Paul, with regard to Matthew's post, you might want to look at Chapter 9 of Mike Hulme's new book, Why We Disagree about Climate Change.
Graham ----- Original Message ----- From: Matthew Paterson <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 9:06 am Subject: Re: Rethinking global climate governance To: "HARRIS, Paul Gordon" <[email protected]>, GEP List <[email protected]> > Dear Paul > > A problem many of us are struggling with. They way I am currently thinking > about this to avoid despair (easy to slip into) is thinking across the whole > range of things which need to be thought of as a ‘global climate governance > complex’ - i.e. Not just the UN, not just national governments, not just the > plethora of private governance projects or multilevel, translocal, etc., > forms of what Matt Hoffmann is calling ‘climate governance experiments’ - but > at the whole as a complex – and look at where the key structural linkages > between different types of governance might exist. They may not at present, > because the dots haven’t been joined up or because one of the forms is > underdeveloped, but they could. So the idea is not to find the ‘grand > bargain’ which can solve things once and for all, but the little synergies > that could create bigger ones – i.e. The potential for non-linear effects, > tipping points, and the like. My preferred heuristic example (no stronger > than this at the moment) is between price-based governance systems – for the > moment mostly carbon markets – and disclosure based governance projects – the > Carbon Disclosure Project, most notably (and this could well be feeding into > compulsory carbon disclosure in some jurisdictions). The higher the carbon > price, the greater the importance to investors of good quality information > about emissions-intensity, and so on... > > Just one thought. I’ll be hoping to elaborate on such things in some work > Steven Bernstein, Matt Hoffmann and Michele Betsill and I are just starting > on, in the next few years. > > Cheers > Mat > > -- > Matthew Paterson > École d'études politiques, Université d'Ottawa > Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 > tel: +1 613 562-5800 x1716 > > Web site: http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/pol/eng/profdetails.asp?ID=123 > And http://matpaterson.wordpress.com/ > Co-editor, Global Environmental Politics: > http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/glep > > > > > > From: "HARRIS, Paul Gordon" <[email protected]> > > Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 10:04:51 +0800 > > To: GEP List <[email protected]> > > Conversation: Rethinking global climate governance > > Subject: Rethinking global climate governance > > > > Dear GEP Colleagues, > > > > I am trying to rethink global environmental governance, and to encourage my > > students to do likewise, especially in the context of climate change. While > > I know that some of you won't agree, it's my feeling the practice of global > > environmental governance surrounding climate change has been a failure. > > This is not to discount positive developments and steps forward, but is (by > > my estimation) a fact revealed by warnings of natural scientists and > > apparently by ongoing environmental changes. Thanks to hard work by many > > governments and nongovernmental actors, etc., things won't be as bad as > > they might have been. But I think they'll be very bad nevertheless, > > especially for the world's poor. > > > > Assuming I am correct (even if you don't agree), do you have ideas for how > > we might rethink global governance and climate change, or conceive of > > global governance in this context in very new ways? What are you saying to > > your students in this regard? What do you say when they ask for > > alternatives to the incrementalism of climate change diplomacy? Are their > > practical alternatives, or desirable ones that may appear to be impractical > > today? > > > > Many thanks for your ideas. > > > > All best, > > > > Paul > > -- > > P.G. Harris > > Department of Social Sciences > > Hong Kong Institute of Education > > 10 Lo Ping Road > > Tai Po, HONG KONG > > General Office Tel.: +852 2948 7707 > > Direct Tel.: +852 2948 6763 > > Fax: +852 2948 8047 > > Email: pharris @ ied.edu.hk > > http://www.ied.edu.hk/ssc/en/index.htm > > > > ------------------------------- Graham Smart Associate Professor Carleton University School of Linguistics & Language Studies 215 Paterson Hall 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1S 5B6 ------------------------------
