Globalisation and the Governance of the Environment

July 1999
Volume 30 Number 3

It is sometimes argued that the term ‘globalisation’ is misleading because it describes a trend which is largely confined to the relations between a small number of highly industrialised states and firms operating within East Asia, North America and Europe. This Bulletin demonstrates, however, that it is a process with repercussions extending far beyond the power centres of the global economy, to the lives of most people. In particular, it refers to the impact of the internationalisation of trade, production and finance upon the world of environmental politics. The Bulletin focuses on change in the institutions and actors working on the environment, brought about by the developments taking place in the global economy. At the same time, it highlights how these actors are shaping the course of that economic change.