scholarly journals Grabbing ‘Green’: Cynical Reason, Instrumental Ethics and the Production of ‘the Green Economy

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Iain MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
False Consciousness ◽  
Capitalist Class ◽  
Global Environment Facility ◽  
Funding Mechanism ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Environmental Commodities

This paper traces the institutionalization of Environmentalism as a pre-condition for the production of ‘The Green Economy,’ particularly the containment of the oppositional possibilities of an environmentalist politics within the institutional and organizational terrain of a transnational managerial and capitalist class. This is a context in which many environmental organizations – once the site of planning, mobilizing and implementing opposition and resistance to the environmentally destructive practices of corporate industrialism – have become part of a new project of accumulation grounded in enclosure, access and the production and exchange of new environmental commodities. This transformation reflects what Sloterdijk (1988) has termed cynical reason – an enlightened false consciousness; and my concern in the paper is to think through ‘The Green Economy’ and its coincident instrumental ethics as an iteration of cynical reason and an expression of institutionalized power. Specifically, I focus on the development of ‘global environmental governance’ as a statist project that concentrates sanctioning authority and resource allocation in centers of accumulation (e.g., the Convention on Biological Diversity and its funding mechanism the Global Environment Facility) and facilitates the containment of Environmentalism as an oppositional politics through demands that it assume conventional forms of organization, projectification and professionalisation and through facilitating a redefinition and redeployment that shifts environmentalism from a space of hope to an instrumentalist mechanism in rationalist projects of accumulation.

scholarly journals Reforming the approach of the Global Environmental Facility to biodiversity conservation

Oryx ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Russell A. Mittermeier ◽  
Ian A. Bowles
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Global Environmental Facility ◽  
Earth Summit ◽  
Funding Mechanism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Global Environmental

Biodiversity – a measure of the wealth of species, ecosystems and ecological processes that make up our living planet –received public prominence as a result of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The loss of biodiversity, say the authors, is the greatest environmental problem the world faces but the issue has not been given the attention it deserves. With the emergence of the Global Environmental Facility in 1990 came the chance to fund biodiversity conservation on a unprecedented scale and in 1992 the GEF was adopted as the interim funding mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity signed at the Earth Summit. Three years after its foundation, the authors of this paper suggest that the GEF has to be reformed radically if it is to become an effective force in conservation. Their conclusions are based on Conservation International's experience with the GEF over the last 3 years in more than 10 countries.

scholarly journals Indigenous Participation and the Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives in Global Environmental Governance Forums: a Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Zurba ◽  
Anastasia Papadopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Global Environmental Governance ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Indigenous Participation

AbstractGlobal environmental governance (GEG) forums, such as those convened through the United Nations, result in the development of monumental guiding frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties (COPs) Aichi and post-2020 targets. The ratification of policy frameworks by member and/or signatory states can result in major shifts in environmental policy and decision-making and has major implications for Indigenous communities. In this article, we present systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on Indigenous participation in GEG forums, and focus on the specific questions: (1) what GEG forums include Indigenous participation and (2) how do Indigenous peoples participate in GEG forums, including how their perspectives and knowledges are framed and/or included/excluded within governance discussions, decisions, and negotiations. We provide a bibliometric analysis of the articles and derive seven inductively determined themes from our review: (1) Critical governance forums and decisions; (2) inclusion and exclusion of Indigenous voices and knowledge in GEG forums; (3) capacity barriers; (4) knowledge hierarchies: inclusion, integration, and bridging; (5) representation and grouping of Indigenous peoples in GEG; (6) need for networks among and between Indigenous peoples and other governance actors; and (7) Indigenous peoples influence on GEG decisions and processes. Our findings can be used to improve GEG forums by contributing to the development strategies that address the barriers and inequities to meaningful and beneficial Indigenous participation and can contribute to future research that is focused on understanding the experiences of Indigenous peoples within GEG forums.

Studying Global Environmental Meetings to Understand Global Environmental Governance: Collaborative Event Ethnography at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Campbell ◽  
Catherine Corson ◽  
Noella J. Gray ◽  
Kenneth I. MacDonald ◽  
J. Peter Brosius
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Environmental Governance ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Over Time

This special issue introduces readers to collaborative event ethnography (CEE), a method developed to support the ethnographic study of large global environmental meetings. CEE was applied by a group of seventeen researchers at the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) to study the politics of biodiversity conservation. In this introduction, we describe our interests in global environmental meetings as sites where the politics of biodiversity conservation can be observed and as windows into broader governance networks. We specify the types of politics we attend to when observing such meetings and then describe the CBD, its COP, challenges meetings pose for ethnographic researchers, how CEE responds to these challenges generally, and the specifics of our research practices at COP10. Following a summary of the contributed papers, we conclude by reflecting on the evolution of CEE over time.

scholarly journals Spaces for local voices? A discourse analysis of the decisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louisa Parks
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Discursive Space ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Critical Literature ◽  
Indigenous Voices

This article discusses the existence and shape of a discursive space for local and indigenous voices in the arena of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Critical literature on global environmental governance argues that dominant or hegemonic discourses shape international-level decision making on environmental protection, and delimit the boundaries of possible policy choices. These discourses are identified by such scholarship as reflecting a dominant worldview stemming from a capitalist view of value and a dichotomous view of nature as separate from culture, which precludes discursive spaces for worldviews based on different conceptions of value and more holistic views of nature as inextricably bound up with culture. Such worldviews are often held by indigenous peoples and local communities considered to be crucial in protecting the environment and natural resources. The present article aims to contribute to this debate by looking in detail at decisions of the parties to the CBD, which is an arena argued by some to be more open to local and indigenous voices. The article presents a discourse analysis of the CBD's decisions since its creation and up to its most recent meetings held in late 2016. The analysis applies the arguments of the critical literature to the decisions of the CBD in order to investigate how far they conform to the critical view of them, or whether, and if so to what extent, they host spaces for local and indigenous voices.

Practical Implementation Issues for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol from a Korean Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ah-Young Cho
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Access And Benefit Sharing ◽  
Nagoya Protocol ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
The Republic

The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement that aims to share the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. It is considered one of the innovative achievements of global environmental governance and is expected to generate new opportunities. However, the Nagoya Protocol has been described as “a masterpiece in creative ambiguity” because of its lack of legal clarity. The Republic of Korea, although it has not yet ratified the Protocol, has made considerable efforts to address the upcoming changes. The current legislation, which is one of the most important way-stations for ratification, is in its final stages. However, there are differences of opinion among government departments. This article analyses the legal and policy responses of the Korean government to access and benefit sharing, with a focus on marine biological resources.

The Convention on Biological Diversity: From Realism to Cosmopolitanism

2005 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 335-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Maris
Keyword(s):  
Deleterious Effect ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
International Agreement ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Global Environmental

The decline of biodiversity is without a doubt one of the most important symptoms of what could be called a “global environmental crisis.” Our ability to stop this decline depends on the capacity to implement an effective, collective system of preservation on a global scale. In this paper, I will analyze the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the international agreement that aims at creating this type of global cooperation.While I consider that cosmopolitan governance is desirable, given the legitimacy of the preservation of global biological diversity, I will not attempt to directly argue for it here. Still, it is worth mentioning some of the reasons that might lead us to adopt this position. First, certain past conservation measures have been harshly criticized as imperialistic. For example, Project Tiger in India, which Western environmentalists often cited as a success, have had a deleterious effect on local populations.

Biodiversity: Increasing the Political Clout of Nature Conservation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yrjö Haila
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Environmental Problems ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Political Clout ◽  
Human Modification ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Living Nature

The term biodiversity was introduced in the 1980s as a novel framing for the human dependence on the Earth's biosphere. 'Biodiversity loss' became the way to capture a major dimension of global environmental problems. The chapter describes stages of this process. The first phase of the spread of the term was its enthusiastic reception among environmentalists. Second, concern was integrated into international environmental policy at the Rio Conference in 1992 through the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Efforts to implement the convention have created an environmental regime both internationally and within different countries. However, due to its broad coverage of processes of living nature and its huge ambition to regulate human modification of nature and exploitation of natural resources, there have been major difficulties with implementation. In particular, how to integrate specific issues manifested in local contexts, and the global concern, has proved problematic.

Application of Remote Sensing for Ex ante Decision Support and Evaluating Impact

2020 ◽  
pp. 109821402096257
Author(s):  
Alison Thieme ◽  
Erin Glennie ◽  
Perry Oddo ◽  
Sean McCartney ◽  
Madeline Ruid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Environment Facility ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Earth Observations ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Ex Ante

Deforestation is an environmental stressor that dramatically threatens biodiversity while having adverse, deep-rooted, socioeconomic impacts. Interventions to address deforestation require considerable long-term investments; therefore, assessing their impact is crucial. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity encourages establishing protected areas (PAs) as a strategy to conserve biodiversity, secure ecosystem services, support local livelihoods, and reduce climate change impacts. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported the conservation and management of PAs, yet site accessibility and data availability present challenges in assessing PAs using traditional evaluation methods. We present a novel application of satellite Earth observations for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of PAs as a deforestation mitigation strategy. Geospatial analysis and ecological forecasting methodologies provide an efficient way to quantify land cover change, estimate aboveground carbon stock, and evaluate ecosystem services provided by the PAs ex ante. We demonstrate the value of a geospatial approach through the evaluation of GEF-supported PAs in Kenya.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity in Traditional Production Landscapes for Sustainable Development: The Indian Scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10690
Author(s):  
Ishwari Singh Bisht ◽  
Jai Chand Rana ◽  
Rashmi Yadav ◽  
Sudhir Pal Ahlawat
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Food System ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Biodiversity ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Global Environment Facility

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional Indian production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional Indian farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional Indian farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to India’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing India’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

State Sovereignty in the Planetary Management of Natural Resources

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico J. Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
International Law ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Global Environmental Governance ◽  
Sovereign State ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Global Values

Protagonists of global environmental governance often view the sovereign State as well as the principle of sovereignty as major stumbling blocks for effective environmental conservation and sustainable development. Some even herald the demise of the idea of the sovereign State. However, reality has it differently. Sovereignty is no longer an unqualified concept. Manifold new duties have been imposed upon the sovereign State as a result of the progressive development of international law. Much of the modern international law movement vests States with the responsibility to adopt regulations, to monitor and secure compliance and exercise justice in order to achieve its implementation, whereas supranational global environmental governance has remained notoriously weak. This article examines this proposition by reference to the environmental and developmental role of states in three landmark multilateral treaties: The United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (1982), the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity (1992) and the Paris Agreement on climate change (2015). They demonstrate that sovereignty serves as a key organisational principle for the realization of global values, such as environmental conservation and sustainable development.

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