouse gasemissions in relation to the Kyoto target
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
Given this lack of progress, someenvironmentalists have now
come to the conclusion that amore expeditious way to
address their environmentalconcerns might be through the
use of existing internationalagreements and publicinternational law.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
Currently, the only existinginternational institution within
the framework of publicinternational law that is in aposition to mediate and
adjudicate environmentalissues and global trade
disputes, is the WTO.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
The WTO Appellate Bodydecision in the Shrimp-Turtles
dispute actually strengthens the
right of the state to adoptconservation measures(sympathetic to environmental
NGO concerns) by a liberal
interpretation of exhaustiblenatural resources [1]
[1] Tanyarat Mungkalarungsi The Trade and Environment Debate Tulane Journalof International and Comparative Law, Vol. 10 (2002): 381
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
My analysis of the WTO AppellateBody s decision in Shrimp-
Turtles suggests that best alliesfor NGOs would be sympatheticWTO member states that are
both willing to implement traderelated environmental
restrictions and also applythese policies fairly.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
How do you persuadegovernments to be more
sympathetic toenvironmental concerns andto implement trade relatedenvironmental restrictions?
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
Environmentalists should alsoconcentrate on developing
relationships with their nativecountry s business and social elites.
If business and social elites can beconvinced that there is an urgentneed for action, then they will makesure government officials cooperate.
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Cities and Global Governance II:Environmental Politics
What is ultimately needed?
An international institution suchas a World EnvironmentOrganization (WEO), with
enough regulatory andgovernance powers to protectsociety and the environmentfrom the negative impacts of
climate change.