Paper short abstract:

This paper takes a regional perspective and examines how cooperation across national boundaries in relation to shared environmental concerns has evolved in the Southern Cone.

Paper long abstract:

This paper takes a regional perspective and examines how cooperation across national boundaries in relation to shared environmental concerns has evolved in the Southern Cone. The paper starts by setting out a paradox. On the one hand regional environmental cooperation has increased significantly since the early 1990s. This is evident in an increasing number of formal agreements made by governments as well as a rise in joint or coordinated activities between partners in different countries such as joint monitoring of environmental problems or shared projects of conservation or mitigation. Yet, all of these initiatives of regional environmental cooperation have remained marginal and subordinate to other political priorities. Many agreements are thus vague or non-binding and there is a high dependence on external funding. Despite the pressing environmental concerns which the region faces, environmental cooperation has thus not become a central pillar of regional cooperation. This paradox is due to the specific political and economic context of the region which has shaped regional environmental cooperation in contradictory ways. While democratisation made increased regional environmental cooperation possible, this coincided with the consolidation of a development model based on the export of natural resources which leaves very little space for environmental concerns. Although the current leftist governments have introduced some changes, notably using revenues from natural resource sectors for much needed social programmes, this has not changed the basis of the model. Economic and social development is thus highly dependent on natural resource exploitation and consequently regional environmental cooperation remains marginal.