Environmental politics and policy / John McCormick.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Understanding key concepts. Defining the environment -- Politics and policy -- Environmentalism -- Evolution of the environmental debate -- Perspectives on the environment. Science and the environment -- Economics and the environment -- Business and the environment -- Philosophy and the environment -- Security and the environment -- The dynamics of environmental policy. Evolving approaches to environmental policy -- The policy cycle -- Policy at the state level -- Policy at the international level -- Environmental policy instruments -- Actors at the state level. Understanding environmental governance -- Governmental institutions -- Parties and interest groups -- Policy diffusion and convergence -- Environment and development -- Actors at the international level. Understanding international environmental governance -- States and international system -- Intergovernmental organizations -- Treaty secretariats -- International non-governmental organizations -- Air pollution: few sources, many effects. Defining the problem -- The major air pollutants -- Two encouraging stories: leaded fuel and the ozone layer -- Acid pollution: a mix of success and concern -- Water: Quantity vs quality. Managing water supply -- Managing water quality -- Shaping water policy -- Water and ecology: the case of wetlands -- Natural resources: forests, oceans, and fisheries. Defining the problem -- Forests: Domestic or global resources? -- Oceans: A classic common pool resource problem -- Fisheries: Free-for-all on the high seas -- Waste: A failure of consumer society. Defining the problem -- Shaping waste policy -- Toxic and hazardous wastes -- Exporting and dumping waste -- Biodiversity: Species, genes, and ecology. Defining the problem -- The major threats to biodiversity -- Shaping biodiversity policy -- The case of protected areas -- Energy: The slow road to renewables. Defining the problem -- The prospects for renewable energy -- Shaping energy policy -- Climate change: the ultimate global test. Defining the problem -- Shaping climate change policy -- The climate change convention -- To Paris and beyond -- Glossary -- References -- Index.

This text provides systematic coverage of the key concepts in the study of environmental politics; the evolution of environmental thinking; the national and international actors involved in environmental policy; and a selection of specific environmental problems including their causes, the challenges and results of addressing them to date.