The impact of international organizations on the environment
Open access
Date
2006Type
- Working Paper
ETH Bibliography
yes
Altmetrics
Abstract
When analyzing the impact of international organizations on the environment, two main issues arise. First, we have to quantify the participation of the organizations on countries they deal with. Second, the environmental impact of this involvement has to be measured. This paper attempts to do this. We employ panel data to empirically analyze whether and to what extent the presence of IMF, World Bank, regional Multilateral Development Banks, WTO and Global Environmental Facilities has an impact on environmental governance and outcomes. Our results for a large number of countries and years show that the international organizations affect the environment directly via their impact on CO2 emissions. Projects financed by World Bank, ADB, UNDP, and membership in the WTO increase emissions, while IADB projects reduce emissions. EBRD and UNEP do not significantly affect CO2 emissions, while the AfDB increases emissions after 1985 only. Taking the indirect impact through trade liberalization into account, however, the WTO reduces emissions, while the IADB increases emissions. There is some evidence that the international organizations investigated here also influence SO2 emissions, water pollution, and round wood production; environmental governance is not affected. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-005139301Publication status
publishedJournal / series
KOF Working PapersVolume
Publisher
KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH ZurichSubject
Environment; TÄTIGKEIT INTERNATIONALER ORGANISATIONEN (INTERNATIONALE POLITIK); GATT + WTO + ZOLLTARIFABKOMMEN (HANDEL); TRADE AGREEMENTS + GATT + WTO (TRADE); DEREGULIERUNG + LIBERALISIERUNG (WIRTSCHAFTSPOLITIK); UMWELTGESCHICHTE, UMWELTBELASTUNGSGESCHICHTE, UMWELTSCHUTZGESCHICHTE; INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND; INTERNATIONALER WÄHRUNGSFONDS; WELTBANK; World Bank; International Organizations; ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (INTERNATIONAL POLITICS); WTO; Trade Liberalization; POLLUTION (ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS); DEREGULATION + LIBERALIZATION (ECONOMIC POLICY); Governance; ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY, HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AND PROTECTION; WORLD BANK; IMF; UMWELTVERUNREINIGUNG (UMWELTPROBLEME)Organisational unit
03716 - Sturm, Jan-Egbert / Sturm, Jan-Egbert
03446 - Bernauer, Thomas / Bernauer, Thomas
02525 - KOF Konjunkturforschungsstelle / KOF Swiss Economic Institute
Notes
Date posted March 30 2006, Last revised March 30 2006. Also published in: International Organizations in Global Environmental Governance.More
Show all metadata
ETH Bibliography
yes
Altmetrics