ABSTRACT
In this entry, the author addresses the challenges associated with understanding the environmental and policy impacts of globalization. The discussion is broken down into four sections: 1) understanding globalization; 2) environmental impacts of globalization; 3) global governance; and 4) the future of global environmental management. It is argued that the lack of a complete understandinhg of the ramifications of globalization dynamics and the low levels of coordinated global actions are the two major barriers toward achieving desired changes in policies, perspectives, and behaviors. The political decisions and the regulatory initiatives of the next 10 years are bound to come with heavy significance for the future of the global community. Due to the exponential-growth character of many of the negative environmental impacts, immediate binding action becomes critical. The author believes that the effectiveness of a proposed solution depends on its capacity to generate environmental ownership, to be based on global collaborative and compulsory actions, and in particular, to “environmentalize” existing perspectives.
