The Climate change convention and developing countries : from conflict to consensus? / by Joyeeta Gupta.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 206-222) and index.

1. The climate change issue -- 2. A theoretical framework -- 3. The domestic context: Opportunities and risks -- 4. Foreign policy: Between solidarity and fighting inequality -- 5. GEF: The case of power politics -- 6. Joint Implementation: Between hope and angst -- 7. Policy options and related non-decisions -- 8. The politics of climate science -- 9. The science of climate politics -- 10. Towards enhanced cooperation -- List of treaties and other international legal instruments -- Table of cases UN and other international documents -- App. 1. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- App. 2. List of questions for the interviews -- App. 3. Matrix of interviewees.

The climate change problem can only be effectively dealt with if global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced substantially. Since the emission of such gases is closely related to the economic growth of countries, a critical problem to be addressed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is: how will the permissible emission levels be shared between industrialised (ICs) and developing countries (DCs)? The thesis of this book is that the long-term effectiveness of the FCCC runs the risk of a horizontal negotiation deadlock between countries and the risk of vertical standstill within countries if there is little domestic support for the implementation of measures being announced in international negotiations. This book explores the nature of the domestic consensus in specific developing countries and the common, converging, diverging and conflicting interests underlying the international consensus. It presents a coherent account of the major North-South conflicts on this issue and explains these conflicts in terms of forthright and compelling arguments. This book is a must for all those politicians, policy-makers, lawyers and environmentalists who wish to tackle seriously the problem of climate change.