Cross-national Salience of Marine Environmental Issues: Evidence from UN General Assembly Debates, 1993–2020
- Jan Karlas
, - Jan Mazač
Abstract
In this paper, we examine an important dimension of state preferences regarding the protection of the marine environment, namely the salience of marine environmental problems. To do so, we analyse statements delivered in the annual reviews of ocean affairs and the law of the sea in the General Assembly of the United Nations in the years 1993–2020. In methodological terms, the paper employs topic modelling. The results reveal that the attitudes of states to the importance of specific environmental issues are relatively heterogeneous and the overall salience of these issues also varies significantly. The variation is primarily driven by the geographic characteristics of countries. The ratio of the given country’s marine territory to its land area is positively associated with the salience of climate change, pollution, and the aggregated salience of environmental topics in the country. Also, the absolute size of the marine territory is positively associated with the salience of sustainable fisheries.
Keywords
marine environment, environment, marine policy, environmental policy, topic modelling, United Nations, state preferences, salience
Supplementary File(s)
Appendix (PDF)Author Biography
Jan Karlas
Jan Karlas is an Associate Professor in International Relations and Head of the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague. In his research, he concentrates on international institutions. He is an author of numerous academic publications, including articles in prominent international journals (e.g. Cooperation and Conflict, Contemporary Security Policy, Environmental Politics, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, West European Politics).
Jan Mazač
Jan Mazač graduated in International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, where he is currently continuing his doctoral studies as an internal doctoral student. His professional interests include energy security and energy and climate policy in the EU. He is also an associate researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.