Climate Change and Foreign Policy: Chapter 1
Published: July 3, 2007, 6:26 pm
Updated: July 7, 2012, 4:24 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Cutler J. Cleveland
Chapter 1: Introduction
There is an increasing realization within the international community that achieving the consensus and commitment needed to take stronger action on climate change, with all major emitting countries participating in the solution, requires positioning climate change in a broader policy context. The climate change negotiations do not take place in isolation from other developments on the global agenda, and actions in other areas of foreign policy will have impacts on climate change and influence negotiations in the climate change sphere.
The ostensible goal of Western foreign policy is to provide stability and security as a foundation for human well-being, global freedom and prosperity. However, in today’s increasingly inter-connected world, the traditional instruments of diplomacy are no longer always helpful in tackling global threats. Traditional alliances struggle to act effectively against a threat, such as climate change, when the cause (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) is not the ambition of any one “hostile” power. A new foreign policy is required to effectively tackle issues that transcend national frontiers and are more diverse, less visible and less predictable in nature.
At the same time, the milieu of international diplomacy and foreign relations is dynamic, offering new opportunities for negotiating agreements that can meet foreign policy objectives and deepen commitments to tackle the global threat of climate change. To tackle climate change effectively requires a number of pre-conditions that cannot be met purely through the pursuit of environmental goals, such as:
-
an effective multilateral system, a strong international society, well-functioning international institutions and a rules-based international order;
-
a coherent approach to foreign policy-making to promote strong collective action;
-
integration of climate change into trade and economic policy, so that trade and investment regimes do not point relentlessly towards ever-increasing emissions, but rather create incentives for low-carbon investment; and
-
incorporation of climate change measures into ambitious development assistance, including adaptation.
The purpose of this paper is to identify the opportunities presented by foreign policy to further climate change objectives.This is important because climate change is not just an environmental issue, but one intimately connected with a wider social, economic and geopolitical agenda. Many of the decisions critical for the global climate and effective transition to a low-carbon economy will take place outside the climate policy community in the fields of energy, security, trade and investment, and development cooperation. By re-framing climate change and seeking opportunities for alignment of goals, it may be possible to create greater traction in order to tackle the problem more effectively.
This report addresses how conducting a more climate-sensitive foreign policy might improve prospects for a more effective global effort to address the challenge of climate change, including actions to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the near and long term and reaching a broad international post-2012 agreement. A number of foreign policy areas—diplomacy and foreign relations, energy security, peace and security initiatives, trade and investment, and development cooperation—involve domestic and international policies and decisions that could fundamentally alter (for better or for worse) the ability and willingness of nations and the international community to meet the challenges of climate change. The paper concludes with a review of options through which new dynamics might be brought into the climate change process. It is important to note that the report is an initial exercise in a challenging area; to further develop these options will require entering into a dialogue with relevant actors in the identified areas to ensure the recommendations made in this paper are feasible and workable.
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Citation
International Institute for Sustainable Development, Beverley Darkin, Richard Tarasofsky, John Van Ham, Jo-Ellen Parry, Peter Dickey, Aaron Cosbey, Oli Brown, Deborah Murphy, John Drexhage (Lead Author);Cutler J. Cleveland (Topic Editor) "Climate Change and Foreign Policy: Chapter 1". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth July 3, 2007; Last revised Date July 7, 2012; Retrieved May 21, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_Change_and_Foreign_Policy:_Chapter_1>
The Authors
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote change towards sustainable development. As of 2007, IISD employed 150 people located in more than 30 countries, and partnered with more than 200 organizations throughout the world. Is efforts are focused on research, commentary, communication and outreach on a range of topics related to sustainable development. Principal areas of focus include Climate Chan ... (Full Bio)
Beverley Darkin is a Senior Research Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Development Program at Chatham House. Expertise International climate change policy and politics, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol and G8 negotiationsUK and EU climate policy, particularly governance/institutional issuesEU-China energy and climate securityClimate change, foreign policy and securityProjects EU-China interdependencies on energy and climate security (forthco ... (Full Bio)
Richard G. Tarasofsky, a Senior Policy Adviser of Ecologic, was chosen to head the research program on Sustainable Development of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) as of the beginning of 2004. He is an international lawyer specializing in all aspects of environment and sustainable development law. Recently, he led or worked on projects on trade, biodiversity, forests, fisheries, and EU environmental law. Among his portfolio of projects are: Consumer Protection and International ... (Full Bio)
John has 12 years of experience in the energy and mining industries, at the corporate level in strategy development, policy formulation, and planning, and at the operations level in project development, implementation, and management. John has successfully led a range of projects through all stages, from project ideation and development to completion. He continually demonstrates his ability to achieve results in challenging situations. His logical and analytically rigorous approach ensures thoro ... (Full Bio)
Within IISD's Climate Change and Energy Program, Jo-Ellen Parry utilizes her broad knowledge of climate change, natural resource management and community development in her various roles as researcher, project manager, network coordinator and program manager. Her recent research and project management work has focused on the intersection of developing countries, adaptation to the effects of climate change, and establishment of a post-2012 climate regime. She has also explored how the clean d ... (Full Bio)
Peter Dickey is the President of P.S. Dickey Consultants Ltd., established in 1994, and is also an associate of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD). Dickey graduated from Queen's University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. From 1966 to 1994, Dickey worked for Shell Canada in a number of engineering positions involving refinery and oilsands facilities design, operations and maintenance. He also coordinated the company’s energy co ... (Full Bio)
Aaron Cosbey is an environmental economist specializing in the areas of trade and sustainable development, international environmental governance, and climate change. He works on two of IISD's program areas: trade and investment, where he serves as Associate and Senior Adviser, and climate change and energy, where he serves as Associate. He is a Member of International Trade Canada's Market Access Advisory Group, past Member of the Deputy Minister for International Trade's Academic A ... (Full Bio)
Oli Brown is a project manager and policy researcher for IISD's Trade and Investment, and Security programs. He also co-ordinates the Trade, Aid and Security initiative – a joint IISD/IUCN project that focuses on the way in which the trade in natural resources can contribute to violent conflict, and on the role of development assistance and trade liberalization in fueling or alleviating this downward spiral. With a first degree in Social Anthropology and a Masters in International Relation ... (Full Bio)
Deborah Murphy has more than fifteen years in the international development field. She specializes in the areas of climate change, technology transfer and project management; and has worked extensively on environmental capacity building projects in India and China. She is an Associate of IISD’s Climate Change and Energy Program, and Senior Associate at Resource Futures International, Ottawa. Prior to working as an environmental consultant, Ms. Murphy was a Senior Policy Advisor with the Enviro ... (Full Bio)
John Drexhage is Director of IISD's Climate Change and Energy Program. With a team of 15 staff and associates across Canada and overseas, Mr. Drexhage’s work on climate change is based on 12 years of experience on the issue, first as a domestic adviser and international negotiator on climate change and then as an expert analyst and manager for IISD. Drexhage’s expertise covers a broad range of areas related to climate change, and he is currently focusing on regulatory frameworks for gree ... (Full Bio)
Chapter 1: Introduction
There is an increasing realization within the international community that achieving the consensus and commitment needed to take stronger action on climate change, with all major emitting countries participating in the solution, requires positioning climate change in a broader policy context. The climate change negotiations do not take place in isolation from other developments on the global agenda, and actions in other areas of foreign policy will have impacts on climate change and influence negotiations in the climate change sphere.
The ostensible goal of Western foreign policy is to provide stability and security as a foundation for human well-being, global freedom and prosperity. However, in today’s increasingly inter-connected world, the traditional instruments of diplomacy are no longer always helpful in tackling global threats. Traditional alliances struggle to act effectively against a threat, such as climate change, when the cause (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) is not the ambition of any one “hostile” power. A new foreign policy is required to effectively tackle issues that transcend national frontiers and are more diverse, less visible and less predictable in nature.
At the same time, the milieu of international diplomacy and foreign relations is dynamic, offering new opportunities for negotiating agreements that can meet foreign policy objectives and deepen commitments to tackle the global threat of climate change. To tackle climate change effectively requires a number of pre-conditions that cannot be met purely through the pursuit of environmental goals, such as:
-
an effective multilateral system, a strong international society, well-functioning international institutions and a rules-based international order;
-
a coherent approach to foreign policy-making to promote strong collective action;
-
integration of climate change into trade and economic policy, so that trade and investment regimes do not point relentlessly towards ever-increasing emissions, but rather create incentives for low-carbon investment; and
-
incorporation of climate change measures into ambitious development assistance, including adaptation.
The purpose of this paper is to identify the opportunities presented by foreign policy to further climate change objectives.This is important because climate change is not just an environmental issue, but one intimately connected with a wider social, economic and geopolitical agenda. Many of the decisions critical for the global climate and effective transition to a low-carbon economy will take place outside the climate policy community in the fields of energy, security, trade and investment, and development cooperation. By re-framing climate change and seeking opportunities for alignment of goals, it may be possible to create greater traction in order to tackle the problem more effectively.
This report addresses how conducting a more climate-sensitive foreign policy might improve prospects for a more effective global effort to address the challenge of climate change, including actions to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the near and long term and reaching a broad international post-2012 agreement. A number of foreign policy areas—diplomacy and foreign relations, energy security, peace and security initiatives, trade and investment, and development cooperation—involve domestic and international policies and decisions that could fundamentally alter (for better or for worse) the ability and willingness of nations and the international community to meet the challenges of climate change. The paper concludes with a review of options through which new dynamics might be brought into the climate change process. It is important to note that the report is an initial exercise in a challenging area; to further develop these options will require entering into a dialogue with relevant actors in the identified areas to ensure the recommendations made in this paper are feasible and workable.
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