11.364 International Environmental Negotiation, Fall 2002

Abstract

The class will explore the obstacles to achieving sustainability; in particular, the difficulties of managing common resources, achieving transboundary pollution control, making tradeoffs between economic and social development needs and environmental resource protection, and harmonizing environmental protection standards. At their core, these problems must be addressed through international or multi-lateral negotiations. We will focus especially on problems of representation and voting, issue linkage, balancing science and politics, and monitoring and enforcement in negotiations of these kinds. We will also examine these issues in light of actual treaty negotiations especially the on-going efforts to implement the Climate Change Convention. The class will operate as a research seminar. Each student will be expected to prepare and present an analysis of a specific international environmental negotiation which is heavily prescriptive.