Quotas in International Environmental Agreements

Quotas have been used in international environmental agreements for at least a century and, in tandem with incentive approaches, should continue to be crucial to realizing a sustainable environment. This text is a critical examination of quotas both as regulatory tools and as products of negotiation. It reviews the main features of environmental problems, the regulatory options and criteria used to judge them, and the various ways of explaining negotiated outcomes. Quotas in the management of fisheries, other resources, freshwater and marine pollution, and air pollution are also described. Selected examples are considered in detail to provide an understanding of how quotas were developed in scientific, political, economic and social context. An assessment of the key features of quotas in practice leads to the identification of an emerging approach, the negotiation of constrained local quotas. The approach is a practical way to balance efficiency and fairness in complex negotiations, without sacrificing environmental effectiveness.

Quotas have been used in international environmental agreements for at least a century and will, with incentive approaches, continue to be crucial to realising a sustainable environment. This book is a timely critical examination of quotas as regulatory tools and as products of negotiation.The book begins with a review of the main features of environmental problems, the regulatory options and the criteria used to judge them, and the various ways of explaining negotiated outcomes. Quotas in the management of fisheries, other resources, freshwater and marine pollution and air pollution are described in Part Two, and selected examples are considered in detail to provide a clear understanding of how quotas were developed in scientific, political, economic and social contexts. An assessment of quotas in practice leads to the identification of an emerging approach, negotiation of 'constrained local quotas'. This is a practical and flexible way to balance efficiency and fairness in complex negotiations, without sacrificing environmental effectiveness. It is particularly suited to today's emphasis on integrated management. Students in environmental studies, negotiation, and international law will value the combined conceptual treatment of negotiation and environmental management with pollution and conservation examples. Professionals engaged in negotiations will find fresh ideas and suggestions for addressing current and new problems

Amanda Wolf is a lecturer in Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.