a third issue for international Relation raised particularly by studies of international environmental issues is the relationship between knowledge, power, and interests. scientific or expert knowledge often plays an especially important role in environmental politics. careful scientific monitoring of the environmental is usually needed to identify and assess and to frame debates about possible responses. 'knowledge' helps to set agendas, affects patterns of influence and power, and shapes assessments by key actors of their priorities and interests. typically, there is considerable scientific uncertainty-about the problems, impacts, and effective responses. nevertheless, communities of scientists and experts can exert substantial influence. international environmental issues therefore provide an important area for exploring the ways in which power relations, patterns of interests, knowledge and learning processes, and values interact in determining outcomes. attempts to explain the outcomes of international of international policy debates on environmental issues in terms of just one or two of these factors have normally failed.