National climate change legislation: The key to more ambitious international agreements

The document argues that strong national climate legislation acts as an enabler for more ambitious international agreements by increasing competitiveness, confidence, and knowledge. It highlights that domestic laws can provide the 'legal force' required for future UNFCCC outcomes and recommends strengthening the role of legislators through capacity building and better engagement with executive negotiators.

• There is a positive correlation between the strength of a country's domestic climate change legislation and its level of ambition in international UNFCCC negotiations.
• Domestic legislation serves as a critical enabler for international deals rather than just a tool for implementation after an agreement is reached, creating the necessary political space for a deal.
• National legislation could provide a mechanism for an 'outcome with legal force' under the Durban Platform by requiring states to have domestically-binding climate laws listed in an agreement schedule, which may be more effective than international law.
• Strong domestic legislation influences international positions through three primary drivers: competitiveness (encouraging others to price carbon to avoid disadvantage), confidence (as populations experience co-benefits), and knowledge (understanding the costs of action versus inaction).
• Many countries are motivated to pass climate legislation by direct domestic 'co-benefits' rather than global climate goals, including improved energy efficiency, increased energy security via low-carbon sources, and better air quality.
• Legislators can either advance or hinder climate ambition; for example, Mexican legislators were instrumental in passing the General Law on Climate Change in 2012, whereas US legislators have historically acted as a drag on ambition, partly due to the influence of fossil fuel company donations.

APA

Townshend, T., & Matthews, A. C. (2013). National climate change legislation: The key to more ambitious international agreements. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CDKN_Globe_International_final_web.pdf

Chicago

Townshend, Terry, and Adam C.T. Matthews. National climate change legislation: The key to more ambitious international agreements. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CDKN_Globe_International_final_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Townshend |first1=Terry |last2=Matthews |first2=Adam C.T. |title=National climate change legislation: The key to more ambitious international agreements |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2013 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CDKN_Globe_International_final_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{townshend2013national, author = {Townshend, Terry and Matthews, Adam C.T.}, title = {{National climate change legislation: The key to more ambitious international agreements}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CDKN_Globe_International_final_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }