First, at a broad level, there is
a need to re-think the ‘common wisdom’ that global environmental norms are
spread primarily from North to South, and by networked transnational social
movements or international institutions in organised global campaigns focused
around international agreements. Global environmental norms can indeed
emerge first in the South and be diffused to the North, and to be successful do
not necessarily require an organised campaign led by a global champion, or
international agreement to codify them. The case of plastic shopping bags
shows that an ad hoc collection of local movements can add up to a globally
significant shift in sentiment on a key environmental issue, even in the absence
of ‘global’-level action and attention.