Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T12:25:05.881Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Regime Complex for Climate Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Robert O. Keohane  and
David G. Victor
Robert O. Keohane
Affiliation:
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. E-mail: [email protected]
David G. Victor
Affiliation:
University of California—San Diego. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

There is no integrated regime governing efforts to limit the extent of climate change. Instead, there is a regime complex: a loosely-coupled set of specific regimes. We describe the regime complex for climate change and seek to explain it, using interest-based, functional, and organizational arguments. This institutional form is likely to persist; efforts to build a comprehensive regime are unlikely to succeed, but experiments abound with narrower institutions focused on particular aspects of the climate change problem. Building on this analysis, we argue that a climate change regime complex, if it meets specified criteria, has advantages over any politically feasible comprehensive regime. Adaptability and flexibility are particularly important in a setting—such as climate change policy—in which the most demanding international commitments are interdependent yet governments vary widely in their interest and ability to implement them. Yet in view of the serious political constraints, both domestic and international, there is little reason for optimism that the climate regime complex that is emerging will lead to reductions in emissions rapid enough to meet widely discussed goals, such as stopping global warming at two degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Type
Research Article
Information
Perspectives on Politics , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 7 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aggarwal, V. K., ed. 1998. Institutional Designs for a Complex World: Bargaining, Linkages, and Nesting. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alter, Karen J., and Meunier, Sophie. 2009. “The Politics of International Regime Complexity—Symposium.” Perspectives on Politics 7(1): 13–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biermann, Frank, Pattberg, Philipp, van Asselt, Harro, and Zelli, Fariborz. 2009. “The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis.” Global Environmental Politics 9(4): 14–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braithwaite, John, and Drahos, Peter. 2000. Global Business Regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buchanan, Allen, and Keohane, Robert O.. 2006. “The Legitimacy of Global Governance Institutions.” Ethics and International Affairs 20(4): 405–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Busch, Marc L. 2007. “Overlapping Institutions, Forum Shopping, and Dispute Settlement in International Trade.” International Organization 61(4): 735–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
California Air Resources Board. 2009. Preliminary Draft Regulation for a California Cap-and-Trade Program, November 24. www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/meetings/121409/pdr.pdf.Google Scholar
Clarke, Leon, Edmonds, Jae, Krey, Volker, Richels, Richard, Rose, Steven, and Tavoni, Massimo. 2009. “International Climate Policy Architectures: Overview of the EMF 22 International Scenarios.” Energy Economics 31(2): S64–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Linda R., and Noll, Roger. 1991. The Technology Pork Barrel. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.Google Scholar
Cornes, Richard, and Sandler, Todd. 1996. The Theory of Externalities, Public Goods, and Club Goods. 2d ed.New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dooley, James J. 1998. “Unintended Consequences: Energy R&D in a Deregulated Energy Market.” Energy Policy 26(7): 547–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franck, Thomas. 1990. The Power of Legitimacy among Nations. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldstein, Judith, and Keohane, Robert O., eds. 1993. Ideas and Foreign Policy: Beliefs, Institutions, and Political Change. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, Ruth W., and Keohane, Robert O.. 2005. “Accountability and Abuses of Power in World Politics.” American Political Science Review 99(1): 29–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grubb, Michael, Laing, Tim, Counsell, Thomas, and Willan, Catherine. 2010. “Global Carbon Mechanisms: Lessons and Implications.” Climatic Change, January 16.Google Scholar
Hooghe, Liesbet, and Marks, Gary. 2003. “Unraveling the Central State, but How? Types of Multi-level Governance.” American Political Science Review 97(2): 233–43.Google Scholar
Hufbauer, Gary C., Charnovitz, Steve, and Kim, Jisun. 2009. Global Warming and the World Trading System. Washington, DC: Peterson Institute for International Economics.Google Scholar
Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mirghani. 2009. “Statement on Behalf of the Group of 77 and China by H.E. Ambassador Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Head of Delegation to the Republic of Sudan, at the Closing Plenary of the Resumed Ninth Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP 9).” November 6, Barcelona, Spain. www.g77.org/statement/2009.html.Google Scholar
Kahler, Miles, and Lake, David A.. 2003. Governance in a Global Economy: Political Authority in Transition. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Kahn, Matthew. 2009. “Think Again: The Green Economy.” Foreign Policy (May/June).Google Scholar
Keohane, Robert O. 1984. After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Keohane, Robert O., and Nye, Joseph S. Jr. 2001 [1977]. Power and Interdependence. 3d ed.New York: Addison Wesley Longman.Google Scholar
Keohane, Robert O., and Nye, Joseph S. Jr. 2001. “The Club Model of Multilateral Cooperation and Problems of Democratic Legitimacy.” In Efficiency, Equity, Legitimacy: The Multilateral Trading System at the Millennium, ed. Porter, Roger, Sauvé, Pierre, Subramanian, Arvind, and Zampetti, Americo Beviglia. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.Google Scholar
Lesage, Dries, Van de Graaf, Thijs, and Westphal, Kersten. 2010. Global Energy Governance in a Multipolar World. Farnham, Surrey (UK): Ashgate Publishing.Google Scholar
Michalopoulos, Constantine. 2002. “WTO Accession.” In Development, Trade and the WTO: A Handbook, ed. Hoekman, Bernard M., Mattoo, Aaditya, and English, Philip. Washington, DC: The World Bank.Google Scholar
Michonski, Katherine E., and Levi, Michael A.. 2010. The Regime Complex for Global Climate Change. New York: Council on Foreign Relations.Google Scholar
National Research Council. 2010. “America's Climate Choices: Report.” In Advancing the Science of Climate Change and Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change. Washington: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
O'Neill, Barry. 1999. Honor, Symbols, and War. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 2008. Main Science and Technology Indicators 2008/2. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Parson, Edward A. 2003. Protecting the Ozone Layer: Science and Strategy. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petsonk, Annie. 2009. “Docking Stations: Designing a More Open Legal and Policy Architecture for a Post-2012 Framework to Combat Climate Change.” Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law 19(3): 433–66.Google Scholar
Pierson, Paul. 2000. “Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics.” American Political Science Review 94(2): 251–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rai, Varun, and Victor, David G.. 2009. “Climate Change and the Energy Challenge: A Pragmatic Approach for India.” Economic and Political Weekly 44(31): 78–85.Google Scholar
Ramanathan, V., and Carmichael, G.. 2008. “Global and Regional Climate Changes due to Black Carbon.” Nature Geoscience 1: 221–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raustiala, Kal, and Victor, David. 2004. “The Regime Complex for Plant Genetic Resources.” International Organization 58(2): 277–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, Lambert. 2007. “Is the CDM Fulfilling its Environmental and Sustainable Development Objectives? An Evaluation of the CDM and Options for Improvement.” Öko-Institut report prepared for the WWF.Berlin: Öko-Institut. www3.oeko.de/oekodoc/622/2007-162-en.pdfGoogle Scholar
Simon, Herbert A. 1959. “Theories of Decision-Making in Economics and Behavioral Science.” American Economic Review 49(3): 253–83.Google Scholar
Slaughter, Anne-Marie. 2004. A New World Order. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Stavins, Robert, Jaffe, Judson, and Ranson, Matthew. 2009. “Linking Tradable Permit Systems: A Key Element of Emerging International Climate Policy Architecture.” Ecology Law Quarterly 36(4): 789–808.Google Scholar
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 2009. “Decision 2/CP.15: Copenhagen Accord.” Report of the Conference of the Parties on its Fifteenth Session, Copenhagen, December 7–19. FCCC/CP/2009/11/Add.1. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/11a01.pdf.Google Scholar
Velders, Guus J.M., Andersen, Stephen O., Daniel, John S., Fahey, David W., and McFarland, Mack. 2007. “The Importance of the Montreal Protocol in Protecting Climate.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(12): 4814–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, David G. 2001. Collapse of the Kyoto Protocol and the Struggle to Slow Global Warming. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Victor, David G. 2009. “Plan B for Copenhagen.” Nature 461(7262): 342–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, David G.in press.Global Warming Gridlock: Creating More Effective Strategies for Protecting the Planet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Victor, David G., House, Joshua C., and Joy, Sarah. 2005. “A Madisonian Approach to Climate Policy.” Science 309(5742): 1820–1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, David G., Morgan, M. Granger, Apt, Jay, Steinbruner, John, and Ricke, Katherine. 2009. “The Geoengineering Option: A Last Resort Against Global Warming?” Foreign Affairs 88(2): 64–76.Google Scholar
Wagner, Gernot, Keohane, Nathaniel, Petsonk, Annie, and Wang, James. 2009. “Docking into a Global Carbon Market: Clean Investment Budgets to Finance Low-Carbon Economic Development.” In The Economics and Politics of Climate Change, ed. Helm, Dieter and Hepburn, Cameron. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Wara, Michael. 2009. “Methods of Cost Containment in a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Program.” Testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, September 15. http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/WaraTestimony091509.pdf.Google Scholar
Wara, Michael W., and Victor, David G.. 2008. A Realistic Policy on International Carbon Offsets. Working Paper 74. Stanford: Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University.Google Scholar
World Bank. 2008. Development and Climate Change: A Strategic Framework for the World Bank Group. Washington, DC: The World Bank.Google Scholar
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group. 2009. Climate Change and the World Bank Group. Phase I: An Evaluation of World Bank Win-Win Energy Policy Reforms. Washington, DC: The World Bank.Google Scholar
World Trade Organization and United Nations Environmental Program. 2009. Trade and Climate Change: WTO-UNEP Report. Geneva: WTO.Google Scholar
Young, Oran R. 1997. Global Governance: Drawing Insights from the Environmental Experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Young, Oran R., and Osherenko, Gail, eds. 1993. Polar Politics: Creating International Environmental Regimes. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar