Over the past half century interest about environmental issues rapidly growth and not just between the scientists. Environment became important component of inter-governmental relations, object of international summits and conferences. Nevertheless, important player in environmental lobby are Nongovernmental organizations.
NGOs are important components of civil society and are active in variety of human doings. Significant is fact that NGOs are not established by inter-state agreement and publicly express views, which are often very different from any government. Over the past century numbers of NGO increased significantly as well as their participation and activity in political process around the world. According to the issue in which is NGO interested, is possible to divide NGOs in four groups; environmental, social, scientific and business/industry, however, this separation has major impact on the level of their influence in real political arena.
Environmental diplomacy is very specific and has influence on domestic and international political arena. On the sphere of development of domestic policies environmental NGO achieved important changes in protection of natural resources, creation of national parks or protection of endangered species. Nevertheless, to achieve significant changes in environmental issues on international political arena is more difficult, even if NGOs activity grows. NGO diplomacy is very often considered as on the border or more likely outside of inter-state diplomacy because of diversity of interest across the representatives during the negotiations. When the multilateral negotiations take place, governmental representatives perform as diplomats who represent common interest limitless by territory or by continent. Unfortunately, in majority of cases about environmental issues, mainly climate change, NGO do not have formal right to vote and on the process of negotiations participate particularly as observers, in difference of state diplomats their position is not identified clearly. The only opportunity to influence conference or summit has NGO diplomats and representatives during the pre-negotiation phase. To achieve their aim on the conferences, NGO diplomats negotiate, provide policy advice or engage in information exchange.
Kyoto Protocol Negotiations – case study
The main aim of the Kyoto Protocol was to fight global warming and the main topics of the negotiations were:
• Reduction of carbon emissions
• Hot air emission trading
The environmental NGOs in general wanted to achieve 20% reduction of carbon emissions and strictly opposed to any possibility of flexible mechanism (trading of emissions). During the negotiating process significantly participated two non-state actors; Environmental Defense Fund and Climate Action Network, both actors represented different views.
EDF acted as advocate of emission trading for exchange of reduction targets, whereas CAN was strictly against possibility of any trade with emission. Delegates (main polluters) asked for emission trading in order to accept ANY carbon emission reduction. CAN was not successful in their effort to keep trading out of the process, finally by raising concerns about climate were able to slow down but not to stop process. (Trade with emissions became part of the Protocol- Article 17)
The result of the presence of more non-state actors was competition between them for the attention of state delegates (decision-makers). In general, was access of NGO to process of decision making very limited. Representatives could just form negotiation by the raising of concerns and they generated pressure on states like –how we will look home?
The Kyoto Protocol requires 5% reductions of carbon emissions and allows their trading, what means that real polluters have not really reduced emissions.
Without any doubts, nongovernmental organizations are very important part of society, represents spectrum of interests, are source of information and are its conscience. Unfortunately, is needed to divide between raise of activity and real possibility of NGO to influence negotiations about environmental issues as climate change. However, their influence in international environmental diplomacy is not really significant. Because NGOs do not have formal right to vote, in reality are not part of decision making, and their chance to influence result significantly is very small. To achieve at least small change, environmental representatives are pushed for agreements about trading of carbon emissions, at the end it is not big victory and allows flexibility in emission quotas between states.
Resources
The Dynamics of Diplomacy, J.R. Leguey - Feilleux (chapter 5, The role of non state actors)
NGO Diplomacy – The Influence of Nongovernmental Organizations in International Environmental Negotiations, Michele M. Betsill, Elisabeth Corell (Chapters 1,2,3)
e recourse http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cuVt2ZNE-8UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ngo+and+diplomacy&source=bl&ots=U8Y4-e2pvB&sig=oCY0LdXYFKDQ6cYddyWQUstSM2Q&hl=en&ei=jSYuTbeILtK7hAf1sYCmCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=true
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