Call for papers: Symposium The Montreal Moment

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Aarde en zonsopgang gezien vanuit de ruimte. Bron: © iStock.com/loops7
© iStock.com/loops7

On 5 and 6 June, Utrecht University’s The Political Environment research collective and the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies will organise the symposium ‘The Montreal Moment: Ozone Depletion and the Rise of International Environmental Governance’ in Middelburg. The call for papers is now open until 15 December.

The Montreal Protocol

In the 1970s, scientists discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), commonly used in refrigeration and aerosol sprays, were damaging the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. This led to widespread public concern and political action, with environmental groups pushing for change and industries attempting to downplay the threat.

After years of campaigns, the Vienna Convention was signed in 1985, followed by the Montreal Protocol in 1987, a landmark international agreement to regulate ozone-depleting substances. The Protocol raises several questions about international environmental governance, such as: was the Montreal Protocol an end point of a longer history of international efforts at managing the environment? Or was it the harbinger of new forms of multilateral cooperation?

Call for papers

The Montreal Moment symposium welcomes paper proposals that address these kinds of questions and that put the Montreal Protocol within the broader framework of environmental internationalism in the 1970s and 1980s. Local, national, regional, and transnational perspectives are mostly welcomed, as well as contributions that add to the ongoing historiographical debate, help expand the historical reflection on the agency of international environmental history, and challenge traditional approaches through innovative and interdisciplinary methodologies.

To apply, please send an abstract of no more than 300 words and a short bio to info@roosevelt.nl by 15 December 2024. Full papers (6,000-7,000 words, including footnotes) are due by 30 April 2025.

Read the full call for papers

This symposium is funded by Pathways to Sustainability and the Province of Zeeland.

Start date and time
End date and time
Location
TBA, Middelburg, the Netherlands
Registration

TBA

More information
The Montreal Moment call for papers