Global Climate Governance Research Articles

The Urgency Of Carbon Accounting Based on Willingness to Pay Carbon Tax

Main Purpose - The research aims to understand human behavior that plays an important role in reducing CO2 emissions through the concept of WTP which is based on psychological factors, that cover self-esteem, mortality salience, and health consciousness along with demographic factors including income level, knowledge, education, and gender. Method - This study used a survey method, where data was collected through questionnaires that were distributed online to respondents with ages over 17 years. This study collected 150 respondents and data were analyzed using PLS-SEM.Main Findings - The results of the study show that the urgency to legitimize carbon taxes is seen as important by respondents. The average additional burden that respondents are willing to pay is Rp.25.000,- per month. Besides that, all psychological and demographic factors are proven can influence respondents' willingness to pay carbon taxes except for the relationship between income-WTP and self-esteem-health consciousness-WTP.Theory and Practical Implications - The results of this analysis provide insight into the strong will of individuals that can encourage individuals to pay for losses due to carbon emissions based on TMT which will help the regulator to legitimize the implementation of carbon accounting followed by formulating the carbon tax regulations comprehensively as part of global climate governance. Moreover, regulators can focus on the principles of improving the quality of human life rather than just technical issues.Novelty - This research helps to understand the WTP taxes associated with a psychological perspective within the TMT framework.

The political economy of fossil fuel production in the Post-Paris Era: Critically evaluating Nationally Determined Contributions

Fossil fuels account for approximately 86% of global greenhouse gas emissions over the last decade, yet the Paris Agreement makes no mention of fossil fuels. Still, fossil fuel-producing countries have incentives to plan for decreasing global demand if the Paris Agreement is successful. We assess how fossil fuel-producing states respond to these and other incentives. We compare the most recent Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of all available fossil fuel-producing countries and the European Commission (n = 70) to analyze how countries articulate policies concerning the production of fossil fuels. We then compare these components of NDCs with data on the scale, cost, and emissions intensity of countries' fossil fuel production. We find that despite some theoretical expectations to the contrary, most wealthy fossil fuel-producing countries have taken limited measures to plan for declining supply of fossil fuels in their NDCs, preferring instead to focus on production-related emissions. However, our study finds preliminary evidence that countries that rely on imports to supplement domestic production are more receptive to production decline than fossil fuel exporters. Our findings reinforce the need for attention to both production and consumption in global climate governance.

The Regime Complexes for Global Climate Governance

Climate change is a major challenge for human society in the 21st century and an important issue in the context of sustainable development governance. As the density of institutions in global climate governance increases, so does the potential for overlap and interaction between the various elements of institutions. The current global climate governance issue is no longer solely a state-centric governance model but presents a complex manifestation of a complex of mechanisms. Taking a global climate governance perspective, this paper finds that the institutional complex of global climate governance is shaped by internal factors, such as self-attribution, rights, and interest linkages. External factors include the rapid development of globalization and the non-governmental state of the international community. The internal logic of the institutional complex is based on the institutional fragmentation of multiple interested parties involved in the governance process and the interaction patterns of internal actors. The institutional complex of global climate governance has the following implications for policy-making: the strength of the institutional complex refers to the framework of decision-making; the flexibility of the arguments provides stakeholders with demands related to their interests and inspires different countries to join in the governance of global climate change.

Research progress and perspectives on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies in China and the USA: a bibliometric analysis.

Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology is an emerging technology with large-scale emission reduction potential and an essential component of the global response to climate change to achieve net-zero goals. As the two most important countries in global climate governance, it is necessary to review and examine the current status and trends of research in the field of CCUS in China and the USA. This paper uses bibliometric tools to review and analyze peer-reviewed articles in the Web of Science from both countries during 2000-2022. The results show a significant increase in research interest among scholars from both countries. The number of publications in the CCUS field in China and the USA was 1196 and 1302, respectively, showing an increasing trend. China and the USA have become the most influential countries in CCUS. And the USA has a more significant academic influence on a global scale. Furthermore, the research hotspots in the field of CCUS are diverse and differentiated.That is, China and the USA pay attention to different research hotspots or have different focuses in different periods. This paper also finds that new capture materials and technology development, geological storage monitoring and early warning, CO2 utilization and new energy development, sustainable business models, incentive policies and measures, and public awareness are critical directions for future research in the field of CCUS, to provide a comprehensive review and comparison of CCUS technology development in China and the USA. It helps to gain insight into the research differences and linkages between the two countries in the field of CCUS and identify the research gaps between them. And place some consensus that policymakers can use.

Mechanism analysis of the summer dry-wet interdecadal transition in the Tarim Basin, Northwest China

Using the ERA-5 monthly reanalysis data and precipitation observations, this paper analyses the interdacal dry-wet transition and its mechanism in the Tarim Basin(TB) during summer. From the long-term perspective(1961–2021), TB is in a trend of “wet in the west and dry in the east”. By taking a nine-year moving average of the precipitation(PRE), the research period is divided into three subperiods: P1(1961–1987), P2(1988–2009) and P3(2010−2021). From P1 to P3, the regional averaged Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index(SPEI) demonstrates an interdecadal turning of “wetting to drying”. During P2(1988–2009), the dynamic component of water vapor increases the zonal moisture transport, causing a slight increase in PRE. The potential evapotranspiration(PET) is weakened by the increase in PRE and relative humidity(RH), the decrease in 2-m temperature(T2m) and 10-m wind speed(10UV), resulting in the humidification of the TB. In the P3(2010–2021), the non-linear component of water vapor increases moisture convergence in the western TB, causing a significant increase in PRE. However, the decrease in RH, accompanied by increases in T2m and UV10, results in a rapid increase in PET. The TB gets dry. The South Asian high(SAH) develops southeastward, guiding more water vapor transport from the upstream westerly and the tropical Indian Ocean. The Western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH) extends northwestward, increasing water vapor convergence in the western TB. The main reason for the increased precipitation changes from increased water vapor advection to enhanced water vapor convergence. The differences in PRE formation and T2m amplitude cause the interdecadal change in RH, deriving an interdecadal transition of wet and dry in the TB. Our findings may deepen the understanding of climate change, and provide a scientific support for ecological development, and global climate governance in arid/semi-arid regions.

Strategic Thinking of Global Carbon Neutrality Process and the Routing of China

With the rapid spread of global energy crisis, it is urgent to realize the goal of zero-carbon energy revolution and carbon neutrality. From global perspective, developed countries and developing countries are at different stages of economic and social development. There are differences in progress in carbon neutrality laws and regulations, green technology development, and the large differences in policies and perceptions have led to imbalance and uncertainty in global carbon neutrality actions. On this basis, various parties all contribute to low-carbon and green development, while China faces many practical difficulties in achieving the carbon neutrality goal, which are reflected in higher difficulties than developed countries, improved energy security and transformation risks, insufficient core technology and innovation, and large funding gaps. Therefore, China can build a modern energy system, strengthen modern technology and independent innovation, improve the carbon emissions trading system, accelerate the optimization and upgrading of the whole industrial chain, and cultivate the public’s awareness of low-carbon consumption to help zero-carbon transformation. The role of China in global climate governance is changing, and it will provide Chinese solutions for the sustainable development of other countries and the realization of carbon neutrality goals.

International Climate Cooperation: A Case Study of China and India

Climate change has become one of the hottest global issues. As a worldwide public issue, climate change cannot be solved by a single nation. Only through international cooperation can it be resolved. This paper will take the cooperation between China and India, two emerging powers, as an example and discuss the cooperation between countries in the field of climate change through the case study method from the perspective of international cooperation in the Neoliberal institutionalism theory. Moreover, as two promising emerging powers, the research on China-India climate cooperation is of great significance to all developing countries and the entire international community. Neoliberal institutionalism theory emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and international institutions. In global climate governance, the shared interests of China and India, such as similar domestic conditions, have solidified into a basis for bilateral cooperation, and the international institutions are effective mechanisms to guarantee China-India cooperation. However, the climate cooperation between China and India is mainly confined to the signing of agreements, and there is still much room for further development of research and development cooperation in core technologies.

The Construction of Climate Leadership in the Rise of Great Powers: An Empirical Study of China

In this day and age, rethinking and rediscovering climate leadership within the international system is focal to global climate governance and the construction of leadership in the rise of great powers. This paper takes China - the biggest developing country and the second largest economy in the world - as an example to evaluate its leadership on the theoretical basis of Moral Realism. By analyzing Chinas climate policy, the author concludes that China is simultaneously establishing economic and political state leadership as a hybrid and humane authority international leadership. However, in-depth interaction mechanism between the two types of leadership needs further empirical exploration.

Comparison and Analysis on Energy Governance Models of Global Major Powers

Currently, the world is facing major changes that have not occurred in a century, and global energy governance has undergone significant new changes. The energy development trends of global major powers were clarified in the Paper by studying and judging the changes in the global energy consumption structure. The performance evaluation index system for major powers on their participation in global energy governance was constructed, so that the comprehensive comparison and analysis was conducted for the participation of eight countries, including China, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and India, in global energy governance from four dimensions of economic, technological, social, and political. Generally, the United States has the highest overall performance score in participating in global energy governance, followed by China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, with Russia and India in the third and fourth echelons respectively. The cooperation with major economies on green governance can be strengthened by China under the framework of the United Nations, the G20 and “the Belt and Road Initiative”, and a global climate governance pattern of joint consultation, construction and sharing will form, so as to maximize the effect of global climate governance.

The Homogenization of Urban Climate Action Discourses

Abstract The diversification of actors in global climate governance may entail risks, but it is also linked to enhanced democratic performance and opportunities for innovation. To what extent has this diversification fostered a parallel multiplication of perspectives in urban climate policy? To answer this question, we analyze the evolution of urban narratives based on 463 international policy documents issued between 1946 and 2020. Our analysis shows that, instead of leading to diversification, the proliferation of actors is accompanied by a growing homogenization of urban narratives. Language appears to become progressively uniform across organizations and over time, with approaches emphasizing multi-actor governance, integrated planning, and co-benefits becoming dominant. Three factors explain this homogenization. First, actors with a long history of involvement in international development exert a significant amount of influence. Second, there is a tendency toward language harmonization in international policy. Third, urban climate narratives stabilize through association with broader policy paradigms. In conclusion, the diversification of actors in international climate policy is mediated by processes of narrative alignment, which foreclose possibilities for divergent thinking.

Linguistic polyphony in UN speeches on climate change: an analysis of implicit argumentation

ABSTRACT This study employs quantitative and qualitative methodologies mainly to examine how UNFCCC Executive Secretaries use concessive but-constructions and linguistic polyphony to implicitly argue points of view and convey stance in speeches on climate change. Our findings indicate that, in order to achieve its goals for global climate governance while adhering to humanitarian and diplomatic principles, UNFCCC speeches delivered to the Parties to the Convention and the Stakeholders emphasize the urgent need for concerted action on climate change while implicitly expressing discontent and mild criticism of various Parties and Stakeholders for failing to do their fair share in support of such action. This style of discourse aims to promote group unity, solidarity, and transparency while minimizing the possibility of offending any Parties or Stakeholders. Nevertheless, given the urgency of addressing climate change challenges, we advise that UNFCCC speakers utilize more explicit linguistic methods that exert more direct pressure on specific Parties or Stakeholders who fail to assume their share of responsibility. In addition, we suggest that the UNFCCC focus on enabling the implementation of practical actions to limit the effects of global warming, while continuing to urge affluent countries to provide developing countries with much-needed financial and technological help.

Institutional outcome at the subnational level – Climate commitment as a new measurement

This paper presents the concept of climate commitment for measuring institutional effectiveness in global climate governance at the subnational level. The research scope is limited to a top-down perspective and the outcome dimension of institutional effectiveness. It considers the multi-level governance theoretical approach to assess subnational governments' behavior in global climate governance and defines subnational governments as the level between the national government and cities/municipalities. Climate commitment stands on two dimensions: governance processes and greenhouse gas emissions trajectory. The principal component analysis statistical method examines the climate commitment variables' behavior and the results for Brazilian subnational units (26 states and the federal district). The research's contribution offers an alternative approach to subnational actors' role in global climate governance architecture and an alternative model for policy design.

The Logic and Practice of "Carbon Neutrality" to Promote a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality are the necessary choice to solve resource and environmental problems and realize the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, but also China's commitment to build a community of shared future for mankind. Carbon Neutral is the solution to global climate governance, and the inevitable trend to promote the construction of a community of shared future for mankind. Carbon Neutral is to promote green and low carbon, and a development opportunity to promote scientific and technological innovation. To promote the construction of the global climate governance system, promote global sustainable development, and achieve the goal of a community with a shared future for mankind, and further clarify the goal of carbon neutrality and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. By summarizing the theoretical logic of carbon neutral and carbon peak action for promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, the practical path of carbon peak and carbon neutral action in the future is discussed.

Progress and prospects of international carbon peaking and carbon neutral research –based on bibliometric analysis (1991–2022)

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality is an important strategic measure to tackle climate change and is of great significance to global climate governance, human development, and scientific and technological progress. In this paper, we used 3,824 papers in the core collection of Web of Science from 1991 to 2022 as a sample, and used bibliometric analysis and CiteSpace, a visual knowledge network analysis tool, to sort out the current status of international carbon peak and carbon neutrality research in terms of publication trends, temporal distribution, spatial distribution, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and research basis. And then the current hot topics of research are explored,including carbon neutralization technology, climate policy impact and performance evaluation, carbon pricing and carbon finance, citizen participation attitude and behavior, and climate governance and global cooperation. Research prospects have been presented in terms of four aspects: building the integrated research framework of carbon peak and carbon neutral research, establishing a comprehensive and efficient environmental policy system, expanding research cooperation, deepening research and application of carbon peak carbon-neutral technology.

Trumpism and the rejection of global climate governance

This paper explains the ideational foundations of Donald Trump’s rejection of global climate cooperation and its implications for the future of global climate governance. We argue that Trumpism’s antipathy is a fundamental normative challenge to the key ideas that underpin global climate cooperation. Here we explore two specific norm contestations: (1) Collective action versus extralegal sovereignty, and (2) Common but Differentiated Responsibility versus fairness-as-reciprocity. Trump’s aggressive norm rejections are quite novel. His rejection of climate politics in particular and his desire to return to a status quo ante in world politics, positions him as a distinct type of actor in the spectrum of norm contestation – a reactionary norm entrepreneur. We contribute an ideational explanation of Trumpism’s rejection of global climate cooperation by identifying the fundamental clash of ideas and his role as a reactionary norm entrepreneur within the broader framework of global climate governance. It offers a case study in a high-profile instance of norm contestation and its implications for the survival of the global climate change regime.

The onset of BRICS cooperation on climate change: material change, ideational convergence and the road to Copenhagen 2009

What explains the convergence among Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) on climate change? While Brazil, India, China and South Africa caught attention due to their economic dynamism in the 1990s and accelerating momentum as of the early 2000s, Russia progressed to increase its influence in the twenty-first century. This shift in the material capabilities of BRICS has increased their significance in global climate governance. Merging governmentality and social constructivist approaches, this article argues that material changes in the post-Cold War period led Brazil, India, China and South Africa to experience a change in their ideational framework, repositioning themselves at the international level, recognising new responsibilities, and reaching a common point on the road to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009. Therefore, they went through a convergence process, bringing them closer to Russia, whose position invited major developing states to take tangible actions for emissions reduction. This process of convergence marked the onset of the future BRICS partnership on climate change.

Rescuing the Paris Agreement: Improving the Global Experimentalist Governance by Reclassifying Countries

The Paris Agreement design follows the Global Experimental Governance mode, which once achieved success in ozone protection. However, the implementation of the Paris Agreement encountered difficulties, as it inherited the traditional dichotomy country classification established at the 1992 Rio Summit. Still, over time, the capability and motivation in Annex I and non-Annex I countries developed so differently that incentive and constraint policies do not encourage more ambitious mitigation commitments using the previous classification. For this reason, according to a country’s capability and motivation, this research divided these countries into four categories: Leader, Reserve Force, Waverer, and Obscurity, and proposed a potential climate action roadmap for different types of countries to mobilize their internal forces by dynamically classifying a country’s character and to improve overall global climate governance.

Spatiotemporal pattern and influencing factors of regional carbon emission efficiency: an empirical analysis of Jiangsu Province in China

Abstract Jiangsu Province is not only a large province in terms of carbon emissions but also a pioneer in pursuing the goal of carbon neutrality. Improving carbon emission efficiency (CEE) is the key to lowering carbon emissions. Therefore, exploring CEE is of significance for balancing economic growth and successfully cutting carbon emissions. Based on the measurement of CEE in Jiangsu Province from 2008 to 2020, this paper explores its spatiotemporal pattern and influencing factors to propose corresponding policies. The results are as follows. (1) From 2008 to 2020, the CEE of Jiangsu Province exhibited a fluctuating increase, reaching 0.894 in 2020. The temporal variation trend of CEE in each region is consistent, whereas CEE in southern Jiangsu is greater. (2) The regional differences in CEE are evident. The low-high (LH) agglomeration region is mainly in northern Jiangsu, whereas the high-low (HL) agglomeration area is mainly in southern Jiangsu. (3) Technological progress is the primary way to raise CEE in Jiangsu Province, and the contribution of technical efficiency is relatively small. (4) The primary factors that promote CEE are economic growth and green technology progress, but environmental protection has an adverse effect. Therefore, all cities in Jiangsu Province should formulate carbon emission reduction policies that are in line with their development and provide a successful reference for regional green and low-carbon development and global climate governance.

Does carbon emission of firms matter for Bank loans decision? Evidence from China

In the context of global climate governance, greater carbon emissions of enterprises often result in a higher potential risk of environmental violations. Taking the non-financial companies listed in China from 2008 to 2018 as research samples, this paper empirically examined the impact of firm carbon emission on their acquisition of new bank loans and its mechanism of action. This paper empirically finds that if the carbon emission of an enterprise is higher, it will be granted with less new bank loans. The results remain robust after pairing analysis and instrumental variable analysis. The mechanism analysis shows that corporate credit rating plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between corporate carbon emission and new bank loans. Carbon emission leads to the improvement of earnings management of enterprises and the significant decline in the conservatism and comparability of accounting information, which is likely to be an important channel for the reduction of corporate bank loans. Upon further analysis, we find that the carbon emission of enterprises will not significantly affect the cost of acquiring bank loans, but it will significantly reduce the loan term structure. The cross-sectional analysis shows that the effect of carbon emission on new bank loans is more obvious in state-owned listed enterprises, enterprises with high internal control quality and enterprises with strong environmental law enforcement. The research results of this paper enrich the research on the economic consequences of carbon emission, reveal the implementation effect of green credit policies, provide empirical evidence for bank credit to play a role in green governance, and promote enterprises to actively reduce carbon emission.

Conference of the Parties Meetings as Regularly Scheduled Critical Events for Global Climate Governance: Reflecting on COP 26 and the Glasgow Climate Pact

In this commentary, we reflect on COP26, its outcomes, and the UNFCCC processes. While the value and results of COP meetings are often contested by researchers and activists, we highlight three areas that deserve more attention in post-COP assessments. First, the COP process creates an arena where state leaders, researchers, climate activists, and private actors regularly meet, which facilitates cooperation over time. Second, COP meetings are sites of parallel multi-level games that often result in bilateral or multilateral side agreements or initiatives. Third, COP meetings are regularly scheduled critical events, where social movements and civil society actors shape the public discourse around climate change. Our brief analysis illustrates there is still an urgent need for COP meetings as spaces that provide transparency for global climate governance, as well as media and public visibility for civil society voices, which would otherwise be lost.