Since World War Two the world has undergone a profound economic and political transformation, from an international economy and internationalist politics to a global economy and globalist politics. The Bretton Woods international financial institutions have 'structurally adjusted' Third World countries, and similar structural reforms have occurred in First World countries. The environmental consequences of globalising economic activity have been severe and also global; the social consequences of the structural reform process are equally severe. National sovereignty has been radically compromised by globalisation, and previous nationally-based initiatives to manage the activities of capital in order to mitigate its negative impacts on society and the environment, such as social democrat/labour politics, have ceded their authority to globalism. Green parties have arisen to contest the negative environmental and social consequences of the global expansion of capital, and are replacing socialist parties as a global antisystemic political force. Green politics had its origins in the world-wide 'new politics' of the New Left and the new social movements of the 1960s, and the world's first two Green parties were formed in Australia and New Zealand in 1972. A general history of the global forces which gave rise to Green politics, and a specific history of the first two Green parties, demonstrate the interplay of global and local political forces and themes, and provide an opportunity to redefine the core elements of Green politics.

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

A pesquisa tem por finalidade abordar a constituição das redes de Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) no Brasil, tendo como destaque o Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). Para tal, pretende-se traçar a territorialidade da rede de informação ambiental, a questão da própria informação ambiental e o seu contexto no ciberespaço. Também será analisada a Política Ambiental Brasileira que proporciona a constituição dessa rede. O objeto proposto para o estudo apresenta uma complexa realidade, diversificada e prática, de grande interesse aos gestores ambientais, entre eles os geógrafos, que requer o seu desvendamento. / The research has the objective in approach the constitution of the nets of Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) in Brazil, have as feature the Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). To achieve this proposal intended to trace the territoriality of the net of environmental information, the subject of the own environmental information and its context in the cyberspace. It will also be analyzed the Brazilian Environmental Politics that provides the constitution of that net. The object proposed for the study presents a complex reality, diversified and practice, of great interest to the environmental governance, among them the geographers, that requests its to unveil

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

A pesquisa tem por finalidade abordar a constituição das redes de Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) no Brasil, tendo como destaque o Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). Para tal, pretende-se traçar a territorialidade da rede de informação ambiental, a questão da própria informação ambiental e o seu contexto no ciberespaço. Também será analisada a Política Ambiental Brasileira que proporciona a constituição dessa rede. O objeto proposto para o estudo apresenta uma complexa realidade, diversificada e prática, de grande interesse aos gestores ambientais, entre eles os geógrafos, que requer o seu desvendamento. / The research has the objective in approach the constitution of the nets of Bancos de Dados e Bibliotecas Virtuais Ambientais (BBVAs) in Brazil, have as feature the Banco de Dados para a Indústria do Petróleo (BAMPETRO). To achieve this proposal intended to trace the territoriality of the net of environmental information, the subject of the own environmental information and its context in the cyberspace. It will also be analyzed the Brazilian Environmental Politics that provides the constitution of that net. The object proposed for the study presents a complex reality, diversified and practice, of great interest to the environmental governance, among them the geographers, that requests its to unveil

O processo internacional de discussão sobre orientações e programas voltados à conservação das florestas iniciado na década de 1990 foi influenciado pelos resultados das conferências internacionais sobre meio ambiente e pelos efeitos da globalização neoliberal. Esta dissertação examina a repercussão dessas inter-relações nas políticas de conservação florestal que vêm sendo implementadas e defendidas por diferentes atores, as quais valorizam a participação da sociedade civil e do mercado na gestão ambiental e promovem os interesses econômicos do setor florestal. Faz também uma avaliação crítica dos limites das teorias tradicionalmente utilizadas para a compreensão dos processos internacionais de elaboração de políticas para o meio ambiente e florestas (que utilizam principalmente os conceitos de regime internacional e governança global em suas análises), apontando para a necessidade de se colocar em destaque o caráter conflitivo e desigual do sistema no interior do qual essas políticas são pensadas. / The international discussion on programs and guidelines for forest conservation which began in the early nineties was influenced by the results of the international environmental conferences and by the effects of neoliberal globalization. This dissertation examines the repercussion of these interrelationships over the forest conservation policies that have been implemented and supported by different actors, which value the civil society and market participation in environmental management and promotes the forest sector economic interests. It also critically evaluates the limits of the theories traditionally employed to the comprehension of the international environmental policy-making process (which primarily use the concepts of international regime and global governance in their analyses), indicating the need of emphasizing the contentious and unequal character of the system within which these policies are thought.

[pt] O presente trabalho aborda a relação entre o Direito internacional e o Direito Brasileiro referente à proteção da diversidade biológica. Especificamente, realiza-se um mapeamento crítico da tradução do texto da Convenção no direito pátrio. Procura-se, assim, contextualizar a produção do direito ambiental brasileiro no cenário internacional visando a efetiva proteção do enorme patrimônio ambiental que recebemos. O trabalho compreende um capítulo preliminar sobre o contexto do direito internacional e duas partes centrais: uma abordando a negociação e desenvolvimento da Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre Diversidade Biológica e outra abordando os desdobramentos deste texto internacional no direito brasileiro. / [en] This research focuses on the relationship between international and domestic Brazilian law relating to biodiversity protection. Specifically, I map the translation of the Convention on biological diversity locally. I seek, thus, to place Brazilian environmental law in the larger international context. The work comprises a preliminary chapter on the context of international law and two main parts: one on the negotiation and conclusion of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the other on its developments in Brazilian law.

Depuis ses balbutiements au début des années 2000, la Réduction des Emissions liées à la Déforestation et la Dégradation forestière, plus connue sous le sigle REDD+, a peu à peu été admise comme un moyen indispensable des politiques globales de lutte contre le changement climatique. Reposant sur le concept de « déforestation évitée », elle nécessite la formulation d’un scénario de référence servant à évaluer les efforts des pays dans la maîtrise de leur niveau de déforestation. Ces scénarios sont au cœur de nombreux débats politiques et scientifiques. Cette thèse constitue une mise en perspective des principes de REDD+ avec, comme cas d’étude, le Plateau des Guyanes. Dans un premier temps, on présentera l’établissement d’un modèle spatialisé de déforestation pour la Guyane française, insistant sur la nécessité de se focaliser sur les moteurs socio-économiques de la déforestation. Ce constat sera renforcé, dans un second temps, par l’étude de la déforestation liée à l’orpaillage à l’échelle de l’ensemble du Plateau des Guyanes, montrant un impact très fort du cours de l’or et des contextes politiques sur le niveau déforestation. Ces résultats alimenteront une discussion critique du mécanisme REDD+, basé sur la formulation de scénarios de référence potentiellement très variables et fondés sur des déterminants davantage politiques que scientifiques, ouvrant ainsi la porte à un potentiel chantage environnemental. / Since its appearance at the beginning of the 2000’s, the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, known as REDD+, has gradually been admitted as an indispensable option for global policies aiming at tackling climate change. Relying on the concept of « avoided deforestation », it requires the formulation of a reference scenario aiming at evaluating efforts made by the countries involved in controlling their level of deforestation. Those scenarios are facing numerous political and scientific debates. This thesis aims at putting into perspective the principles of REDD+, based on a study site covering the Guiana Shield. In a first step, the formulation of a spatialiazed deforestation model over French Guiana will be presented, insisting on the necessity to focus on socio-economic drivers of deforestation. This statement will be reinforced, in a second step, by the the study of deforestation due to gold mining in the Guiana Shield, showing a very strong effect of gold prices and national political contexts on deforestation. These results finally contribute to a critical discussion on REDD+ mechanism, based on the formulation of very variable reference scenarios, relying more on political than on scientific determinants, and potentially enabling the emergence of environmental blackmailing.

Abstract This study analyses environmental concern in the Komi Republic from the contextual perspective. The main research data consisted of thematic interviews of industrial workers (n =  114), teachers (n =  30), administration staff (n =  33) in the towns of Usinsk and Vorkuta in the Northern Komi Republic. In addition, the in-depth thematic interviews of state administrators, scientists and NGO actors are analysed as well as the survey study conducted in several regions in the republic. As a broad theoretical frame the study uses the context model, in which environmental concern in everyday life is interpreted at five closely connected levels. The study consists of four previously published articles, one submitted manuscript and a concluding chapter. As the major theoretical and methodological idea the study presents two different environments: a life-world of the individual, where environmental changes are perceived and experienced in a framework of everyday life, and secondly, global environmentalism’s Environment, which is nowadays in Western discourses viewed as a globe. This study focuses on the life-world perspective, and asks how these two environments communicate with each other in the particular contexts of the Komi Republic. In general, environmental issues hold a low profile compared with other social problems in the Komi Republic. However, the citizens of the Komi Republic are concerned about so-called ’brown‘ environmental issues; that is issues of pollution and waste disposal in their immediate environs. The public’s environmental concerns are mostly about ’ecological risks‘ – the health and well-being implications of environmental degradation. Environmental problems are regarded as part societal transformation. This ’brown‘ environmentalism is understandable in Russia since approximately 60 million Russians now live in zones with adverse environmental situations. Green or global issues are not much discussed among the public of Russia. The findings stress that engagement with the surrounding environment, local conditions and socio-political contexts shape perceptions and framings of environmental change. Local perceptions and local knowledge are still a crucial basis for concern. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan ympäristötietoisuutta ja -huolta Komin tasavallassa kontekstuaalisesta näkökulmasta. Tärkein osa tutkimusaineistosta koostuu teollisuustyöntekijöiden (n =  114), opettajien (n =  30) ja yritys- ja julkisen hallinnon edustajien (n =  33) teemahaastatteluista Usinskin ja Vorkutan kaupungeissa tasavallan pohjoisosassa. Lisäksi työssä on analysoitu valtion virkamiesten, tutkijoiden sekä kansalaisjärjestöjen toimijoiden teemahaastatteluja sekä tasavallan eri alueilla tehdyn kyselytutkimuksen tuloksia. Tutkimuksessa hyödynnetään kontekstimallia, jossa ympäristötietoisuutta tarkastellaan viiden toisiinsa limittyvän tason kautta. Tutkimus koostuu neljästä julkaistusta artikkelista, yhdestä käsikirjoituksesta ja yhteenvetoluvusta. Tutkimuksen tärkein teoreettinen ja metodologinen idea jakaa ympäristön kahtia: ensimmäinen on yksilön elämismaailma, missä ympäristömuutokset havaitaan ja koetaan arkielämän kehystäminä, ja toinen, globaalin environmentalismin ympäristö, minkä nykyisin ajatellaan käsittävän koko maapallon. Tämä tutkimus keskittyy elämismaailmanäkökulmaan ja kysyy, kuinka nämä kaksi ympäristöä kommunikoivat toistensa kanssa eri konteksteissa. Yleisellä tasolla tarkasteltuna ympäristöongelmat ovat taustalla kansalaisten elämässä verrattuna muihin sosiaalisiin ongelmiin. Komin tasavallan asukkaat ovat kuitenkin huolissaan niin kutsutuista ’ruskeista’ ympäristökysymyksistä eli lähinnä saastumiseen ja erilaisiin jätteisiin liittyvistä ongelmista. Kansalaisten ympäristöhuoli kytkeytyy ennen kaikkea ekologisiin riskeihin – ympäristön pilaantumisen terveydellisiin ja hyvinvointiin liittyviin seuraamuksiin. Näin ympäristöongelmat limittyvät muiden sosiaalisten ongelmien kanssa ja koetaan osaksi yhteiskunnallista muutosta. Tämä ’ruskea’ ympäristöhuoli on ymmärrettävä ilmiö Venäjällä, missä noin 60 miljoonaa kansalaista asuu terveydelle haitallisissa ympäristöoloissa. ’Vihreitä’ tai globaaleja ympäristökysymyksiä ei juurikaan käsitellä Venäjän julkisessa keskustelussa. Tutkimuksen tulokset painottavat lähiympäristöön sitoutumisen ja elämismaailman merkitystä ympäristömuutosten havainnoinnissa sekä yhteiskunnallisten kontekstien vaikutusta ympäristökysymysten kehystämiseen. Paikallisella havainnoinnilla ja tiedolla on edelleen suuri rooli ympäristötietoisuuden muotoutumisessa.

Sveriges riksdag har antagit 16 nationella miljökvalitetsmål. Miljömålsarbetet kan ses som en del av de insatser som krävs för att vi ska skapa en hållbar utveckling, vilken är en målsättning som ska genomsyra hela vårt samhälle. Myndigheter har tilldelats ansvaret för att de nationella miljömålen implementeras, men att målen nås är hela samhällets ansvar. I denna avhandling analyseras de kommunikativa villkoren i det svenska miljömålsarbetet. Studien bygger till stor del på erfarenheter som kommit till uttryck i de fokusgruppsintervjuer som genomförts med miljömålsansvariga tjänstemän på centrala, regionala samt kommunala myndigheter. Såväl politiska dokument som myndighetsrapportering har analyserats och satts i relation till tjänstemännens erfarenheter. Utifrån teorier om målstyrning, implementeringsprocesser och kommunikation i sociala system analyseras sedan kommunikativa barriärer och broar, hur de visar sig och kan förklaras. Avhandlingen visar att det finns kommunikationsbarriärer men också broar i miljömålsarbetet. När nya mål och beslut ska omsättas i etablerade organisationer uppstår kommunikationsbarriärer både inom myndigheter och i kommunikationen med andra aktörer i samhället. Att implementera beslut om ett nytt målstyrningssystem i en komplex omvärld med dess ekologiska såväl som sociala system är ingen friktionsfri process. Olika systemkoder som är i bruk kan förklara en del av problematiken, men även otydlighet i målsystem och bristande resurstilldelning. En utmaning inför framtiden blir att skapa information som ger resonans och skapar mening i olika sociala system och därigenom bidrar till möjligheterna att nå de nationella miljökvalitetsmålen. / In 1999, the Swedish Parliament introduced a new management by objectives (MBO) approach to sustainable development politics with the adoption of 15 national environmental quality objectives, ambitious objectives that are to be achieved within 20 years. Overall responsibility for implementing and evaluating the environmental objectives at the national level is assigned to central agencies but also for business and the public. This dissertation analyses the communicative conditions within the environmental objectives implementation process. The analysis in this study has a social system theoretical approach. The system with National Environmental Quality Objectives has both pros and cons. The National Environmental Quality Objectives has been difficult to communicate in established organisations as well as different sector agencies and departments. A challenge for the future is to adjust information and communication to a differentiated society on purpose to get resonance and understanding about the efforts needed to fulfil the National Environmental Objective’s achievement.