Politics & International Relations
International Climate Change Agreements
International climate change agreements are global treaties that aim to address the challenges of climate change through coordinated efforts among participating countries. These agreements typically involve commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable development, and provide financial and technological support to developing nations. Key examples include the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
Written by Perlego with AI-assistance
Related key terms
1 of 5
12 Key excerpts on "International Climate Change Agreements"
eBook - PDFBrazil and Climate Change
Beyond the Amazon
- Viola Eduardo, Matías Franchini(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
1 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS An empirical and theoretical assessment 1.1 Introduction The major features of climate change as a global, complex, and fl uid process are well established in the literature (IPCC 2007; Giddens 2009; Prins et al. 2010), as is its constitutive relationship to the framework of the Anthropocene (Rockström et al. 2009; Viola and Basso 2016). However, it is necessary to bring up some relevant recent developments — both material and political — that are key to understanding the current state of the international political economy of climate change and the role of Brazil therein. First, there is the evidence of a sharp aggravation of the climate crisis in terms of temperature rise and extreme weather events and the growth of the geoengineering option to complement the slow path of global decarbonization, even in a context of a deep renewable energy transformation. Second, there are the immanent limitations of the Paris Agreement — and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a locus of governance — to e ff ectively deal with the climate crisis, limitations deepened by the rise of neo-nationalism and populism in some major democ-racies, particularly the United States. The aggregation of both these material and political developments paints a very negative picture, one which by far overshadows the modest advances of international climate negotiations. Along with this new evidence, we present a conceptual framework to address the path of global cooperation in the realm of climate change, with the goal once again being to understand the international political economy of global warming and the role of Brazil therein. We begin with the concept of climate powers, which is a way to address the potential of global climate cooperation that is not based on the traditional focus on the formal international regime — the UNFCCC — but on the features and
eBook - PDF- Sangam Shrestha, Mukand S. Babel, Vishnu Prasad Pandey, Sangam Shrestha, Mukand S. Babel, Vishnu Prasad Pandey(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Among others, international environ- mental negotiations serve as an important catalyst to increase awareness about the scale of the problem, to draw attention to threats and risks from the negative impacts, and to understand casual interrelationships of mutual actions. They boost the building of consensus and the forging of agreements on the responsibilities to pave paths for cooperation. Thus, they propose appropriate individual or collective actions that could assist in bringing major policy shifts at the regional and national levels. At this peak of globalization, international negotiations in tackling conten- tious issues of climate change, water resource management, and other environmental issues have become an absolute prerequisite. For the past several years, there has been a surge in intensive debates and dis- cussions on climate change and its potential impacts at various levels and in differ- ent forms. Those discussions have emerged out of concern for accumulated GHGs in the environment, which have a cascading impact, spreading to almost all areas and sectors that are sensitive to climate, directly or indirectly. In particular, climate change is feared to retard efforts to sustainable development, and in the worst case, could reverse the progress made so far in eradicating poverty and improving the livelihood of millions. Until now, climate change negotiations have concentrated mainly on two fronts—mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation deals with policies 333 International Negotiations on Climate Change and Water and actions for controlling global warming and climate change through an adjust- ment in the global carbon cycle by reducing GHG emissions, enhancing carbon sinks, and adopting other unconventional geo-engineering concepts to prevent further warming of the biosphere.
eBook - PDFClimate Change: A Wicked Problem
Complexity and Uncertainty at the Intersection of Science, Economics, Politics, and Human Behavior
- Frank P. Incropera(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
The politics of global warming 162 8.1 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change International agreements have long been used to address environmental issues for segments of the planet as diverse as the atmosphere, the open seas, and Antarctica. A relatively recent agreement is the Montreal Protocol of 1987, which calls for protection of the stratosphere’s ozone layer through elimination of industrial chemicals termed chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). 1 Although interest in global warming can be traced to the late nineteenth century (Weart, 2003), it was not until 1988 that the issue began to receive serious attention. Under auspices of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established and charged with addressing a broad range of issues. In addition to assess- ing the scientific basis for anthropogenic climate change and scenarios for future change, the IPCC was asked to consider the potential effects on eco- logical, economic, and social systems, as well as mechanisms for mitigating and adapting to change. With active participation of approximately 400 natural/social scientists and economists representing approximately 120 nations, the IPCC was well resourced and was charged with periodically publishing reports based on its findings. Five major reports have so far been published – in 1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2013–14. Despite efforts to acknowledge uncertainties and a cautious approach to stating conclusions, the IPCC has not been immune from criticism. For example, the methodology used to forecast future economic growth and attendant GHG emissions was believed to have an upward bias (Castles and Henderson, 2003).
eBook - PDFChina's Strategic Multilateralism
Investing in Global Governance
- Scott L. Kastner, Margaret M. Pearson, Chad Rector(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
Third, many disagree- ments between countries concern the format of an agreement: How spe- cific will an agreement be (e.g., will it contain fixed numeric targets or more general intentions)? How long will the terms of an agreement be and using what metrics as a baseline? Will it be a legal agreement or a political one? 9 Will it be binding and, if so, to all or to just a subset of countries? Will implementation and outcomes be verified by actors out- side the country taking actions (inclusive of mechanisms for verification and transparency)? Our chapter focuses primarily on mitigation-related subjects of quantity of and payment for emissions, but this focus entails attention to the distributional and agreement format matters as well. In addition to the expanse of issues subject to negotiation, important socio-political dynamics related to the issue of climate change, and the viewpoints of actors, have changed over time. Not only has the con- cept of human-induced and deleterious climate change become widely accepted as fact throughout most of the world, but the perceived urgency of the problem has intensified dramatically. Nevertheless, the distribution of responsibility across countries remains controversial. The countries that have been emitting GHGs for many decades are “historic emitters”; among these, the United States was the top emitter until 2005, responsible 9 The concept of “legal instrument” means that an agreement will have the force of a treaty (even if not technically in the form of a treaty) and will have legal status under interna- tional law. In the climate negotiations, “legality” has meant that signatories “deposit” their commitments with the United Nations. A legal agreement can vary according to how much and how specifically it binds signatories, however. 7.2 Background 179 180 Climate Change Negotiations for approximately 27 percent of cumulative historic emissions.
eBook - PDFCompanies and Climate Change
Theory and Law in the United Kingdom
- Lisa Benjamin(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
80 International & Transnational Climate Change Law & Policies climate change. 9 As a result, most progress on climate change regulation has taken place at the international level. The success of the Paris Agreement may lie not in requiring states to reduce their emissions, but in the creation of an international, normative direction of travel towards reaching the agreed long-term temperature goals in a carbon-constrained world. The agreement incentivises bottom-up, nation- ally determined actions by states, but also by sub-state and non-state actors, which should increase in ambition over time. There is no international environmental parliament or lawmaking body and, as a result, international organisations, and the UN and its subsidiary bodies, in particular, have become the leading fora for international environmental lawmaking. 10 Inter- national treaties, customary international law, non-binding resolutions and state-based diplomacy constitute the main body of international environmental law. 11 States are also the central actors and subjects of international law and they play a primary role in shaping and adopting international environmental law. 12 There is a direct relationship between national goals of states and the international treaties and agreements they create. Ambitions of states, when crafting and implementing international environ- mental law, depend on their individual economic, political, cultural, geographical and ecological interests. 13 While the negotiation process amongst almost 200 UN member states can be a complex process in and of itself, complex environmental problems, such as climate change, pose additional challenges to the multilateral negotiation system. Treaties are one of the main sources of international environmental law; however, they can pander to the lowest common denominator. Agreed outcomes must accommodate the interests and concerns of all states involved in the negotiations, and therefore are compromise laden.
- Ömer Ugur, Kadir Caner Dogan(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Peter Lang Group(Publisher)
As distinct from other international subjects, building of international cli- mate regime is carried out by means of multilateral negotiations comprising all the actors. Inasmuch as reconciliation of reciprocal independence of sovereign states and interdependence of environment inevitably necessitates international organization and nongovernmental groups to act in unison alongside the states. And this situation led international organizations and nongovernmental groups to be regarded as actors in international relations as well as traditional actors. Acceptance of these new groups as actors both accelerated the building of the regime and also enabled them to play significant roles in application of the decisions taken and in increase of its efficiency. 4 Policy Choices and Governance Dilemma As stated above, international climate regime and governance constitute a struc- ture including making hard choices between alternatives supported by different actor groups. Although climate change is certainly a complicated problem, it is observed that establishing a policy at an international level particularly under the effect of lack of scientific knowledge is even more complicated (Giddens, 2013: 35). Not being able to present a scientific certainty regarding climate change issues makes it easier for political actors to act in accordance with their political interests within decision-making processes and causes states to race their own preferences within this process (Kutting, 2000: 63). Besides, climate governance necessitates negotiation of many political preferences at the table with regards to participation of actors from various levels, its comprehensiveness and binding obligations. However, it is not always possible to reconcile the interests and pri- orities of states, which have different economic, social and political structures from each other, and other actors and convince them to cooperate at an inter- national level.
eBook - PDF- Federica Genovese(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
The Ele- ment then elucidates the roles of transnational relations and moral framing in climate politics, and clarifies the sources of weak states’ power in international organizations. 1.2 Weak States and Global Climate Cooperation: The Argument in Brief Climate change is a global problem that requires multiple cross-national solu- tions. Industrialized countries have a major stake in international climate negotiations given the large expenses required to mitigate the levels of green- house gas (GHG) emissions they produce (Nordhaus, 2006; Barrett, 2007). Since the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli- mate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, these countries have set expectations for global GHG reductions and institutionalized the international rules for miti- gation and adaptation (Victor, 2001; Barrett & Stavins, 2003). Even in recent years, rich states remain critical at these negotiations (Parker et al., 2012). They still control international regulatory activities and funding mandates (Underdal, 2017; Urpelainen & Van de Graaf, 2018). It is also the sustained significance of strong states’ interests that has supported the pessimistic view that global climate agreements are unfeasible in providing the level of decarbonization required to limit drastic climatic changes (Bernstein & Hoffmann, 2018). Yet international climate talks continue, and global climate treaties such as the 2015 Paris Accord still rely on unanimous collective agreement. Impor- tantly, several anecdotes indicate the crucial imprint of other countries on these negotiations. Many experts recall the emotional address of the Philippines del- egation at the 2013 UNFCCC meeting, and the following global commitments in loss and damage issues (Vanhala & Hestbaek, 2016). The decision to sub- stantively increase adaptation projects after the 2017 climate negotiations was also marked by the pressing of the host country, Fiji, and other Pacific Islands (Winkler & Depledge, 2018).
eBook - PDFClimate Change and Global Poverty
A Billion Lives in the Balance?
- Lael Brainard, Abigail Jones, Nigel Purvis, Lael Brainard, Abigail Jones, Nigel Purvis(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Brookings Institution Press(Publisher)
The ten months from Washington to Copenhagen present a sudden moment of opportunity—and a considerable risk of expectations unmet. The Toward a New International Climate Change Agreement E LLIOT D IRINGER 3 stakes are higher for no one than for the poor. A new climate change agree-ment must address the needs of humanity’s least fortunate in several ways. First and foremost, it must forestall the most severe of the myriad climate impacts destined to fall disproportionately on those already at the margins. Second, a new agreement must engage developing countries in ways that fos-ter, not stifle, opportunities for sustainable growth and development. Third, it must help the poorest and most vulnerable cope with those climate impacts that it is now too late to prevent. This chapter outlines the broad contours of an effective post-2012 cli-mate change agreement. 1 It begins by defining the challenge as one of enlist-ing the world’s major economies in a binding but flexible “multitrack” framework for addressing climate change. It examines the key elements this framework must contain, and it highlights the critical political challenges that must be overcome. Finally, it assesses the prospects for achieving an agreement in Copenhagen. Engaging the Major Economies The core international challenge in addressing climate change mitigation— and, by extension, climate change adaptation—is arriving at fair and effective commitments among the world’s major economies. They are the ones whose actions are needed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and the ones best able to help poor, vulnerable countries cope with climate change impacts. Twenty-five economies (counting the European Union as one) account for 84 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (figure 3-1). These same coun-tries account for 74 percent of global population, and 90 percent of global gross domestic product.
eBook - PDF- Joyeeta Gupta(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
Part Two The history of the negotiations 41 3 Setting the stage: defining the climate problem (until 1990) 3.1 Introduction Unlike many other issues, climate change, a very specific, scientifically complex problem, entered the international agenda through an abstract theoretical aware- ness of the problem rather than an actual experience of its consequences. In the 1980s, it moved rapidly from the scientific arena to the political arena, picking up concern from non-state actors on the way. It then developed a twin track – a track in which the scientific process of assessing information was institutionalized in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and a negotiating track through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) under the auspices of the UN General Assembly to initiate negotiations on a cli- mate treaty. This chapter explains the chronology of events, focuses on how the problem was defined, the role of the key actors, the key outputs and major trends in this period ending in 1990. 3.2 The chronology of events The first driving factor for global governance in the climate domain was the role of individual scientists from the 19th century onwards in incrementally identify- ing various aspects of the problem (see Table 3.1 ). This culminated in the scientific consensus that climate change is a serious threat to humanity at the first World Climate Conference organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1979. The Conference Declaration stated: It appears plausible that an increased amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can contribute to a gradual warming of the lower atmosphere, especially at high altitudes … effects on a regional and global scale may be detectable before the end of this century. (WCC, 1979) Setting the stage: defining the climate problem (until 1990) 42 Table 3.1 Key events and outputs in Phase 1 of climate governance history Year Activity/Output Key message 1979 World Climate Conf.
eBook - PDFSingapore in a Post-Kyoto World
Energy, Environment and the Economy
- Tilak Doshi(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- ISEAS Publishing(Publisher)
An appropriate government policy response also requires an assessment of the wider context of international and regional negotiating positions of the various constituencies being represented, including not only national governments but also non-governmental organizations (NGO) and business groups representing an array of interests. Among the many questions in climate change negotiations that Singapore policymakers face, the following are only the most obvious: what are the different negotiating positions of various developed and developing countries that will play a key role in climate change negotiations? What are the economic, social, and environmental indicators that are used by multilateral agencies, research institutions, and national authorities to group countries and proposed levels of participation in a post-Kyoto global climate policy regime? Will Singapore’s uniqueness in terms of its key environmental and economic attributes support any particular policy position on various core issues? What is Singapore’s optimal position in climate change negotiations, given its membership of various regional groups and multilateral institutions and its congruence of interests (or lack thereof) with various interest groups and country blocs? How might participation in a post-Kyoto global climate change policy regime benefit Singapore, and what modes of participation will be most advantageous to Singapore’s interests? Climate Change Negotiations: From Copenhagen to Durban via Cancun 21 2.1 IPCC, UNFCCC AND THE KYOTO PROTOCOL The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in 1988. The IPCC convenes thousands of natural and social scientists periodically to review evidence on global climate change. It has issued five major Assessment Reports (ARs), with each review finding stronger evidence of human impact on the global climate.
eBook - PDF- Rosemary Lyster(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
It was this fortuitous meeting which resulted in the drafting in the final hours of the COP of the Copenhagen Accord. 98 international climate change negotiations on all economies and ecosystems both now and in the future are rarely discussed. Instead, the most significant climate change messages are lost as political sound bites resonate in the voting public’s consciousness. Yet in spite of all of this, the negotiations are still afoot and the Parties will reconvene at a critical juncture at COP 21 in December 2015, to hopefully finalise a legally binding agreement on emissions reductions for 2021 and into the future. Some may regard the tenacity of the multilateral system to stay with the phenomenon of global climate change as some- thing of a miracle, especially given the tremendous changes which the world has witnessed since 1992. Others will know that pragmatism suggests that to walk away from the only negotiating platform for a global approach to climate change would leave nothing in its place – and it is this acknowledgement which keeps the negotiations rolling on. However, as COP 21 approaches, this book cautions that the threat of current, and likely future, climate disasters demand that domestic leaders, participating in the UNFCCC process, pay close attention to the perspectives of the victims of climate disasters – whether at home or far away. For, as Amartya Sen would have it, the Parties have allowed their ‘positional illusions’ to confine their moral concerns to the proxim- ate ‘neighbourhood’ 234 and to restrict their thinking to fixed commu- nities of neighbours, 235 rather than making the commitments needed to ward off the worst effects of climate change on the planet.
eBook - PDFPolitics Of China's Environmental Protection: Problems And Progress
Problems and Progress
- Gang Chen(Author)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- World Scientific(Publisher)
Carter and Arthur P.J. Mol (eds.), Environmental Governance in China (London: Routledge, 2007), p. 68. 3 United Nations, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, p. 4, http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/ convkp/conveng.pdf. China’s Climate Change Politics 105 remained among different parties throughout the international climate negotiations due to the fear that emission cutting will hamper national economic growth and incur huge cost. Appropriate negotiation strategy is extremely important for a sovereign state to fulfill its national interest in the international climate negotiations: on the one hand, whether a country can adopt a successful negotiation tactic to attract others to its side and gain the maximized diplomatic support are essential for its final gains from the marathon-like multilateral talks, and on the other hand, to what extent the negotiation outcome, coupled with new international institutions, can affect the disposition of a state, i.e. enhancement of its soft power in the eyes of other states. China’s Negotiation Stance China took part in the UNFCCC negotiations from its preliminary stages, viewing the climate change as a controversial issue that involved North–South equity problems. Historically, China believed that developed countries should take responsibility for environmental protection and allow developing countries the opportunity to advance as much as the developed countries. 4 As the world’s largest developing country and a permanent member on the UN Security Council, China has been playing a leading role among developing countries in steering interna-tional climate change negotiations, uniting with other developing coun-tries to form the “bloc of G-77 (the Group of 77 developing countries) plus China,” which comprises about 90% of the developing countries to the FCCC.
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
