Making Climate look like Trade? Questions on Incentives, Flexibility and Credibility
15 March 2010
Will the global climate regime resemble the trade regime? If so, what would such a development imply for the governance of climate change? Both before and certainly in the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate conference, a debate has been underway on whether the architecture of the climate regime needs to change or not. In brief, the argument suggests moving away from a top-down 'targets and timetables' approach towards a bottom-up structure that allows countries to promise actions that are consistent with their domestic politics and economic priorities.