The impact of new actors in global environmental politics: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development meets China

Obydenkova, Anastassia; Vieira, Vinícius Rodrigues; Tosun, Jale

doi:10.1080/14631377.2021.1954825

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…This is rooted in efforts already during the Cold War making environmental cooperation a field for improving diplomatic relations: In the mid-1970s were signed a series of environmental cooperation agreements between US and Russia, and in the 1980s between Russia and Norway (Vladimirova, 2022). The 1990s witnessed democratization and diffusion of environmental values by the EU, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and nation-states (Garbis et al, 2023;Hall et al, 2022;Mavisakalyan et al, 2023;Obydenkova et al, 2022;Vladimirova, 2023b). Studies point to the role of the EU enlargement in implementing environmental policies in post-communist states as well as raising public awareness about environmental challenges (Ambrosio et al, 2022;Nazarov & Obydenkova, 2022;Stepanov et al, 2023).…”

Section: Social Scientists Have So Far Ignored How Indigenous Communi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous Militarization as a Mode of Governance of Indigenous People in the Russian Arctic

Vladimirova

2024

PaG

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This article analyzes ethnographic data that shows long-term militarization forms a significant part of state governance of the population and environment in the Arctic. Kola Peninsula, the study region, is a borderland with the West and has since the 1950s been a heavily militarized area. Applying insights from research on militarization, subjectivities, materiality, borders, and regionalism in autocratic regimes, I show how militarization shapes the environment and the lives of Indigenous reindeer herders. Despite discourses of demilitarization in the 1990s, Kola Peninsula did not move away from militarization as part of governance. The article explores what I call <em>continuous militarization </em>by engaging with two phenomena: (a) fencing off territories for military use and infrastructure, and (b) nuclear pollution. It discusses the interrelations of materiality and knowledge in maintaining Indigenous subjectivities and culture in line with the objectives of militarization, and shows how Russia uses participation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region to support the objectives of militarization and justify them to the local population. The article finds that militarization is employed by the authorities to solidify the current autocratic regime among residents in the Arctic.

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Section: Social Scientists Have So Far Ignored How Indigenous Communi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous Militarization as a Mode of Governance of Indigenous People in the Russian Arctic

Vladimirova

2024

PaG

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“…The shift of emphasis to regional organizations has occurred at the same time that multilateralism has fallen out of favor globally, with various political currents and crises slowing the once-heady rush towards multilateralism that characterized the 1990s and early 2000s. This literature tends to focus on the largest examples of this trend, in particular the European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, environmental actors with a substantial impact internally and on the environmental reform agenda in post-Communist states (e.g., Knill and Tosun (2009); Obydenkova et al (2022)).…”

Section: Regional Organizations and Environmental Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

In our (frozen) backyard: the Eurasian Union and regional environmental governance in the Arctic

Hartwell

2023

Climatic Change

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Regional environmental governance has emerged as a viable alternative to supranational environmental solutions, using regional and local knowledge and actors to tailor more effective policies. This does not deny a role for supranational institutions, however, which can enable their members to effectively shift towards such a decentralized and polycentric approach. In specific regions such as the Arctic, with many national and local actors interested in environmental improvement, such impetus from meta-organizations (i.e., organizations comprised of organizations) could result in beneficial environmental outcomes. This paper examines an underutilized institution, the Eurasian Union (EaEU), and the role it currently plays in facilitating regional environmental governance. Focusing on its largest member, Russia—and the only member with an Arctic linkage—I explore the tension between supranational facilitation and interference in an area not directly affecting all members. Despite explicit Russian interest in this realm, the EaEU may be able to influence Russian environmental policy for the better via multilateral means and internal mechanisms. By challenging the Russian monopoly on Arctic policy in the EaEU, these additional voices may create space for environmental innovation in areas not central to Russia’s interests.

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“…Over the past several decades, as China re-introduced itself to the world as a global economic powerhouse, the Chinese government has undertaken an increasingly proactive foreign policy to engage with neighbouring states and regions, pursuing advancement in its international standing, geopolitical influence, and, ultimately, to improve its great power status vis-à-vis traditional Western powers. The Arctic region, which is geographically located to the North of China and is well-endowed with mineral resources, has naturally become an arena for international interactions between both international organizations (IOs) and national states, including China (Buntaine & Parks, 2013;Conca et al, 2017;Dalmer, 2021;Haas, 2016;Kuyper & Bäckstrand, 2016;Lavelle, 2021;Obydenkova et al, 2022;Selin, 2012;Selin & VanDeveer, 2015;Tosun & Mišić, 2021). In the Arctic region, Beijing has ascribed itself as a "near-Arctic state" (近北极国家) and an "important stakeholder in Arctic affairs" (北极事务的重要利益攸关方; Dong, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costly Signaling and China's Strategic Engagement in Arctic Regional Governance

Wang,

2024

PaG

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In recent years, China has become an increasingly important actor in Arctic regional governance. While Beijing consistently frames its engagement in the region as a strategy of mutually-beneficial cooperation, some Arctic countries have raised significant concerns about its growing economic presence, warning that China may leverage its geopolitical influence to change the existing norms and rules in the polar region. Facing the mounting “China threat” skepticism, what are Beijing’s coping strategies to belie concerns? Based on a review of the existing research and government documents, particularly Chinese-language scholarly works and official reports, this article specifically identifies two types of costly signaling approaches employed by China to reduce Arctic countries’ distrust. First, China has started to curtail its Arctic investment in oil, gas, and mining while engaging more in sectors that chime well with Western societies’ global environmental values, including clean and renewable energy, ecological research that addresses further climatic change associated with global warming, and other environmentally sustainable industries. Second, Beijing has increasingly involved in regional international organizations, such as the Arctic Council, to signal its willingness to exercise state power under institutional constraints. These approaches aim to send a series of costly signals to conventional Arctic states, reassuring them that China is not a revisionist power that pursues hegemony in the region. Taken together, our findings have both scholarly and policymaking implications to understand China’s participation in Arctic regional governance.

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The impact of new actors in global environmental politics: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development meets China

Cited by 15 publications

References 72 publications

Continuous Militarization as a Mode of Governance of Indigenous People in the Russian Arctic

Continuous Militarization as a Mode of Governance of Indigenous People in the Russian Arctic

In our (frozen) backyard: the Eurasian Union and regional environmental governance in the Arctic

Costly Signaling and China's Strategic Engagement in Arctic Regional Governance

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