From Precaution to Profit

Book excerpt: "This book challenges the oft-cited belief that the Montreal Protocol remains an exemplary global environmental agreement. Through a sociological analysis of the political decision-making process and controversies generated at Montreal Protocol meetings, the book documents new ways global environmental governance is organized based on neoliberal ideals. The book shows how neoliberalism - as a dominant discourse and economic practice - has become increasingly embedded in the Montreal Protocol, and how global powers are able to act protectionist amid that discourse. The book demonstrates how recent controversies involve much more than just economic protectionism per se; it also involves the protection of the legitimacy of certain forms of scientific knowledge. It traces the rise of a new form of disagreement between global powers, members of the scientific community, civil society and agro-industry groups, signaling the negative impact of neoliberal policies on ozone politics and global environmental governance more broadly. The book reveals how global civil society groups involved in the Montreal Protocol are affected by the neoliberal discourse, which has left them relatively ineffective in their efforts to push for environmental protection"--