A winning coalition of advocacy: climate research, bureaucracy and 'alternative' fuels - Who is driving climate change policy?

Anti-coal and some investment policies are widely justified with reference to global warming, Political analysis suggests that these policies are supported by the reinforcing interests of three powerful lobbies: scientific institutions engaged in atmospheric research and earth observation, energy corporations harmed by low fossil fuel prices or supplying 'clean' technologies, and numerous interlocking bureaucracies, Together they have succeeded in maintaining momentum in current climate negotiations, The scientific consensus which underpins the climate treaty is examined critically, It is argued that support for emission abatement policies is better explained with reference to diplomatic interest in the globalisation of energy related investments and trade than understood causality between average global surface warming and fossil fuel combustion. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.