Climate Change and the Future of International Order

Abstract

On the basis of the scientific consensus on the dangers of climate change, this issue emerged as a partial order in the 1990s and was developed as an international regime in five phases. This chapter analyzes how the functional order evolved throughout the phases, and assesses the respective approaches, actors, and implications. Major steps for the development of the regime were the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Paris Agreement (PA) though the international agreements at times and the fight against climate change in general lack the full support from several key states like the USA, China, Japan, and Russia. The order lost its predictability but retains its legitimacy, leading, however, to questionable prospects on its effectiveness. Therefore, its greatest challenge may be to change the approach from international legal action to the restructuring of societies.