Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality

The document traces the history of international climate governance, highlighting the shift from the 'top-down' Kyoto Protocol to the 'bottom-up' Paris Agreement. It analyzes the central tension between ensuring universal participation and maintaining the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR). While the Paris Agreement achieved universality by allowing self-differentiation through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the brief notes that current collective pledges are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C or 2°C, and that the regime's success depends on the ambition of major emitters.

• The current collective emission reduction pledges of countries are insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement; if implemented, they would result in a temperature increase exceeding 3°C.
• The 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" (CBDR), acknowledging that while all states share an obligation to address climate change, they are not equally responsible.
• The Kyoto Protocol was a 'top-down' instrument that imposed absolute emission caps on developed countries, but it lacked the full force of a global regime because the United States did not join.
• The 2009 Copenhagen Accord introduced a 'pledge and review' approach and set a goal for developed countries to mobilize USD 100 billion annually for climate finance for developing countries by 2020.
• The 2015 Paris Agreement shifted to a 'bottom-up' system of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), becoming the first multilateral agreement to place legally binding obligations on emission reductions for all countries.
• The Paris Agreement evolved the concept of CBDR into 'common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), in light of different national circumstances,' allowing for a more dynamic interpretation as countries' socio-economic realities change.
• The success of the Paris Agreement is heavily dependent on the ambition of the world's largest emitters; net-zero targets from the US, China, EU, Japan, and South Korea would bring the 1.5°C limit within reach.

APA

(PhD),, M. L. (2020). Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/global-climate-change-governance-search-effectiveness-and-universality

Chicago

(PhD),, Mari Luomi. Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/global-climate-change-governance-search-effectiveness-and-universality.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=(PhD), |first1=Mari Luomi |title=Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=8 December 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/global-climate-change-governance-search-effectiveness-and-universality |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{phd2020global, author = {(PhD),, Mari Luomi}, title = {{Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/global-climate-change-governance-search-effectiveness-and-universality}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }