The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change started with a top-down legally binding Kyoto Protocol and ended up with a bottom-up ‘self-determined’ voluntary Paris Agreement, says Chandra Bhushan. As a result, nobody has the tools to drive global collective action to combat climate change. The author says that’s why emissions are at record levels. He recommends international ‘sectoral’ treaties to achieve real transition in energy, … [Read more...]
The EU’s climate strategy for Paris: recipe for another failure?
The European Commission has proposed a strategy for the Paris climate talks that includes the aim of achieving a “Paris Protocol”. According to Susanne Dröge and Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, this strategy does not take into account the new global context of the negotiations. They urge the EU to drop the word “protocol”, consider how to align the international process with internal EU … [Read more...]
Dutch court’s climate ruling may force other states to cut emissions – or else
States have a duty of care towards their citizens that the absence of a global climate treaty does not take away, argues Professor Arthur Petersen from University College London. A recent court ruling in the Netherlands sets a precedent for national judges to directly use climate science to find governments liable for inadequate action on climate change, he says. The ruling's biggest impact may be outside the Netherlands. … [Read more...]
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