AND THE NON-BELIEVERS

“More recently, it has been argued that human society’s use of resources exceeds some planetary
eco-boundaries and is on track to exceed others. Environmental governance institutions do not
have the capacity or power to appropriately manage the influence or rate of private consumption
and the local, individual government policies that enable such common resource use. This
failure to steward the environment, despite the existence of international agencies such as United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) can be considered as one of the biggest failures of the
International communities. Environmental challenges have yet to receive adequate or effective
governance response. Collective action failures and the impending tragedy of the environmental
commons can be overcome through governance mechanisms from local to global.   To respond
to scientifically and morally based calls for improved stewardship, a World Environment
Organization must be established to safeguard the environmental commons, to maintain the”
ecological integrity and to to protect and maintain universal human rights and the welfare of
Nature.1

“There are numerous people who do not believe that global governance is necessary. Many
experts believe the environmental crises will be solved through human ingenuity, invention, and
innovation. However, due to powerful counter-influences, society has not embraced existing
technologies that can solve issues facing the Earth. This is evident, for example, in the
prevention of climate change mitigation by the fossil fuel industry. Others critical of founding a
WEO-like institution prefer environmental governance through decentralized
networks. However, such approaches will not lead to adequate global rules, enforcement
mechanisms, and governing capacity to reverse environmental declines in a timely manner, nor
will they contravene the global forces responsible for environmental degradation. Society does
not govern the global social and economic commons simply through decentralized networks. We
maintain that more immediate action, managed through a global governance body, is required to

1
Alan Richards & Nirvikar Singh, “ Why do Asian Countries need a World Environmental Organization?—A
critical and analytical Study ”, Department of Environmental Studies & Department of Economics, University of
California, Santa Cruz, USA, October 2018
reverse and to avoid further exceeding planetary eco-boundaries.2 Private interests and poor
government regulation and capacity often lead to failures in achieving sustainable governance of
the environmental commons. Illustrations of such impacts include global fisheries collapsing,
coastal dead zones, and deforestation.  The continued degradation could be reversed with more
effective governance, capable of stewarding the global commons.”

EXISTING INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

GOVERNANCE

“At latest count, 1,190 multi-lateral environmental agreements and 1,500 bilateral environmental
agreements among nation-states exist to govern natural resources. Principal international
organizations and programs related to the environmental commons include the” United Nations
Environmental Programme (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), the Global Environment Facility (GEF); The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)- which has no global governance function beyond organizing and disseminating
climate change information, the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES) which has yet to deliver on many fronts related to ecosystem services
regulation and biodiversity conservation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“These international organizations are highly fragmented, with overlapping and sometimes
conflicting agendas. The treaties and principles that now govern the environmental commons can
be described as ‘un-ambitious and barely implemented’. Additionally, there are gaps in commons
governance, especially related to long term resource management and rights. Establishing a
global environmental governance organization may seem impossible given the complex set of
issues and high economic stakes involved. However, competition between nations and private
interests has been put aside in numerous cases to forge agreements on commons matters such as

2
“The Asian Experiences with Environmental Crises:  Economic, Institutional, Technological and Environmental
Issues”, World Bank Technical Paper No. 175, Washington, DC, The World Bank, Jan 2019.
human rights, poverty alleviation, nutrition, public health, trade, and the global economy. The
Paris Conference of Parties (COP) of December 2015 and the Kigale deal of 2016 are the latest
examples of the world agreeing on ambitious targets, in this case for dealing with climate
change―even if all the means of achievement are unspecified A significant challenge to these
deals and others is that the social and economic commons are typically governed at a higher
priority than the environmental commons.”

THE CURRENT REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS IN ASIA

Besides the regional offices of the UNEP, IUCN, UNDP etc, there are considerable number of
regional organizations pertaining to Asia working towards environmental cooperation. While
“few are general bodies, few are exclusively pertaining to environmental governance. 3 The
notable organizations in this regard are ADB (Asian Development bank); IGES (Institute for
Global Environment Strategies -Japan); UNESCAP (UN Economic and Social Council for Asia
Pacific); The Mekong River Commission; CARNET (Environment and Sustainable
Development in Central Asia and Russia); CAMP (Central Asian Mountain Partnership);
ENVSEC (Environment and Security Initiative).

The organizations are considerably doing good job in working towards environmentalism in
Asia. However, their role of these organizations is confined to achieving environmental
cooperation among the Asian countries. They do not work with the aim of governing the
Environmental common of the Asian countries nor do have any sanction do act so. This is where
the problem again arises, if these regional organizations hardly have any say in the manner the
Asian countries are dealing with their environmental resources, they cannot be expected to pay
effective role in addressing the major environmental crises these Asian countries are facing
currently.” 4
3
Jones & Richards, “The Modern Global Environmental Crises- The need for a Collective Action by the Nations
States”, The International Journal on Environmental and legal studies, University of Yale, vol.5,issue.14, March
2019

4
“The Asian Experiences with Environmental Crises:  Economic, Institutional, Technological and Environmental
Issues”, World Bank Technical Paper No. 175, Washington, DC, The World Bank, Jan 2019.
  THE ASEAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION

“Recognizing the importance of environmental cooperation for sustainable development and

regional integration, ASEAN has since 1977 cooperated closely in promoting environmental
cooperation among its member states. ASEAN cooperation on the environment is currently
guided by the ASCC Blueprint 2025 which envisions an ASEAN Community that engages and
benefits the peoples and is inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic. Guided by the Vision,
the ASEAN cooperation on environment particularly focuses on characteristic Sustainable”
“development in the ASCC Blueprint 2025.5 An ASEAN strategic plan on environment is
currently being developed to translate the ASCC Blueprint 2025 into a more detailed plan of
actions which shall serve as a guiding document for ASEAN in promoting ASEAN cooperation
on environment until 2025. Seven strategic priorities have been identified under the strategic
plan:”

 Nature conservation and biodiversity

 Coastal and marine environment
 Water resources management
 Environmentally sustainable cities
 Climate change
 Chemicals and waste
 Environmental education and sustainable consumption and production

“Though the role and strategy of the ASEAN –Environment in addressing environmental issues
in Asia are appreciable, it cannot be forgotten that all this efforts are only operative on the
members states and do no have any positive effect on the majority of the Asian countries who are
the non members. The efforts of this organization cannot be taken considered as those which are
addressing the environmental crises in Asia as a whole.”

5
Alan Richards & Nirvikar Singh, “ Why do Asian Countries need a World Environmental Organization?—A
critical and analytical Study ”, Department of Environmental Studies & Department of Economics, University of
California, Santa Cruz, USA, October 2018