Author

Dong Wook Won, Dong-A University

Abstract

This paper focuses on the debate between China and the United States regarding China’s new climate change policy following the expiration of the Kyoto Climate Change Protocol in 2012 and the new global climate governance framework in the Post-Kyoto era. By first presenting possible discourses of the international community that will ensue in the post-Kyoto era, this paper further discusses the policies being introduced in China as well as its response to the international community’s pressure to cut carbon emissions. This paper further analyzes the conflict and cooperation between China and the United States on climate change issues, and weighs the possibilities for a successful global architecture to arise with the evolution of a G2 era.

According to this analysis, China is aiming for a significant reduction in carbon emissions and is slowly switching to a low-carbon economy. At the same time, however, Beijing denounces the international community’s pressure for it to adopt mandatory emissions reduction and calls for “common but differentiated responsibility” to reduce carbon emissions by 2020. Although China disapproves the idea of a G2 governance system as pushed by the United States, it seeks to utilize climate change issues as an instrument to ensure talks with the United States and acquire technologies regarding renewable energy production and carbon reduction.

The full text in Korean is available here