Climate Cooperation Research Articles

Improving Mechanisms for an Equitable Transition to Low-Carbon Development within the BRICS Framework

Nowadays transformational changes are going together with the need to address global environmental and climatic challenges. The BRICS member countries realize the need for a fair energy transition to lowcarbon development both within the association and globally.Aim. The objective of the research is to highlight the priority areas that BRICS member countries need to focus on to ensure an equitable and cost-effective transition to low-carbon development at the global level.Tasks. In order to achieve the objective of the study, it is necessary to analyze the components of the BRICS equitable low-carbon development agenda as well as its applicability at the global level.Methods. The research was conducted using the method of systematic analysis of a wide range of academic and empirical sources. The author adheres to a systematic scientific approach.Results. Through the analysis of key initiatives of the BRICS member countries, including legislative ones, five priority areas on which the BRICS needs to focus on to ensure a fair energy transition at the global scale are identified: removing discriminatory measures in multilateral trade, achieving food security and economic growth, facilitating non-discriminatory access to technology, promoting environment and climate cooperation, and enhancing the human resource potential of the energy sector.Conclusions. The author concludes by noting that such a BRICS sustainable development agenda is capable of initiating energy transition processes on a global scale.

How cooperative mindsets and course climate relate to the perceived impact of digital cooperation on learning in higher education

AbstractThis article in the journal “Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)” presents the results of a study examining one underlying mechanism of successful digital cooperation among students in higher education from a student perspective. We investigated whether and how students’ cooperative mindset and the climate in their university courses correlate with how they perceive the impact of digital cooperation on their learning outcomes. Data were collected using a questionnaire in different university courses at three universities, involving students from different study programmes and semesters. We conducted a mediation analysis that included students’ cooperative mindsets, the perception of the course climate, and the perception of the impact of digital cooperation on students’ learning outcomes. We found that students’ cooperative mindsets predicted their perception of the impact of digital cooperation on their learning. The cooperative mindset of students also predicted their perception of the course climate, which, in turn, predicted their perception of the impact of digital cooperation on their learning. Moreover, we found that the effect of students’ cooperative mindset on the perceived impact of digital cooperation on learning was mediated by the perception of the course climate. These findings suggest that highlighting the relevance of digital cooperation for learning outcomes can initiate a positive dynamic shaping students’ perceptions of their course climate and benefits of digital cooperation. Understanding these dynamics is crucial because cooperative group work in digital environments has become an integral part of teaching in higher education.

Investors reward countries for participating in climate agreements

International climate agreements are one of the best-known approaches to coordinating climate actions among governments but face a free-rider problem, where individual governments lack sufficient incentives to reduce emissions. This study examines the role of investors in providing rewards to governments through sovereign bond yields to encourage climate cooperation and reduce emission intensity. Using a difference-in-differences method, this study examines how sovereign bond yields change around the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The findings show that investors reward governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions with a 4 to 5 basis point decrease in sovereign bond yields. This suggests that investors better compensate countries making significant commitments to climate agreements, helping mitigate the free-rider problem and encouraging effective climate action.

The Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Collective Innovativeness Between School Climate and Job Satisfaction

<p style="text-align:justify">Since psychological satisfaction is influenced by the interaction between individuals and their environment, it is necessary to create a cooperative climate at the organizational level and strengthen collective innovativeness at the individual level to improve teachers' job satisfaction. Therefore, the study investigated whether collective innovativeness can be mediated by the school climate to enhance teacher job satisfaction. This study extensively examined survey data with a sample of 3,976 teachers in Shanghai through Structural Equation Modeling, obtained from Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The findings revealed that teachers' collective innovativeness served as a significant mediator between school climate and job satisfaction. Furthermore, higher levels of collective innovativeness among teachers amplified the influence of school climate on their job satisfaction. These findings show that schools should strive to foster a collaborative school climate and provide support for teachers in implementing innovative and collaborative teaching activities with the aim of enhancing their job satisfaction. Above all, efforts are needed to support teachers' active and cooperative practice capabilities in building teacher-student relationships.</p>

Environmental sustainability from the perspective of assets diversification: A comparative empirical analysis for developed and developing countries

Assets have an important role in sustainability discussions. The substitutability aspects of assets deal with weak and strong sustainability criteria. Weak sustainability enables substitutability between natural and man-made assets while strong sustainability requires the maintenance of natural resources and individual assets. In this respect, this study conducts a comparative empirical analysis of 126 developed and developing countries over the period 1995 to 2018 to investigate the significance of diverse assets such as natural capital, produced capital, human capital, and financial capital on environmental sustainability. Ecological footprint and biological capacity are used as detailed environmental sustainability indicators. The results based on the Fixed Effects Model and Generalized Method of Moments suggest that natural capital has a great potential for the environment and produced capital is environmentally unsustainable while human and financial capital have heterogeneous effects on the environment in developed and developing countries. The study also employs adjusted net saving (as an environmental sustainability indicator) and income group analysis for robustness checks. The findings of the study suggest that the protection of renewable natural capital, including its ability to regenerate is a core aspect of sustainability and the diversification of assets can reduce pressure on natural capital. Cooperative climate policies can enhance the benefits of investing in a diverse portfolio of assets and can help in achieving environmental sustainability.

The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty: Opportunities and Controversies

Abstract The Prime Ministers of Australia and Tuvalu signed an agreement creating the Australia-Tuvalu Faelepili Union on 9 November 2023. The agreement commits both States to a closer relationship and includes important provisions related to climate cooperation and security. As a small, low-elevation island State, climate change is recognised as Tuvalu’s primary national security concern. Through the agreement, Australia commits to Tuvalu’s continued sovereignty notwithstanding climate change-related impacts and to create a special human mobility pathway for Tuvaluan citizens to move to Australia. The agreement also provides that Tuvalu will mutually agree with Australia any arrangement with any other State or entity on security and defence-related matters. This is in keeping with Australia’s treaty arrangements with other neighbours in the Pacific region and has been seen as a counterweight to China’s growing presence in the region.

Climate Cooperation Disparities: An Analysis of the Global South’s Limited Participation in Intergovernmental Cooperation on Climate Change Mitigation

This working paper reveals a complex and fragmented landscape of intergovernmental cooperation on climate change mitigation efforts. Surveying ninety-three intergovernmental initiatives, on first glance, geographical participation appears broad. However, detailed analysis shows representation from the Global South is critically low across key sectors. This paper highlights how initiatives are largely dominated by developed countries and the top emitters from each sector, underscoring the opportunity for improved country participation from the Global South across key underrepresented sectors.

Do proactive peers inhibit employee innovative behavior? The roles of team cooperative climate and sense of power

Drawing on approach–inhibition theory and proactivity research, this study examines the potential dark side of peer proactive personality for employee innovative behavior by exploring the mechanism through which peer proactive personality hinders employee innovative behavior and the underlying boundary condition. To test the hypotheses, we conducted a three-wave field study using a nested dataset (i.e., 861 employees and their 122 leaders) in China and an experimental vignette study with a U.S. sample. The results supported our hypotheses that peer proactive personality has a negative effect on employee innovative behavior via reduced employee sense of power, depending on the level of team cooperative climate. This study shifts research attention from the focal employees' proactive personality to peer proactive personality and advances the proactive personality literature by highlighting the potential dark side of peer proactive personality.

A comparative review of methane policies of the United States and China in the context of US – China climate cooperation

ABSTRACT Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. The US and China are the world’s two of the largest methane emitters and jointly committed to tackling this global challenge in the US–China Joint Glasgow Declaration at COP26 in 2021. However, few studies have revealed the methane policy landscape in the two countries. Greater understanding of these policies and how they have evolved is critical for enhancing future actions. We addressed important research topics currently understudied, including the types of policy instruments used, the commonalities and differences between the two countries in their primary policy foci, and the evolution and driving forces of methane policies. This study conducted a comprehensive and comparative review of methane-related governance structures and policy frameworks in both countries. We performed policy mapping based on systematic and large-scale policy document collection and screening, followed by an in-depth review of the development of methane policies in both countries. This study found that both countries placed uneven emphases across sectors, with a notable focus on the energy sector. While the US showed a preference for regulatory policy instruments such as acts, rules and regulations, China primarily utilized planning instruments such as Five-Year Plans (FYPs), notices, and working guidelines. Additionally, methane policies in both countries were largely driven by safety, resource utilization, and pollution concerns rather than reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our study suggests that both countries should fill the policy gaps to accelerate their actions on methane mitigation and consider more climate-centric policies. It underlines the potential for US–China collaboration through the exchange of knowledge and best practices, which would also greatly advance global climate governance.

Factors influencing innovation competence among children and adolescents in China – A multilevel, cross-cohort study

Innovation competence is an essential core literacy skill for 21st century students. While some research exists on innovation competence in college students, there has been relatively little examination of the factors influencing this competence in children and adolescents aged 10 to 15. This study evaluated innovation competence among students from Suzhou, China, focusing on four key social and emotional skills: creativity, curiosity, cooperation, and responsibility. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development were utilized for this analysis. Hierarchical linear modelling was applied to analyze potential factors at both individual and school levels influencing innovation competence across family and school environments. We calculated a t-test statistic to compare factors between the two cohorts. Factors significantly influencing children and adolescents' innovation competence included socio-economic status, time spent engaging in online gaming, time spent browsing the Internet for information, and the perceived cooperative climate atschool. Gender significantly influenced only adolescents' innovation competence, while teachers' disruptive behaviors had an impact solely on children's innovation competence. Apart from time spent engaging in online gaming and browsing the Internet for information, the effects of other variables showed significant differences between the groups. The findings highlight the need for targeted support from families, schools, and society to foster students' innovation competence.

Bridges over troubled waters: Climate clubs, alliances, and partnerships as safeguards for effective international cooperation?

Driven by the motivation to raise the ambition level of climate action and to foster the transformation of economies, current climate policy discourse revolves around ways to improve cooperation between industrialized countries and emerging economies. We identify three broad types of initiatives—multilateral-cross sectoral, multilateral, sector specific, and climate and development partnerships—and assess them for potentials to deliver on such objectives with a specific focus on industry transformation. This paper provides new reflections on the institutionalization of international climate cooperation. Specifically, we demonstrate the urgent need to understand what values, norms, and underlying principles drive a cooperation in order to draw conclusions on how to best institutionalize climate cooperation rules.in-use. We conclude that an overemphasis on a CO2 price and on carbon border adjustment mechanisms, such as in the context of the initial proposals for a cross-sectoral climate club envisaged by G7 countries, would have contributed to a further polarization of the international landscape. We find, however, that multilateral, sectoral alliances play an important role for international goal setting and the convergence on standards, metrics, and benchmarks. Based on our analysis, we recommend strengthening multilateral, sector-specific partnerships. These can be focused on sectoral topics as a connector between countries, allowing for a strategically-aligned, increasingly deep collaboration. However, for any initiative to succeed, processes of international institutionalization will be needed in order to agree on rules for implementation based on aligned interests and equity. Building such institutions may well serve as a steppingstone toward more durable cooperation structures between developed economies and emerging economies. In sum, no existing cooperation approach is perfect, but three actions may be taken to move the agenda forward: First, reform of the carbon border adjustment mechanism and removing it from the center of climate club discussions, second, coupling sectoral alliances with climate and development partnerships, and three, designing them in a way to address fears of political influence seeking and superimposition of global north agendas on the global south.

Environmental co-benefits of climate mitigation: Evidence from clean development mechanism projects in China

The carbon reduction effects of climate mitigation have received much attention, but less attention has been paid to the co-benefits of climate mitigation such as air pollution reduction and related health impacts. This oversight may have led to an underestimation of the broader welfare effects of climate mitigation and thus hindering its progress in implementation. This paper investigates the co-benefits of climate mitigation through focusing on the pollution reduction effects of the implementation of the clean development mechanism (CDM), which is an important climate mitigation mechanism to enhance north-south climate cooperation. Using a unique firm-level dataset with data on China's CDM projects from 1998 to 2012, we show that the CDM implementation reduced sulfur dioxide emissions. Mechanism analyses show that the CDM implementation alleviated firms' financing constraints and promoted fossil energy savings, thereby reducing emissions of air pollutants that usually coexist with greenhouse gases in burning fossil fuels. We also find that the CDM didn't bring about the expected technological progress. These results highlight environmental co-benefits of climate mitigation and provide important implications for international climate cooperation

Contestation and Resilience in the Liberal International Order: The Case of Climate Change

Abstract This article examines contestation and change in the global climate change regime, considered as a suborder of the broader Liberal International Order (LIO). The extensive literature on the LIO has overlooked the important case of climate institutions. The article begins by establishing that the climate regime is indeed part of the LIO, considering both its institutional and ideational features. I then outline the most important episodes of contestation against the regime, led at different times by the United States and emerging powers in the developing world, and note that the sources of contestation were partly endogenous to the regime itself. Despite persistent political challenges and the slow progress of global climate cooperation, the climate regime has remained largely intact and resilient. I explain this outcome by pointing to institutional design features and strategies that allowed the suborder to absorb and accommodate contestation before it escalated, including the nonbinding approach to commitments reflected in the Paris Agreement. The article concludes with a discussion of broader lessons for the LIO and for the design and effectiveness of climate institutions.

The influence of employees’ regulatory focus on knowledge hiding behavior

BACKGROUND: Knowledge sharing is a prerequisite for organizational success, while knowledge hiding is often detrimental to organizational development. OBJECTIVE: Drawing upon regulatory focus theory and interactionism, this research aims to investigate how regulatory focus influences employees’ knowledge hiding and the moderating role of cooperative climate. METHODS: Data were collected through a time-lagged survey of 320 full-time employees enrolled in a professional training program at a Chinese university. Confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive analysis, hierarchical regression analyses, and bootstrap analysis were some of the analytical techniques used. RESULTS: The results indicate that promotion focus has a positive impact on knowledge hiding, whereas prevention focus is negative to knowledge hiding. Furthermore, cooperative climate moderates the influence of regulatory focus on knowledge hiding. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to our understanding of the important role of employees’ regulatory focus on knowledge hiding behavior in the workplace.

Sino-Indian Climate Cooperation under Global Development Initiative: History, Challenges and Opportunities

In 2021, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative, and climate change is the key cooperation area of the initiative. Both China and India are developing countries and share many common interests in climate control, which has laid a solid foundation for climate cooperation between the two countries. Sino-Indian climate cooperation began in the 1990s and has gone through many stages, such as exploration, preliminary cooperation, and collaborative leadership. The two countries have conducted extensive cooperation in tackling climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and developing renewable energy, and have achieved fruitful results. However, China and India also face many challenges in climate cooperation, such as territorial boundaries and differences in economic development. Nevertheless, both sides are aware of their complementary advantages and common national interests, which has created favorable conditions for further deepening cooperation. On the whole, China and India have more opportunities than challenges in the field of climate cooperation; At the same time, the Global Development Initiative will inject new impetus into the cooperation between China and India in the field of climate change. Under the guidance of this initiative, China and India will further strengthen cooperation, jointly meet the challenges brought by global climate change, and promote the construction of a more sustainable and prosperous world.

Evolution of Cooperation among BRICS Countries in Global Climate Governance: From UNFCCC to the Paris Agreement

In the complex world of international negotiations, nation-states often navigate a spectrum of political relationships, from alliances and partnerships to competition and rivalry. Despite their diverse backgrounds and interests, the BRICS countries collectively constitute a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing upon the principles of neoliberal institutionalism, this study delves into the origins of the BRICS cooperation mechanism and its impact on climate cooperation among its member states. Our analysis traces the climate policies of BRICS nations since the inception of the UNFCCC in 1992, taking into consideration factors such as their level of economic development, environmental vulnerability, and the broader international political context. We argue that these three factors primarily shape the dynamics of alliance and partnership within BRICS regarding climate governance, although underlying competition may also influence collaborative efforts. This study aims to stimulate further theoretical discourse on the formation of political alliances within the context of global climate governance.

Cooperative school climates are positively linked with socio-emotional skills: A Cross-National Study.

Socio-emotional skills are critical to life outcomes such as achievement, well-being and job success. However, existing research has mostly focused on the consequences of socio-emotional skills, with less attention devoted to the role of school climate in the deployment of these skills. This study investigated the role of school climate in socio-emotional skills. More specifically, we investigated whether cooperative or competitive school climates are associated with students' socio-emotional skills. Our study utilized data from the OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, collected from 10 cities across nine countries. Participants were 60,985 students, including 31,187 10-year-olds (49.70% females) and 29,798 15-year-olds (51.6% females). We conducted multilevel structural equation modelling to test whether cooperative and competitive climates were associated with socio-emotional skills. These skills include five broad domain skills and 15 more specific skills: task performance (self-control, responsibility and persistence), emotion regulation (stress resistance, emotional control and optimism), collaboration (empathy, trust and cooperation), open-mindedness (tolerance, curiosity and creativity) and engaging with others (sociability, assertiveness and energy). Our findings indicated a positive relationship between a cooperative climate and socio-emotional skills. In contrast, the relationship between a competitive climate and socio-emotional skills was primarily negative. This study highlights the contrasting roles of cooperative and competitive climates in students' socio-emotional skills.

The Role of Collective Responsibility and Collective Commitment towards The Cooperation Climate and its Implications for Total Quality Management

<p>Total Quality Management (TQM) merupakan bentuk keterlibatan sumber daya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui TQM pada Lembaga Pendidikan, dan mengevaluasi strategi karena perubahan lingkungan. Desain penelitian adalah penelitian positivism (kuantitatif). Populasi penelitian adalah para guru ASN sekolah dasar di kota Cilegon. Tekmik sampling menggunakan teknik random sampling (acak) dengan google form. Teknik analisis data menggunakan alat analisis SEM. Hasil penelitian Total Quality Management (TQM) dipengaruhi oleh komitmen Bersama, dan iklim kerjasama. dan untuk menciptakan iklim kerjasama perlu ada tanggung jawab Bersama, dan komitmen Bersama. Simpulan, Inovasi TQM Lembaga Pendidikan melalui peran guru, peran kepala sekolah, dan peran komite sekolah.</p>

Выбросы парниковых газов по потреблению: от расчетов к политическим решениям

In national carbon emissions reduction targets as well as within the international climate change regime, production-based (or territorial) emissions are taken into account. Such accounting imposes the major responsibility for emissions on leading emerging economies where most of the carbon-intensive industries are allocated. It also provokes carbon leakage: stringent climate policies in one jurisdiction may lead to the reallocation of production and corresponding emissions to others where companies bear lower regulation costs. Consequently, asymmetry occurs. While most developed countries gradually reduce their emissions, they are simultaneously growing in emerging economies, with no significant progress in the mitigation of global climate change. This paper directs attention to an alternative way of emissions accounting – based on consumption. In this regard, emissions are attributed to the particular economy if they are embodied in goods consumed there regardless of where exactly these emissions are generated. This type of accounting supposes that emissions of major emerging economies are not their own choice but also the reflection of the international division of labour and the result of demand for carbon-intensive goods coming from major centres of consumption in developed countries. Regular calculation and disclosure of consumption-based emissions (along with production-based ones) and their gradual integration into the process of emissions reduction targetsetting would provide a new perspective on sharing responsibility for emissions, prevent carbon leakage and clearly demonstrate the need for international climate cooperation between exporters and importers of carbon-intensive goods, expand the scope of emissions under regulation, and give opportunities to countries to use the wider range of decarbonization tools. The latter would include those that involve the population in mitigation efforts and better link the price for carbon with the level of household consumption, which is important for coping with carbon inequality and promoting climate justice.

Strategic Climate Cooperation and Greenhouse Gas Price Coordination

Strategic Climate Cooperation and Greenhouse Gas Price Coordination