ABSTRACT

Scale in global environmental governance (GEG) is defined in different ways. The concept applies to different levels at and across which governance can occur. These are often jurisdictional: local, national, regional, and global. It is also used in the sense of scaling out, capturing how phenomena and events broaden out to or manifest at scales from micro to macro levels. Several examples demonstrate how scale and vertical linkages matter in contemporary GEG. Global flows of goods, resources, and risks are shaped and governed by actors and institutions across scales. Changing global market conditions have rapid knock-on effects right down to the level of local communities. The development and use of scale has pushed researchers to engage more effectively with a new generation of GEG initiatives.