OUR STORY
Nearly three decades of building the relationships that move environmental governance
The Global Environmental Governance (GEG) Project was created in 1997 at Yale University by Maria Ivanova and Daniel Esty at a moment when global environmental governance was only beginning to emerge as a distinct field of inquiry and action.
From its inception, the Project asked a fundamental question: How can the international community build institutions capable of responding effectively and equitably to shared environmental challenges?
Three decades later, that question is more urgent than ever.
The GEG Project has grown into a global platform for research, dialogue, measurement, education, and policy engagement. It brings together scholars, policymakers, international organizations, civil society, communities, and emerging leaders to understand how environmental governance works and how it can work better.​
Over the years, our community has contributed to building the field of global environmental governance; convened international leaders and emerging scholars; advanced understanding of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other international environmental institutions; developed assessments of the implementation of environmental agreements; and elevated the leadership of small states. Our work has reached global policy forums from the United Nations, to the plastics treaty negotiations, and Davos.
HOW WE WORK
Rigorous scholarship and practical engagement, reinforcing one another
We create new knowledge about international institutions and environmental agreements, translate it into tools and policy recommendations, convene people who might not otherwise work together, and help prepare the next generation of environmental leaders. We create short films about key issues highlighting both needs and action.
TODAY
Trust, knowledge, and leadership
Currently, the GEG Project is based at Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs in Boston, Massachusetts.
Initiatives include the Environmental Conventions Index, Ambuli Dialogues, plastics governance, UNEP and international institutions, and science diplomacy.
Change happens at the speed of relationships.
Trust, knowledge, and leadership are critical to effective environmental governance. The GEG Project is building those foundations by connecting ideas with institutions, evidence with implementation, and people with the potential to govern our shared planet more effectively.
NEXT CHAPTER
Turning commitments into implementation
We seek to turn commitments into action, strengthen accountability, recognize new sources of environmental leadership, and prepare emerging scholars and practitioners to navigate an increasingly complex world.
Through research, dialogue, and education, the GEG Project connects the people and ideas needed to renew environmental cooperation.