ABSTRACT
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are a prominent force in global environmental politics. For example, in the realm of summit diplomacy, more than 900 NGOs participated in the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Scholars of global environmental governance use the term “NGO” in reference to a broad spectrum of formal non-profit organizations that are independent of governments and are committed to the provision of global public goods (Betsill and Corell 2008). While this clearly excludes political parties, organizations that advocate violence, as well as business and corporations, non-profit associations representing particular industrial sectors occupy a gray area. They operate in distinction to the state, do not (formally) represent governmental interests, and are active participants in debates over public issues, but they often are seen to pursue private rather than public goals. NGOs are a diverse population (Alcock 2008); they work at and across different levels of social and political organization
(often in coalitions or networks with other NGOs), focus on a broad set of issues, and engage in a variety of activities from research to lobbying to project development. Global environmental governance scholars often differentiate between NGOs’ role as advocates for particular policies and their role as global governors.
