4 Susanne Hanger-Kopp et al.
and future system development. They allow useful exploration of, and learning
from, states of the world, given that their narratives are salient, credible, and legitimate (Cash et al. 2003, Rounsevell and Metzger, 2010).
The narratives in this book have been developed through the work of the EU
Horizon 2020-funded TRANSrisk project. They refer to national and subnational levels but are considered in the broader context of global climate
change and decarbonisation governance. Globally, the Paris Agreement constitutes the most important overarching aim for low- carbon transitions. It is a
high- level legal framework attempting to pave the way for global low- carbon
and resilient development. The agreement’s binding nature is weakened by the
absence of sanctions, its non- punitive, non- adversarial design, and the lack of
clear implementation policies. Its key elements are the organisation of the contributions in terms of emission reductions by the parties; the relationships and
transactions between developed, developing, and least developed countries; and
funding mechanisms to realise actions. The Paris Agreement addresses both
mitigation and adaptation concerns – with respective implications for and
explicit focus on finance, technology transfer, and capacity building – and most
recently also considerations for loss and damage. With respect to mitigation, the
most surprising outcome of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) was the
introduction of the new, highly ambitious mitigation target aiming to limit temperature rise to below 1.5°C. Although the target of 2°C remains part of the
agreement as the upper limit temperature target, this implies a radical redefinition of low- carbon pathways as discussed, analysed, and assessed up until 2015.
Parties’ contributions to the agreement are embodied in their nationally
determined contributions (NDCs). Based on the agreement and the newly
introduced stocktaking mechanism, each party prepares, communicates, and
maintains their NDCs autonomously, taking full responsibility for their implementation while respecting the principles of environmental integrity, transparency, accuracy, completeness, comparability, and consistency. The Paris
Agreement, however, does not provide procedures and methodologies for the
determination of NDCs. This means that, ultimately, any specific action towards
the targets of the Paris Agreement is the responsibility of individual countries.
The EU as a unique regional player for climate governance
Among the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), the European Union (EU) is the only supranational body,
which provides another level of coordination and legislation. Indeed, the EU acts
as a single party in international climate change negotiations, adding to the levels
at which EU progress must be monitored: community and member state. Three
main strategies are at the heart of the EU’s decarbonisation policy: the 2020
climate and energy package; the 2030 climate and energy framework; and the
2050 low- carbon economy roadmap.
The 2020 climate and energy package is binding legislation to ensure that the
Union meets its climate and energy targets for the year 2020. It sets out the
and future system development. They allow useful exploration of, and learning
from, states of the world, given that their narratives are salient, credible, and legitimate (Cash et al. 2003, Rounsevell and Metzger, 2010).
The narratives in this book have been developed through the work of the EU
Horizon 2020-funded TRANSrisk project. They refer to national and subnational levels but are considered in the broader context of global climate
change and decarbonisation governance. Globally, the Paris Agreement constitutes the most important overarching aim for low- carbon transitions. It is a
high- level legal framework attempting to pave the way for global low- carbon
and resilient development. The agreement’s binding nature is weakened by the
absence of sanctions, its non- punitive, non- adversarial design, and the lack of
clear implementation policies. Its key elements are the organisation of the contributions in terms of emission reductions by the parties; the relationships and
transactions between developed, developing, and least developed countries; and
funding mechanisms to realise actions. The Paris Agreement addresses both
mitigation and adaptation concerns – with respective implications for and
explicit focus on finance, technology transfer, and capacity building – and most
recently also considerations for loss and damage. With respect to mitigation, the
most surprising outcome of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) was the
introduction of the new, highly ambitious mitigation target aiming to limit temperature rise to below 1.5°C. Although the target of 2°C remains part of the
agreement as the upper limit temperature target, this implies a radical redefinition of low- carbon pathways as discussed, analysed, and assessed up until 2015.
Parties’ contributions to the agreement are embodied in their nationally
determined contributions (NDCs). Based on the agreement and the newly
introduced stocktaking mechanism, each party prepares, communicates, and
maintains their NDCs autonomously, taking full responsibility for their implementation while respecting the principles of environmental integrity, transparency, accuracy, completeness, comparability, and consistency. The Paris
Agreement, however, does not provide procedures and methodologies for the
determination of NDCs. This means that, ultimately, any specific action towards
the targets of the Paris Agreement is the responsibility of individual countries.
The EU as a unique regional player for climate governance
Among the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), the European Union (EU) is the only supranational body,
which provides another level of coordination and legislation. Indeed, the EU acts
as a single party in international climate change negotiations, adding to the levels
at which EU progress must be monitored: community and member state. Three
main strategies are at the heart of the EU’s decarbonisation policy: the 2020
climate and energy package; the 2030 climate and energy framework; and the
2050 low- carbon economy roadmap.
The 2020 climate and energy package is binding legislation to ensure that the
Union meets its climate and energy targets for the year 2020. It sets out the