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22 February 2010
GPPi research associate presents on China’s role at the Copenhagen climate negotiations
GPPi Research Associate Björn Conrad presented on China’s role in international climate negotiations during a panel discussion on "Lessons from the failure of Copenhagen" which took place on 20 February 2010 at the University of Trier. Other panelists included Professor Sebastian Harnisch, University of Heidelberg and Severin Fischer, Institute for European Politics, Berlin and Advisor to MdEP Jo Leinen.
In his presentation, Conrad argued that while China’s role in Copenhagen in large parts mirrored the Chinese negotiating position in international climate negotiations of the past, the underlying interests and objectives guiding China’s behavior have undergone fundamental changes in recent years. He illustrated the stark shift in China’s domestic climate policy and presented some of the central changes in the Chinese leadership’s assessments of the risk as well as opportunities associated with the climate crisis, ultimately leading to shifts in China’s climate policy.
Conrad then offered his explanation of how a fundamentally changed domestic dynamic and interest structure led to a virtually unchanged outcome in Copenhagen. He argued that, in the view of China’s leadership, the deep embeddedness of China’s climate policy into some of the core strategies of China’s current domestic politics significantly limits the possibilities of integrating China’s climate efforts into a larger international framework. He illustrated how this general stance dominated China’s specific positions regarding every building-block of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen and ultimately contributed to the summit’s failure.
Closing on a more optimistic note, Conrad pointed out that China’s new climate logic might not have produced a tangible effect in Copenhagen, but that the chances of success for meaningful cooperation with China on climate issues in the future have nevertheless increased. While the odds for a "classic" climate deal as envisioned by the European Union and others might not have improved, the opportunities for finding new ways to include China in the solution of tackling global emission reductions are certainly greater than ever before.
The presentation was followed by a discussion with the audience, during which the implications of China’s altered set of interests for the future design of international climate negotiations were debated.
For more information on the event please contact Björn Conrad