Das Übereinkommen von Paris zum Klimaschutz: Einbindung und Rolle nicht-staatlicher Akteure

Non-state actors such as NGOs, private enterprises or cities have been participating in climate action for a long time without having any written rights or obligations. The Paris Agreement from December 2015 was a first important step for including non-state actors in an officialway as it leaves it up to each individual state to determine national contributions (NDCs) and thereby creates the opportunity for non-state actors to engage in stronger participation. The wide range of activities such as their involvement in the Climate Change Conferences, private standard setting, surveillance of the implementation of the NDCs or suing governments for the violation of environmental regulations show the increasing importance of their cooperation in this field. However, due to a lack of formal rights their options of making a sufficient impact on climate change are still limited. This provides an opportunity to reevaluate the systemof international law and adjust it to the transnationality of climate change particularly in the way of giving non-state actors certain formal rights.

Autor: Esther Shari Kosa