As the world's largest polluter and its wealthiest country, the United States has a potentially enormous impact on international efforts to protect the environment. In this innovative and thought-provoking book, an international group of scholars examines how U.S. foreign policy affects and is affected by global environmental change.
Covering three broad areas—national security and geopolitics, domestic and international politics, and national interests and international obligations—the contributors examine a host of key issues, including ozone depletion and climate change, biodiversity and whale hunting, environmental and energy security, and international trade. They also raise moral issues associated with the United States's obligations to the rest of humanity. Because the environment has become an ever-more pressing issue at the diplomatic level, this book is essential, timely reading for policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in environmental change and international relations.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part I: Introduction
1. International Environmental Affairs and U.S. Foreign Policy
Paul G. Harris
Part II: National Security and Geopolitics
2. New Priorities in U.S. Foreign Policy: Defining and Implementing Environmental Security
Braden Allenby
3. Environmental Security and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Critical Examination
Jon Barnett
4. Geopolitics, Energy, and Ecology: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Caspian Sea
Douglas W. Blum
Part III: Domestic and International Politics
5. Evolution of the Ozone Regime: Local, National, and International Influences
Srini Sitaraman
6. U.S. Foreign Policy and the Ocean Environment: A Case of Executive Branch Dominance
John Barkdull
7. Business conflict and U.S. International Environmental Policy: Ozone, Climate, and Biodiversity
Robert Falkner
8. Multilateral Development Banks, Environmental Impact Assessments, and Nongovernmental Organizations in U.S. Foreign Policy
Morten Boas
9. Environmental Sanctions in U.S. Foreign Policy
Elizabeth R. DeSombre
10. The International Whaling Regime and U.S. Foreign Policy
Kristen M. Fletcher
Part IV: National Interests and International Obligations
11. Environment, Security, and Human Suffering: What Should the United States Do?
Paul G. Harris
Contributors
Index
Reviews
"The book provides a rich array of ideas and case evidence that will add to our understanding of U.S. foreign policy on the environment."—International Relations
"An important and timely volume that fills a large gap in the literature on American environmental policy. Anyone concerned about our flagging international environmental leadership should read this book."—Norman J. Vig, Carleton College
"This is coherent and informative coverage of the ways in which U.S. foreign policy engages (or does not) with the complex relationship between human actions and environmental change."—Lorraine Elliott, Australian National University
"[This book will be] welcome . . . [to] those interested in better understanding the mixed U.S. record on international environmental protection."—Miranda A. Schreurs, University of Maryland at College Park
About the Author
Paul G. Harris is Chair Professor of Global and Environmental Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong.www.paulgharris.net
