Building International Climate Cooperation

The report analyzes the successes and failures of weapons and trade regimes to provide insights for climate negotiators aiming to limit global temperature increases to 1.5–2 degrees Celsius. It emphasizes that achieving a near-zero-carbon economy by 2050 requires sustained political engagement to resolve conflicts regarding cost, equity, and environmental rigor, specifically concerning emission targets, measurement standards, and verification mechanisms.

• Achieving the goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5–2 degrees Celsius relative to preindustrial levels requires a global transition to a near-zero-carbon economy by 2050, which no single country can accomplish independently.
• Effective international climate cooperation depends on sustained political engagement to resolve conflicts over cost, equity, and environmental rigor, particularly regarding three key areas: reduction targets and timetables, common emission measurement standards, and verification mechanisms for national actions.
• The report argues that the experience gained from managing weapons of mass destruction and multinational economic arrangements since the mid-20th century offers valuable insights for climate negotiators, despite those regimes not having fully solved their respective challenges.

APA

Bell, R. G. (n.d.). Building International Climate Cooperation. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/research/building-international-climate-cooperation

Chicago

Bell, Ruth Greenspan. Building International Climate Cooperation. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/building-international-climate-cooperation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bell |first1=Ruth Greenspan |title=Building International Climate Cooperation |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://www.wri.org/research/building-international-climate-cooperation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bellndbuilding, author = {Bell, Ruth Greenspan}, title = {{Building International Climate Cooperation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/building-international-climate-cooperation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }