In this article we examine the relationship between the institutional set-up of the EU foreign policy-making process and the international actorness of the EU in two particular cases: the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol. Whereas in both cases policy-making is organized along intergovernmental lines, the EU has shown a relatively high degree of international actorness. We argue that this is the combined result of the considerable congruence of EU Member States’ initial preferences and the social interactions between EU Member States, third countries and non-state actors, through which preferences converged even further over time.

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United We Stand? The European Union's International Actorness in the Cases of the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol*

The European Union's (EU) claims to be a leader in international climate policy are well known. Since the early 1990s, a rich and vibrant academic literature has analyzed the internal sources and international consequences of its leadership aspirations, especially in relation to the challenges of mitigation. More recently, attention has turned to adaptation policy. The literature highlights how policy actors have successfully exploited many of the opportunities afforded by the EU's ‘polycentric’ form, while minimizing its downsides, but that acute challenges lie ahead, particularly if a strong global-level framework remains elusive. It has continually underlined the fact that the EU's climate policy activities have enormous relevance well beyond European borders. Both in terms of its role as a driver of international policy and a source of transferable policy lessons on how to govern in ‘polycentric’ settings, appreciating the EU's experience is vital for those seeking to understand the governance of climate change, both within and between states. WIREs Clim Change 2013, 4:75–90. doi: 10.1002/wcc.205



For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

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The European Union: the polycentric climate policy leader?

This article analyses the extent of European Union (EU) actorness and effectiveness at the 15th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009 Although the EU has been characterised as a leader in international climate policy-making for some time, the COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen has overall brought about disappointing outcomes for the Union This casts doubts on EU actorness and effectiveness in this field We take the article by Jupille and Caporaso as a conceptual point of departure and then specify a more parsimonious actorness framework that consists of coherence and autonomy Effectiveness is conceptualised as the result of actorness conditioned by the �opportunity structure�, that is, the external context that enables or constrains EU actions We hold that EU actorness was only moderate, especially given somewhat limited coherence In terms of the opportunity structure, we argue that the strong involvement of other important actors with rather different positions adversely impacted on EU effectiveness, along with a high degree of politicisation that constrained the European Union�s ability to negotiate effectively

The European Union at the Copenhagen climate negotiations: A case of contested EU actorness and effectiveness

This article offers a review of research and policy on climate change in Portugal and is organized into three main themes: scientific knowledge and assessment of climate change; policy analysis and evaluation; and public engagement. Modern scientific research on meteorology and climatology started in Portugal in the 1950s and a strong community of researchers in climate science, vulnerabilities, impacts, and adaptation has since developed, particularly in the last decade. Nevertheless, there are still many gaps in research, especially regarding the economic costs of climate change in Portugal and costs and benefits of adaptation. Governmental policies with a strong emphasis on mitigation were introduced at the end of the 1990s. As greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise beyond its Kyoto target for 2012, the country had to resort to the Kyoto Flexibility Mechanisms in order to comply. Climate change adaptation policies were introduced in 2010 but are far from being fully implemented. Regarding public engagement with climate change, high levels of concern contrast with limited understanding and rather weak behavioral dispositions to address climate change. Citizens display a heavy reliance on the media as sources of information, which are dominated by a techno-managerial discourse mainly focused on the global level. The final part of the article identifies research gaps and outlines a research agenda. Connections between policy and research are also discussed. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. How to cite this article:

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Climate change research and policy in Portugal

https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/17341.pdf

Will OPEC lose from the Kyoto Protocol

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Eva Powroslo

Papers

Consensus Among Many Voices: Articulating the European Union's Position on Climate Change