Since climate change and related facets of environmental protection became increasingly global(ised) issues in the early 1970s, the international community attempts to address these questions collectively as well as substantially. Observers and commentators of international environmental negotiations thereby repeatedly hinted at the necessity of a strong leader in global environmental governance as a precondition to urge agreements on common approaches to climate change. Otherwise, the successful and sustainable mitigation of global warming and ecocides on a large scale might fail. The question is still highly controversial, why of all actors on the global scale the European Union (EU), which accounts for approximately 24% of hazardous greenhouse gases, shall be a leader in environmental politics and climate protection?
The main argument developed in this paper apprehends the European Union as a leader prima facie in international environmental politics. Whether the European Union fills a pivotal leading role according to, for instance, climate protection and sustainable development is a doubled feature. As will be argued below, the EU has undertaken massive efforts and strategic action to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and mobilised other members of the international climate regime to follow the European ‘leadership by example’ (Schunz 2011, pp.6-10). This dimension is clearly outward-looking and aims for behavioural change of other affected actors. Leading by example also calls for a certain degree of credibility to offer incentives to other players to pursue environmental goals. In respect of GHGE reduction, the European Union faces delays in implementing targets insistently and thus loses ground in international environmental governance to developing countries it is supposed to guide.
Table of Contents
I | Introduction
II | Leading the World: Concepts in International Climate Politics
III | The Janus-Faced Character of EU Environmental Leadership: Evidence
IV | Conclusion
V | Bibliography
VI | Appendices
Research Objectives and Themes
This research paper examines the role and effectiveness of the European Union as a leader in international environmental politics, specifically focusing on greenhouse gas (GHGE) reduction. It analyzes whether the EU effectively translates its internal climate policies into global leadership and evaluates the consistency between its ambitious external promises and its internal implementation record.
- Theoretical conceptualization of European "actorness" and political leadership modes.
- Evaluation of structural, entrepreneurial, and intellectual leadership styles within the EU.
- Analysis of the EU's performance in international negotiations (e.g., Kyoto, Copenhagen).
- Investigation into internal implementation mechanisms, such as the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
- Critical assessment of the "credibility gap" between EU environmental rhetoric and domestic achievement.
Excerpt from the Book
The EU and Climate Politics: From Actor to Leader
The analysis of the EU´s role in international climate politics is based on the prerequisite of perceiving the EU as some kind of an actor. In order to perform politically on the global stage, the European Union has to accumulate sufficient structures and capacities to build some kind of ‘actorness’, hereinafter broadly defined as the ‘capacity to behave actively and deliberately in relation to other actors in the international system’ (Sjøstedt 1977, p.16). The degree of this type of European actorness in global environmental politics is, however, still divisive. The EU´s attributions in this field range from ‘aspiring leader’ (Grubb and Gupta 2000a, p. 10) or ‘effective international environmental actor’ (Vogler 1999, p. 24) to a ‘green normative power’ (Falkner 2006) as well as a potential ‘green giant’ (Vig and Faure 2004) to, finally, the recognition of its ‘global leadership and “agenda setting” role’ (Bretherton and Vogler 2006, p. 101). They all have in common the perception of the EU as not less than an actor capable of exercising power in global climate politics. Jupille and Caporaso satisfactorily substantiate that the European Union – with the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union at the latest – meets their self-developed and intertwining criteria of an international agent on this subject, i.e. external recognition, authority or legal competence respectively, autonomy from other actors and internal cohesion (1998, pp.215-221). This conceptualisation is prerequisite to what will be hereinafter developed as international political leadership that is based on the competences of the former. European actorness relating to environmental issues in the global arena will subsequently be assumed.
Summary of Chapters
I | Introduction: Sets the stage by defining the research problem regarding the EU's role as a global environmental leader and outlining the paper's focus on greenhouse gas reduction and internal implementation.
II | Leading the World: Concepts in International Climate Politics: Explores theoretical frameworks of leadership (structural, entrepreneurial, intellectual) and discusses the institutional constraints of the EU as a multi-level governance system.
III | The Janus-Faced Character of EU Environmental Leadership: Evidence: Provides an empirical investigation of European climate leadership from the Kyoto Protocol to the Copenhagen Summit, contrasting global ambitions with internal performance.
IV | Conclusion: Summarizes the paper's thesis, acknowledging the EU as a pioneer in climate policy while highlighting the critical risk of losing credibility due to implementation deficits.
V | Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and official documents consulted for the analysis.
VI | Appendices: Contains supplementary data, including Kyoto Protocol commitments and GHG emission targets.
Keywords
European Union, Environmental Politics, Climate Change, Political Leadership, Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Actorness, Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen Summit, Emissions Trading Scheme, Sustainability, Global Governance, Credibility, Multilevel Governance, Environmental Policy, Mitigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the European Union's role as a global leader in environmental politics and questions the consistency between its international climate ambitions and its domestic implementation success.
What are the central thematic fields?
The central themes include international climate negotiations, leadership theory (structural, entrepreneurial, and intellectual), European environmental policy-making, and the impact of domestic implementation on external credibility.
What is the primary research question?
The paper asks why the European Union, as a major emitter, aspires to be a leader in climate protection and whether its internal performance supports or undermines this leadership status.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses a policy-oriented analytical approach, applying Young's typology of leadership modes to evaluate the EU's performance within the international climate regime.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of EU 'actorness', an analysis of leadership modes, and a detailed look at the EU's performance regarding Kyoto Protocol commitments and subsequent climate packages.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include European Union, Climate Change, Political Leadership, Actorness, Emissions Trading, and Global Governance.
How did the Copenhagen Summit influence the author's argument?
The 2009 Copenhagen Summit is used as a case study to demonstrate a "loss of credibility," where the EU's influence was significantly reduced compared to previous negotiations.
What is meant by the "Janus-faced character" of EU leadership?
It refers to the contradiction where the EU acts as an ambitious, pioneering external advocate for climate protection while struggling internally to implement the necessary policies to meet its own set goals.
How does the author evaluate the "Emissions Trading Scheme" (ETS)?
The ETS is highlighted as an innovative, pioneering supranational instrument that serves as a prime example of the EU's attempt to exercise intellectual leadership in climate policy.
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- Ron Böhler (Autor:in), 2011, European Union Leadership in Global Environmental Politics, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/376549
