20 Years of the Environmental Integrity Group in Global Climate Governance

The report details the evolution of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) from its founding in 2000 to its role in the Paris Agreement. It highlights how the EIG's unique composition—including both developed and developing nations—enables it to facilitate compromises on technical and political issues such as climate finance, transparency, and carbon markets. The document also examines the individual contributions of member states like the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Monaco, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Georgia to global climate science and policy.

• The Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) was founded in September 2000 in Lyon, France, evolving from a 'Compromise Group' first established during the Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations in Cartagena, Colombia.
• The EIG is unique among UNFCCC coalitions because it includes both Annex I (developed) and non-Annex I (developing) countries, which allows it to serve as a symbolic and practical bridge between opposing negotiating blocs.
• The EIG played a critical role in the adoption of the Cancun Agreements at COP 16, with Switzerland presiding over deliberations on response measures and carbon capture and storage to reach a high-level consensus.
• The EIG contributed to the Paris Agreement's focus on science through its leadership in the 2013–2015 Periodic Review's structured expert dialogue (SED), which helped establish the 1.5°C warming limit as a target for a livable world.
• In negotiations for the Paris Agreement's finance provisions, the EIG helped unlock deadlocks by proposing a distinction between the 'provision' and 'mobilization' of climate finance to address the concerns of both developed and developing nations.
• The EIG advocated for a common transparency framework under the Paris Agreement, arguing that while flexibility is needed for developing countries, reporting requirements should be the same for all to build international trust.
• Regarding international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the EIG emphasizes 'environmental integrity,' meaning emission reductions must be real, verified, additional, permanent, and avoid double counting.
• The EIG has consistently pushed for the mainstreaming of human rights and gender equality in UNFCCC negotiations, including securing references to human rights in the preamble of the Paris Agreement and supporting the Lima Work Programme on Gender.
• The Republic of Korea has contributed to global climate governance by hosting the GCF Secretariat in Songdo and hosting the 48th Session of the IPCC, where the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was approved.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). 20 Years of the Environmental Integrity Group in Global Climate Governance. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/20-years-environmental-integrity-group-eig.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. 20 Years of the Environmental Integrity Group in Global Climate Governance. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/20-years-environmental-integrity-group-eig.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=20 Years of the Environmental Integrity Group in Global Climate Governance |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/20-years-environmental-integrity-group-eig.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022years, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{20 Years of the Environmental Integrity Group in Global Climate Governance}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/20-years-environmental-integrity-group-eig.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }