For its February 2007 meetings, the Global Ministerial
Environment Forum (GMEF) of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) has selected environment and globalization as
one of its areas of focus. This paper has been prepared as an independent
input to that process. The thrust of the paper, therefore, is
on policy-relevant debates and its principal audience is environmental
leaders assembling in Nairobi, Kenya, for the GMEF meetings.
However, the paper aspires also to be relevant to audiences and
debates beyond this meeting. We hope that the paper will inspire
discussions—even if they are critical of our analysis—on the nature
and importance of the links between environment and globalization.
It is hoped that the discussions that will begin in Nairobi will