Markus Lederer

Varieties of Carbon Governance in Newly Industrializing Countries

Recently established carbon governance systems are quite different in Brazil, China, and India. Such divergence is surprising as emerging economies are primarily involved in carbon governance through the clean development mechanism (CDM). One would expect similar institutional and policy outcomes in the major host countries in response to the CDM, as this market instrument is initiated primarily by Western companies and regulated hierarchically by the internationally governed CDM Executive Board. However, from a closer look at the developing features of the CDM markets in Brazil, China, or India and an analysis of dominant actors and their interactions, institutional responses, and the effectiveness of the CDM within each market, there is evidence of a high variance, combined with a strong ownership by the respective governments. Such a variety of carbon governance is interesting from a theoretical point of view as it shows that a good understanding of environmental governance patterns is still lacking in developing and emerging economies. It is also of political importance as the findings may help to diffuse some of the criticism leveled at the CDM.

The practice of carbon markets

Pragmatism has recently taken up the ‘practice turn’ in order to overcome the neglect of agency in poststructuralist accounts. To explore potential advantages if such an approach is used for an analysis of carbon markets, it is first asked whether a practice approach could allow us to go beyond the dichotomy of agents vs. structures and thus lead to an understanding of carbon assets as a specific configuration of power and authority. Second, might it be possible to gain a complex understanding of knowledge that is embedded in commensuration, commodification, and trading, which all can be described as daily routines that reify a specific approach towards the climate. Finally, might a focus on practice also tell us something about the accountability of academics as ‘practitioners’. Examples from carbon market creation, performance and change are used to illustrate the potential of a practice approach in more detail.

Introduction: Human rights and climate change: mapping institutional inter-linkages

This special issue contributes empirical analyses to the evolving research programme on human rights and climate change within international relations (IR) scholarship. We aim to supplement the exi...

Tracing Sustainability Transformations and Drivers of Green Economy Approaches in the Global South

This article provides the introduction to a special issue on Green Economies in the Global South, that sheds light on the causes, complexities, consequences, and different practices of state engagement regarding national-level transitions from business as usual toward integrated economic, ecological, and social policies. Empirically, the special issue comprises four additional papers that open the black box of the state with a focus on state-society relations and the management of trade-offs in the fields of energy and land use politics in developing countries. This introduction guides these country cases with an analytical outline that builds on two specific sets of research questions: (a) Which change agents do have an impact on national politics, and why? What is the particular role of the state in developing and implementing Green Economy policies? (b) Which trade-offs and tensions occur between and within the economic, ecological, and social dimensions of a Green Economy approach? How are they addressed, by whom, and with which consequences?

Die Macht des Südens in der globalen Klimapolitik

Die Macht des Sudens in der Klimapolitik wird meist als historisch gering eingeschatzt. Die gangigen Darstellungen interpretieren den Suden daher historisch als Opfer und beurteilen den zu beobachtenden Aufstieg einzelner machtig werdender Staaten wie China oder Indien als strukturell negativ, da diese eine Vetospielerposition einnehmen wurden. Eine differenzierte Analyse anhand von drei Dimensionen von Macht (instrumentell, strukturell sowie diskursiv) zeigt jedoch, dass sowohl der Suden insgesamt wie auch einzelne sudliche Staaten in der Lage sind, die globale Klimapolitik instrumentell zu beeinflussen, strukturell zu verandern und in Ansatzen diskursiv zu dominieren. Mehrere aktuelle Beispiele aus den internationalen Verhandlungen wie auch Entwicklungen innerhalb der BASIC-Gruppe (Brasilien, Sudafrika, Indien und China) zeigen, dass der Suden nicht nur an Macht gewonnen hat, sondern diese in einzelnen Bereichen auch progressiv im Sinne eines verbesserten Klimaschutzes einzusetzen weis. Der Beitrag beurteilt damit den Aufstieg des Sudens in der globalen Klimapolitik als ein uberwiegend positives Phanomen.

Organising the unthinkable in times of crises: Will climate engineering become the weapon of last resort in the Anthropocene?

In this article, we ask how the approaches of climate engineering – mostly highly technological approaches to address the challenge of global climate change – might be organised in the age of the Anthropocene. We understand the term ‘Anthropocene’ to be characterised by crisis, on one hand, and by promise, on the other. In particular, we aim to raise doubts on the dominant perspective on the organisation of climate engineering, which assumes these approaches to be regulated through legalistic means. Drawing an analogy to the early development stages of nuclear weapons, we point out that, instead of following a legalistic rationale, climate engineering organisation might pursue a logic of technical feasibility, political acceptance and bureaucratic momentum.

REDD+ and the Reconfiguration of Public Authority in the Forest Sector: A Comparative Case Study of Indonesia and Brazil

Since the 1980s, central governments have decentralized forestry to local governments in many countries of the Global South. More recently, REDD+ has started to impact forest policy-making in these countries by providing incentives to ensure a national-level approach to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Hohne et al. analyze to what extent central governments have rebuilt capacity at the national level, imposed regulations from above, and interfered in forest management by local governments for advancing REDD+. Using the examples of Brazil and Indonesia, the chapter illustrates that while REDD+ has not initiated a large-scale recentralization in the forestry sector, it has supported the reinforcement and pooling of REDD+ related competences at the central government level.

Green transformations in Vietnam's energy sector

Abstract Vietnam has experienced rapid economic growth over the past few decades, as well as growing environmental pressures. The country is therefore pursuing strategies for green transformations, which are the processes of restructuring to bring economies and societies within the planetary boundaries. This article addresses the opportunities, barriers, and trade‐offs for green transformations in Vietnams energy sector and examines them from an energy justice perspective. The article draws on in‐depths expert interviews with representatives from government agencies, private firms, academic institutions, and multilateral institutions in Vietnam. The article finds that Vietnam is undergoing efforts to move away from business as usual by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as aligning energy and climate plans with national development priorities such as energy security and economic growth. Yet there is a need for more coordinated, integrated approaches and policies that span across the 3 areas that address green transformations in Vietnam: green growth, sustainable development, and climate change. Finally, although key actors seem to be aware and may be critical of major trade‐offs such as land grabs for energy projects, the impacts on affected people need to be better understood and mitigated.

Staat, Gesellschaft und grüne Transformationen im globalen Süden

Die Anbahnung und Umsetzung gruner Transformationen ist ein komplexer, sektoren- und ebenenubergreifender Prozess, der auf die Unterstutzung machtiger Akteurskonstellationen angewiesen ist. Solche Transformationen mussen von staatlichen Akteuren angestosen oder begleitet werden, wie das Beispiel der „grunen“ Republik Costa Rica zeigt.

Umwelt und internationale Politik

Der Beitrag behandelt globale Umweltpolitik aus drei Perspektiven. In einem ersten Uberblick wird die Genese des Politikfelds beschrieben, der zweite Abschnitt diskutiert aktuelle umweltpolitische Herausforderungen und erlautert wie diese politikwissenschaftlich bearbeitet und interpretiert werden. Der letzte Teil debattiert wie globale Umweltpolitikforschung die breitere Diskussion der Internationalen Beziehungen beeinflusst.