État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2021

The 2021 state of global environmental governance was characterized by a heavy reliance on voluntary commitments and a transition toward hybrid and virtual negotiation formats due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some substantive outcomes were achieved—such as the finalization of the Paris Agreement rulebook at COP26 and the adoption of the Marseille Manifesto by the IUCN—many multilateral environmental agreements were limited to procedural decisions. The report highlights a growing gap between political promises and actual implementation, alongside increasing global inequalities in vaccine access and digital connectivity that hinder inclusive environmental governance.

• Global environmental governance in 2021 was dominated by voluntary commitments, including 'promises', 'contributions', and 'pacts', which allow participants to determine their own content with minimal international control.
• There is a significant gap between climate promises and action; for example, despite new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the UNFCCC synthesis report indicated that emissions would increase by 13.7% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels if these targets are met.
• The COVID-19 pandemic amplified socio-economic and digital inequalities, which in turn hindered environmental negotiations. Virtual formats disadvantaged small delegations from developing countries and those in rural areas due to connectivity issues and time zone differences.
• While most multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) were limited to procedural decisions in 2021, three major events achieved substantive results: the IUCN World Conservation Congress (Marseille Manifesto), the UNFCCC COP26 (Paris Agreement rulebook), and the Barcelona Convention COP 22 (post-2020 Strategic Action Programme).
• Climate litigation is increasing as a response to the gap between promises and action, exemplified by a Dutch district court ordering Shell to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030 in line with IPCC reports and the Paris Agreement.
• The UN Human Rights Council recognized the universal right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in 2021, signaling a shift toward human rights-based approaches to environmental protection.

APA

Allan, J., Tsioumani, E., Jones, N., & Soubry, B. (2021). État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2021. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2021-fr.pdf

Chicago

Allan, Jen, Elsa Tsioumani, Natalie Jones, and Bernard Soubry. État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2021. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2021-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allan |first1=Jen |last2=Tsioumani |first2=Elsa |last3=Jones |first3=Natalie |last4=Soubry |first4=Bernard |title=État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2021 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2021-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allan2021tat, author = {Allan, Jen and Tsioumani, Elsa and Jones, Natalie and Soubry, Bernard}, title = {{État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2021}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2021-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }