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Environmental civil society is situated within a globalizing civil society. In fact, environmental issues have always been global, crossing borders and making cooperation among various actors indispensable in efforts of environmental protection and conservation. Environmental regimes are manifestations of such efforts and one of the most controversial questions surrounding environmental regimes is the question of effectiveness. After considering the expanding roles environmental organizations play in global civil society, the article delves into the question of effectiveness of environmental regimes, particularly in the case of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the Barcelona Convention. More specifically, the role environmental organizations play in the implementation of the MAP in the context of Turkey is analyzed. It is concluded that the ineffectiveness of the MAP is related to the limited impact environmental NGOs have and that the capacity of environmental organizations to be effective actors in environmental regimes depends on the nature of their relations with other actors such as states and international and supranational organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) and its protocols aim to tackle transboundary air pollution problems. LRTAP is the first binding international environmental regime and forerunner of other environmental regimes. It aims to solve regional air pollution problems through scientific collaboration and deliberation within the framework of détente and rising environmental movements. Started as a weak regime, LRTAP became a stronger regime with the addition of new protocols. At the beginning LRTAP focused on sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and later incorporated volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, eutrophication and ground level ozone pollution into its agenda and contributed to substantial cuts in emissions. Having signed the LRTAP and its first protocol concerning the financing of EMEP, Turkey hasn't been a party to other protocols without binding itself for cuts in emissions. Although a legal and institutional framework for air pollution control was introduced, Turkey lacks a comprehensive monitoring system and suffers from rising air pollution levels. Turkey's efforts towards harmonising its environmental legislation as a part of its EU membership process do not produce tangible results given the problems of implementation and discrepancies between the limit values and long transition periods. Prevailing developmentalist discourse that prioritises economic development over environmental concerns contributes to postponement of sound pollution control efforts until Turkey becomes a full member. Yet again rising pollution levels reminds us that Turkey should take LRTAP and its protocols into account to solve those problems left unattended for quite some time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]