Cross-sectoral policy integration in global environmental and energy governance

Energy policy is a cross-sectoral policy area: it is affected by and itself affects decisions taken in adjacent policy areas such agriculture, climate, development, economy, environment, external relations, and public health. Energy policy is also a globalized policy area since the extraction of fossil fuels in particular is geographically concentrated; as not all countries can produce oil and natural gas this entails issues concerning the economic and political interdependencies between states, international trade, and the security of energy supply. As a matter of fact, there is international competition for energy sources, which is highly likely to intensify in the near future with the rapid development of emerging economies such as China and India. In this paper, we seek to combine both characteristics of energy policy by asking whether and how international institutions acknowledge the need for integrating energy policy with other policy areas. Empirically, we concentrate on five international organizations involved in global energy governance: the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the World Trade Organization, three divisions of the United Nations (Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Division for Sustainable Development), and the World Bank. Since all institutions address different topics, we argue that they will address energy policy integration – if at all – to such a degree and in such way that it is in line with and supports their respective organizational purposes and goals. We are particularly interested in the link between energy, agriculture and the environment, and how it is taken into account by the five international institutions under study. By adopting this analytical angle, we aim to contribute to three research strands: international energy politics, global governance, and cross-sectoral policy integration.