Environment

Ecology can be defined as the branch of biology that deals with the relations between living organisms and their environment. Ecology holds that we can never do (only) one thing in a natural environment since actions often have unintended consequences. Globalization process played a significant role within the insertion of the “ecology” term into the international community’s agenda

Environmental Security Threats to global life systems such as global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation are just as important as the threat of nuclear catastrophe. States cooperate with IGOs and NGOs to cope with environmental challenges

Environmental issues first entered the international agenda in the 19thC became a major focus of international politics from the 1960s as a result of pollution Industrialization, population growth, exploitation of natural resources

Global Commons Resources shared by the whole of the international community Some environmental problems are fundamentally global or transnational Some problems are local in scale but are experienced in a variety of places Processes linked to broader socio-economic-political issues

Environmental degradation can be summarized as following; 1. Greenhouse-Induced Global Warming The great majority of scientists who have studied the problem of “global warming” believe that human activities, particularly those involved with the burning of fossil fuels, are altering the world’s climate. Greenhouse gases (such as carbon-dioxide and other substances released from burning fossil fuels) prevent atmosphere to reflect excessive energy coming from the outer space, especially from the sun. Automatically, energy that is trapped within the atmosphere warms up the earth.

2. Ozone Depletion Next to the earth’s atmosphere, ozone layer acts as a filter for harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. A second layer of ozone has been created by the industrial revolution. Chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used in manufacturing furnitures, refrigerators, and air conditioners, are entering the atmosphere and will remain there for decades. In 1985, scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. In 1987, 154 states signed Montreal Protocol calling for the elimination of the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Ozone Depletion

Atmospheric Pollution Poor air quality in many of the world’s cities affects people’s health. The Pollutions Standards Index is used to measure the pollutants in the air. The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that 2.7 million people die each year as a result of air pollution.

4. Loss of Agricultural Land, Desertification, and Erosion In the lexicon of ecology, the carrying capacity of the earth could be increased to feed the world’s people. Unfortunately, agricultural land is finite, and it is decreasing due to both natural and human-made causes. 5. Deforestation Economic development indirectly creates some implications on forests. Local owners of forest resources want to capitalize on their holdings, and they sometimes ignore the future effects (i.e. %15 of Brazilian rain forests vanished).

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Often the international debate concerning environmental degradation and protection turns into a fruitless debate between those from advanced-industrial states who point their fingers at developing countries, accusing them for not doing enough to limit the causes of environmental degradation, and those from developing countries who argue that concern about the environment is a luxury of rich countries since developing countries are concerned with the survival of their states and citizens.

Global Pollution Today

Global Pollution 19th C

Solutions Exploit and move on Privatization Collective governance

Tragedy of the Commons

Sustainable Development The Brundtland Commission Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future.

Kyoto Protocol 1997 Reduce carbon emissions primarily from industrialized states Obstacles AOSIS promoted 20% reduction OPEC argued against major cuts EU, US, Australia, Canada, Japan 5-10% Russia Eastern Europe fear cuts limit development Agreement US, EU, Japan – 8-6% reduction Russia, Ukraine, keep emissions at 1990 leves Australia, Norway, Iceland negotiate limited reduction

Flexibility Mechanisms Joint implementation States claim emissions credit for shared initiatives Emissions Trading States can purchase emissions credit from other states Clean Development Emissions credit for clean development projects