Environmental Nongovernmental Organizations

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are legal entities comprised of individuals and groups that work on a range of issues outside of the scope of government of private companies. NGOs are private, meaning that they are not part of any government, nor are they created by governments. NGOs seek to raise awareness of global problems and often receive money from governments to do so. Many NGOs work as consultants for the United Nations (UN) and other international bodies. Environmental NGOs are often given the acronym ENGOs.

Although there certainly were organizations providing international humanitarian aid long before World War II, the term NGO came into use after the formation of the UN in 1945. The pressures of globalization have resulted in the growth of NGOs since that time. ...