CIESIN Thematic Guides

Framing the Issue of Global Environmental Change


Formulating policy responses to global environmental change problems is a complex process defined by a number of political, economic, and social constraints. Understanding these constraints is crucial to formulating effective policy responses, but the literature that frames the issue of global environmental change within its wider political, economic, and social context is still rather limited. Although several enlightening articles are available, most focus on the issue of climate change.

Some issues that will shape how societies deal with global environmental change are outlined in "Human Consequences and Responses," a chapter in the National Research Council's book (Stern, Young, and Druckman 1992) on understanding the human dimensions of global environmental change. The first section of the chapter provides a useful overview and contains excellent references.

Other authors have undertaken more systematic assessments. In "Politics and the Air Around Us," Glantz (1988) examines many of the competing political, scientific, and social issues that will complicate any effort to formulate specific policies for addressing climate change. For example, Glantz maintains that differing perceptions of the global warming problem, including whether there might be winners as well as losers, will likely constrain action by policymakers. In "The Greenhouse Effect," Schneider (1989) reviews different policy options for responding to global climate change in the context of current scientific understanding of the problem. Schneider argues that, despite scientific uncertainties, society can act now to hedge against global warming. And in "Ethics, Public Policy, and Global Warming," Jamieson (1992) addresses many of the ethical and moral issues raised by the policy debate over climate change. The author questions the adequacy of our existing value systems for dealing with global warming.

Finally, political scientists have examined the climate change issue in the context of conventional politics and the policymaking process. In "Research on Political Institutions and Their Response to the Problem of an Increase in CO2 in the Atmosphere," Mann (1983) presents one of the earliest assessments of how political institutions might respond to global warming. Highlights of this paper are provided here. In the more recent article "The Political Agenda," Ingram, Cortner, and Landy (1990) explore how "the characteristics and biases of the political system operate to preselect from among all possible problems and solutions those that become political and thus receive serious consideration by policy makers." In particular, the authors focus on how the issue of climate change and its potential impact on water resources can become part of the political agenda.