Science, Nature, and the Globalization of the Environment, 1870-1990
- 1 December 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Social Forces
- Vol. 76 (2) , 409-435
- https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/76.2.409
Abstract
Data on the themes of international environmental treaties from 1870 to 1990 are used to demonstrate an historical shift in the definition of “nature” from resource to life-sustaining global ecosystem. This newer scientific model increased nature's relevance to world society, and thus catalyzed an exponential rise in international discourse and activity concerning the environment. The effect is evident in event-history analyses of the rate at which international environmental treaties were formed during the period 1870–1990. Two organizational changes also played a role in the proliferation of international environmental treaties: the overall structuration of the world polity had a positive effect, and the consolidation of an official intergovernmental environmental domain had a negative effect, even with the effects of population growth and industrial degradation held constant.Keywords
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