Transparency in Global Environmental Governance

By: Michael Mason and Aarti Gupta

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Synopsis: Transparency -- openness, secured through greater availability of information -- isincreasingly seen as part of the solution to a complex array of economic, political, and ethicalproblems in an interconnected world. The "transparency turn" in global environmentalgovernance in particular is seen in a range of international agreements, voluntary disclosureinitiatives, and public-private partnerships. This is the first book to investigate whethertransparency in global environmental governance is in fact a broadly transformative force or plays amore limited, instrumental role. After three conceptual, context-setting chapters,the book examines ten specific and diverse instances of "governance by disclosure. " Theseinclude state-led mandatory disclosure initiatives that rely on such tools as prior informed consentand monitoring, measuring, reporting and verification; and private (or private-public), largelyvoluntary efforts that include such corporate transparency initiatives as the Carbon DisclosureProject and such certification schemes as the Forest Stewardship Council. The cases, which focus onissue areas including climate change, biodiversity, biotechnology, natural resource exploitation,and chemicals, demonstrate that although transparency is ubiquitous, its effects are limited andoften specific to particular contexts. The book explores in what circumstances transparency canoffer the possibility of a new emancipatory politics in global environmental governance.