The Durban Platform: Issues and Options for a 2015 Agreement
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (Dec. 2012)
15 Pages Posted: 26 May 2013
Date Written: December 2012
Abstract
The Durban Platform negotiations aim to develop a new climate change agreement by the end of 2015. This paper examines the key variables in the Durban Platform negotiations (legal form, structure, substance and process); the parameters imposed on the negotiations by the Durban Platform decision, the UNFCCC, and international law generally; the development of the existing climate change regime, which reflects both "top down and bottom up" elements; and the determinants of effectiveness. It then outlines three options for a Durban Platform outcome - an expanded Kyoto-like approach, a, "legalization of Cancun architecture" approach, and a multitrack approach. It concludes that, going forward, governments will need to draw on both top-down and bottom-up models to forge a more effective global agreement.
Keywords: Climate change, UNFCCC, International law, Durban Platform
JEL Classification: K32, K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation