Global Environmental Politics

Environmental Politics There are several reasons why countries find it difficult to reach an agreement on climate change. These are the ecopolitics of oil, the ecopolitics of the atmosphere, the ecopolitics of land and water, and the fact that national leaders tend not to make choice that will be perceived as harming their countries, a point related to the sort of individual selfishness that leads to the tragedy of the commons. The ecopolitics of oil are a critical factor.

Many of the world's major nations depend on oil either for their economic strength as the result of production, or consumption. Given that climate change is caused by burning fossil fuels, this is an important factor. The same economic growth that gives comfort to our lives was created when we began using motors to do work. Thus, we need fossil fuels for our lifestyles and are relatively incapable of living well without them.

The result is that any move to combat climate change will invariable affect our economies, which in turns means that oil politics plays a role. Oil companies are incredibly wealthy, and this allows them to have strong influence over policy choices. Consumers who rely on oil consumption are also powerful, as they represent around 99% of voters. Oil politics are something we all play, and nobody seems keen to have oil usage curtailed. The ecopolitics of the atmosphere also come into play. Climate change is a problem reflected in the atmosphere.

The atmosphere being a commons, no one country is responsible for safeguarding the atmosphere, which ends up meaning that no one safeguards it. This allows pollutants to be put into the atmosphere without repercussion. It would take a universal agreement to bring about such repercussion, and that is highly unlikely when the problem is manifesting in the commons of the atmosphere. Too many are too oblivious to the ways that this problem in manifesting on their own lands and waters.

Land and water should be critical when considering action on climate change. The acidification of the oceans and the desertification of land are two major issues that should be driving nations to the table. The problem is that major polluters are often not the countries that are suffering the greatest effects. Wealthier countries in particular can buy their way out of problems, at least in the short run. As a result, the downside impacts of climate change are being felt by countries that are not contributing much to it.

Only when the U.S. faces food crisis and China faces its water crisis will any action begin to take place. Lastly, there are significant political considerations that prevent action. Politicians are usually driven by the short run, and in that they are afraid to enact the sort of policies that would preserve our climate. Typically, if a country or region is willing, they are essentially offered the choice to go it alone. Consider that the U.S.

never ratified Kyoto, and China's ratification is meaningless since they were not obligated to do anything.