40: Climate change

Abstract

In the 2020s, the EU has clearly become an agent of climate governance, and its internal and external climate governance roles are intimately interconnected. Since the 1990s, the EU has demonstrated its volition to act on climate change in the global governance system, its capacity to act by adopting climate policies in its own territory, and its acquisition of the requisite policy and governance components to become the central climate governance actor in Europe. Further, the internal targets, policies, and governance instruments of the EU have external effects that range from showing an example of goal setting and policy action in the global climate governance context, partner-country learning effects, and direct external effects through product standards, for example. As the EU's relative political clout in global climate politics diminishes along with its lowered share of global greenhouse gas emissions, its internal governance efforts play an increasingly important role externally.