Global Environmental Governance during Peacebuilding - The Case of Kosovo

• Kosovo’s energy development could be much further if resources would have been used more efficient and if global environmental governance regimes would have been applied earlier. This paper tries to explain why focus on renewable resources and with that a more sustainable approach to Kosovo’s development was not promoted through peacebuilding actors. We contextualize the question of global environmental governance during peacebuilding by focusing on the challenges to global norms and procedures of environmental protection in Kosovo’s energy policies. Previous research on Kosovo found that external peacebuilding actors favoured short-sighted solutions and focused on imminent security and economic development. A comprehensive, long-term strategy to address environmental factors through diversification of energy sources and utilizing of renewable energy potentials was missing. However, a 2012 assessment found that Kosovo a focus on security and economic development would not be contradicted by the promotion of renewable energy policies in peacebuilding strategies for Kosovo. We show that Kosovo environmental governance in terms of global norms and procedures of environmental protection was unsuccessful during Kosovo’s international-governance/liberal peace administration embodied in the UNMIK. However, following Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008 we find that new policies of environmental governance emerge and manifest itself in the strategy that includes renewable resources. Thus, we argue that change in security priorities within Kosovo in the post-independence period created space for influences not only by international private and political actors dealing with energy issues but also for local private actors and civil society lobbying Kosovo government for strategies more in line with GEG and relying more on renewable energy sources. 

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Globaliseringsstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Globalisation Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Global environmental governance

peacebuilding

kosovo

EU

Environment

Peace and Conflict Research

Freds- och konfliktforskning

Earth Science with specialization in Environmental Analysis

Geovetenskap med inriktning mot miljöanalys

Statskunskap

Political Science

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)