Is Global Good?

“It is all about politics. Climate change is the hardest political problem the world has ever had to deal with. It is a prisoner’s dilemma, a free-rider problem, and the tragedy of the commons all rolled into one”

This quote from the Economist explicitly links politics with climate change and indeed, the two frequently cross paths. Climate policy is an increasingly prominent topic within foreign policy, yet is also one of the most contentious. In light of this, and in preparation for next week, I want to take a quick look at whether international bodies really are the best way forward. 
Criticism of such bodies often centre around their lack of sovereign power to implement agreements. It is therefore essential that they are self-enforcing, failing in this and they risk non-compliance. Furthermore, global agreements are often hindered by the ‘slowest boat’ rule, as universal approval is needed for risk of losing legitimacy. Therefore, they must bend to the will of those nations dragging their feet on climate action, raising the question of whether smaller multilateral, bilateral or even national efforts are more effective. 
Alongside these concerns, ethical issues of  international and intergenerational equity are inherent in climate negotiations, as often the nations expected to suffer the most due to climate change are the smallest emitters. Not only is this blatantly unfair, but it also affects their influence in negotiations that are likely to significantly affect them. On top of this, the pressure of intergenerational justice, with future generations to be the ones affected by decisions made at global conferences, weighs heavily on negotiations.

Despite these complexities, global conferences are generally advocated by developing countries as they offer everyone a seat at the table. Such high participation provides an inherent legitimacy and raises public and political awareness of climate issues, often prompting action from non-government actors. Furthermore, global climate institutions are also often heralded as a neutral information source, one which can also monitor progress and highlight any free-riders within the system. Indeed, by targeting free-riders and aiming for ‘universal participation’, global agreements counter concerns surrounding the impact of climate policies on international competitiveness, often a sticking point in non-universal negotiations. Therefore, according to Rosen, climate change is ‘an entirely appropriate issue to be tackled through international regime building’.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is one such example of an international climate body. A product of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, it is now near-universal, having been ratified by 197 countries. The UNFCCC's ultimate aim is to achieve the “stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. The well known Conference of the Parties (COP), is the highest decision-making body within the UNFCCC, meeting annually at the (in)famous COPs that environmentalists have come to loathe and love.

In my next post, I'll be having a closer look at these COPs to see whether progress has or can be made at international climate negotiations.

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