The Power of Social Networks: How the UNFCCC Secretariat Creates Momentum for Climate Education

Nina Kolleck,Severin Sperzel,Helge Jörgens,Mareike Well

doi:10.1162/glep_a_00428

Abstract

Despite the relevance of education-specific negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the influential role of the secretariat therein, research in this area is still scarce. We contribute to closing this research gap by exploring how the UNFCCC secretariat becomes involved in and has latent influence on the education-specific debates surrounding global climate conferences and the related information exchange on Twitter. Our analysis extends previous findings by combining theories and methods in novel ways. Specifically, we apply social-network theory and derive data from participant observations and Twitter, which enables us to analyze the role and influence of the UNFCCC treaty secretariat within education-specific negotiations. We find that the secretariat increases its influence by strategically establishing links to actors beyond the negotiating parties and show that it occupies a central and influential position within the education-specific communication networks in UNFCCC negotiations.

Highlights

Despite the relevance of education-specific negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the influential role of the secretariat therein, research in this area is still scarce
We demonstrated that the UN climate secretariat possessed a potentially influential role and broker position, due to its relational position, connecting stakeholders from different subnetworks
The activities accompanying the ongoing negotiations and development of Article 6, which have steadily risen on the UNFCCC agenda, illustrate this influential role

Summary

Introduction

Despite the relevance of education-specific negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the influential role of the secretariat therein, research in this area is still scarce. Because of its low political saliency relative to other agenda items, CCE constitutes an issue area where a proactive and influence-seeking role for IPAs is most probable to materialize. In such a setting, we can expect government principals to relax control of the activities of international bureaucrats, thereby opening opportunities for autonomous action (Biermann and Siebenhüner 2009a, 335). Despite the relevance of education in international affairs and the crucial role that IPAs play in this regard, studies on the role of international secretariats at the interface between education and environmental policy have so far been

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