Negotiating the Paris Agreement
The Insider Stories

The negotiations of the Paris Agreement on climate change come to life through detailed insider accounts and in-depth analyses.

Henrik Jepsen (Edited by), Magnus Lundgren (Edited by), Kai Monheim (Edited by), Hayley Walker (Edited by)

9781108840507, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 October 2021

250 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 3 cm, 0.79 kg

'This book offers a unique glimpse into the political dynamics that shaped the Paris Agreement. Unlike any other account, it brings together fascinating insider accounts of the negotiations and astute academic analyzes. The key message is that process and agency matter for the outcomes of multilateral negotiations. The book will be a tremendous resource for practitioners and scholars alike.' Professor Jonas Tallberg, Stockholm University

The 2015 Paris Agreement represents the culmination of years of intense negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Designed to curb climate change, it was negotiated by almost 200 countries who came to the table with different backgrounds, perceptions and interests. As such, the Agreement represents a triumph for multilateralism in a period otherwise characterized by nationalist turns. How did countries reach the historical agreement, and what were the driving forces behind it? This book paints a full picture by providing and analysing multifaceted insider accounts from high-level delegates who represented developed and developing countries, civil society, businesses, the French Presidency, and the UNFCCC Secretariat. In doing so, the book documents not only the negotiation of the Paris Agreement but also the dynamics and factors that shaped it. A better understanding of these dynamics and factors can guide future negotiations and help us solve global challenges.

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction Henrik Jepsen, Magnus Lundgren, Kai Monheim and Hayley Walker
2. The Paris negotiations: Background and context Pamela Chasek
3. The French COP21 Presidency Laurence Tubiana
4. Mission: Adoption with Ovations. The contribution of the UNFCCC secretariat to the achievement of the Paris agreement Richard Kinley
5. Paris agreement and China's imprint Xie Zhenhua
6. The EU's role in the Paris agreement Pete Betts
7. The United States: Interesting processes and techniques lined the road to Paris Susan Biniaz, with commentary from Jonathan Pershing
8. COP21 complaints and negotiation. The role of the like-minded developing countries group (LMDC) and the Paris agreement Rene Orellana Halkyer
9. The staircase of Paris Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu
10. The battle for small island developing states James Fletcher
11. The high ambition coalition Farhana Yamin
12. The power of civil society Jennifer Morgan
13. Business: Creating the context Stephen Howards, with Tim Smedley
14. Why did they finally reach agreement? John S. Odell
15. Conclusion: The landscape of multilateral agreement in Paris and beyond Hayley Walker, Kai Monheim, Frauke Ohler, Henrik Jepsen and Magnus Lundgren.

Subject Areas: The environment [RN], International environmental law [LBBP], International relations [JPS]