Introduction: The Challenge of Global Environmental Governance

Abstract

Global environmental interdependencies have put issues of governance at the heart of our future. A consensus exists that current environmental trends are unsustainable, and that the global environmental condition calls for concerted and deliberate change, i.e. governed change. The task ahead goes beyond setting up specific mechanisms for specific environmental problems; environmental governance is about reorienting our collective habits to take place within the boundaries of natures systems. While there is global agreement on the goal of sustainable development, there is considerable uncertainty as to how it can be reached. In focusing on environmental governance, this book aims to shed some light on how we, as a world community, can steer from here to there.

Her educational background is in the fields of international affairs and biology. She has worked for a variety of international organizations, including the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, and the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs.