Assessing 'Good' Carbon Governance in the European Union and United Kingdom

Abstract:     
The catastrophic consequences of climate change pose ecological and humanitarian challenges on an unprecedented scale. In response, multilevel structures of governance are emerging at the international, regional and national levels. One such example is the market-based Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an international regime which is implemented at the national level (largely by the private sector). With the international (and national) frameworks for ongoing climate change action currently under review for further development, now is an appropriate time to consider this ‘new mode’ of governance and, with a view using experience to date to inform future developments, develop ways to assess it.

Using the CDM as a case study in ‘carbon governance,’ this research explores the nature of ‘good’ carbon governance worldwide. The conceptual framework employed uses an interdisciplinary study of regimes to deconstruct the separate yet interconnected ‘carbon regimes’ which govern the CDM; given that clean energy projects constitute the majority of projects registered under the CDM, the research focuses on governance structures linked to clean energy.

This paper is one of five working papers exploring carbon governance at the national level. The common analytical approach adopted for each paper is outlined in Working Paper No. 1; this conceptual framework is then applied to the European Union and United Kingdom as Annex 1 nations (in Working Paper No. 2), in addition to China (Working Paper No. 3), India (Working Paper No. 4) and Brazil (Working Paper No. 5) as the dominant host nations in the CDM market. Thus, the legal and policy space occupied by carbon governance is mapped and assessed against four conceptual elements: theoretical effectiveness, the extent to which regimes enable investment, the extent to which regimes promote ‘climate justice’ (through sustainable development), and the level of cooperation between regimes.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 39

working papers series