Global Environmental Engagement

Abstract

The failure of national governments to adequately address global environmental problems, such as climate change and biological diversity loss, has stimulated the emergence of third sector actors as new prominent and critical players at the transnational political level. This chapter reviews some of the scholarly analysis of third sector involvement in global environmental politics. It explores the academic debate on the role which a specific third sector actor – the scientific community – has played in defining the nature and scale of global environmental change. It investigates third sector interactions within the political arena both with nation-states and with non-state actors including international organizations and corporations. The chapter outlines the internal challenges facing third sector actors seeking to influence global environmental politics, particularly concerns about their legitimacy and accountability, and concludes with an exploration of the challenges facing both third sector actors and scholars analyzing these actors in supporting the creation of sustainable futures.