Transnational Actors in International Environmental Politics

Abstract

Over the last decade, there has been considerable growth in academic research on actors ‘beyond the state’ as part of a broader ‘rescaling’ of global environmental politics whereby non-state actors and institutions operating at multiple levels of social and political organization are seen to shape the politics and governance of global environmental issues (Andonova and Mitchell, 2010; Biermann and Pattberg, 2008; Bulkeley, 2005; Newell et al., 2012). Non-state actors include grassroots organizations, scientific associations, special interest groups (national and international), universities, businesses, trade associations, environmentalists, individuals, the media, churches and religious organizations, independence movements, sub-national governments, political parties, government bureaucrats, foundations, think tanks, social entrepreneurs, and consumer groups. While realists dismiss claims about the significance of these actors in world politics, scholars of international environmental politics (IEP) have long recognized their importance, particularly in processes of global governance, and have shaped discussions in the wider discipline of international relations. This largely reflects the fact that non-state actors have had a stronger presence in the environmental issue area than in many other areas of concern to international relations scholars, such as security, trade, and health.