Environmental Politics in Japan, Germany, and the United States

A decade of climate change negotiations almost ended in failure because of the different policy approaches of the industrialized states. Japan, Germany, and the United States exemplify the deep divisions that exist among states in their approaches to environmental protection. Germany is following what could be called the green social welfare state approach to environmental protection, which is increasingly guided by what is known as the precautionary principle. In contrast, the US is increasingly leaning away from the use of environmental regulations, towards the use of market-based mechanisms to control pollution and cost-benefit analysis to determine when environmental protection should take precedence over economic activities. Internal political divisions mean that Japan sits uneasily between these two approaches. Miranda A. Schreurs uses a variety of case studies to explore why these different policy approaches emerged and what their implications are, examining the differing ideas, actors, and institutions in each state. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Figures......Page 8 Tables......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 11 List of abbreviations......Page 13 1 Introduction......Page 17 Environmental movements......Page 20 Environmental policy approaches......Page 25 International environmental protection and domestic institutional change......Page 30 Comparing environmental politics in Japan, Germany, and the US......Page 31 Forces of convergence and divergence......Page 33 Environmental movements and environmental policy communities......Page 36 Institutions as political opportunity structures......Page 38 Dynamic interactions: institutions, ideas, actors, and interests......Page 42 Research design and methodology......Page 45 The outline of this book......Page 46 The rise of the modern environmental movement: the influence of the US......Page 48 Japan......Page 51 Germany......Page 52 Japan......Page 53 The four big pollution cases......Page 54 The pollution Diet of 1970......Page 60 Early citizen protest......Page 64 Blue skies over the Ruhr campaign......Page 66 Policy change at the federal level......Page 68 The SPD–FDP coalition......Page 69 Citizens’ initiatives......Page 71 Federal environmental law......Page 72 3 The institutionalization of environmental movements......Page 76 Environmental protection and the influence of the US......Page 77 Citizens’ movements, democracy, and the environment in Japan and Germany......Page 83 The environment falls from the agenda......Page 85 Policy implementation......Page 88 Environmental policy retreat......Page 91 The environment falls from the agenda......Page 92 Policy implementation......Page 95 Grass roots activism......Page 98 The rise of the Green Party......Page 101 Political opportunity structures, resource mobilization, and the development of environmental policy communities......Page 103 Movement resources......Page 105 Acid rain......Page 108 The changing German political landscape......Page 111 The Greens as a political force......Page 112 Germany and European environmental law......Page 116 The United States......Page 118 Japan......Page 123 Getting acid rain on to the policy agenda......Page 127 Explaining divergent approaches to pollution control......Page 128 5 Stratospheric ozone depletion......Page 132 The US takes the lead......Page 133 Internationalizing the problem......Page 136 The German response......Page 138 The Japanese response......Page 140 A period of limited international activity......Page 142 The road to the Vienna Convention......Page 144 The Montreal Protocol......Page 145 Germany’s evolving leadership within the EC......Page 147 Japan’s reluctant acceptance......Page 150 The Montreal Protocol amendments: moves towards a total ban of ozone depleting substances......Page 155 Analysis......Page 158 6 Global climate change: the road to UNCED......Page 160 Climate change......Page 161 International preparations for UNCED......Page 162 The US waivers on the road to UNCED......Page 168 Germany leads on the road to UNCED......Page 170 Germany within the European Community......Page 177 Japan divided on the road to UNCED......Page 178 A new basic environment law......Page 186 The UNCED and the Framework Convention on Climate Change......Page 189 The Clinton–Gore administration: a new US approach to climate change?......Page 192 The Conferences of the Parties: from Berlin to Kyoto (1995–1997)......Page 194 The EU proposes a bubble......Page 199 The US pushes flexible mechanisms......Page 200 Japan struggles to determine a position......Page 202 The US announces a position......Page 203 The Kyoto Conference (COP 3) and the formation of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change......Page 204 The search for compromise on implementation strategies......Page 207 The negotiations collapse: COP 6 in The Hague......Page 209 The George W.Bush administration’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol......Page 212 The road to Bonn 2001: the EU and Japan respond......Page 216 Bonn 2001: the agreement......Page 219 From Bonn to COP 7 in Marrakech......Page 221 The Bush administration responds......Page 223 Conclusion......Page 224 Comparing environmental NGO resources in Japan, Germany, and the US......Page 226 Japan’s changing environmental policy community......Page 233 Environmental NGOs......Page 234 Inter-actor cooperation......Page 238 Funding concerns......Page 240 Environmental NGOs and the Green Party in Germany......Page 242 The United States......Page 252 Conclusion......Page 256 9 Domestic politics and the global environment: Japan, Germany, and the US compared......Page 257 The institutionalization of environmental policy communities......Page 258 Environmental policy communities and the policy approaches of states......Page 263 Germany......Page 264 Japan......Page 267 The United States......Page 269 Domestic institutions and actors and global environmental ideas......Page 272 Germany......Page 273 Japan......Page 274 The United States......Page 275 Conclusion......Page 277 ARTICLES, BOOKS, GOVERNMENT AND NGO DOCUMENTS......Page 278 Index......Page 299

A decade of climate change negotiations almost ended in failure because of the different policy approaches of such industrialized states as Japan, Germany, and the United States. They exemplify the deep divisions that exist among states in their approaches to environmental protection. Miranda Schreurs reveals how the different approaches have arisen by presenting case studies of policy making in response to acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global climate change. The book demonstrates why looking at domestic policy making is important in understanding international environmental negotiation outcomes.

As regional leaders and the world's largest economies, the US, Japan, and Germany are particularly important players influencing the global environment and the direction of international environmental protection efforts.