Response To Climate Change, International Mechanisms For The Formation Of Its Challenges

Climate change is one of the most compelling global problems facing the contemporary world, related to a broad range of issues such as energy, security as well as human survival and development. To curb the negative impacts climate change poses to the human future, the international community must jointly work out coordinated international regimes to address this problem.This thesis first defines the concept of international regimes in response to climate change, namely, principles, rules and decision-making procedures that have been designed and recognized by International Relations actors under the UN framework, with the purpose of combating climate change so as to safeguard the global environment and resources. By examining the development trajectory of international climate change regime from three dimensions including legitimacy, integrity and effectiveness, the thesis points out four daunting challenges that confront the current regime. Since The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change came into force, there are kinds of international regimes in response to climate change appeared, their role and nature are different.This research identifies new patterns in the forming process of international climate change regime. Unlike earlier international regimes, the international climate changes regime eliminates the possibility of taking "free-rides", and its development is advanced by non-hegemony. The rise of emerging powers creates new problems, and the absence of compliance undermines the regime's prospects for success.This research consists of introduction, three chapters and conclusion. The introduction explains the theoretical and practical significance of the international climate change regime, and presents the limitations of existing studies, based on literature review. By summing up the dialogues and negotiations the international community has carried out so far, Chapter one explores from a theoretical perspective the meaning, main contents and factors involved in the forming process of international regimes, then points out that the international climate change regime is still in the making, subject to multiple challenges, then summed up the new development of international regimes since the Copenhagen climate change conference. Chapter two three summarizes the new features in the forming process of the regime. Chapter three probes the varied internal and external challenges the international climate change regime is facing in terms of legitimacy, governance guidelines and governance techniques. The conclusion part briefly discusses how China, as a responsible stakeholder, should shoulder "common but differentiated responsibilities" to boost support for the regime to finalize. This research believes via involvement in the international climate change negotiations, China on one hand has internalized the achievements reached at international negotiations into domestic policies, promoting the transformation of economic development model, on the other hand can take advantage of its big power status and integrate its strengths in domestic politics, economy, technology and non-governmental organizations, to take the lead in fostering the formation of a materialized international climate change regime.