World Environment Organization

Facing global environmental problems there is the general call for a reform of the institutional global environmental policy or even more for a global environmental organization with increasing frequency. What exactly is this reform-process about, what kind of institution is needed and is there a chance for a World Environment Organization in a foreseeable future?

Introduction

At the latest since the disappointing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 it became obvious that we are living meanwhile in a world risk society without an answer to environmental challenges- neither in form of an acting global community nor a promising world environment organization. On the other side we are facing more and more environmental challenges. These environmental problems can be distinguished in three kinds (cf. Rechkemmer, 2004, p. 7 & Simonis 561): in regional, local and global environmental problems. Regional phenomena are caused and occur just in a small, limited space for example the emissions in a lake through the local industry. Local problems, e. g. the contamination of a river flowing through different countries, affect more than one country, but do not have an impact on the whole world. The last kind of phenomena are global problems, for example the famous climate change, the global loss of biodiversity, erosion of the earth’s surface, desertification, pollution of the sea etc.. These global problems are characterized by different aspects:

• There is no longer a direct link between the area where they are caused and the places where the effects occur (cf. Alter Text).
• No direct link between small effects and the dimension of the “reaction”- especially tipping-points.
• Almost all global environmental problems affect global public goods.

In which way these global environmental problems are directly caused by globalization is discussed in other texts- but they do have and will have a real impact on globalization and the world risk society. Therefore it is important to face these problems- fast.

To face these problems it can be focussed on a horizontal (e. g. civil society or diffusion of environmental pioneer-activities between national-states) and a vertical dimension (Rechkemmer, 2005, p. 23). However both dimensions do have a real importance, this article focuses on the vertical dimension and the institutional structures for it.

Because of the characteristics of these global environmental challenges there is the need for a global environmental policy or as xy said: “Global problems need global solutions”. But right now there is no political frame-institution - the success and the speed of an excluding conference-policy was shown in Copenhagen. Other needs for a global environmental organization are the increasing globalization of the economy, the complexity of the bio-chemical and physical connection between cause and effect, the potential irreversibility of the results, the number of political actors, the contradictory interests and the differences between the potential to act of different actors as well as the global asymmetry of knowledge (Simonis, p. 562).

The following article will give an overview to main points of the current reform-debate and show the characteristic. Therefore it points out in a first step the situation of institutional global environmental policy right no and the need for a reform more specific. In a second step different attempts for a reform will be shown and the necessary characteristics of such an organization will be pointed out. Finally there will be a conclusion and an outlook to the process in the future.

List Of References

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• Biermann, F. (2007). Reforming Global Environmental Governance: From UNEP Towards A World Environment Organization [www.centerforunreform.org/system/files/GEG_Biermann.pdf]. In: Swart, L. & Perry, E. (Ed.), Global Environmental Governance. Perspectives on the Current Debate (pp. 103-123). New York: Center for UN Reform Education.
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• Meyer-Ohlendorf, N. & Knigge, M. (2007). A United Nations Environment Organization [www.centerforunreform.org/system/files/GEG_Meyer-Ohlendorf_Knigge.pdf]. In Swart, L. & Perry, E. (Ed.), Global Environmental Governance, Perspectives on the Current Debate (pp. 124-141). New York: Center for UN Reform Education.
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