Environmental Problem Shifting between International Environmental Treaty Regimes

Abstract

Instead of solving a problem, decisions in international environmental governance sometimes shift problems from one issue to another. Environmental problem shifting at the global level needs to be avoided to cope with the pressing environmental challenges of today. This article presents a theory of problem shifting between environmental treaty regimes. A characteristic of interactions of treaty regimes is their degree of fragmentation. Building on the current literature on governance fragmentation and the analysis of the case of problem shifting between the ozone and the climate regime, this article argues that a high degree of fragmentation in the interaction of treaty regimes is one factor to explain the presence of problem shifting between those regimes. This theory enables the identification of relevant features of treaty regime governance structures that need to be adapted to reduce the risk of problem shifting. To test the theory, two pairs of treaty regimes are examined on their degree of fragmentation and the presence of problem shifting between those regimes.