The Politics of Global Atmospheric Change, Ian H. Rowlands, (New York: Manchester University Press, 1995), 267 pp.
Understanding environmental problems; understanding core interests; negotiation, mediation, facilitation and consensus building; politics; of general applicability to environmental problems; written for the third party participant.
The Politics of Global Atmospheric Change is an examination of the political nature of the theoretical and scientific bases for the concept of atmospheric change. It offers a chronology of the politics of ozone layer depletion and climate change. It also examines the equity of these two issues in a comparison of the contributions to both climate change and ozone layer depletion made by Northern and Southern nations.
The Politics of Global Atmospheric Change will be of interest to those who seek to understand the political foundation for climate change and ozone layer depletion. This work is divided into five sections, each addressing an aspect of atmospheric change. The first of these parts addresses the theoretical aspect. The author draws from current literature and offers explanations for the lack of international cooperation in identifying and moving toward solutions to climate change. Rowlands asserts that these explanations might best be considered to fall into three categories: power-based, interest-based and knowledge-based explanations.
The second section of the book addresses the scientific aspect of ozone layer depletion and climate change. The author examines the relationships between: supersonic transport, spray cans and ozone layer depletion. He also addresses the diminishing concern over continuing ozone depletion. Initial theories about climate change and the debate over whether the earth is experiencing global warming, global cooling, or climate stability is discussed. The final part of this section focuses upon the difficulty of achieving consensus in the face of uncertainty and the relationship between science and global environmental politics.
The third section of the book addresses interests, and climate change and ozone depletion. In this context the author discusses the reduction of chlorofluorocarbons since the Montreal Protocol in 1987 and the attempts to de-link production and pollution. The fourth section is devoted to an examination of the equity in these global problems. The author addresses the concern and post-Montreal Protocol protests of Southern nations. He also outlines the rise of issues which concern primarily Northern or Southern nations. Finally, the equity of global environmental politics is examined.
The final section addresses catalysts within the ozone layer depletion and climate change issues. These include political entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations. Rowlands closes with an examination of catalysts and global environmental politics.
The Politics of Global Atmospheric Change stresses the inseparability of ozone layer depletion, global climate change and politics. An understanding of these inter-relationships may, on the author's account, assist in mitigation of these global problems.
T. A. O'Lonergan
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