The Rise of Transnational Networks in Climate Change Governance: A Study in Hybridity

Abstract

An array of public, private and hybrid mechanisms of climate change governance has developed alongside the public international law framework. This diffusion of climate governance necessitates a reconceptualization of the global response to climate change. This paper applies the methodological approach of transnational law to the development of a theory of transnational climate governance. The discussion is developed through an overview of climate networks both within and outside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and analysis of one such network: the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) of the UNFCCC’s Technology Mechanism. It is argued that the hybrid nature of the CTCN reflects broader developments in transnational climate governance. These developments may be further scrutinized by reference to the emerging concept of ‘transnational natives’.