Political institutions are broadly defined here as those structures human groups develop to make decisions about economic and social activities. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (Stern, Young, and Druckman 1992) identifies political institutions as one of the principal social driving forces of global environmental change. How societies govern themselves has a direct and profound effect on the natural environment and on societies' response to global environmental change.
This guide contains an Overview of Political Institutions and Global Environmental Change that provides background on major issues. In addition, four subsections offer more in-depth surveys of the following topics:
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