![Jennifer Allan](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/2244?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Jennifer Allan
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
- Media commentator
Overview
In the context of global environmental politics, my research explores environmental and social movements, and how global rules are made and remade. My recent work focuses on the politics of sustainable post-COVID recoveries, including green stimulus packages in the UK and the emergence of the green recovery norm globally. I engage with a wide range of environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity, forest protection, and chemical and wastes management. I received my PhD from the University of British Columbia in May 2017.
Through contributing to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin – the de facto record of global environmental negotiations, I've attended roughly 40 UN conferences where states negotiate the rules of global climate governance, as well as chemicals and wastes management, and have published over 100 Bulletins with my ENB colleagues. I edit a yearly round of up the State of Global Environmental Governance for ENB
Beyond the ENB, I work with a range of international and UK-based NGOs on climate change and green recovery campaigns. I gave evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee scrutinising the UK's preparations for the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and net zero plans.
Publication
2024
- Qi, J. J. et al. 2024. Reflections on the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. Earth System Governance 21, article number: 100212. (10.1016/j.esg.2024.100212)
- Morin, J., Allan, J. and Jinnah, S. 2024. The survival of the weakest: the echo of the Rio Summit principles in environmental treaties. Environmental Politics 33(3), pp. 486-507. (10.1080/09644016.2023.2236505)
- Allan, J. I. 2024. Teaching environmental crises. In: Smith, H. A., Boyer, M. A. and Hornsby, D. J. eds. The Oxford Handbook of International Studies Pedagogy. Oxford University Press, pp. 151–168., (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197544891.013.7)
- Allan, J., Wagner, L., Templeton, J. and Kosolapova, E. 2024. State of global environmental governance 2023. Project Report. [Online]. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/state-global-environmental-governance-2023
- Allan, J. I. and Bhandary, R. R. 2024. What's on the agenda? UN climate change negotiation agendas since 1995. Climate Policy 24(2), pp. 153-163. (10.1080/14693062.2022.2120453)
2023
- Allan, J. I., Roger, C. B., Hale, T. N., Bernstein, S., Tiberghien, Y. and Balme, R. 2023. Making the Paris agreement: historical processes and the drivers of institutional design. Political Studies 71(3), pp. 914-934. (10.1177/00323217211049294)
- Allan, J. and Chasek, P. 2023. Texts: collecting and analyzing event documents. In: Hughes, H. and Vadrot, A. B. eds. Conducting Research on Global Environmental Agreement-Making. Cambridge University Press, pp. 143-167.
- Allan, J. I. 2023. Advocating for health and climate. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 101(2), pp. 158–160. (10.2471/BLT.22.289283)
2022
- Allan, J. I., Auld, G., Cadman, T. and Stevenson, H. 2022. Comparative fortunes of ecosystem services as an international governance concept. Global Policy 13(1), pp. 62-75. (10.1111/1758-5899.13036)
- 2022. State of global environmental governance 2022. Project Report. [Online]. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/state-global-environmental-governance-2022
2021
- Hughes, H. et al. 2021. Global environmental agreement-making: Upping the methodological and ethical stakes of studying negotiations. Earth System Governance 10, article number: 100121. (10.1016/j.esg.2021.100121)
- Allan, J. I. and Hadden, J. 2021. Civil society, networks, and contention around environmental issues. In: Sowers, J., VanDeveer, S. D. and Weinthal, E. eds. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Environmental Politics. Oxford Handbooks Oxford University Press, pp. 281-298., (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197515037.013.6)
- Stevenson, H., Auld, G., Allan, J. I., Elliott, L. and Meadowcroft, J. 2021. The practical fit of concepts: ecosystem services and the value of nature. Global Environmental Politics 21(2), pp. 3-22. (10.1162/glep_a_00587)
- Allan, J. I. 2021. The new climate activism: NGO authority and participation in global climate governance. University of Toronto Press.
- Allan, J. and Yamineva, Y. 2021. 3. Global climate. Yearbook of International Environmental Law 30(1), pp. 245-250. (10.1093/yiel/yvaa022)
2020
- Allan, J. et al. 2020. A net-zero emissions economic recovery from COVID-19. Project Report. [Online]. COP26 Universities Network. Available at: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publications/a-net-zero-emissions-economic-recovery-from-covid-19.php
2019
- Allan, J. I. 2019. Dangerous Incrementalism of the Paris Agreement. Global Environmental Politics 19(1), pp. 4-11. (10.1162/glep_a_00488)
2018
- Allan, J. I. 2018. Seeking entry: discursive hooks and NGOs in global climate politics. Global Policy 9(4), pp. 560-569. (10.1111/1758-5899.12586)
- Allan, J. I., Downie, D. and Templeton, J. 2018. Experimenting with TripleCOPs: Productive innovation or counterproductive complexity?. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 18(4), pp. 557-572. (10.1007/s10784-018-9404-2)
2017
- Allan, J. I. and Hadden, J. 2017. Exploring the framing power of NGOs in global climate politics. Environmental Politics 26(4), pp. 600-620. (10.1080/09644016.2017.1319017)
2013
- Allan, J. I. and Dauvergne, P. 2013. The global south in environmental negotiations: the politics of coalitions INREDD+. Third World Quarterly 34(8), pp. 1307-1322. (10.1080/01436597.2013.831536)
Articles
- Qi, J. J. et al. 2024. Reflections on the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. Earth System Governance 21, article number: 100212. (10.1016/j.esg.2024.100212)
- Morin, J., Allan, J. and Jinnah, S. 2024. The survival of the weakest: the echo of the Rio Summit principles in environmental treaties. Environmental Politics 33(3), pp. 486-507. (10.1080/09644016.2023.2236505)
- Allan, J. I. and Bhandary, R. R. 2024. What's on the agenda? UN climate change negotiation agendas since 1995. Climate Policy 24(2), pp. 153-163. (10.1080/14693062.2022.2120453)
- Allan, J. I., Roger, C. B., Hale, T. N., Bernstein, S., Tiberghien, Y. and Balme, R. 2023. Making the Paris agreement: historical processes and the drivers of institutional design. Political Studies 71(3), pp. 914-934. (10.1177/00323217211049294)
- Allan, J. I. 2023. Advocating for health and climate. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 101(2), pp. 158–160. (10.2471/BLT.22.289283)
- Allan, J. I., Auld, G., Cadman, T. and Stevenson, H. 2022. Comparative fortunes of ecosystem services as an international governance concept. Global Policy 13(1), pp. 62-75. (10.1111/1758-5899.13036)
- Hughes, H. et al. 2021. Global environmental agreement-making: Upping the methodological and ethical stakes of studying negotiations. Earth System Governance 10, article number: 100121. (10.1016/j.esg.2021.100121)
- Stevenson, H., Auld, G., Allan, J. I., Elliott, L. and Meadowcroft, J. 2021. The practical fit of concepts: ecosystem services and the value of nature. Global Environmental Politics 21(2), pp. 3-22. (10.1162/glep_a_00587)
- Allan, J. and Yamineva, Y. 2021. 3. Global climate. Yearbook of International Environmental Law 30(1), pp. 245-250. (10.1093/yiel/yvaa022)
- Allan, J. I. 2019. Dangerous Incrementalism of the Paris Agreement. Global Environmental Politics 19(1), pp. 4-11. (10.1162/glep_a_00488)
- Allan, J. I. 2018. Seeking entry: discursive hooks and NGOs in global climate politics. Global Policy 9(4), pp. 560-569. (10.1111/1758-5899.12586)
- Allan, J. I., Downie, D. and Templeton, J. 2018. Experimenting with TripleCOPs: Productive innovation or counterproductive complexity?. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 18(4), pp. 557-572. (10.1007/s10784-018-9404-2)
- Allan, J. I. and Hadden, J. 2017. Exploring the framing power of NGOs in global climate politics. Environmental Politics 26(4), pp. 600-620. (10.1080/09644016.2017.1319017)
- Allan, J. I. and Dauvergne, P. 2013. The global south in environmental negotiations: the politics of coalitions INREDD+. Third World Quarterly 34(8), pp. 1307-1322. (10.1080/01436597.2013.831536)
Book sections
- Allan, J. I. 2024. Teaching environmental crises. In: Smith, H. A., Boyer, M. A. and Hornsby, D. J. eds. The Oxford Handbook of International Studies Pedagogy. Oxford University Press, pp. 151–168., (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197544891.013.7)
- Allan, J. and Chasek, P. 2023. Texts: collecting and analyzing event documents. In: Hughes, H. and Vadrot, A. B. eds. Conducting Research on Global Environmental Agreement-Making. Cambridge University Press, pp. 143-167.
- Allan, J. I. and Hadden, J. 2021. Civil society, networks, and contention around environmental issues. In: Sowers, J., VanDeveer, S. D. and Weinthal, E. eds. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Environmental Politics. Oxford Handbooks Oxford University Press, pp. 281-298., (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197515037.013.6)
Books
- Allan, J. I. 2021. The new climate activism: NGO authority and participation in global climate governance. University of Toronto Press.
Monographs
- Allan, J., Wagner, L., Templeton, J. and Kosolapova, E. 2024. State of global environmental governance 2023. Project Report. [Online]. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/state-global-environmental-governance-2023
- 2022. State of global environmental governance 2022. Project Report. [Online]. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/state-global-environmental-governance-2022
- Allan, J. et al. 2020. A net-zero emissions economic recovery from COVID-19. Project Report. [Online]. COP26 Universities Network. Available at: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publications/a-net-zero-emissions-economic-recovery-from-covid-19.php
Research
My projects and publications share a few common themes. First, I often ask how international negotiations can improve and realize beneficial outcomes for the environment, by studying success stories, innovations in negotiation processes, and underlying negotiation dynamics. Second, I look beyond negotiations to explore how non-state actors try to shape global rules and when they directly form their own rules, working in partnerships with others. Third, I ask how these worlds - state-centric negotiations at the UN, and non-state partnerships - interact and, at times, collide.
Ongoing projects
Valuing Nature Project: I am working on the evolution, diffusion, and implementation of the ecosystem services concept. My contribution is to help understand both international dimensions and Canadian domestic politics related to efforts to value nature.
Evolution of Climate Governance: This work involves archival and interview work to uncover and re-tell the story of climate governance, including that it has always been nationally-determined and pledge based. In this project, I also continue work related to the engagement of NGOs.
Green Recovery: This emerging project involves two themes: the advocacy of a global norm for a green recovery and the comparative politics of green recoveries.
Plastics and Chemicals and Wastes Governance: Work in this area includes questions of how wastes are governed and how NGOs engage. I look at the emerging, fragmented efforts to regulate plastics trade (which ignoring questions of production and use of plastics) and why advocates are relatively silent on electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), despite it's rapid growth and harmful effects on people and the planet.
Teaching
I teach or contribute to undergraduate modules on:
- Local to Global Sustainable Development
- Be the Change: Non-state Actors in Global Governance
- Global Governance
- Colonialism, Global Poltiical Economy and Development
Biography
My research explores environmental and social movements, and how global rules are made and remade. My recent book, The New Climate Activism, explains why non-state actors campaign for causes in which they lack expertise and prior experience, and, why some of these actors are able to successfully join activist and other networks working on these new issues, while others fail to gain such acceptance.
My publications in Global Environmental Politics, Global Policy, Third World Quarterly, and Environmental Politics further contribute to scholarship on NGO influence and state-based negotiations in global environmental politics. Recent publications stemmed from my postdoc at Carleton University as part of the Valuing Nature project. Here, we explored the rise and implementation of the ecosystem services project. A recent publication in Global Environmental Politics introduces the concept of practical fit, to explain why practitioners struggle to implement ecosystem services projects. My research employs a range of methods, such as participant observation, social network analysis, and interviews.
I am a Strategic Advisor and Team Leader for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin – the de facto record of global environmental negotiations. Since 2011, I have attended dozens of UN conferences where states negotiate the rules of global climate governance, as well as chemicals and wastes management.
I received my PhD from the University of British Columbia in May 2017. The dissertation was based on a unique database on NGO participation in the UN climate change negotiations. Before beginning my PhD, I worked as a Project Manager for the Clean Air Strategic Alliance in Alberta, mediating consensus among representatives from business, government, and NGOs. I was a Project Assistant for a global forest project at the global conservation NGO IUCN 2005-2006 in Bangkok. My MA is in International Development and Politics from the University of Guelph.
