Justin Alger – författare

Large marine protected areas (MPAs) have emerged since the mid-2000s as a popular state response to the overfishing, land run-off, and climate change causing the decline of the world's oceans. As of 2020, there were more than 14,000 MPAs in the world, most of them small, poorly managed, and often amounting to little more than "paper parks" that contribute little to ocean conservation or resource management. However, that is beginning to change. In recent years, governments, including the United States and United Kingdom, have turned their attention to protecting large swaths of ocean through MPAs hundreds of thousands of square kilometers in size.In this book, Justin Alger documents the efforts of activists and states to increase the pace and scale of global ocean protections, leading to a paradigm shift in how states conserve marine biodiversity. Through an analysis of domestic political economies, and based on three original MPA case studies located in the United States, Australia, and Palau, this book explains how states have protected millions of square kilometers of ocean space while remaining highly responsive to the interests of businesses. From the commercial fishing to ecotourism sectors, business heavily influences conservation policy, occasionally leading to robust protections but more often than not to business-as-usual activity on the water. Conserving the Oceans examines the reach and the limits of business influence, examining how the domestic political economy of a given ocean space can reshape a global norm to better suit local economic realities. While recognizing important global progress and growing ambition to conserve ocean ecosystems, Alger provides a critical analysis of the processes by which global environmental norms become domestic policy. Ultimately, the book questions if we are still doing too little to prevent the worst impacts of the global environmental crisis despite the paradigm shift in global ocean conservation.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in each area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.This prescient Research Agenda explores innovative and interdisciplinary pathways forward for ocean governance. Justin Alger and U. Rashid Sumaila bring together an international array of expert authors, providing a roadmap for shaping ocean governance across the globe to achieve long-term sustainability.Chapters examine the practices and governance of ocean fisheries and how past reforms can inform better methods moving forward. They consider international cooperation and local practices for sustainable oceans, with examples including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and marine spatial planning. The book further analyses emergent themes, expanding on the impact of deep-sea tourism and plastic pollution on the oceans. Ultimately, this Research Agenda generates ideas for inclusive, equitable, and impactful future ocean research at a time of unprecedented collective ambition.A Research Agenda for Sustainable Ocean Governance is an essential read for students, scholars, and researchers within the fields of political science, economics, the natural sciences, law, and geography. It will also be a valuable resource for practitioners and policymakers interested in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring sustainable ocean practices.

This timely book studies the centrality of norms in global environmental governance. Expert scholars demonstrate why some environmental norms are eroding while others are gaining unexpected force, assessing how their influence changes across cycles of compromise, contestation, backsliding and renewal. Exploring how different scholars conceptualise norms and how these principles have emerged, the book analyses the implementation and impact of norms on global environmental governance. Chapters examine a diverse array of case studies that investigate the rights of nature, anti-fossil fuel, recycling and species protection norms, among others. The book advances norm theory, particularly in the context of international relations, providing fresh insights into how morality shapes humanity’s impact on the planet. Understanding Environmental Norms is a valuable resource for scholars and students of international politics, political science, environmental law, geography, sociology and environmental studies. It is also beneficial to practitioners and policymakers working on environmental governance and seeking a better understanding of the evolving power of norms.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. In a world confronted with escalating environmental crises, are academics asking the right questions and advocating the best solutions? This Research Agenda paves the way for new and established scholars in the field, identifying the significant gaps in research and emerging issues for future generations in global environmental politics. From an analysis of state and non-state environmental governance to the politics of climate change, food sustainability, forests and oceans, the preeminent academics and leading researchers take an important step in establishing an agenda for the future trajectory of research. Split into three sections - global environmental governance, the politics of environmental problems, and engaged research and scholar activism - chapters discuss the most influential steps in recent environmental and political studies and offer original perspectives on the future trends. Inspiring the next generation of academics and activists, this Research Agenda provides excellent guidance for graduate students and supervisors looking for the most innovative and pressing research questions in environmental politics.Contributors include: J. Alger, T.A. Balag'kutu, J.S. Barkin, H. Bulkeley, J. Clapp, M. Cooper, P. Dauvergne, E.R. DeSombre, L. Gulbrandsen, M. Hoffmann, S. Klinsky, J.J. McSparren, K.J. Neville, K. O'Neill, S. Park, F.A. Peck, P. Stephens, J. Stripple, J. Timmons Roberts, S.D. VanDeveer, E. Weinthal