Global Sustainability Governance
Books

The Future of the Sustainable Development Goals. Pathways towards Sustainability beyond 2030
​
Edited by Frank Biermann, Guilherme de Queiroz Stein, Mara Wendebourg and Fronika de Wit
Under review.
Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: An A-Z Guide
Edited by Frank Biermann, Thomas Hickmann, Yi hyun Kang, Carole-Anne Sénit and Yixian Sun
Forthcoming 2025.
The Political Impact of the Sustainable Development Goals. Transforming Governance through Global Goals?
​
Edited by Frank Biermann, Thomas Hickmann and Carole-Anne Sénit
Written by an international team of over 60 experts and drawing on over 3000 scientific studies, this is the first comprehensive global assessment of the political impact of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Architectures of Earth System Governance. Institutional Complexity and Structural Transformation
​
Edited by Frank Biermann and Rakhyun E. Kim
Over 40 international relations scholars offer an authoritative synthesis of a decade of research on global governance architectures with an empirical focus on protecting the environment and vital earth systems.
Anthropocene Encounters. New Directions in Green Political Thinking
Edited by Frank Biermann and Eva Lövbrand
An exploration of the implications of the Anthropocene in science, philosophy and literature, questioning the relevance of traditional political concepts in a world transformed by human influence.
Governing through Goals: Sustainable Development Goals as Governance Innovation
​
Edited by Norichika Kanie and Frank Biermann
A detailed examination of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the shift in governance strategy they represent.
Earth System Governance: World Politics in the Anthropocene
​
By Frank Biermann
A new model for effective global environmental governance in an era of human-caused planetary transformation and disruption.
Global Environmental Governance Reconsidered
Edited by Frank Biermann and Philipp Pattberg
An examination of three major trends in global governance, exemplified by developments in transnational environmental rule-setting.
Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Emergence, Influence and Legitimacy
​
Edited by Philipp Pattberg, Frank Biermann, Sander Chan and Aysem Mert
This book provides a first authoritative assessment of partnerships for sustainable development, ten years after the Johannesburg Summit.
Global Climate Governance Beyond 2012: Architecture, Agency and Adaptation
​
Edited by Frank Biermann, Philipp Pattberg, Fariborz Zelli
An assessment of policy options for future global climate governance, written by a team of leading experts from the European Union and developing countries.
Earth System Governance. People, Places and the Planet
​
By Frank Biermann, Michele M. Betsill, and others.
This book lays down the first Science and Implementation Plan of the Earth System Governance Project.
Managers of Global Change
The Influence of International Environmental Bureaucracies
Edited by Frank Biermann and Bernd Siebenhüner
An examination of the role and relevance of international bureaucracies in global environmental governance.
International Organizations in Global Environmental Governance
​
Edited by Frank Biermann, Bernd Siebenhüner and Anna Schreyögg
This book provides a comparative study of the role of international organizations in environmental governance.
Partnerships, Governance and Sustainable Development
​
Edited by Pieter Glasbergen Frank Biermann and Arthur P.J. Mol
This book explores the process, extent and circumstances under which partnerships can improve the legitimacy and effectiveness of governance for sustainable development.
​
​
Politik und Umwelt
​
Edited by Klaus Jacob, Frank Biermann, Per-Olof Busch, and Peter H. Feindt
Using the example of national, international and transnational environmental policy, the authors discuss questions of governance beyond the nation state or in multi-level systems.
​
​
​
World Environment Organization: Solution or Threat for Effective International Environmental Governance?
​
Edited by Frank Biermann and Steffen Bauer
A balanced selection of articles of the leading participants in this debate, including both major supporters and opponents of creating a World Environment Organization.
Handelsliberalisierung kontra Umweltschutz? Ansätze für eine Stärkung umweltpolitischer Ziele in der Welthandelsordnung
​
By Wilhelm Althammer, Frank Biermann, Susanne Dröge and Michael Kohlhaas
An analysis of proposals to integrate environmental standards into WTO rules, evaluating their feasibility and impact on trade liberalization and the concerns of developing countries.
Weltumweltpolitik zwischen Nord und Süd. Die neue Verhandlungsmacht der Entwicklungsländer
​
By Frank Biermann
A detailed analysis of global environmental governance with special emphasis on North-South conflicts in regimes on climate, biodiversity, oceans and stratospheric ozone.
Zukunftsfähige Entwicklung: Herausforderungen an Wissenschaft und Politik. Festschrift für Udo E. Simonis
​
Edited by Frank Biermann, Sebastian Büttner and Carsten Helm
This collection of essays explores sustainable development ten years after the Brundtland Report, addressing conflicts between economy and ecology, political practice, global environmental policy, and pathways to transforming industrial society.

Saving the Atmosphere: International Law, Developing Countries and Air Pollution
​
By Frank Biermann
A comprehensive examination of the development of international law on the protection of the atmosphere, emphasizing its impacts on African, Asian, and Latin American countries.
Internationale Meeresumweltpolitik: Auf dem Weg zu einem Umweltregime für die Ozeane?
​
By Frank Biermann
A detailed analysis of international marine environmental policy, arguing that despite past efforts, an effective global regime for the protection of the oceans is still lacking.