International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World

The document reflects on the transition of international climate change law to a 'bottom-up' approach under the Paris Agreement. It highlights the uncertainty regarding how the agreement's 'ratcheting mechanism' will ensure that parties meet the goals of limiting global temperature increases to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. The author argues that the design of review processes is critical for the treaty's success and suggests that this new legal architecture allows for a broader understanding of international law's functions beyond the mere enforcement of legal obligations.

• The Paris Agreement is recognized as a treaty under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and contains legally binding obligations, yet it remains uncertain if the 'ratcheting mechanism' will successfully lead parties to achieve the goals of holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
• The shift toward a bottom-up legal architecture—where 'contributions' replace 'commitments' and 'facilitation' replaces 'enforcement'—provides an opportunity to explore the functions of international climate change law that extend beyond ensuring compliance with legal obligations.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2016). International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World. https://www.sei.org/publications/international-climate-change-law-in-a-bottom-up-world/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World. 2016. https://www.sei.org/publications/international-climate-change-law-in-a-bottom-up-world/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World |date=25 March 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/international-climate-change-law-in-a-bottom-up-world/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2016international, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/international-climate-change-law-in-a-bottom-up-world/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }