International Environmental Governance Research Articles

About PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development

PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD) is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal of Jimma University that publishes editorials, research articles, book reviews, commentaries, and notes. PJGD offers a platform for the expression of new scientific inquiries to intellectuals of the world in general and Africa & Ethiopia in particular to reflect on how governance and development can be promoted, strengthened, and consolidated. The biannual edition is published in February and August of each year only in English language. PJGD is APC Free Journal.
 PJGD accepts scientific works focused on the diversified areas of Governance and Development drawn from multiple disciplines of Political Science and International Relations, Public Management, Leadership, Development Economics, Environmental Governance, Peace and Conflict, Human Rights, National and International Law, Globalization, Public Policy, Regional and International Organizations, Gender, Peace and Conflict Management, International Political Economy, Multiculturalism, Civil Society, and related areas.

Prospects for green steelmaking technology with low carbon emissions in China

AbstractThe steel industry is a major source of CO2 emissions, and thus, the mitigation of carbon emissions is the most pressing challenge in this sector. In this paper, international environmental governance in the steel industry is reviewed, and the current state of development of low‐carbon technologies is discussed. Additionally, low‐carbon pathways for the steel industry at the current time are proposed, emphasizing prevention and treatment strategies. Furthermore, the prospects of low‐carbon technologies are explored from the perspective of transitioning the energy structure to a “carbon–electricity–hydrogen” relationship. Overall, steel enterprises should adopt hydrogen‐rich metallurgical technologies that are compatible with current needs and process flows in the short term, based on the carbon substitution with hydrogen (prevention) and the CCU (CO2 capture and utilization) concepts (treatment). Additionally, the capture and utilization of CO2 for steelmaking, which can assist in achieving short‐term emission reduction targets but is not a long‐term solution, is discussed. In conclusion, in the long term, the carbon metallurgical process should be gradually supplanted by a hydrogen–electric synergistic approach, thus transforming the energy structure of existing steelmaking processes and attaining near‐zero carbon emission steelmaking technology.

Review on aerodynamic characteristics and energy recovery of vehicle platoon

Platooning can reduce air drag when driving at high speed and improve aerodynamic characteristics. It can not only improve fuel economy, driving comfort, and safety of drivers but also reduce emissions and alleviate traffic congestion. At the same time, the energy recovery of vehicle driving is also in line with the general trend of international environmental governance. It has played an active role in reducing emissions and improving the ecological environment. In this paper, the effects of vehicle longitudinal spacing, number of vehicles and crosswind on the aerodynamic performance of longitudinal and side-by-side platoons are reviewed, as well as energy recovery. The study found that the three-vehicle platoon reduces drag by 30% compared to the two-vehicle platoon. Comparing the aerodynamic drag of the three-vehicle platoon with that of the single vehicle, the drag coefficient of the first and last vehicles can be reduced by 20%, and the drag coefficient of the middle vehicle can be reduced by about 50%. As the crosswind speed and crosswind angle increase, the drag coefficient and pressure of each member in the platoon increase. Recycling wind energy through wind turbines and alternators can increase the driving range of electric vehicles by 23%. The study of the aerodynamic characteristics and energy recovery of platooning vehicles can provide direction and theoretical basics for the development and sustainable development of intelligent transportation.

Unseen and unheard: the invisibility of kelp forests in international environmental governance

Kelp forests are one of the most extensive coastal ecosystems in the world. They serve a myriad of ecological functions, support substantial biodiversity, and contribute to a multitude of services essential to our contemporary society. Unfortunately, they are in decline. International governance regimes and institutions play an important role in addressing threats to marine ecosystems and combatting declines. However, not all ecosystems receive the same level of global governance attention. There is a growing interest in coastal ecosystems, and an overall increase in conservation targets and restoration programmes on many international platforms. We demonstrate that kelp forests consistently receive the least global governance attention compared to other dominant marine habitats. To address the disconnect between kelp science and environmental governance, we make five recommendations for the future.

Documenting the Perspectives of Sub-Saharan African Policy Makers, Researchers, and Activists on the Reproductive Rights, Population Dynamics, and Environmental Sustainability Nexus

While high fertility levels in sub-Saharan Africa pose multiple challenges for economic, social, and environmental prospects, the perspectives of actors from this region have not been well documented. We offer a selection of viewpoints from 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa along four main dimensions: perceptions of the role of population growth for broader societal implications; the representation of sub-Saharan Africa in discussions of population growth; the integration of population dynamics and reproductive health and rights in environmental considerations and instruments; and the sensitive nature of the topic of population growth. A mixed-methods qualitative project was conducted, using an online survey of 402 participants followed by 18 in-depth interviews, to collect the views of policy makers, researchers, and activists in sub-Saharan Africa. We find overwhelming agreement that population growth has negative implications for environmental sustainability and other social welfare outcomes. We find broad support for the integration of population dynamics and reproductive health and rights dimensions at international environmental meetings and in environmental sustainability instruments. Participants also stressed the under-representation of sub-Saharan Africa in discussions of population dynamics and in international environmental governance. Overall, this paper contributes to a better understanding of sub-Saharan African perspectives and attitudes on the interconnectedness of reproductive health, population dynamics, and environmental sustainability.

Comparing clubs: Analyzing ambitions in the G7 and the G20

Mini-lateral ‘clubs’ occupy an increasingly prominent place in the international environmental governance landscape. Yet few studies have looked at how differences between clubs influence the results they produce. This paper aims to fill this gap in understanding by testing hypotheses on how different clubs' membership constellations and leadership (connected to large events) affect ambitions in outcome documents of the G7 and the G20. It tests those hypotheses by employing text and data analytic techniques to compare stated ambitions in environmental documents of G7 and G20 over the past two decades. The analysis reveals that the G7’s language is generally stronger than the G20; and that strategic leadership connected to large events may contribute to raising those ambitions. These findings highlight the importance of mini-lateral clubs as forms of environmental governance and, more generally, illustrates the use of text mining in environmental governance research.

About GaDS and PJGD

PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD) is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal of Jimma University that publishes editorials, research articles, book reviews, commentaries, and notes. PJGD offers a platform for the expression of new scientific inquiries to intellectuals of the world in general and Africa & Ethiopia in particular to reflect on how governance and development can be promoted, strengthened, and consolidated. The biannual edition is published in February and August of each year only in English language. PJGD is APC Free Journal.
 PJGD accepts scientific works focused on the diversified areas of Governance and Development drawn from multiple disciplines of Political Science and International Relations, Public Management, Leadership, Development Economics, Environmental Governance, Peace and Conflict, Human Rights, National and International Law, Globalization, Public Policy, Regional and International Organizations, Gender, Peace and Conflict Management, International Political Economy, Multiculturalism, Civil Society, and related areas.

Can Domestic Environmental Courts Implement International Environmental Law? A Framework for Institutional Analysis

AbstractThe rapid and widespread establishment of domestic environmental courts and tribunals raises important questions regarding their implications for international environmental law and global environmental governance. I use an interdisciplinary, multi-method approach to consider the capacity of domestic environmental courts to identify and apply norms and principles of international environmental law in domestic opinions. I first review existing literature, identifying jurisdiction, judicial discretion, and a court's position in a legal system as key institutional determinants of this capacity. I then develop a typology of domestic environmental courts and tribunals, which suggests that, all else being equal, a court with national geographic jurisdiction that also enjoys attributes of broad subject-matter jurisdiction and discretion may be expected to be best equipped to implement norms and principles of international environmental law. Next, I integrate existing assessments of environmental court presence with original outreach and web research to identify all countries which possess environmental courts, and assess a subset of eight existing national-level institutions. The analysis of this subset highlights the diversity of institutional models that can incorporate theorized best practices. Based on these findings, I draw several theoretical conclusions: specifically (i) the relevance of environmental court research to individual- and institutional-level analysis in transnational and international environmental law, (ii) the need for further legal-institutional analysis in global environmental governance scholarship, and (iii) the opportunity for further interdisciplinary analysis of the role of domestic courts in environmental governance.

Research on Cross-Regional Environmental Governance Cooperation between China and Korea

The current environmental issues have attracted worldwide attention due to their cross-border, public, global, and long-term nature, making it difficult for any one country to address them independently. The shared environmental challenges faced by human society and the common need for international environmental governance compel countries to break down the barriers of national borders, social systems, policies, culture, and religious beliefs. Sovereign governments and non-governmental organizations must actively coordinate and participate in joint governance, and cross-regional environmental governance cooperation has become an important form of international environmental governance. Based on a systematic description of the severe challenges of cross-regional environmental pollution faced by the Republic of Korea and China, this study explores and summarizes the international experience of cross-regional environmental governance cooperation in regions such as Europe, North America, and ASEAN in recent years. Additionally, this study analyzes the necessity of cross-regional environmental governance cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea from the perspective of game theory and economics. Building upon previous research, this study explores the framework and system for cross-regional environmental governance cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea. It designs the direction of regional environmental governance mechanisms and examines the implementation of specific measures in areas such as interest linkage, institutional guarantees, cooperation institutions, public participation, funding sources, and talent teams. The goal of this study is to provide strategic suggestions for promoting global cross-regional environmental governance cooperation.

Coming to terms with the SDGs: A perspective from legal scholarship

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG) blueprint to global sustainability exemplifies the global governance trend towards the displacement of law by indicators. Indicators purport to produce objective measurement and comparison, a desirable trait for international public authorities that struggle to bolster the legitimacy of environmental and sustainability norms. This paper adopts a pragmatic approach to indicators by taking seriously their limitations, weaknesses, and dangers, but also their potential contributions to international sustainability objectives. We explore a reframing of the relationship between law and indicators in complementary, not adversarial, terms. Several examples of this complementarity are explored, including the potential use of the SDGs for evaluating the instrumental effectiveness of legal regimes, as well as the ways that international sustainability law supplements the SGDs by providing legal ramifications for violations of state-specific obligations. Finally, we argue that law and legal normativity make invaluable contributions to international environmental and sustainability governance, contributions that metrics and other managerial and technocratic forms of governance cannot make.

Marine renewable energy technologies on the high seas: challenges and opportunities to strengthen international environmental and renewable energy governance

Marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) offer an extensive area of about half of the Earth’s surface with an unparalleled potential for the use of marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies to provide energy security and competitiveness to States and in the fight against climate change. However, the expansion of MRE technologies into ABNJ as well as the environmental impacts associated with their development can entail risks and threats to security and biodiversity. This paper focuses on highlighting key regulatory and governing challenges associated with the deployment of MRE technologies in ABNJ as well as an initial exploration of regulatory alternatives and forms of governance that could provide an effective way to enhance the sustainable and secure development of the MRE industry in ABNJ.

Towards a legal definition of ecological restoration: Reviewing international, European and Member States' case law

AbstractEcological restoration is of crucial importance to mitigate the impact of human activity on the environment and preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. Therefore, the concept of restoration is at the core of international and European Union (EU) environmental policy and governance. This article seeks to shed light on this concept in international and European case law. To this end, it reviews the definition, objectives and scope of restoration according to international scientific standards. It further distinguishes restoration from other related terms such as compensation, mitigation, conservation and rehabilitation. The article then analyses judgements rendered by the International Court of Justice, the Court of Justice of the EU and EU Member States' courts pertaining to restoration. It concludes that there are wide discrepancies in the use of the term restoration by the judiciary, in particular with regard to objectives, baselines and reference conditions. In light of these conclusions, the authors support the adoption of a legal definition of restoration.

Business and the Planetary History of International Environmental Governance in the 1970s

The role of business and multinational corporations (MNCs) in early international environmental governance is not well understood. Typically, historians accord business growing influence after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, coincident with the rise of a market-oriented sustainable development paradigm. In this article, we highlight the considerable involvement of self-styled business actors in the formative 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment and subsequent establishment of the UN Environment Programme. Tracing the interconnected networks of British economist Barbara Ward, Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei and Canadian oilman-turned-UNEP boss Maurice Strong, we identify business actors as key in the passage from ‘planetary’ to ‘global’ environmental rationales characteristic of environmental politics between the 1970s and 1990s. However, we also show that business was a sought-after (even if often ambiguous) partner in the 1970s’ moment of innovative ‘planetary’ environmental thinking and institution making. The contested status of MNCs in 1970s internationalism shaped this early business involvement in the history of environmental governance.

State and the Commodification of Natural Resources: A Framework of Analysis

The commodification of nature and framing of the environment as natural resources have become increasingly prominent in international environmental governance discuss because most natural resources are traded through organised commodity exchanges. The result the depletion of natural resources with the attendant negative impact on the environment and the poor. Commodification has brought about the framing of the environment as a ‘natural resource’ and has become increasingly prominent in international environmental governance. The role of international organisations like the World Bank, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) through Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) and its adoption by the Convention on Biological Conservation are indications of the concepts wide-ranging appeal. This paper sees commodification and the role of different actors as putting a price on nature’s goods in the form of species banking and conservation finance as a strategy for solving a range of environmental problems from climate change to deforestation. The paper concluded that commodification should be seen as an approach to bringing ethics into natural resources management, capable of generating incentives that are required to guide people towards ethical use of natural resources to the advantage of all.

Combining world-system and world polity approaches to analyze international environmental governance: a case study of forest governance in Chile

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes an important facet in international environmental governance: the development and implementation of Chile’s national forestry strategy. As a national program designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and to enhance the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and forest carbon stocks (i.e., a national REDD+ program), Chile’s national forestry strategy demonstrates the norm diffusion and institutional structuration commonly exhibited in world polity approaches to global and transnational sociology. Yet, world-system analysis of Chile’s forest conservation program highlights the role of power and positionality along the global division of labor in its implementation. The organized hypocrisy of the Chilean state leads to means-ends decoupling in which the practices of the global institutional order are faithfully executed but have an opaque relationship to climate governance goals. This paper, then, joins a growing scholarship that combines these divergent approaches to highlight advances in environmental governance born from connection to the global institutional order of environmentalism while simultaneously explaining structural issues that hinder efforts to achieve global climate targets.

Roles of International Environmental Law in China's Environmental Productivity: Challenges and Implications.

International environmental law is the basic charter for dealing with international environmental issues, and it plays an important role in international environmental governance. In recent years, China's economy has achieved great development, but environmental problems are also very prominent. International environmental law provides a basic reference for China's environmental governance, but it also brings challenges to the development of China's environmental productivity to a certain extent. At the same time, due to the unique dominant position of international environmental law, it has played a certain restrictive role in the development of China's environmental productivity. Based on this, in order to promote the sustainable development of China's economy, this paper took China's industrial and agricultural development as the research object. This paper has conducted research on China's industrial and agricultural environmental productivity, aiming to explore the role of international environmental law in China's environmental productivity. The article first analyzed the limitation of international environmental law on China's environmental productivity, and then on this basis, the article conducted a numerical simulation of China's industrial and agricultural environmental productivity. Finally, starting from the actual development situation, the paper aimed to find out the numerical deviation of China's environmental productivity changes through quantitative analysis. In the course of the research on environmental productivity development, the article found a strong correlation between environmental productivity and international environmental law in China. The correlation between environmental productivity and international environmental law reaches 59.93% in South China and 61.02% in North China. Also, after a series of comparative analyses, the article finds that changes in climate characteristics can exacerbate the regulation of China by international environmental law and seriously affect China's economic development. In this case, China's economy declined by 2.6% year-on-year, which further pushed China to practice sustainable development strategies. This shows that it is essential to study the relationship between international environmental law and China's environmental productivity.

Human Rights and Responsibilities Towards the Earth System

In one way or other, the Earth as an ecological system, has been the core concern of modern international environmental law since its conceptualization in the 1970s. This article traces notions of stewardship and state responsibilities for the Earth in international instruments and aims to show that, and why, these notions have remained without tangible results. Even after 50 years of the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE) we can only conclude that international environmental law (IEL) and governance have failed. Essentially, human rights and responsibilities need to be more clearly defined in international law and with respect to the role of the United Nations and its member states. The Earth Charter and its most recent expression in the 2018 Hague Principles provide for a coherent framework of human rights and state responsibilities associated with Earth trusteeship as a future pathway.

Looking Through Indira Gandhi’s Vision: Some Recollections+

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE) was held in Stockholm during 5–16 June 1972. The Indian Delegation was personally led by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. As a Cabinet Minister this author was a member of it. Hence, this contribution is a personal reflection of the author. India has been an active participant in all the major global environmental conferences to protect the global environment. The 1992 Rio Conference is considered the landmark for the starting point of international environmental law-making. Still, it is the 1972 Stockholm Conference that should be considered as the pillar for the codification of international environmental law and governance. In view of this, the Stockholm +50 (2-3 June 2022) Conference was a good occasion to review the successes and failures over the last half a century and reiterate the call for all nations to co-operate fully to meet their commitments under multilateral environmental agreements including 2015 Paris Agreement. This recollection provides a glimpse, through Indira Gandhi’s vision, into the international environmental processes and the prospects for the Stockholm+50 and beyond.

Competing narratives of nature-based solutions: Leveraging the power of nature or dangerous distraction?

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly proposed in international environmental governance settings to address the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing inequality. Thus far, scholarly research on NbS has been largely conceptual, and empirical research from the social sciences is widely absent, as are insights into the narratives that surround them. Using the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit and the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) as a case study, we set out to analyze the range of narratives associated with proposals for (and against) NbS. We used a discourse coalition approach, drawing data from a systematic document analysis of public-facing texts from a range of actors, and expert interviews. Results reveal two central and opposing NbS narratives: 1) Leveraging the power of nature—NbS are multifunctional, powerful, and must play a critical role in addressing global challenges, especially climate change (held by NbS proponents): and 2) Dangerous distraction—NbS are being co-opted to continue with what is seen as the unsustainable, unjust, status-quo (held by NbS critics). Both narratives make use of the ambiguity of NbS, though in contrasting ways, and their respective coalitions reflect and reproduce existing fault-lines in international environmental governance. Our findings indicate that, despite its promise, ‘NbS’ is currently unable to foster inclusive participation and support transformative change.

Tackling the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies by making peace with nature 50 years after the Stockholm Conference

Today’s increasingly unequal and resource intensive development model degrades and surpasses Earth’s finite capacity to sustain human well-being. Society must restore this capacity and adapt to it without surrendering hard won development gains while also honoring the rightful aspirations of poorer nations and people to enjoy better living standards, according to the UNEP report “Making Peace with Nature”. This article presents findings from the report and reflections on how to take advantage of the 50 years of experience gained since the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The interconnected environmental emergencies of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution need to be addressed together. International scientific assessments are providing the knowledge base for informed evidence-based decision-making, but none of the internationally agreed environmentally targets for climate and biodiversity have been met and the situation is becoming more dire with each passing year. Unless these issues are addressed in the next 5–10 years none of the 2030 sustainable development goals will be achieved. Human knowledge, ingenuity, technology and cooperation need to be mobilized in such an effort. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals provides a blueprint for the transformation. The international environmental governance structure needs to facilitate a system-wide cross-sectoral transformation of humankind's relationship with nature. Transformed economic, financial and productive systems can lead and power the shift to sustainability. Major shifts in investment and regulation are key to just and informed transformations that overcome inertia and opposition from vested interests. Government actions at all levels are needed together with strengthened actions by all actors in society and the next decade is critical.