The continuously increasing energy intensity internationally is recognised as one of the greatest dangers the human race is facing nowadays with regards to future climate change and its detrimental consequences. Improving the intensity of energy consumption is an important step towards decreasing greenhouse gas emissions originating from fossil fuel-based electricity generation and consumption. As a result of this, South Africa took the bold step in 2010 to commit itself to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in taking all the necessary actions to decrease the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 34% to below the “business-as-usual” scenario by 2020 (Republic of South Africa, 2010). In order to do so, the country has to substantially reduce its energy consumption. This should be done without affecting the economic output; however, major energy consumers might prefer to decrease their output in order to comply with the rules focusing on the reduction of energy use. In South Africa, harmful environmental effects are created mainly from the electricity consumption’s unprecedented rise. The bulk of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions (more than 60%) originate from the electricity generation sector which is heavily dependent on coal-fired power stations. The purpose of this study is to promote a benchmark-and-trade system to improve electricity efficiency in South Africa with the ultimate objective to improve the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The uniqueness of this study is two-fold. On the one side, South African policy-makers have rarely discussed or proposed the implementation of a cap-and- trade system. On the other side, the same mechanism has never been proposed regarding electricity efficiency. In order to do so, it is first required to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the electricity consumption and efficiency of the South African economy in its entirety and on a sectoral level. The key findings of the empirical analysis are as follows: A decreasing effect of electricity prices to electricity consumption existed during the period 1980 to 2005, contrary to the increasing effect of total output to electricity consumption. Also, the results indicated that the higher the prices, the higher the price sensitivity of consumers to changes in prices (price elasticity) and vice versa. The relationship between electricity consumption and electricity prices differ among various sectors. The findings of the exercise point towards ambiguous results and even lack of behavioural response towards price changes in all but the industrial sector, where electricity consumption increased with price decreases. On the other side, economic output affected the electricity consumption of two sectors (industrial and commercial) presenting high and statistically significant coefficients. Based on a decomposition exercise, the change in production was the main factor that increased electricity consumption, while efficiency improvement was a driver in the decrease of electricity consumption. In the sectoral analysis, increases in production were part of the rising electricity usage for all the sectors with ‘iron and steel’, ‘transport’ and ‘non-ferrous metals’ being the main contributors to the effect. On the decreasing side of consumption, only five out of fourteen sectors were influenced by efficiency improvements. The country’s electricity intensity more than doubled from 1990 to 2007 and the country’s weighted growth of intensity was higher than the majority of the OECD countries by a considerable margin. Also, nine of the thirteen South African sectors were substantially more intensive than their OECD counterparts. Although the picture presented is rather dismal, there is scope for improvement. This study proposes a sectoral benchmark-and-trade system. This system aspires to steadily improve the participants’ efficiency performance by awarding the successful participants with monetary incentives through trading with the less successful ones. The benchmark is chosen to be subject to the average of OECD members for each sector. Depending on the sectors’ performance compared with the standard chosen, they will be awarded credits or allowances to sell if they do better than the benchmark. If they are worse-off, they will have to buy credits in the market created. The price per credit will be determined by the interaction of demand and supply in the market. The findings of a comparison with a carbon tax system show that the proposed system benefits the majority of the sectors and gives them better incentives to change their behaviour and production methods to more efficient ones. The system also fulfils the desired characteristics of a benchmark-and-trade system: certainty of environmental performance; business certainty; flexibility; administrative ease and transparency. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Economics / unrestricted

Esta Dissertação analisa os interesses manifestados durante o período de 2002 a 2005 pelos atores sociais interessados na fumicultura no Vale do Rio Pardo/RS, no Rio Grande do Sul, região com a maior produção de tabaco no Brasil. Essa atividade é desenvolvida por agricultores familiares em um sistema integrado de produção que consiste em contratos com indústrias, em sua maioria, transnacionais. O estudo, de carácter qualitativo, utiliza como principal referencial de análise a obra do autor chileno Carlos Matus e sua Teoria da Produção Social. A coleta de dados foi realizada, principalmente, a partir de notícias veiculadas pela imprensa corporativa da região estudada, entre os anos de 2002 a 2005. Esse período compreende as negociações finais do texto da Convenção-Quadro para o Controle do Tabaco (CQCT), Tratado internacional proposto pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), até sua ratificação pelo Brasil. Foram identificados e caracterizados atores sociais ligados ao Governo Federal; organizações de saúde e antitabagistas; sindicatos das corporações do tabaco; movimentos sociais; e associações e sindicatos representantes dos agricultores. Os atores interessados na fumicultura nesse local atuaram no jogo social produzindo fatos a partir de sua situação, estabelecendo relações de conflito e de cooperação que se alteraram durante o processo analisado. Os interesses em disputa, as relações de conflito e cooperação e as acumulações de recursos de poder dos atores no processo de produção social foram analisados em nove fatos sociais identificados no período. Os resultados indicam a existência de relações de conflito entre atores que representam fumicultores e indústrias quanto à desigual distribuição dos rendimentos da produção e precariedade das condições de trabalho; de cooperação em fatos sociais ligados ao controle ao tabagismo; e de conflito destes com atores que apoiavam medidas de controle do tabaco. Concluiu-se também que a ação de atores sociais ligados ao setor produtivo do tabaco e da imprensa corporativa da região produziu jogadas que conduziram à rejeição da CQCT na região, ao arrefecimento dos embates entre fumicultores e indústrias; e à manutenção do lucro da Indústria do tabaco na região. / This dissertation analyzes the interests manifested during the period from 2002 to 2005 by social actors interested in tobacco farming in the Rio Pardo Valley, Rio Grande do Sul, the region with the highest tobacco production in Brazil. This activity is developed by family farmers in an integrated production system that consists of contracts with industries, most of which are transnational. This qualitative study uses the work of Chilean author Carlos Matus and his Theory of Social Production as the main reference for analysis. The data collection was carried out mainly from news reports by the corporate press of the studied region between 2002 and 2005. This period includes the final negotiations of the text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), until its ratification by Brazil. Social actors were identified and characterized: Actors linked to the federal government; to health and anti-smoking organizations; those representatives of tobacco corporations; social movements; and actors linked to farmers' associations and unions. The conflicting interests, the relations of conflict and cooperation, and the actors’ accumulations of power resources in the process of social production were analyzed in nine social facts identified in the period. The actors involved in this social game produce facts from their situations, establishing relations of conflict and cooperation that changed during the analyzed process. The results show the existence of relations of conflict between tobacco growers and industries regarding the unequal distribution of income and precarious conditions of work. In social facts related to smoking control, cooperative relations between tobacco farmers and industry and their conflict with actors that supported measures of tobacco control were verified. It was also concluded that the actions of social actors linked to the tobacco production sector and the local corporate press produced game moves that led to the rejection of the FCTC in the region, to the cooling of the clashes between tobacco farmer and industries, and the maintenance of tobacco industry profits in the region.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2016-09-14T16:49:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Alex Alexandre Mengel.pdf: 1178563 bytes, checksum: 5808e4d4679e0f538727c860d52d9072 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-14T16:49:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Alex Alexandre Mengel.pdf: 1178563 bytes, checksum: 5808e4d4679e0f538727c860d52d9072 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-25 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico - CNPq / Since 2003, with the approval of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) at the 56th World Health Assembly, the discussions on tobacco control in Brazil has been intesified up to 2005, when the country ratified the treaty. Upon the ratification, the federal government created diversification program called Diversification of areas cultivated with tobacco National Program. Thus, this study aims to examine how goals and strategies aimed at early FCTC tobacco farming are being translated to Brazil; how these goals influence the strategies of the actors of the productive chain of the tobacco who act nationally; and how disputes between these actors influence this translation. Moreover, we also analyze the one hand, how the operation of this program of diversification is influencing disputes for space between the actors involved in tobacco productive chain and, on the other hand, how these actors influence the operation of such a program . To make this analysis possible, we used the concept of translation developed by Hassenteufel (2005) and the notion of policy networks by Hassenteufel (1995) and Romano (2009). Our main source of research was the semi-structured interviews with leaders of organizations representing the farmers and industry organized nationally, who work in tobacco production chain, with the National Coordination of the Diversification of areas cultivated with tobacco National Program and the Direction of the Executive Secretariat of the National Committee for the Implementation of the FCTC. We also examined documents relating to the ratification of the treaty in question, published by the National Congress, and news from the Ministry of Agrarian Development dealing with the tobacco farming. Thus, it was possible to divide the players that integrate the supply chain of tobacco on two networks, one of which network we called pro-integration of tobacco production and other network antiproductive integration. We observe that these networks, organized in favor of their historical interests, had great influence in how the FCTC has been ratified by Brazil. Futhermore, we note that the FCTC has changed the relationship among actors in the supply chain, leading to the strengthening of anti-network integration. We further note that the actors in such networks are close to different sectors of government and that this approach influences the priority of these sectors before the FCTC goals related to tobacco farming / A partir de 2003, com a aprova??o da Conven??o Quadro para o Controle do Tabaco (CQCT) na 56? Assembl?ia Mundial da Sa?de, as discuss?es sobre o controle do tabaco no Brasil se intensificaram at? a ratifica??o do tratado pelo pa?s, no ano de 2005. Por ocasi?o da ratifica??o, o governo federal criou um programa de diversifica??o denominado Programa Nacional de Diversifica??o de ?reas Cultivadas com Tabaco. Diante disso, este trabalho visa analisar como os objetivos e estrat?gias iniciais da CQCT voltados para a fumicultura est?o sendo traduzidos para o Brasil; como tais objetivos influenciam as estrat?gias dos atores da cadeia produtiva do tabaco que atuam nacionalmente; e como as disputas entre estes atores influenciam essa tradu??o. Ademais, buscamos ainda analisar, por um lado, de que maneira a operacionaliza??o do referido programa de diversifica??o est? influenciando as disputas por espa?o entre os atores envolvidos na cadeia produtiva do tabaco e, por outro lado, como estes atores influenciam a operacionaliza??o de tal programa. Para que tal an?lise fosse poss?vel utilizamos o conceito de tradu??o desenvolvido por Hassenteufel (2005) e a no??o de redes de pol?tica apresentada por Hassenteufel (1995) e Romano (2009). Nossa principal fonte de pesquisa foi a realiza??o de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com os dirigentes das entidades de representa??o dos agricultores e da ind?stria, organizadas nacionalmente, que atuam na cadeia produtiva do tabaco, com a Coordena??o Nacional do Programa Nacional de Diversifica??o de ?reas Cultivadas com Tabaco e com a Dire??o da Secretaria Executiva da Comiss?o Nacional para a Implementa??o da CQCT. Examinamos ainda, documentos relativos ? ratifica??o do tratado internacional em quest?o, publicados pelo Congresso Nacional, e not?cias do Minist?rio do Desenvolvimento Agr?rio que tratavam da fumicultura. Deste modo, foi poss?vel dividir os atores que integram a cadeia produtiva do tabaco em duas redes, sendo que uma delas denominamos de rede pr?-integra??o produtiva da cultura do tabaco e a outra de rede anti-integra??o produtiva. Observamos que estas redes, organizando-se em prol de seus interesses hist?ricos, tiveram grande influ?ncia na maneira com que a CQCT foi ratificada pelo Brasil. Al?m disso, constatamos que a CQCT modificou as rela??es entre os atores da cadeia produtiva, propiciando o fortalecimento da rede anti-integra??o. Observamos ainda, que os atores de tais redes aproximam-se de diferentes setores do governo e que tal aproxima??o influencia a prioridade destes setores para com os objetivos da CQCT relativos ? fumicultura.

The objective of this thesis is to analyze the process of the development of climate change regime within the context of international environmental politics. In this context, this thesis aims to scrutinize how principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedures concerning climate change regime have been created during the course of the climate change cooperation. To this end, having started with the explanation of the emergence of environmental issues as a topic of international politics, the thesis focuses on the general assessment of climate change in terms of science and environmental politics. Then, international climate change negotiations together with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol that constitute the basis for climate change regime are studied in this thesis. Finally, the thesis will elaborate on the positions and policies of the key players in relation to climate change for the purpose of clarifying their roles in the formation of climate change regime. This thesis concludes cooperation on climate change constitutes an example of a regime established within the scope of international environmental politics.

Esta Dissertação analisa os interesses manifestados durante o período de 2002 a 2005 pelos atores sociais interessados na fumicultura no Vale do Rio Pardo/RS, no Rio Grande do Sul, região com a maior produção de tabaco no Brasil. Essa atividade é desenvolvida por agricultores familiares em um sistema integrado de produção que consiste em contratos com indústrias, em sua maioria, transnacionais. O estudo, de carácter qualitativo, utiliza como principal referencial de análise a obra do autor chileno Carlos Matus e sua Teoria da Produção Social. A coleta de dados foi realizada, principalmente, a partir de notícias veiculadas pela imprensa corporativa da região estudada, entre os anos de 2002 a 2005. Esse período compreende as negociações finais do texto da Convenção-Quadro para o Controle do Tabaco (CQCT), Tratado internacional proposto pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), até sua ratificação pelo Brasil. Foram identificados e caracterizados atores sociais ligados ao Governo Federal; organizações de saúde e antitabagistas; sindicatos das corporações do tabaco; movimentos sociais; e associações e sindicatos representantes dos agricultores. Os atores interessados na fumicultura nesse local atuaram no jogo social produzindo fatos a partir de sua situação, estabelecendo relações de conflito e de cooperação que se alteraram durante o processo analisado. Os interesses em disputa, as relações de conflito e cooperação e as acumulações de recursos de poder dos atores no processo de produção social foram analisados em nove fatos sociais identificados no período. Os resultados indicam a existência de relações de conflito entre atores que representam fumicultores e indústrias quanto à desigual distribuição dos rendimentos da produção e precariedade das condições de trabalho; de cooperação em fatos sociais ligados ao controle ao tabagismo; e de conflito destes com atores que apoiavam medidas de controle do tabaco. Concluiu-se também que a ação de atores sociais ligados ao setor produtivo do tabaco e da imprensa corporativa da região produziu jogadas que conduziram à rejeição da CQCT na região, ao arrefecimento dos embates entre fumicultores e indústrias; e à manutenção do lucro da Indústria do tabaco na região. / This dissertation analyzes the interests manifested during the period from 2002 to 2005 by social actors interested in tobacco farming in the Rio Pardo Valley, Rio Grande do Sul, the region with the highest tobacco production in Brazil. This activity is developed by family farmers in an integrated production system that consists of contracts with industries, most of which are transnational. This qualitative study uses the work of Chilean author Carlos Matus and his Theory of Social Production as the main reference for analysis. The data collection was carried out mainly from news reports by the corporate press of the studied region between 2002 and 2005. This period includes the final negotiations of the text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), until its ratification by Brazil. Social actors were identified and characterized: Actors linked to the federal government; to health and anti-smoking organizations; those representatives of tobacco corporations; social movements; and actors linked to farmers' associations and unions. The conflicting interests, the relations of conflict and cooperation, and the actors’ accumulations of power resources in the process of social production were analyzed in nine social facts identified in the period. The actors involved in this social game produce facts from their situations, establishing relations of conflict and cooperation that changed during the analyzed process. The results show the existence of relations of conflict between tobacco growers and industries regarding the unequal distribution of income and precarious conditions of work. In social facts related to smoking control, cooperative relations between tobacco farmers and industry and their conflict with actors that supported measures of tobacco control were verified. It was also concluded that the actions of social actors linked to the tobacco production sector and the local corporate press produced game moves that led to the rejection of the FCTC in the region, to the cooling of the clashes between tobacco farmer and industries, and the maintenance of tobacco industry profits in the region.

Esta Dissertação analisa os interesses manifestados durante o período de 2002 a 2005 pelos atores sociais interessados na fumicultura no Vale do Rio Pardo/RS, no Rio Grande do Sul, região com a maior produção de tabaco no Brasil. Essa atividade é desenvolvida por agricultores familiares em um sistema integrado de produção que consiste em contratos com indústrias, em sua maioria, transnacionais. O estudo, de carácter qualitativo, utiliza como principal referencial de análise a obra do autor chileno Carlos Matus e sua Teoria da Produção Social. A coleta de dados foi realizada, principalmente, a partir de notícias veiculadas pela imprensa corporativa da região estudada, entre os anos de 2002 a 2005. Esse período compreende as negociações finais do texto da Convenção-Quadro para o Controle do Tabaco (CQCT), Tratado internacional proposto pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), até sua ratificação pelo Brasil. Foram identificados e caracterizados atores sociais ligados ao Governo Federal; organizações de saúde e antitabagistas; sindicatos das corporações do tabaco; movimentos sociais; e associações e sindicatos representantes dos agricultores. Os atores interessados na fumicultura nesse local atuaram no jogo social produzindo fatos a partir de sua situação, estabelecendo relações de conflito e de cooperação que se alteraram durante o processo analisado. Os interesses em disputa, as relações de conflito e cooperação e as acumulações de recursos de poder dos atores no processo de produção social foram analisados em nove fatos sociais identificados no período. Os resultados indicam a existência de relações de conflito entre atores que representam fumicultores e indústrias quanto à desigual distribuição dos rendimentos da produção e precariedade das condições de trabalho; de cooperação em fatos sociais ligados ao controle ao tabagismo; e de conflito destes com atores que apoiavam medidas de controle do tabaco. Concluiu-se também que a ação de atores sociais ligados ao setor produtivo do tabaco e da imprensa corporativa da região produziu jogadas que conduziram à rejeição da CQCT na região, ao arrefecimento dos embates entre fumicultores e indústrias; e à manutenção do lucro da Indústria do tabaco na região. / This dissertation analyzes the interests manifested during the period from 2002 to 2005 by social actors interested in tobacco farming in the Rio Pardo Valley, Rio Grande do Sul, the region with the highest tobacco production in Brazil. This activity is developed by family farmers in an integrated production system that consists of contracts with industries, most of which are transnational. This qualitative study uses the work of Chilean author Carlos Matus and his Theory of Social Production as the main reference for analysis. The data collection was carried out mainly from news reports by the corporate press of the studied region between 2002 and 2005. This period includes the final negotiations of the text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), until its ratification by Brazil. Social actors were identified and characterized: Actors linked to the federal government; to health and anti-smoking organizations; those representatives of tobacco corporations; social movements; and actors linked to farmers' associations and unions. The conflicting interests, the relations of conflict and cooperation, and the actors’ accumulations of power resources in the process of social production were analyzed in nine social facts identified in the period. The actors involved in this social game produce facts from their situations, establishing relations of conflict and cooperation that changed during the analyzed process. The results show the existence of relations of conflict between tobacco growers and industries regarding the unequal distribution of income and precarious conditions of work. In social facts related to smoking control, cooperative relations between tobacco farmers and industry and their conflict with actors that supported measures of tobacco control were verified. It was also concluded that the actions of social actors linked to the tobacco production sector and the local corporate press produced game moves that led to the rejection of the FCTC in the region, to the cooling of the clashes between tobacco farmer and industries, and the maintenance of tobacco industry profits in the region.

Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária / The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, promulgated by the World Health Organization, in 2003, internationalized the tobacco consumerism, commercialization and production problem. To comply with the Articles 17 and 18 from the Framework Convention, Brazil created the National Program for Diversification in Tobacco Cultivated Areas (Programa Nacional de Diversificação em Áreas com Cultivo de Tabaco) aiming at supporting rural development actions to motivate family farmers to accede to the productive diversification proposals in the tobacco production regions. The objective of this thesis was to analyze the strategies employed by the federal government to ensure legitimacy in the incentive process to the productive diversification in the city of Monte Castelo, in the state of Santa Catarina, highlighting its repercussions on local agents` actions and family farmers` choices, tobacco producers. The research was developed from a case study, accomplished in Monte Castelo/SC, with a qualitative approach. The methodological procedures used for data collection combined the bibliographical research, documental research and semi-structured interviews, directed to rural development agents and family farmers, both those who joined the diversification, and those who decided to remain in tobacco production. As Brazil is a tobacco producer, issues related to the impacts of the Framework Convention adoption by family farmers have a significant role in the negotiation agenda. In Monte Castelo, the social agents` relation with the tobacco agroindustry is greater than the relation with the National Program, reflecting on the meanings ascribed to the diversification notion by institutions and on the development actions presented to family farmers. To family farmers, diversification is understood as the presence of multiple activities developed in the property, practiced along generations. It can be concluded that the accession to the diversification proposals is related to the advantages that a new activity offers in relation to what is already available to the producer by the agroindustry integration system. However, the safety provided by the agroindustry integration system encourages family farmers to continue tobacco production in Monte Castelo. / A Convenção-Quadro para o Controle do Tabaco, promulgada pela Organização Mundial da Saúde, em 2003, internacionalizou o problema do consumo, da comercialização e da produção do tabaco. Para atender aos artigos 17 e 18 da Convenção-Quadro, o Brasil criou o Programa Nacional de Diversificação em Áreas Cultivadas com Tabaco com o intuito de apoiar ações de desenvolvimento rural para motivar a adesão dos agricultores familiares às propostas de diversificação produtiva nas regiões produtoras de tabaco. O objetivo da dissertação foi analisar as estratégias utilizadas pelo governo federal para garantir a legitimidade no processo de incentivo à diversificação produtiva no município de Monte Castelo, estado de Santa Catarina, destacando suas repercussões sobre as ações dos agentes locais e nas escolhas dos agricultores familiares, produtores de tabaco. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida a partir de um estudo de caso, realizado no município de Monte Castelo/SC, com abordagem qualitativa dos dados. Os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados para o levantamento de dados combinou a pesquisa bibliográfica, pesquisa documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas, dirigidas para agentes de desenvolvimento rural e agricultores familiares, tanto os que aderiram à diversificação, quanto os que decidiram manter-se na produção de fumo. No Brasil, por se tratar de um país produtor de tabaco, as questões inerentes aos impactos da adoção da Convenção-Quadro junto aos agricultores familiares ocupam um expressivo peso na pauta de negociações. Em Monte Castelo, os agentes sociais têm maior relação com a agroindústria do tabaco do que com o Programa Nacional, refletindo nos significados atribuídos pelas instituições à noção de diversificação e nas ações de desenvolvimento apresentadas aos agricultores familiares. Sob a perspectiva dos agricultores familiares, a diversificação é entendida como a presença de múltiplas atividades desenvolvidas na propriedade, praticada ao longo das gerações. Conclui-se que a adesão às propostas de diversificação está relacionada com as vantagens que uma nova atividade oferece em relação ao que já está disponível ao produtor pelo sistema de integração com a agroindústria. Mas a segurança proporcionada pelo sistema de integração agroindustrial orienta a decisão de agricultores familiares pela continuidade do cultivo do tabaco em Monte Castelo.

The thesis International Climate Change Law presents international legislation in the area of climate protection. Specifically, it focuses on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and proposed legal aspects of the new agreement, which is to arise from the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties in Paris. In its introduction the thesis outlines the scientific background of the climate change and political and technical approaches to its solution. Then, it gives an overview of the development of the international law in this area, including its political context. The following chapters analyse key legal documents highlighting their objective, principles, commitments, and tools. The last chapter sums ups and briefly analyses the most important aspects of the proposed legislation.

Legal regulation of climate protection after the Paris Agreement adoption Abstract Since the early 1990s, most of the world countries have been cooperating to create a common climate protection system, which would be effective and would help to protect the Earth ecosystem for future generations without severe and irreversible changes. After more than 20 years of difficult international negotiations without any particular outcome, the ambitious Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in December 2015. The main aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether the Paris Agreement is a suitable instrument for climate protection and if it leads to the goals set in it. The first part of the thesis analyses the international climate protection development previous to the Paris Agreement adoption. The thesis describes the development since the cornerstones of the climate protection, over the first meteorological conferences, to the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol. It deals with the Kyoto Protocol and disappointments caused by it. The end of the first part is devoted to the Copenhagen Accord, its specific status, and further development before the Paris Climate Conference in 2015. The second part deals with the analysis of the Paris Agreement itself, its...

Climate change poses an unprecedented risk to global human security and future generations. Yet actions to mitigate or adapt to the changing climate system vary greatly among countries and their constituencies. Despite mounting evidence detailing the economic, social, and ecological risks of climate change, many scholars agree that the greatest threats associated with climate change involve delaying or ignoring necessary action. Using theorizing of “risk society” from Ulrich Beck and others, this thesis examines how countries, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and business interests construct the risk of climate change and how their respective discourses conflict in international environmental negotiations. This research uses computer-assisted qualitative data analysis to explore statements submitted by each of these constituencies to the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. Analysis of these texts identifies climate change discourse as crisis or opportunity, in addition to discourses of development, environmentalism, and rights or responsibilities to provide us a better understanding of how we perceive and respond to ecological risk.