Review: Whilst we are rightly concerned about global warming there's an equally important task that doesn't always get the same level of debate - implementing change. It's now widely recognised that global warming needs a global response: the trick is to find a mechanism that makes it possible. The aim of this text is to look at the ways in which global environmental politics can be studied and put into effect.

The book is divided into three parts each one highlighting a key element of the debate. The first part looks at the context within which global environmental politics operates. For example, the opening chapter notes that the focus is on international relations rather than the issue. It implies that the issue is of secondary importance to the ways in which the actors view their roles in the situation. By using a timeline approach, we can see how the topic has developed - a useful aid for those new to the study. Chapter three turns to theoretical perspectives arguing that there are six main approaches to this work ranging from anarchy to sustainability. The importance of this is that there is no one clear con census - thus to our problems of environmental issues we need to add a political playing field where the rules aren't clearly known! The final chapter in this part looks at a range of methodological perspectives from which the study can be analysed. Again, we see this as a useful tool (because we can see the range of options available to us) but we can also see it as a drawback (too many differences which the contributors suggest can be downplayed by using multiple-method analyses in research. Part two, entitled 'the forces that shape international environmental politics' comprises of five chapters each one of which describes a specific area. The first chapter here looks at globalisation - the notion that global forces are responsible for the spread of global issues. (This seems simplistic but in reality there are other new texts out this year arguing that it's not global but the sum of local events so the debate is far from closed). This is followed by a study of the international political economy. It's obviously allied to globalisation but the difference here is the nature of the actors and the role trade plays in global affairs. Next there's a study of transnational actors - not just companies but civil groups, pressure groups, NGOs etc. The obvious point is that there is not just one group of people involved but a wide range (and drawn from a range of scales as well). Chapter 8 adds the idea to security to the debate. Given the arguments over water for example, it is very clear that crucial survival decisions will shape the future every much as military imperatives have in the past. A final chapter looks at governance and finds that it is not just one entity but numerous groups an d individuals acting at different scales in different places - suggesting that there's a huge deal that needs to be done to understand how we can get enough consensus to move forward. Finally, part three looks at frameworks for evaluating international politics. The first approach is by using sustainability measures - to see if a given idea improves the sustainable development of an area. The second approach uses the idea that we can measure the effectiveness of a policy by using some agreed benchmarking - the notion of environmental regime theory. A final perspective relies on notions of justice to measure effectiveness. A concluding chapter highlights the main points of the text and shows the ways they can be developed.

This is a very useful text especially for those looking to study international politics in greater detail who already have some understanding of the field. It highlights the complexity of the issue and offers some ways forward from theory and method to outcome.