As one of the greatest challenges of our time climate change has introduced a new pivotal point in human development. Consequently, environmental governance and, more specifically, climate governance has become a matter of foreign relations in the 21st century. Climate change has the potential to amplify every crisis humankind faces, including population growth, strained water, food and other resources, and energy insecurity. The resulting need to impose limitations on the emissions of greenhouse gases and provide for adaptation strategies raises a multitude of political questions with a severe impact on the design and architecture of international agreements.
Climate diplomacy refers to the use of diplomatic channels and strategies to address the climate crisis and its impact on international relations. It involves negotiating and implementing climate-related policies, treaties, and agreements at the international level, as well as cooperation between countries and other stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and promote sustainable development.
In 2015, 196 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted the Paris Agreement, a legally binding framework for an internationally coordinated effort to tackle climate change. Achieving the 1.5C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement requires a quick de-carbonization of all sectors of our economy as well as enhanced carbon removals to balance emissions and sequestration of carbon in the second half of our century. The course will discuss how the Paris Agreement came about, and whether its architecture and implementation decisions are apt to facilitate ambitious mitigation and adaptation action.
The course will be given an introduction into the climate regime in the context of international environmental governance and discuss it against the backdrop of geopolitical developments.
- Kursleiter*in: Luisa Gottschalck
- Kursleiter*in: Milena Kubisch
- Kursleiter*in: Prof. Dr. Charlotte Streck