Catalysing Commitment on Climate Change

The negotiation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol constitutes a major political achievement. However, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

The key weakness of the international regime lies in its inability to gain traction: governments have so far failed to ensure that climate objectives are integrated in key policy areas, such as trade and development. Climate leadership therefore needs to be focused on creating synergies with other priorities and demonstrating the up-sides of climate protection.

This paper identifies what a leadership coalition of countries might do to improve international willingness to address climate change.