ABSTRACT
This introduction provides an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines the convergence of concerns that have made global environmental problems a political, social, scientific, and moral issue. It addresses the general quest for effective international environmental governance. The book recalls well-known developments in international relations that render indispensable a wholesale reconceptualization of governance. It examines the prevalence of a traditional linear model of the relationship between science and politics as well as a new conceptualization of that relationship, using the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) as a reference point. The book examines what is the most achieved version of regional integration through the concept of role as a tool that can help understand the interplay of various factors that affect European Union (EU) actions and identify the conditions under which regions could play a leadership role in a complex international environmental governance system.
