Hello Future Global Governor! Welcome to Global Governance

Welcome to one of the most important (and sometimes tricky!) sections in Human Geography. You've already learned how globalisation links the world through flows of capital, people, and ideas. But who manages all this interconnectedness?
That’s where Global Governance comes in. Think of it as the world's attempt to create rules and structures to manage shared problems, like climate change or ocean pollution. It's about stability, but also about fairness—a huge challenge in a world with unequal power.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first; we will break down the big international bodies and complex concepts using clear steps and examples.

1. What is Global Governance? (3.2.1.4)

Global governance refers to the development and application of norms, laws, and institutions (organisations) that regulate and guide global systems.
It’s not a single world government, but a collection of cooperative efforts designed to manage issues that no single country can solve alone.

Key Components of Governance
  • Norms: These are generally accepted standards of behaviour (e.g., treating prisoners humanely). They are not always legally binding but carry moral weight.
  • Laws: These are formal, legally binding rules, often set out in international treaties (e.g., the Paris Agreement on climate change).
  • Institutions (Agencies): These are the organisations that create, monitor, and enforce the laws and norms (e.g., the UN, WTO, World Bank).
The Double-Edged Sword of Global Agencies (The UN Example)

Agencies like the United Nations (UN), established post-1945, aim to promote growth and stability worldwide.

The Benefits (Promoting Stability):
Example: The World Health Organisation (WHO, a UN agency) coordinates global responses to pandemics, saving millions of lives and stabilising societies.

The Drawbacks (Exacerbating Inequality/Injustice):
Sometimes, global rules favour powerful states and TNCs, potentially leading to inequality.
Example: The structure of the UN Security Council grants veto power to five powerful nations (USA, UK, France, Russia, China), meaning these nations can block international action that goes against their direct interests, sometimes leading to injustices in smaller nations.

Understanding the Scales of Governance Interaction

For global governance to work, different scales must interact. Think of it like a chain reaction:

  1. Global/International: An international treaty is signed (e.g., protecting a fish stock).
  2. National: A country must pass a new law to implement the treaty within its borders (e.g., setting fishing quotas).
  3. Regional/Local: Local authorities and businesses (like fishing ports) must follow the national law.

If the local scale resists the national rules, the global attempt at governance fails. This interaction is fundamental to understanding success or failure.

Key Takeaway: Global governance is essential but messy. It uses norms, laws, and institutions to manage global systems, but powerful states often influence the system, promoting stability for some while potentially causing injustice for others.

2. The Concept of the 'Global Commons' (3.2.1.5)

A crucial area of global governance is managing areas that belong to everyone, known as the Global Commons.

Defining the Global Commons

The Global Commons are resources or areas that are not under the jurisdiction of any one country. They are often shared environments critical for human survival.

The core principle is the 'rights of all' to benefit from these areas. However, this leads to the "Tragedy of the Commons": if everyone has the right to use a resource but no one is responsible for maintaining it, it will eventually be destroyed by overuse.

Therefore, the rights of all to sustainable development must also acknowledge the need to protect the global commons. We must use them responsibly so future generations can also benefit.

Did you know?

While the atmosphere, Antarctica, and Outer Space are technically Global Commons, your syllabus focuses specifically on the Oceans (the High Seas) as a detailed case study.

3. The Oceans as a Global Common (3.2.1.6)

The world's oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic) are the largest global common and are highly vulnerable to economic and environmental pressures.

3a. The Geography of the Oceans (Physical and Biological Zones)

To govern the oceans, we first need to understand their structure.

Physical Structures (Relief features on the sea floor):

  • Continental Shelves/Slopes: Submerged edges of the continents, relatively shallow. Most commercial fishing occurs here.
  • Abyssal Plains: Vast, deep, flat areas of the ocean floor (around 3,000–6,000m deep).
  • Mid-Ocean Ridges: Submarine mountain ranges formed by volcanic activity at constructive plate margins.
  • Trenches: Deep, narrow features associated with destructive plate margins (subduction zones).
  • Volcanic Arcs / Coral Reefs: Important, biodiverse structures often associated with tectonic activity or shallow, warm waters.

Biological (Pelagic) Zones (Depth-based ecological layers):

These zones are defined by light penetration, which dictates life.

  1. Epipelagic Zone: (0–200m). The "sunlight" zone. Enough light for photosynthesis. Most fish and marine mammals live here.
  2. Mesopelagic Zone: (200–1,000m). The "twilight" zone. Some light, but not enough for photosynthesis. Many organisms bioluminesce (glow).
  3. Bathypelagic Zone: (1,000–4,000m). The "midnight" zone. Completely dark and cold.
  4. Abyssopelagic Zone: (4,000–6,000m). The "abyss". Extremely high pressure, near freezing temperatures.

Memory Aid: E=Epipelagic (EASY light), M=Mesopelagic (MEDIUM light/Twilight), B=Bathypelagic (BLACK dark), A=Abyssopelagic (ABYSS).

3b. Threats to the World's Oceans

These threats illustrate the failure of current governance to fully protect the commons:

  • Climate Change: Causes ocean warming (damaging coral reefs through bleaching) and ocean acidification (as the ocean absorbs CO2, affecting organisms like shellfish).
  • Fishing and Whaling: Leads to overexploitation and depletion of commercial fish stocks, threatening marine biodiversity and food security for coastal populations. Unregulated whaling poses a huge threat to species recovery.
  • Pollution by Oil and Plastics: Oil spills (disrupting ecosystems) and plastic pollution (microplastics entering the food chain, debris killing marine life).
  • Shipping, Trade, and Tourism: Increases risk of pollution, disturbs marine mammals (noise pollution), and introduces invasive species via ship ballast water.
3c. Governance Mechanisms for the Oceans

Attempts to manage these threats require international cooperation and enforcement:

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

This is often called the "Constitution for the Oceans."

  • Purpose & Scope: Defines the rights and responsibilities of nations regarding their use of the world's oceans, establishing rules for maritime zones (like Exclusive Economic Zones - EEZs).
  • Enforcement: Provides a legal framework for prosecuting states or vessels that violate maritime laws, though enforcement in the remote high seas remains a massive challenge.
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

A specialised UN agency focused on safety and pollution from ships.

  • Purpose & Scope: Develops and maintains a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping, including marine pollution conventions (MARPOL).
  • Enforcement: Sets standards that flag states (countries where ships are registered) are expected to enforce.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

Not a government body, but a non-profit organisation that uses market mechanisms.

  • Purpose & Scope: Certifies sustainable fisheries. Its blue label allows consumers to choose responsibly sourced seafood, creating economic pressure on fisheries to improve practices.
  • Enforcement: Market-driven inspection system; fisheries that fail to meet strict sustainability standards lose their lucrative certification.
The Role of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations)

NGOs, such as Greenpeace or the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), play a vital monitoring and advocacy role. They often use direct action or public campaigns to hold governments and corporations accountable for ocean protection, filling gaps where international governmental bodies lack political will or enforcement power.

Key Takeaway: The oceans are defined by unique physical and ecological zones and are severely threatened by human activity. Governance relies on international laws (UNCLOS), regulations (IMO), and market pressure (MSC), but enforcement is constrained by unequal power and the vastness of the High Seas.

4. Globalisation Critique: Benefits vs. Costs (3.2.1.7)

When we assess global systems and governance, we must perform a critical appraisal, weighing the positive impacts against the negative geographical consequences.

Benefits of Globalisation and Governance (The "Pros")
  • Growth and Development: Global systems promote trade (e.g., via the WTO) which can drive economic growth, leading to higher GDP and improved human development indicators in many nations.
  • Integration and Stability: Cooperation through governance (like the UN) prevents large-scale conflict and provides mechanisms for humanitarian aid and disease control.
  • Technological Sharing: Allows rapid diffusion of innovation, accelerating progress in areas like renewable energy or medical research.
Costs and Critiques (The "Cons")

Governance often fails to manage the negative side effects of rampant globalisation:

1. Inequalities and Injustice:

  • Unequal Power Relations: Powerful states (like the G7 or large emerging economies like China) often drive global systems to their own advantage (3.2.1.2). They can dictate trade terms or resist environmental treaties, while smaller states can only "respond or resist in a more constrained way."
  • Unequal Flows: The flow of money and technology usually favours core regions, widening the gap between rich and poor nations and within countries themselves.

2. Conflict:

  • Conflict can arise over resource scarcity (e.g., disputes over fishing grounds in the South China Sea) or due to geopolitical pressure exerted by powerful states seeking influence.

3. Environmental Impact:

  • Globalisation accelerates resource exploitation and transportation, leading to environmental harm (e.g., massive carbon emissions from global shipping, or unsustainable resource mining required for global supply chains).

The Governing Challenge:

The central dilemma is that global systems are driven by economic self-interest (TNCs, powerful states), but governance is supposed to be driven by collective interest (fairness, sustainability). Often, the economic drivers win, leading to the consequences listed above.

Quick Review: Scales of Governance Success

Think about a new global law to limit plastic waste.

  • International success: The UN creates a binding treaty.
  • National success: Kenya bans single-use plastics entirely.
  • Regional/Local success: Local recycling plants expand and citizens change habits.
  • Global Failure (Cause): A powerful TNC lobbies national governments to weaken the international treaty.