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

Climate Law

Volumn 6, Issue 1-2, 2016, Pages 91-108

  Van Asselt, Harro ^a,b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND   (Finland)

^b STOCKHOLM ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Compliance; equity; non state actors; Paris Agreement; transparency

Indexed keywords

EID: 84975193761     PISSN: 18786553     EISSN: 18786561     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1163/18786561-00601006     Document Type: Review

References (84)

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4. and Harro van Asselt et al., Assessment and Review UNder a 2015 International Climate Change Agreement (Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, 2015).
5. Paris Agreement, art. 2(1)(a).
6. Daniel Bodansky, The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law (Cambridge, ma: Harvard University Press, 2010), at 242. 6 Paris Agreement, art. 13.
7. See also UNFCCC, Decision 1/cp.21, 'Adoption of the Paris Agreement', FCCC/CP/2015/L.9/Rev.1 (2015), at para. 20
8. Decision 1/cp.21, at para. 20.
9. Decision 1/cp.21, at para. 100(a)(i).
10. Paris Agreement, art. 13(3).
11. Sébastien Duyck, 'mrv in the 2015 Climate Agreement: Promoting Compliance Through Transparency and the Participation of ngos', 8(3) Carbon and Climate Law Review 175 (2014).
12. See, for instance, in the context of the climate regime: Steinar Andresen and Lars H. Gulbrandsen, 'The Role of Green ngos in Promoting Climate Compliance', in Implementing the Climate Regime: International Compliance, edited by Olav Schram Stokke et al. (London: Earthscan, 2005), at 178-181;
13. Eric Dannenmaier, 'The Role of Non-state Actors in Climate Compliance', in Promoting Compliance in an Evolving Climate Regime, edited by Jutta Brunnée et al. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).
14. Per-Olof Busch, 'The Climate Secretariat: Making a Living in a Straitjacket', in Managers of Global Change: The Influence of International Environmental Bureaucracies, edited by Frank Biermann and Bernd Siebenhüner (Cambridge, ma: mit Press, 2011);
15. and Sikina Jinnah, Post-Treaty Politics: Secretariat Influence in Global Environmental Governance (Cambridge, ma: mit Press, 2014).
16. See, for instance, A. Dan Tarlock, 'The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Development of International Environmental Law', 68(1) Chicago-Kent Law Review 61 (1992);
17. Kal Raustiala, 'The Participatory Revolution in International Environmental Law', 21(2) Harvard Environmental Law Review 537 (1997);
18. Chiara Giorgetti, 'The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in the Climate Change Negotiations', 9(1) Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy 115 (1998);
19. Peter Newell, Climate for Change: Non-State Actors and the Global Politics of the Greenhouse (Cambridge University Press, 2000);
20. Farhana Yamin, 'ngos and International Environmental Law: A Critical Evaluation of their Roles and Responsibilities', 10(2) Review of European Community and International Environmental Law 149 (2001);
21. and Michele Betsill, 'ngos', in Research Handbook on Climate Governance, edited by Karin Bäckstrand and Eva Lövbrand (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2015).
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24. UNFCCC, 'Report of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation on its Twentieth Session, Held at Bonn from 16 to 25 June 2004', FCCC/SBI/2004/10 (2004), at para. 104. Submissions can be found at: .
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26. Harold K. Jacobson and Edith Brown Weiss, 'Assessing the Record and Designing Strategies to Engage Countries', in Engaging Countries: Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Accords, edited by Harold K. Jacobson and Edith Brown Weiss (Cambridge, ma: mit Press, 2000), at 545-546.
27. .
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29. Kenneth W. Abbott, 'The Transnational Regime Complex for Climate Change', 30(4) Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 571 (2012);
30. Jessica Green, Rethinking Private Authority: Agents and Entrepreneurs in Global Environmental Governance (Princeton, nj: Princeton University Press, 2014);
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33. Since 2010, UNEP has released annual reports specifying the emission gap. For the latest version, see UNEP, The Emissions Gap Report 2015 (Nairobi: UNEP, 2015).
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35. Angel Hsu et al., 'Towards a New Climate Diplomacy', 5(6) Nature Climate Change 501 (2015).
36. See Kornelis Blok et al., Climate Commitments of Subnational Actors and Business: A Quantitative Assessment of Their Emission Reduction Impact (Nairobi: UNEP, 2015);
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40. Several contributions have highlighted the importance of strengthening linkages between the UNFCCC and non-state action. See for instance: Kenneth W. Abbott, 'Strengthening the Transnational Regime Complex for Climate Change', 3(1) Transnational Environmental Law 57 (2014);
41. Thomas N. Hale and Charles Roger, 'Orchestration and Transnational Climate Governance', 9(1) Review of International Organizations 59 (2014);
42. Michele Betsill et al., 'Building Productive Links Between the UNFCCC and the Broader Climate Governance Landscape', 15(2) Global Environmental Politics 1 (2015);
43. Sander Chan et al., 'Reinvigorating International Climate Policy: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Nonstate Action', 6(4) Global Policy 466 (2015);
44. and Andrew J. Jordan et al., 'The Emergence of Polycentric Climate Governance and Its Future Prospects', 5(11) Nature Climate Change 977 (2015).
45. UNFCCC, Decision 2/cp.17, 'Establishment of an Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action', FCCC/CP/2011/9/Add.1 (2011), at para. 7.
46. For an analysis of parties' references to non-state actions, see Galvanizing the Groundswell of Climate Actions, 'unfccc Parties and Observers' Views on the Groundswell of Climate Actions' (2015), .
47. For the most recent version, see UNFCCC, 'Updated Compilation of Information on Mitigation Benefits of Actions, Initiatives and Options to Enhance Mitigation Ambition', fccc/tp/2015/4 (2015).
48. See .
49. Press briefing by Laurent Fabius , Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, President of cop21 (New York, 29 June 2015), .
50. Paris Agreement, preamble.
51. Decision 1/cp.21, at paras. 110-114.
52. Paris Agreement, art. 14(2).
53. Decision 1/cp.21, at para. 100.
54. OECD and Climate Policy Initiative, Climate Finance in 2013-14 and the usd 100 Billion Goal (Paris: OECD, 2015).
55. John Vidal, 'Paris Climate Talks: Indian Officials Accuse OECD of Exaggerating Climate Aid', The Guardian, 2 December 2015.
56. Paris Agreement, art. 14(3).
57. See, for instance, ActionAid et al., Fair Shares: Civil Society Equity Review of indcs (2015), .
58. Harro van Asselt, 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Enhancing Flexibility in International Climate Change Law', 45 Netherlands Yearbook of International Law 255 (2015), at 263.
59. UNFCCC, Decision 13/cp.20
60. For a discussion of reporting and review processes in the climate regime prior to Paris, see Alexander Zahar, International Climate Change Law and State Compliance (Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2015), at 28-62.
61. Decision 13/cp.20, at paras. 27-28.
62. UNFCCC, Decision 1/cp.16, 'The Cancun Agreements: Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action UNder the Convention', FCCC/CP/2010/7/Add.1 (2011), at paras. 44 and 63.
63. See also UNFCCC, Decision 2/cp.17, 'Outcome of the Work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action UNder the Convention', FCCC/CP/2011/9/Add.1 (2012), at paras. 23-31 and Annex ii (for iar);
64. Rosalind Reeve, Policing International Trade in Endangered Species: The cites Treaty and Compliance (Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2014), at 68-69.
65. UN Human Rights Council, Resolution 5/1, 'Institution-building of the United Nations Human Rights Council', A/hrc/res/5/1 (2007), Annex, at para. 3(m).
66. Paris Agreement, art. 13(3).
67. Meinhard Doelle, 'The Paris Agreement: Historic Breakthrough or High Stakes Experiment?', 6(1-2) Climate Law (2016).
68. UNFCCC, Decision 27/cmp.1, 'Procedures and Mechanisms Relating to Compliance UNder the Kyoto Protocol', FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3 (2006), Annex, at para. viii(4).
69. Francesca Romanin Jacur, 'Triggering Non-Compliance Procedures', in Non-Compliance Procedures and Mechanisms and the Effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements, edited by Tulio Treves et al. (The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press, 2009), at 380-381.
70. Claire Stockwell, 'The Kyoto Protocol Compliance Regime: Chapter One - The Only One?' (2011, on file with author).
71. Examples include the World Resources Institute ()
72. the Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency ()
73. Climate Action Tracker ()
74. Climate Interactive ()
75. the Climate Equity Reference Project ()
76. UNFCCC, 'Synthesis Report on the Aggregate Effect of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions', FCCC/CP/2015/7 (2015), at para. 208.
77. UNFCCC, Decision 1/cp.20, Lima Call for Climate Action, FCCC/CP/2014/10/Add.1 (2015), at para. 16(b).
78. UNFCCC, 'Global Response to Climate Change Keeps Door Open to 2 Degree C Temperature LimitNew UN Report Synthesizes National Climate Plans from 146 Countries' (2015), .
79. ClimateAnalytics et al., 'indcs Lower Projected Warming to 2.7°C: Significant Progress but Still above 2°C' (2015), .
80. Hon. Siaosi Ófa Ki Vahafolau Sovaleni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change, and Communications, The Kingdom of Tonga, on the Occasion of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st Conference of the Parties (cop21) and 11th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (cmp11), December 7, 2015, , at para. 8.
81. Niklas Höhne, Michel den Elzen, and Donovan Escalante, 'Regional ghg Reduction Targets Based on Effort Sharing: A Comparison of Studies', 14(1) Climate Policy 122 (2014).
82. Urgenda Foundation and 886 Citizens v. The State of The Netherlands, [2015] C/09/456689/ha za 13-1396. The judgment is available at .
83. Sara Stefanini, 'Next Stop for Paris Climate Deal: The Courts', Politico, 11 January 2016, .
84. Sander Chan et al., 'Strengthening Non-state Climate Action: A Progress Assessment of Commitments Launched at the 2014 UN Climate Summit' (London: lse, 2015).