International politics of climate change: key issues and critical actors

1997 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 800-801
Author(s):  
Wilfred Beckerman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Key Issues

scholarly journals European Union as a Leader in Climate Change Policy: Assessing Europe’s Roles in the World∗

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
Omer Ugur ◽  
Kadir Caner Dogan ◽  
Metin Aksoy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Climate Change Politics ◽  
The Eu

The European Union has grown up in terms of influence and size in international politics. The size of its economy and the ever-increasing membership, have seen its ambitions grow meaning that the EU now has an international presence it did not have at its formation. It is easy to say that with the EU being an ambitious actor in international politics, the rise into prominence of climate change naturally came in handy for the EU as it provided an opportunity for the EU to assert itself and prove both its capacity and presence. The 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the withdrawal of the USA from the obligations of the Kyoto came as a blessing in disguise for the Union as it seized the moment to assert itself. Thus, in trying to understand what role the EU has or is playing in international climate change politics, there is need to assess its leadership claims and what it has done to prove these claims. To get there, the paper will navigate through a part of the discipline of International Relations (IR) to understand how it provides for a basis to explain or understand the EU’s limitations and strengths on actorness.

Comments on ‘Key issues for attention from ecological economists’ by Paul Ehrlich

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
STEPHEN POLASKY
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
Big Ideas ◽  
Economics Profession ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich has a clear message for the economics profession: humanity faces a number of serious environmental problems and economists have a central role to play if we are to successfully address them. The article lays out an important research agenda for economists, which includes climate change, loss of biodiversity, release of toxic substances, epidemiological concerns, population, and over-consumption. Even if one disagrees with some of the particulars, and my guess is that many economists who read the article will, the big ideas contained in this article and the main messages are worthy of close attention. Rather than being on the periphery of the economics profession, those of us in economics who focus on environmental issues, whether called ecological economists, environmental economists or resource economists, should be at the heart of an economics profession focused on the most important and relevant issues facing society.

The intractability of loss and damage issues in climate negotiations

Soundings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (78) ◽  
pp. 38-49
Author(s):  
Md Fahad Hossain ◽  
Saleemul Huq ◽  
Mizan R. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Climate Regime ◽  
Climate Negotiations ◽  
Loss And Damage ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Face ◽  
History Of ◽  
Key Issues

The impacts of human-induced climate change are manifested through losses and damages incurred due to the increasing frequency and intensity of climatic disasters all over the world. Low-income countries who have contributed the least in causing climate change, and have low financial capability, are the worst victims of this. However, since the inception of the international climate regime under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), loss and damage has been a politically charged issue. It took about two decades of pushing by the vulnerable developing countries for the agenda to formally anchor in the climate negotiations text. This was further solidified through establishment of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) and inclusion of stand-alone Article 8 on loss and damage in the Paris Agreement. Its institutionalisation has only done the groundwork of addressing loss and damage however - the key issue of finance for loss and damage and other matters has remained largely unresolved to date – particularly since Article 8 does not have any provision for finance. This has been due to the climate change-causing wealthy developed nations' utter disregard for their formal obligations in the climate regime as well as their moral obligation. In this article, we tease out the central controversies that underpin the intractability of this agenda at the negotiations of the UNFCCC. We begin by giving a walk-through of the concept and history of loss and damage in the climate regime. Then we present a brief account of losses and damages occurring in the face of rising temperature, and highlight the key issues of contention, focusing on the more recent developments. Finally, we conclude by suggesting some way forward for the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP26) taking place in Glasgow, UK in November 2021.

Clearing the Air: Avoiding Conflicts of Interest Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-81
Author(s):  
Brook M R Dambacher ◽  
Matthew T Stilwell ◽  
Jeffrey S McGee
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Law ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
United Nations Framework Convention ◽  
Contentious Issue ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The United Nations

Abstract Conflicts of interest (COIs) have the capacity to undermine the integrity and legitimacy of decision-making in international legal fora. The issue of COIs has recently become a contentious issue within the international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Despite an emerging debate on COIs, key issues regarding engagement with certain non-state actors, and the reforms that could be implemented in response, remain to be systematically addressed. This article therefore examines best practice for addressing COIs in international fora to see how this might inform management of the issue within the UNFCCC. We find that protecting the integrity and legitimacy of the UNFCCC will likely require its Conference of the Parties to clearly define COIs and to adopt a process for their management. This reform will bring the UNFCCC into line with best practices in global governance and improve prospects for more effective international law on climate change.

In Search of Sustainability

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Key Issues

What must we do to achieve a sustainable society? There is no one answer. The first steps towards sustainability cover a whole spectrum of economic, social and environmental issues. In this volume Australian leaders from a wide range of fields discuss the key issues we must address if we are to move towards a more just and sustainable future. They identify the major concerns and challenges for achieving sustainability in the areas of: human health, water resources, land use and natural ecosystems, energy, equity and peace, economic systems, climate change, labour forces and work, urban design and transport, and population. Achieving sustainability will require major changes in our current approaches. The thought-provoking chapters in this book provide a solid introduction to the issues in the search for a genuine path to sustainability.

scholarly journals Releasing the Lockerbie Bomber: National Interests, Intergovernmental Relations and Para-Diplomacy

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kenealy
Keyword(s):  
International Politics ◽  
Intergovernmental Relations ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Comprehensive Account ◽  
Subsequent Investigation ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Uk

In his recent book The Lockerbie Bombing: The Search for Justice, Kenny MacAskill recounts his decision to release Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. Eight years have passed since Al-Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds. In the book MacAskill ranges far beyond the events in which he was closely involved, recounting the bombing itself, the subsequent investigation, trial and appeals in an effort to offer a comprehensive account of the Lockerbie bombing. In this article I review the book and return to some of the key issues raised by MacAskill's decision and the broader context in which it was made. I argue that the book sheds little new light on Lockerbie and that it falls short in precisely the areas where MacAskill might have the most insight to offer. It is a rather bloodless and legalistic account that renders the complexities and the shades of grey of international politics in black and white. The case will nevertheless remain fascinating to scholars of intergovernmental relations in the UK, of para-diplomacy, and of international politics.

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