The health effects of transboundary pollution and environmental cooperation

Ike, Vivian Chinua Olivia (2021) The health effects of transboundary pollution and environmental cooperation. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

Text Ike_2021_health_effects_transboundary_pollution_environmental_cooperat.pdf - Published Version Download (2MB)

Abstract

Transboundary pollution problems cause deadly diseases, which unlike other factors, is a shared concern for states. However, there is a gap in the International Relations literature on whether health influences states to collectively cooperate to regulate transboundary pollution problems. This is important because environmental agreements that regulate transboundary pollution problems contribute in reducing diseases and therefore, protect human health. In this research, I therefore determine whether disease health effects increase the timeliness at which states adopt environmental agreements using 6 agreement case studies and 350 state case studies. The findings for the agreement case studies demonstrate that states adopt environmental agreements, which regulate transboundary air, marine, and land pollution problems that cause greater overall disease health effects, within a shorter time. Despite data limitations, roughly half of the state case studies also provide further support that states adopt environmental agreements within a shorter time when they individually experience greater disease health effects. Therefore, I suggest that future research should consider further investigating and defining health as a motivating factor that encourages states to collectively address environmental problems in a timely manner. Also, worth considering, is defining health as one of the key factors that shapes state self-interest in international environmental politics. Likewise, environmental governance ought to take health seriously by enforcing states take a more active than precautionary approach to health when collectively formulating environmental agreements that regulate transboundary pollution problems. This is especially important because environmental agreements can help protect human health from the disease effects of serious future transboundary problems such as climate change.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Disease; Environmental agreement; Environmental cooperation; Environmental health; International Relations; Transboundary pollution; States
Subjects:	J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States)
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Politics and International Affairs
Date Deposited:	09 Feb 2022 17:36
Last Modified:	26 Aug 2023 08:30
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5678

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