Description
In recent years climate change has emerged as an issue of central political importance while the EU has become a major player in international climate change politics. How can a ‘leaderless Europe’ offer leadership in international climate change politics - even in the wake of the UK’s Brexit decision?
This book, which has been written by leading experts, offers a critical analysis of the EU leadership role in international climate change politics. It focuses on the main EU institutions, core EU member states and central societal actors (businesses and environmental NGOs). It also contains an external perspective of the EU’s climate change leadership role with chapters on China, India and the USA as well as Norway. Four core themes addressed in the book are: leadership, multilevel and polycentric governance, policy instruments, and the green and low carbon economy. Fundamentally, it asks why we have EU institutional actors, why certain member states and particular societal actors tried to take on a leadership role in climate change politics and how, if at all, have they managed to achieve this?
This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners in EU studies and politics, international relations, comparative politics and environmental politics.
Table of Contents
Part I: Introduction
1. Introduction: European Union Climate Leadership
2. Global Climate Politics: Can the EU be an Actor?
Part II: EU Institutions
3. The Commission’s Shifting Climate Leadership: From Emissions Trading to Energy Union
4. The European Parliament and Climate Change: A Constrained Leader?
5. The Council and the European Council: Stuck on the Road to Transformational Leadership
Part III: Member States and Neighbouring European States
6. Denmark: Small State with Big Voice and Bigger Dilemmas
7. French Climate Policy: Diplomacy in the Service of Symbolic Leadership?
8. Germany: Innovation and Climate Leadership
9. The Netherlands: A Case of Fading Leadership
10. Poland’s Clash Over Energy and Climate Policy: Green Economy or Grey Status Quo?
11. Spanish Climate Change Policy in a Changing Landscape
12. The United Kingdom: A Record of Leadership under Threat
13. Norway: A Dissonant Cognitive Leader?
Part IV: Civil Society: Business and Environmental Groups
14. Business: Greening at the Edges
15. Environmental NGOs: Pushing For Leadership
Part V: Europe and the Wider World
16. United States: The Challenge of Global Climate Leadership in a Politically Divided State
17. China: From A Marginalized Follower to an Emerging Leader in Climate Politics
18. India: The Global Climate Power Torn Between ‘Growth-First’ and ‘Green Growth’
Part VI: Conclusion
19. Conclusion: Re-Assessing European Union Climate Leadership
