Liberalism in the Context of Global Climate Change Policy

On September 23^rd, over 100 world leaders assembled at the United Nations Climate Summit in order to address the increasingly prevalent issue of global climate change. President Obama stood before the congregation of world powers and emphasized the importance of acting immediately, acting quickly, and most importantly, acting together. The way in which the international political community has responded to the growing environmental crisis reflects many of the central tenets of liberalist political theory. However, the lack of progress towards an effective international resolution highlights the flaws inherent in liberal theory, and provides an example of the discord that can result from such weaknesses.

In the study of international relations, liberalist theory views both states and institutions as key actors, and emphasizes the ability of institutions to facilitate cooperation and interactions among states. For example, the development of international climate change treaties and policies relies heavily on the involvement of powerful states, such as the United States, and global institutions, such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The creation and success of climate change policy on the international level also greatly depends on the cooperation of states with one another and with other relevant actors. For example, over 73 countries and 1,000 companies and investors have agreed to support placing a price on carbon in order to best reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the help of institutions such as the World Bank Group and the World Economic Forum, the supporters of carbon pricing will soon form the “carbon pricing leadership coalition,” which will allow for the further expression and development of their ideas regarding the reduction of GHG emissions.

In addition, liberalism focuses on the propensity of states to depend on each other in order to ensure their own security and well-being. Because climate change is such a trans-boundary issue, the welfare of a state is truly dependent on the actions of many other states. Carbon emissions in one state are not contained in that state alone, and therefore, the climate change that occurs as a result has far-reaching impacts outside of that state. The inherently interrelated nature of environmental issues means that the opposite is also true: efforts to reduce climate change in one region will automatically reduce climate change in other regions as well. This interconnected relationship is reflective of the liberalist view of power dynamics, which states that absolute gains are more important than relative gains, and power is not seen as “zero sum.” States are not competing to determine who will achieve the highest level of environmental health in comparison to everyone else; rather, every state is attempting to improve the environmental health of their state for the sake of the state. It does not hurt the state if others also benefit as a result of their actions.

However, it is important to point out that many previous international climate change resolutions have failed despite their lofty goals and high expectations. Such failures seem to reflect one of the primary flaws that can be found within liberalist theory. Although interdependence can be very useful and mutually beneficial, it can also lead to mutual vulnerability. Climate change is the perfect example of this issue as environmental policies will only succeed if every state cooperates. For example, if all states shut down every source of carbon emissions tomorrow, the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would drop dramatically. But if China refused to participate in this exercise, it would not matter what any other state did – the amount of greenhouse gases could still rise to a dangerous level. Therefore, the interdependence of states that is associated with global climate change policy – and with liberalist theory – can lead to both great change and tremendous instability.

Sources:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48787#.VCg1xfldWSo

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2014/09/22/73-countries-1000-companies-investors-support-price-carbon