In search of a just approach to climate change mitigation – Rhetorical analysis of the Paris Agreement and the world leaders' statements given in the Leaders Event in COP21
Jokihaara, Hannaleena (2019)
Jokihaara, Hannaleena
2019
Hallintotieteiden tutkinto-ohjelma
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2019-08-28
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201908132879
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201908132879
Tiivistelmä
This research takes part in the discussion of responsibility of different actors to participate in global climate change mitigation. In international climate change conferences, the topic has been debated for years, especially in the post-Kyoto era. It has been claimed that the lack of a shared view about the responsible ones to address climate change has been the main reason that has obstructed international climate change negotiations. However, in 2015, states managed to find a shared view: a new, global climate agreement – the Paris Agreement – was reached in COP21.
The aim of this research is to find out what is universally seen as a just approach to climate change mitigation in the state level: in terms of climate ethics, what is the outcome like which 185 out of 197 states have been ready to ratify. As a research material, I use the world leaders’ statements given in the Leaders Event in COP21 and the outcome of the Conference, the Paris Agreement. As a research method I use rhetorical analysis.
The analysis of the world leaders’ statements reveals that the views about the responsible ones to tackle climate change and who is now contributing to climate change mitigation vary among states. However, the analysis of the Paris Agreement reveals that states share the view that emissions should be reduced. Additionally, the point of view that in addition to developed countries, also developing countries should aim to reduce emissions is shared universally among states. Hence, the results of this research reveal that even though the presumptions of the responsible ones and the ones already contributing to climate change mitigation vary among states, universally states share a common objective to tackle climate change by developed countries taking the lead and developing countries participating taking the different national circumstances into account. However, the results of this research do not reveal if the Paris Agreement or its negotiation process managed to unify the states’ differing approaches to the responsibility of the specific actors to participate in climate change mitigation, or if there are universally accepted means to mitigate climate change.
The aim of this research is to find out what is universally seen as a just approach to climate change mitigation in the state level: in terms of climate ethics, what is the outcome like which 185 out of 197 states have been ready to ratify. As a research material, I use the world leaders’ statements given in the Leaders Event in COP21 and the outcome of the Conference, the Paris Agreement. As a research method I use rhetorical analysis.
The analysis of the world leaders’ statements reveals that the views about the responsible ones to tackle climate change and who is now contributing to climate change mitigation vary among states. However, the analysis of the Paris Agreement reveals that states share the view that emissions should be reduced. Additionally, the point of view that in addition to developed countries, also developing countries should aim to reduce emissions is shared universally among states. Hence, the results of this research reveal that even though the presumptions of the responsible ones and the ones already contributing to climate change mitigation vary among states, universally states share a common objective to tackle climate change by developed countries taking the lead and developing countries participating taking the different national circumstances into account. However, the results of this research do not reveal if the Paris Agreement or its negotiation process managed to unify the states’ differing approaches to the responsibility of the specific actors to participate in climate change mitigation, or if there are universally accepted means to mitigate climate change.