Overpopulation and the Impact on the Environment

4.1. NATIONAL VS. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Even though climate change, as a result of overpopulation, is a global issue that crosses 
borders, national institutions possess more power to regulate carbon emissions compared to 
international institutions. “Emissions reductions need to take place within the territories of over 200 
sovereign states of the world” (Goldin 214). While international institutions serve as guides to 
national institutions in fulfilling their goals, domestic institutions have more legitimacy than global 
structures and their enforcement is more effective as they are “generally accepted by citizens as a 
legitimate source of binding law” (Goldin 214). The advantages of domestic institutions lie in the 
non-existence of barriers in communicating policies, because nations have common values and a 
common culture which simplifies policy implementing (Goldin 214). In addition, the established 
policies and laws can be enforced by nation’s apparatuses rather than multinational enforcement 
mechanism (Goldin 214). Another important feature that makes domestic institutions advantageous 
over global networks is the ability of social norms to reinforce social pressure and therefore affect 
individual’s behavior (Goldin 214). 
However, global institutions are crucial in addressing challenges of population growth and 
economic growth. Domestic institutions cannot act alone in addressing issues that transcend 
borders. They would be unable to reach unilateral agreement “to address global issues without 

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assurances that other states will follow suit, as few global issues could be resolved by even the most 
powerful countries acting alone” (Goldin 214). Thus, local and national institutions need to be 
powerful within their own territory in order for global governance to be effective, as institutions 
build on each other in layers.