The Role of Non-State Actors in Reviewing Ambition, Implementation, and Compliance Under the Paris Agreement

Abstract

Non-state actors will play a unique and crucial role in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Although much of the focus in the run-up to Paris was on mitigation commitments and actions taken by those actors, this essay focuses on another valuable contribution: to hold the Parties to their obligations under the Paris Agreement. Specifically, it argues that, while the formal avenues for non-state actor participation in review processes – seen here to encompass the review of implementation, compliance and effectiveness – remain limited, there are several other ways in which non-state actors can be, and already have been, influential.

Keywords: climate change, compliance, international law, non-state actors, Paris Agreement, transparency UNFCCC

JEL Classification: K32, K33