issues in global politics. AGREEMENT 3(b) AO1 • There has been a significant increase in the number of major environmental conferences and agreements in recent years with the Kyoto conference in 1997, Copenhagen 2009 and Paris 2015 setting global targets AO2 • An increase in the number and significance of environmental conferences as a focus of global governance suggests that the environment is a particular recent and growing issue of the global community in comparison with other concerns AO3 • We could make a judgement that the relatively recent development of environmental agreements and conferences shows that that environmental protection and governance are receiving greater attention than other issues such as economic in the global agenda AO1 • The international community has established the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change with respected reports on Climate Change as part of the UN AO2 • There has been a growing involvement and participation of major powers, such as the EU, and at times US and China in the funding AO3 • We can conclude that the support from major blocs such as the European Union and the increasing number of reports and Framework Convention on Climate Change environmental agencies and bodies suggesting they are more willing to support environmental protection declarations from the key environmental bodies alongside the increased willingness of states to abide by agreements shows that global concern for the environment is increased in relation to other concerns in global politics AO1 • There has been a significant increase in the number of NGOs and social movements committed to tackling environmental concerns such as the global Schools’ climate strike in early 2019 and Extinction Rebellion or Friends of the Earth AO2 • The development of the hundreds of national, regional and international organisations committed to tackling environmental issues is dwarfing the number of similar economic groups as a sign of a global focus on the environment over other issues AO3 • We could reach a conclusion that the growing number of national, regional and international organisations concerned about the environment represents a seismic shift in attitudes to the environment which makes clear the greater attention on environmental issues above other issues AO1 • Individual countries and political parties have recognised the growing public interest and support for tackling environmental concerns and have developed AO2 • The developing consensus amongst countries and political parties over the need to resolve environmental concerns and the development of similar policies is a AO3 • We could make a judgement that the weakened economic consensus and increased questioning of the international financial environmental policies as a result whilst there has been an end to the consensus on economic institutions and free trade economic governance recognition of the global desire to focus on environmental issues at the expense of others such as economic where we have seen a drift to protectionism and trade disputes institutions suggests that they no longer have the significance that they once held whilst the consensus on the threat to the environment seems to be evident in the recent actions of the global community (cid:0)

AO1 • There are a number of long established economic global governance institutions committed to the development of global trade such AO2 • The IMF, World Bank, WTO and G7 all continue to play a significant role in easing the flow of trade and encouraging and supporting economic growth globally through support for free trade AO3 • We could make a judgement that, the fact that these economic institutions have been in place for an extended period and continue AO1 • Almost all members of the international community are members of the IMF, World Bank and WTO and some of the most significant states are members of G7, whilst other states have formed regional bodies AO2 • Almost universal membership of these global governance bodies suggests that states are particularly concerned about economic matters rather than environmental issues and the US AO3 • We may conclude that universal support for and dominance by the major states of these economic bodies with broad agreement on based on economy such as the EU stance on climate change (Trump withdrawal from Paris) confirms this economic policy shows that economic matters are significant than environmental issues where there is less of a consensus AO1 • Environmental agreements tend to include opt outs such as the controversial carbon sinks and carbon trading that are allowed as part of the Kyoto agreement and similar treaties such as Copenhagen and Paris where states can often avoid firm targets AO2 • Where agreements are voluntary with no real punishment for those who break the agreements there has to be concern that states are unlikely to take the agreements seriously and this is in contrast to the more structured and formalised economic agreements AO3 • We may conclude that if environmental governance are based on non-binding agreements whilst economic agreements are more rigid and structured such as within the IMF and WTO then there is more concern for economics rather than the environment AO1 • Governments and Political parties focus on economic policy as a recognition that the economy tends to be a, if not the key determining factor in deciding elections and in gaining popular AO2 • Global economic philosophy is deeply ingrained and any serious attempt to tackle environmental issues would require a change in economic thinking which is unthinkable where it challenges consumerism and materialism AO3 • We may conclude that the global concern for economic growth and prosperity is so deeply ingrained that it will remain the key focus in global politics, particularly when compared with the environmental support and approval as ideological elements of capitalism disunity represented in the so called ‘Tragedy of the commons’