Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality

This policy brief analyzes the history of global climate governance, highlighting the transition from the Kyoto Protocol's rigid mandates for developed nations to the Paris Agreement's universal, bottom-up approach. It emphasizes that while the Paris Agreement achieved universality by evolving the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, current national pledges remain insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

• Current global emission reduction pledges are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C or well below 2°C. If implemented, existing pledges would result in a temperature increase exceeding 3°C, whereas the UN Environment Programme suggests emissions must decrease by a fourth to less than half of current levels over the next decade to meet the target.
• 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. This framework required Annex I parties—forty industrialized countries and economies in transition—to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2000.

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} }