Browsing by Subject "CBDR-RC"

The global climate change regime can certainly be referred to as the most challenging regime ever negotiated in human history. The reasons are various, with one of the most significant being the longstanding North-South divide in environmental politics. The question of how to distribute the mitigation obligations has been surrounding climate change regime from its inception. The Paris Agreement, which managed to overcome the strict approach to differentiation by adding the phrase ‘in light of different national circumstances’ to the principle of CBDR-RC, offered a shift towards the less demanding, ‘bottom-up’ framework tailored to address the differing national circumstances. Accordingly, Paris’s flexible, dynamic approach to differentiation contributed to creating a framework acceptable to all. Furthermore, due to its hybrid architecture, it also managed to act as an orchestrator not only for the state but also for non-state action. However, it appears that these accomplishments have diverted our attention from the distributional challenges inherent in the Agreement. Consequently, the notion that the Paris regime has resolved North-South tensions is far from reality. Aligned with these concerns, this thesis endeavors to reemphasize and reintroduce the equity concerns at the forefront of the agenda. To achieve this objective, this thesis initially explores the historical development of differential treatment within the global climate change regime, examining the underlying power dynamics in this process. Subsequently, it also aims to critically reflect on the current regime and identify whether the existing framework contributes to inequitable mitigation burden-sharing.