Research On The Evolution Of EU Leadership In International Climate Negotiations

Climate change is one of the most significant threats facing mankind at present.Climate change has gradually become an important issue in the international political field,and global climate governance has emerged as the times require.Addressing the problems posed by climate change requires strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation,as well as short-term and long-term strategic cooperation.After decades of efforts by the international community,the governance of climate change has achieved initial results.International climate negotiations are an important manifestation of global climate governance.In the international climate negotiations,the main negotiating groups are EU,Umbrella Group,Group of 77 and China,Basic Four Countries,Small Island Alliance,Rainforest Alliance and so on.Since the first international climate negotiations in the 1990 s,the EU has been working hard to become a leader in international climate negotiations.However,the EU's leadership in international climate negotiations fluctuates.According to the EU's performance in international climate negotiations,this paper divides it into three stages.The first stage,from 1990 to 2005,is the gradual improvement of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.At this stage,the EU gradually emerged on the stage of international climate negotiations,and its leadership in international climate negotiations reached its peak during the Kyoto Protocol period.The second stage,from2005 to 2009,is the beginning of the weakening of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.At this stage,the EU's leadership in international climate negotiations began to decline,and in the Copenhagen Agreement period,the EU's leadership in international climate negotiations fell to the lowest point.The third stage,from 2009 to the present,is another stage in which the EU seeks to enhance its leadership in international climate negotiations.At this stage,the EU's leadership in international climate negotiations began to rebound,and at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015,the EU returned to the center of the international negotiation stage.This paper summarizes the factors that cause the above changes.There are three main points.One is whether there is a gap between the implementation of climate policy and international commitments among EU member states,the other is whether the positionsand actions of EU member states in climate policy are consistent,and the third is the use of negotiation and diplomatic means of EU.This paper summarizes the evolution process of EU's leadership in international climate negotiations and explores the reasons that influence EU's leadership through reviewing EU's climate policy and its performance in international climate negotiations since the beginning of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.On this basis,the prospects and challenges of the EU in future international climate negotiations are discussed.This will help us formulate better climate policies in the future and promote the sound development of global climate governance.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,this paper is divided into four parts.The first part discriminates the concept of leadership in international climate negotiations.This chapter introduces the theoretical origin of leadership.By summarizing the definition of leadership and the expression of leadership in international climate negotiations by scholars at home and abroad,it analyses the concrete manifestation of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.The second part summarizes the evolution of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.This chapter reviews the EU's climate policy and its performance in international climate negotiations,and summarizes the changes in EU's leadership in international climate negotiations in stages.The third part summarizes the factors that influence the change of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.This chapter mainly elaborates the influencing factors of EU's changes in international climate negotiations from three aspects: whether there are gaps in the implementation of climate policies and international commitments among EU member states,whether EU member states are consistent in their positions and actions on climate policies and the use of EU's negotiation and diplomatic means.The fourth part analyses the prospects of EU leadership in international climate negotiations.This chapter focuses on the analysis of the impact of Britain's "de-EU" on EU's leadership in future international climate negotiations,the overall deployment of EU's leadership in international climate negotiations,and the challenges and responses faced by EU in international climate negotiations.It provides ideas for us to study the relevant issues of EU's leadership in international climate negotiations in the future.