Climate Summit Research Articles

Polityka klimatyczna jako niezależny element polityki zagranicznej Unii Europejskiej – wnioski dla Polski

Climate and trade diplomacy are the largest multilateral negotiation processes today, involving 196 and 164 countries respectively. Consequently, climate and trade policy are also the most internationalised areas of the European Union’s (EU) activity. Interestingly, both areas were developed in the EU outside the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In pursuing climate and trade policy, the European Commission has developed special mechanisms and procedures that are tailored specifically to its needs. While it is extremely difficult to agree traditional foreign policy decisions within the EU, climate diplomacy, often agreed by majority voting, is gaining importance with each new term of the European Commission. This study discusses the origins of EU climate policy and tries to answer the question of why it has gone beyond the scope of the institutional structure prepared under treaties to conduct foreign policy. This study also presents Poland’s place in global climate negotiations. The authors try to show why and how the Polish administration should use the existing, practical division of competences in European climate policy and the potential accumulated in the organisation of three global climate summits in a fairly short period of time. They try to prove that climate policy is and will remain an effective tool for building the state’s position in international diplomacy.

La relevancia del cambio climático en la prensa española: análisis comparativo de El País, El Mundo y ABC

Los estudios sobre la cobertura mediática del cambio climático son mayoritariamente diacrónicos o se centran en las cumbres mundiales del clima. Aquí analizamos la relevancia que otorgan al problema los tres diarios de pago más leídos en España mediante un análisis de contenido de sus versiones digitales durante todo 2017, año en que Donald Trump anunció su retirada del Acuerdo de París. Constatamos la influencia de la ideología de los diarios en sus coberturas; la prevalencia de los acontecimientos políticos internacionales en sus agendas y, dentro de ellos, el protagonismo indiscutible de Trump, por encima incluso de las cumbres; y una considerable presencia del cambio climático fuera de las secciones dedicadas al medio ambiente.

Amplifying the voice of youth through planetary health films

Amplifying the voice of youth through planetary health films

The Skin of our Teeth, by Ellen Geer Will

The Skin of our Teeth, by Ellen Geer Will

Banning Coal: A Modest Proposal for U.S.-China Climate Change Cooperation

The U.S. and China can and should reinvigorate global climate change action through a joint commitment to achieving (or approaching) carbon neutrality by 2045 in the run up to the next major international climate summit (COP26) in November 2021. Such a joint pledge would restore the constructive competition on climate change and clean technologies that emerged for a brief period around the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. As the harms of climate change (e.g., fires, glacial melt, extreme storm events, drought, sea level rise) become more apparent, aggressive action from the world’s two largest emitters is essential.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships in agricultural commodity supply chains and deforestation-free commitments in the Amazon: a delicate balance

Multi-stakeholder commitments to end deforestation have increased since the UN Climate Summit (UNCS) in 2014. Despite many agreeing to halve deforestation by 2020 and end it by 2030. Brazil is missing among the NYDF 2014 signatories. In this research, we discuss historical challenges, bottlenecks, and lessons learned about deforestation-free commitments at the local level, and the establishment of sustainable agricultural product supply chains. Through secondary research analysis and the review of Brazilian environmental legislation between 2011 and 2017, we examined the interactions and dependencies of the soy and beef supply chains that access productive territorial dynamics regarding these commitments, previously the many changes that occurred in Brazil with the new government, causing the dismantling of command and control policy and institutional frameworks in the Brazilian Amazon.

Brief Report: Public Awareness of Asperger Syndrome Following Greta Thunberg Appearances.

Thunberg's increased media attention coupled with her diagnosis-Asperger Syndrome (AS)-may foster help-seeking behaviors among those with similar psychiatric disorders. Using Google Trends data, we compared values of AS from the week of the UN Climate Summit through the end of the year compared to an ARIMA model predicting search interest had Thunberg not been in the media. The search trend for AS at peak was 254.07% higher than predicted and was on average 10.61 points above the projected model during this time. As the primary goal of AS intervention focuses on improving quality of life and preventing common comorbidities such as depression and anxiety, capitalizing on increased public interest in AS and help-seeking behaviors is imperative.

La cobertura de la Cumbre del Clima Chile Madrid COP25 en los informativos de la radio española

En pleno debate sobre la gravedad de la crisis climática y en un contexto geopolítico global convulso, Madrid albergó en diciembre de 2019 la Cumbre del Clima. Esta investigación analiza la cobertura que realizaron de la COP25 las cuatro cadenas radiofónicas españolas de mayor audiencia: Cadena SER, COPE, Onda Cero y Radio Nacional de España. Para ello, se ha realizado un análisis de contenido de los informativos de ámbito nacional que las cuatro cadenas emitieron desde el inicio hasta la finalización de la Cumbre. Los principales objetivos son, describir los aspectos formales de la cobertura, establecer los temas que prevalecen y determinar el protagonismo que tuvo la Cumbre en la radio española en los informativos. La investigación revela que la radio, contrariamente a lo que concluyen otros estudios centrados en la prensa, la televisión y los medios digitales, concedió una gran importancia a la Cumbre de Madrid tanto en tiempo –en minutos de emisión– como en la posición en parrilla de las informaciones sobre el foro. Además, los resultados del estudio revelan un mayor protagonismo de los temas políticos, especialmente en lo relativo a la negociación entre los países participantes, frente a los asuntos vinculados con lo científico y lo social.

Stakeholders y outcomes no intencionados en la comunicación estratégica

Los resultados no deseados de las acciones de comunicación se conocen como outcomes no intencionados según los modelos de evaluación más extendidos. La medición de estos outcomes adquiere enorme relevancia en tanto pueden representar efectos adversos para los grupos de interés (stakeholders) que están vinculados a la organización: esta correlación pone en peligro los objetivos comunicativos y puede impactar negativamente en la actividad. En este artículo se analiza el resultado no deseado de una acción de comunicación estratégica. De manera más específica, se propone un análisis de contenido de la aparición de críticas en los medios a las políticas engañosas sobre compromiso medioambiental (greenwashing) durante la celebración de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático (COP25) realizada en Madrid en 2019. A través de la observación cuantitativa de la cobertura mediática y la cuantificación de las variables extraídas, se llega a definir la verdadera implicación mediática de la perspectiva del greenwashing y, específicamente, su afectación en los potenciales stakeholders.

Issues in Australian Foreign Policy July to December 2019

Issues in Australian Foreign Policy July to December 2019

Más política y Greta que ciencia y oenegés: los protagonistas de la Cumbre del Clima de Madrid según la radio española

Madrid fue el escenario de la Cumbre del Clima 2020, en la que participaron más de 25.000 personas. En un contexto en el que la cuestión climática se ha convertido en una de las principales preocupaciones de la sociedad, esta investigación analiza quiénes fueron los actores protagonistas de la Cumbre, según la radio española. El estudio revela que las principales cadenas radiofónicas conceden un gran protagonismo a la clase política, mientras que apenas se interesan por el colectivo científico, y que la activista sueca Greta Thunberg goza de una presencia casi idéntica a la del resto de agentes sociales en conjunto.

Introspecting Gender Concerns in National Action Plan for Climate Change of India

The climate sceptics faltered at COP21 Paris summit after climate change was accepted as a real threat. An agreement across tables on historical ‘polluters pay’ principle shifted the burden of curbing the emissions on developed economies. However, gender concerns were conspicuous by their absence in all agreements. Mary Robinson, a UN envoy at the summit precisely pointed out that Paris climate summit’s gender imbalance with substantial male domination is inimical to taking appropriate action to save people from climate change risks. The research shows a poor track record with minimum or no presence of women representatives in any breakthrough deal and discussion. There is a tendency to avert their voices and concerns in any stamped deals done by governments and organisations at international, national, sub-national levels. Despite such gender omission, the policy discourse carries an inherent assumption of gender neutrality while designing adaptation and mitigation efforts in averting climate-related stress. This paper is an attempt to unravel such ungendered tendency, by a critical examination of the National Action Plan for Climate Change in India to bring out an apparent masculinisation of the policy discourse.

Positioning as Normative Actors: China and the EU in Climate Change Negotiations

AbstractThis article focuses on the communication tools employed by the EU and the People's Republic of China to project themselves as normative actors and their construction of specific role conceptions in the context of global climate change negotiations. The empirical spine of the article consists of a discourse analysis of 134 documents released by the EU and China on the issue of climate change and climate change negotiations between the 2008 Copenhagen and the 2015 Paris climate summits. The findings are that both the EU and China go to great lengths to position themselves as responsible global citizens, employing relatively consistent framing devices. Not only are the findings interesting when it comes to EU and China identity‐building as foreign policy actors; they also hint at more generic parameters along which the role of normative actor is constructed.

It's economic size, stupid! How global advocacy mirrors state power

AbstractNumerous empirical studies suggest that global interest communities are heavily biased in favor of wealthier countries. This research note critically reviews these works suggesting that they (i) lack a benchmark to assess the biased nature of global interest communities and (ii) conflate the concepts of “wealth” (based on GDP per capita) and “economic power” (based on GDP) into one analytical category. As a corrective to these problems, we compare variation in global interest group mobilization across countries to the size of these countries' national economies. Relying on an original dataset mapping interest groups communities at the World Trade Organization (1997–2012) and the United Nations Climate Summits (1997–2011), we show that (i) global interest representation almost perfectly reflects differences in countries' relative economic power and (ii) contrary to the conventional wisdom, wealthier countries are, relative to their economic size, actually underrepresented in global interest communities.

Alternative globalities? Climatization processes and the climate movement beyond COPs

To provide a global answer to a global problem, the climate change movement (CCM) has long organized itself around international organizations and summits. However, waning trust in a multilateral answer to climate change has motivated many in the CCM to abandon their traditional focus on UN climate summits (COPs) and to rely increasingly on decentralized actions and organizing. This fundamental transformation of the CCM has remained understudied. An important emerging question is what role global aspirations still play and how a ‘global’ CCM can be organized independent of the ‘globality’ provided by COPs. This article draws on interviews, observations and document analyses around and after the COP21 climate summit (Paris 2015) to offer an exploratory analysis of some of the main goals and efforts to construct alternative ‘globalities’. The findings depict both strengths and limitations of these strategies, which inform suggestions for future research.

Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience

ABSTRACTClimate change is a critical crisis of our time and a difficult challenge for museums to address in their respective communities. The Wild Center's Youth Climate Program offers an example of how one museum is working with high school students as partners to advance climate change action in schools and communities to build climate resilience. Through convening Youth Climate Summits, museums can engage and empower youth, creating in them a sense of agency and self-efficacy, enabling them to have a wide impact on their spheres of influence. The program's demonstrated success has been replicated and scaled not only in museums, but also colleges, universities, public and private schools, and other non-profits, creating a network of youth collectively acting on climate change.

La cobertura de la Cumbre del Clima Chile Madrid COP25 en los informativos de la radio española

Under discussion about the severity of the climate crisis and in a turbulent global geopolitical context, Madrid hosted the Climate Summit in December 2019. This research assess the coverage of the COP25 of the four Spanish radio stations with the highest audience: Cadena SER, COPE, Onda Cero and Radio Nacional de Espana. For this, a content analysis of the national news programs that the four channels issued from the beginning to the end of the Summit has been carried out. The main objectives are to describe the formal aspects of the coverage, establish the prevailing themes and determine the prominence of the Summit in Spanish radio in the radio news. The investigation reveals that radio, contrary to what other studies focusing on the press, television and digital media conclude, attaches great importance to the Madrid Summit both in time and in the position on the grid of information on the forum. In addition, the study reveals a greater prominence of political issues, especially in relation to the negotiation between the participating countries, compared to issues related to the scientific and social.

Time to change course on climate

Summary The 25th annual climate conference marks a quarter of a century of humanity failing to do enough to avert a climate catastrophe. Although a wave of climate strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests has brought the issues to the forefront, experts warn that the pledged reductions are insufficient. A backlash from short-term corporate interests and populist politics could threaten even what little progress has been secured so far. Michael Gross reports.

What may we hope for? Education in times of climate change

What may we hope for? Education in times of climate change

Comments: Environmental Headwinds

Editor's column Sustainability and environmental issues played a key part in the content at two of SPE’s recent major conferences. Offshore Europe was held in Aberdeen in September and the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) took place for the first time in Canada in late September-early•October. Days before the ATCE conference began, activists held rallies around the world, including in Canada, demanding action on climate change, and the issue has risen to the forefront of political campaigns in Europe and the US. Three presidential candidates in the US have promised to “ban” hydraulic fracturing for environmental reasons if elected, although not offering specifics. At the United Nation’s climate change summit in September, more than 100 international banks pledged to decrease investment in the oil and gas sector because of the issue. The bankers promised to support full implementation of the Paris climate agreement and increase investments in renewables in lieu of hydrocarbons. The oil and gas industry is paying attention, as government and financial scrutiny of it increases and as public momentum for environmental regulation grows. But the scrutiny comes at a time when global energy consumption also is increasing, particularly in developing counties. Even with increased support for renewable forms of energy, oil and gas will play a major role in meeting world demand for years to come. At the same time the climate summit was taking place, the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI)—a CEO-led group representing international and national oil companies—met in New York and announced further plans to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and support the goals of the Paris agreement. The group outlined a proposal to encourage investment in carbon capture and storage, and reported progress toward its goal of reducing industry methane emissions. OGCI said its member companies met its “methane intensity target” by cutting intensity 9% in 2018. It is now working to reduce carbon intensity in upstream operations by 2025. Members of the OGCI include ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, Total, Equinor, Occidental, Eni, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Petrobras, and CNPC. Both individual companies and other organizations are also taking steps to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint. During the Offshore Europe conference, The Oil & Gas Technology Centre announced it will create with industry a Net Zero Solution Centre to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies to de carbonize offshore operations and develop the UK continental shelf as the first global net zero oil and gas basin. The center is backed by several companies, including BP, Shell, Total, and Equinor. Much of the industry’s response hangs on the viability of carbon capture, utilization, and storage. The International Energy Agency describes it as one of the only technology solutions that can significantly reduce emissions across key industries. An article beginning on page 24 of this issue outlines the industry’s progress in this initiative and the challenges to be met.