ABSTRACT
Environmental NGOs enable people with shared concerns to act collectively to bring about change. They have the ability to work both within existing political institutions and beyond their confines, and the mix of strategies used tends to change over time. Indeed, as argued by John Elkington and Seb Beloe in Chapter 1 and John Maxwell in Chapter 5, most political issues have a distinct life cycle, which originates in civil society but ends up codified in new laws. Environmental NGOs are often key players in bringing new issues to public attention, mobilizing the political will to support new legislation, and lobbying for its passage. They also help craft regulations and file lawsuits to ensure that companies comply with the regulations that are on the books.
