Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea: Public Ideas ... - IMO
Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea: Public Ideas ... - IMO
Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea: Public Ideas ... - IMO
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166 Chapter 9<br />
“green” influence on intern<strong>at</strong>ional public opinion, but other ENGOs also<br />
shape public opinion.<br />
Second, ENGOs influence regime development by transn<strong>at</strong>ional coalition<br />
building. Strong transn<strong>at</strong>ional coalitions are built by extending ENGO<br />
networks and by adding scientists, special-interest groups, and governments.<br />
Special-interest groups affected by environmental deterior<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
dram<strong>at</strong>ically alter the configur<strong>at</strong>ion of interests and significantly strengthen<br />
transn<strong>at</strong>ional environmental coalitions. It is highly likely th<strong>at</strong> special-interest<br />
groups, as opposed to the general public, will be part of a transn<strong>at</strong>ional<br />
environmental coalition, because those whose health or income are directly<br />
affected by environmental deterior<strong>at</strong>ion are strongly motiv<strong>at</strong>ed to act. This<br />
is confirmed in many environmental conflicts, including game hunters<br />
pressing for protection of elephants and the tourism industry’s protesting<br />
against pollution of the Mediterranean <strong>Sea</strong>. 21 Furthermore, it is of gre<strong>at</strong> significance<br />
in environmental diplomacy th<strong>at</strong> the number of st<strong>at</strong>es in a transn<strong>at</strong>ional<br />
coalition group be large, as this makes it possible to pass<br />
resolutions, mor<strong>at</strong>oriums, and global bans. ENGOs play a significant role<br />
in recruiting new members, especially downwind and downstream st<strong>at</strong>es,<br />
in transn<strong>at</strong>ional environmental coalitions.<br />
Transn<strong>at</strong>ional coalition building, which figures prominently in the case<br />
of the radwaste ban, deserves much more <strong>at</strong>tention. As discussed above,<br />
some of the recent liter<strong>at</strong>ure draws <strong>at</strong>tention to the importance of civil society.<br />
Though the case of radwaste disposal could be seen as confirming the<br />
claim about the political significance of global civil society made by some<br />
scholars, it also shows th<strong>at</strong> ENGOs significantly increase their influence on<br />
regime development by directly “bringing in” interest groups and civil society<br />
actors. Knowledge-based regime analysis pays much <strong>at</strong>tention to transn<strong>at</strong>ional<br />
networks of scientists, but coalition building among influential<br />
special-interest groups (in which ENGOs play a major role) is not yet well<br />
understood. Shipbuilders, classific<strong>at</strong>ion societies, and insurers have been<br />
important in cre<strong>at</strong>ing an effective compliance system for controlling intentional<br />
pollution by oil tankers, and in the case of global warming some<br />
ENGOs see the insurance industry as an influential interest group to be<br />
included in a coalition of interests th<strong>at</strong> can effectively challenge the fossil<br />
fuel industry (Mitchell 1994). 22 However, coalitions are not necessarily<br />
enduring or stable. At an early stage of intern<strong>at</strong>ional regul<strong>at</strong>ion of chlorofluorocarbons<br />
(which deplete the <strong>at</strong>mospheric ozone layer), the chemical