Ecological Modernization And Climate Negotiations

Global climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humankind in the contemporary world. The European Union (EU) has played leading role and become the most important pusher to reduce greenhouse gas emmissons by taking proactive policies in the international climate governance. Especially, when the Uinted States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in March 2001, EU, facing up to the withdrawl even resistance of the United States, did not give up but tried hard to rescue the Protocol actively so that the Protocol evetually entered into force in 2005. Therefore, this thesis hypothesizes that there must be a myriad factors that have been influencing EU positions and attitudes towards the international climate negotiations. However, what are they and how to act? What factor is the most important and decisive one? What is the deep motivation inducing the EU to take these positions and policies? These puzzles are the major research questions that the author would like to explain and answer in this thesis.From the viewpoint of ecological modernization theory, the author analyzes these questions basing on interest-based explanation. The core concept of ecological modernization theory lies on that there is no contradiction and confrontation between environmental protection and economic growth. In fact, under the guidance of an appropriate and smart policy, we can realize win-win result of environmental protection and economic growth. Environmental protection is not the burden of economic ations but one important prerequisite of sustainable growth in the future. Strict environmental policies and higher environmental standards would not hurt the economic competitiveness but would promote technological innovations, create the lead markets, increase the development of eco-industry, and gain greater economic benefits through the international diffusion of environmental technologies and environmental policies. Global climate change has seriously restricted the development of human society; therefore, a low-carbon economy has become a global consensus. The author argues that the EU takes active climate policies and positions in international climate negotiations because the EU believes that a low-carbon society and a more proactive environmental policy would bring huge economic benefits. Firstly, ecological modernization idea influences EU's interest cognition and definition in international climate governance, and induces the EU to adopt an active pioneering policy. Secondly, EU's ecological modernization strategy has brought huge benefits, which strengths the influence of ecological modernization idea and becomes the deep motivation of EU's implement of an active climate policy. Thirdly, the successful climate governance inside the EU becomes the internal foundation for the EU to take proactive international positions and provides international credibility and legitimacy for the EU to play a leading role by "leadership by example" in international climate governance.In this thesis, the author considers the above mentioned three variables (ecological modernization idea, ecological modernization gains, and ecological modernization effects) as the independent variables, which influence EU's policies and positions in the international climate negotiations (the dependent variable). The author would like to explore the path and method by which the independent variables influence the dependent variable from the viewpoint of ecological modernization theory.This thesis consists of six parts. The first part is the introduction which refers to the main research questions, literature review, main conceptions and ideas in this dissertation, methodology and thesis framework. In the second part, the author introduces the theoretical framework used to analyze the scientific facts and the consequences of global climate change, and the main environmental political theory to tackle ecological problems. After that, the author presents analytical framework, major variables and research hypotheses basing on exploring the central propositions and theoretical framework of ecological modernization theory. As the research background, the third part delineates the process of development and evolution of the international climate negotiations, EU's climate policies and its positions in this process from a historical perspective, and meanwhile analyzes EU's decision-making procedures and institutions of the climate policy and position. As the main body, the fourth part contains three chapters, and tries to analyze and test the research hypotheses presented in part two. The first chapter aims at theoretical analysis on how the ecological modernization idea influences EU's positions in the international climate negotiations through discourse analysis of EU's climate policies documents, EU leaders'speeches on climate change issue, and EU's specific climate policies and measures. The second chapter focuses on the influence of ecological modernization gains towards EU's climate policies and positions. First of all, the author describes the general influences of ecological modernization gains on climate change positions of a country. Then, the author analyzes paths and methods by which ecological modernization gains influence the EU's positions. Finally, the author quantifies the EU's ecological modernization gains through the following three indicators:climate change mitigation technologies, eco-industry, and energy efficiency increase and renewable energy development, and compare these indicators with the United States'and Japan's to prove that the more ecological modernization gains one country or group gets, the more proactive policy and position one country or group has, which reveals the correlation between the ecological modernization gains and EU's positions in international climate negotiations. The third chapter refers to the influences of the successful climate governance inside the EU towards EU's positions in international climate negotiations. The author first generalizes the correlation between internal action and external position in the process of EU's climate governance. Then, the author reveals the correlation between ecological modernization effects and EU's positions in international climate negotiations through the quantitative comparisons of EU's ecological modernization effects and the US' and Japan's. The fifth part is a case study. The author would like to test the correlation between three independent variables and the dependent variable through the EU's position formation in international climate negations in Post-Kyoto period. The author explores the backgroud and process of formation of EU's position in international climate negotiations in Post-Kyoto. At last, it is the conclusion of this thesis. The author sums up the research results of this thesis. Then, the author gives concise review on EU's ecological modernization strategy and presents several implication of EU's climate strategy for China's climate governance.The author comes to a conclusion via research. First of all, ecological modernization idea influences the EU's interest cognition and definition in international climate governance. This idea makes the EU believe that the poineering policy would bring it the first-mover advantages and huge benefits in international climate governance and gain the dominant position in the future low-carbon economic era. The ecological modernization idea also provides action road maps for the EU, serves as focal points and glue to coordinate the interests of a variety of interest groups and member states, and influences EU's position through embedding in EU's institutions. Secondly, to create the lead markets in the field of climate change and develop new eco-industries through clear and firm action to reduce emissions, to save the economic costs and increase energy support security through improving the energy efficiency and developing renewable energy, are both the significant interests consideration of EU climate policy and the core idea of EU's Lisbon Strategy and sustainable development strategy. Compared with the United States and Japan, the EU obtains relatively high gains in the climate change mitigation technologies, eco-industries and energy efficiency and renewable energy. The ecological modernization gains enhance the influence of ecological modernization idea towards EU's climate policies and positions. These two factors mutually reinforce and become the deep motivation and economic driving force of EU's proactive climate policies and positions. Thirdly, ecological modernization effects lay the internal foundation for the strategy of EU's "leadship by example" and win the international reputation for the EU to take proactive climate policies and position. Compared with the United States and Japan, the EU obtains relatively high economic and environmental effects. The ecological modernization of EU's economy and society is also higher than the United States'and Japan's. The ecological modernization effects enhance the influence of ecological modernization idea towards the EU's climate policies and position. These two factors mutually reinforce and stimulate the EU to take proactive climate policies and positions.In fact, besides three variables mentioned above, there are other factors influencing EU's policies and positions in international climate negotiations. However, this thesis mainly tries to explain EU's policies and positions in the viewpoint of ecological modernization theory, and emphasizes the economic benefits motivation of EU's proactive climate policies and positions. The author believes that this kind of cliamte governance idea and strategy can also bring many important implications and lessons for other countries or groups.