The Future Climate Regime: A Regional Comparison of Proposals

In: International environmental agreements: politics, law and economics, Band 4, Heft 4, S. 307-326

Abstract

This paper compares & clarifies differences revealed in proposals from different regions on a future multilateral climate regime, after the year 2012. More than 100 articles in English were collected, categorized according to the lead author's region, & then reviewed to identify the general tendencies of each region. Proposals on emission allocation rules were the most popular in Europe, while rules related to international emissions trading dominated proposals from the United States. Few articles came from other Annex I countries, but these generally provided only the most basic aspects of a future regime. Meanwhile, concerns for equity & the relevance of any new regime in terms of sustainable development were clear in proposals from non-Annex I countries. Differences among regions were considered to be a reflection of current circumstances in each author's region. The capacity & culture of authors in some regions were considered to be other possible factors in differences. The paper concludes that recognition of regional background that formulate respective preferences & concerns regarding a future climate regime will be important to help reach a multilateral agreement in future official negotiations. 4 Tables, 117 References. Adapted from the source document.