Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Exploratory Workshop on “European Climate Change Governance – Towards New Alliances?” in Hull on 2nd – 3rd July 2012 “New Climate Change Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs” Rudi Wurzel and James Connelly (Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Hull) New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Trajectory of Brussels-based ENGOs: • 1970s: European Environmental Bureau (EEB) (1974) • 1980s: Friends of the Earth (FoE), Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) • Since the 1990s: More specialised ENGOs such as Bird Life International European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL) Transport & Environment (T&E) New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Alliances and coordinating groups: • G4: EEB, CEAT/FoEE, Greenpeace and WWF • G10: BirdLife International, CAN Europe, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Bankwatch Network, EEB, FoE, Friends of Nature International (NFI), Greenpeace, HEAL, T&E, and WWF New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Main reasons for cooperation between Brussels-based ENGOs 1) Division of labour and pooling of resources 2) ‘Highest common factor principles’ (Long, 1998): (Brussels-based) ENGOs have similar goals (despite their heterogeneity) 3) Alliances represent larger number of members/supporters Taken more seriously by the media, EU decision makers and opponents (e.g. businesses) Greater legitimacy 4) Competition for funding less intense on EU level compared with member state level New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Brussels-based ENGOs active on climate change issues: • Four key players within the G10: CAN Europe, FoE Europe, Greenpeace and WWF • Large ENGO umbrella groups: CAN Europe, EEB, HEAL, T&E • Large European ENGO networks groups: FoE Europe, Greenpeace and WWF • Small ENGOs active on specific EU climate issues: Client Earth, E3G, Bellona • New specialised ENGOs: CDM Watch, Sandbag New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs • Think tanks and/or research Institutes: Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Ecofys, Ecologic, IEEP, IDDR, Öko Institut, The Centre • Foundations which provide funding for ENGOs: European Climate Foundation (ECF) Oak Foundation • NGOs other than ENGOs which are active on EU climate change policy issues: Development NGOs: Aprodev, Christian Aid, CIDSE, Oxfam New alliances New policy discourse? New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs • Alliances between ENGOs and businesses? For example, ENGOs and renewable energy producers • Possible barriers for alliances between Brussels-based EU-wide ENGOs and businesses? Weak European/EU-wide umbrella groups. This is particularly true for business umbrella groups Preferences for different policy instruments: ENGOs: regulation and/or eco-taxes Businesses: voluntary agreements, informational instruments and emission trading Cooperation between ENGOs and businesses on climate change issues may be easier on the national level? For example, Greenpeace and Renault New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Ecological modernisation: • Rejects the (neoliberal and radical environmentalist) view that there is inevitably a trade off between environmental protection and economic growth: • Core assumptions: Ambitious environmental policy measures can be beneficial for the environment and the economy Low carbon economy => win-win strategy • ‘... A cleavage begins to open up not between business and environmentalists, but between progressive, environmentally aware business on the one hand and short-term profit takers on the other‘ (Weale, 1992, p.31) New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Leadership or entrepreneurship: 1) ENGOs press for the EU to act as a leader in international climate change politics: Time to lead (CAN Europe, FoE, Greenpeace and WWF) 2)ENGOs as whistle blowers: ENGOs can press member states for ‘enforced leadership’ (Jänicke). EU may limit the scope for ‘cost-free leadership’ (Liefferink and Birkel) 3)ENGOs lobby for the transfer of successful policy measures elsewhere EU as a Leader in International Climate Change Politics 1) ENGOs can offer structural leadership: • Large membership and supporter base • Moderate staff and financial resources 2) • • • • ENGOs can offer entrepreneurial leadership: ENGOs representatives as part of national delegations Draft treaties: A Copenhagen Climate Treaty (2009) Think tanks and foundations: CEPs, Client Earth, ECF, E3G, The Centre Research institutes: IEEP, Ecologic 3) ENGOs can offer cognitive leadership: • Ability to change policy discourse: Low carbon economy as ‘win-win’ strategy Emissions trading: ‘hot air’ • Most trusted source of information for the public New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs ENGOs and multi-level governance: • Venue shopping: Lobbying at different levels of climate change governance (international, EU, national and regional) is difficult even for large ENGOs ENGOs influence tends to be highest at: • (1) the beginning of the policy/treaty making cycle: Agenda setting: (Re)framing of issues (e.g. trading ‘hot air’) • (2) the end of the policy/treaty making cycle Implementation (e.g. through ‘whistle blowing’) Lesser degree of influence during: • (Policy/treaty) agreement phase • (Policy/treaty) decision-making phase New Alliances at the EU level: Environmental NGOs Policy-making cycle/Treaty agreement process Agenda setting Decision-making Revision Implementation