Environmental Ngos In World Politics

This excerpt from the book, "Environmental Ngos In World Politics" by James C. Scott, discusses how NGOs have grown in importance in recent years due to the global environmental crisis. The book uses four case studies to illustrate how NGOs have moved beyond traditional structures of world politics in order to address environmental issues.

There has been enormous growth in the size and number of environmental NGOs, (non governmental organizations), in recent years. This has happened, mainly because of a generally slow or in some cases, negative response, by governments towards an escalating global environmental crisis. This book examines how NGOs have grown in importance to a point where they now act as key bargainers and agents within the emerging field of world environmental politics. By linking local and global issues, NGOs are able to highlight ecological issues of importance and promote social learning. The authors use four case studies, including the Great Lakes water negotiations, the ivory trade ban and Antarctic environmental protection, to illustrate the breadth of NGO activity and the diversity of their politics. The case studies also demonstrate how NGOs have to face tough environmental choices and how they often move outside the traditional structures of world politics when governmental action is insufficient in addressing environmental issues.