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Normative Shifts in the Global Conception of Climate Change: The Growth of Climate Justice

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  • Evan Gach

    (Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan)

Abstract

While climate change has been framed as an environmental issue from the very beginning of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations, over the years the concept has expanded to further emphasize it as a fundamental issue of human rights and global justice. This paper examines the evolution of the conception of climate change since 2009, arguing that the issue framing utilized by UNFCCC member states has increasingly trended toward some aspects of the climate justice frame, including disparities in vulnerability to climate change (loss and damage), human rights impacts, and social inequalities. This shift also extends to the framing adopted by civil society organizations in the form of the Climate Action Network (CAN International), in which a larger focus on issues of climate justice can be seen in recent years. These trends are then reviewed alongside the objectives, mechanisms, and language of the ratified text of the Paris Agreement in order to evaluate the status of the growing international norm of climate justice.

Suggested Citation

  • Evan Gach, 2019. "Normative Shifts in the Global Conception of Climate Change: The Growth of Climate Justice," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:8:y:2019:i:1:p:24-:d:197326
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Heiner von Lüpke, 2023. "The Just Energy Transition Partnership in South Africa: Identification and Assessment of Key Factors Driving International Cooperation," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2062, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Petra Tschakert & David Schlosberg & Danielle Celermajer & Lauren Rickards & Christine Winter & Mathias Thaler & Makere Stewart‐Harawira & Blanche Verlie, 2021. "Multispecies justice: Climate‐just futures with, for and beyond humans," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    4. Jurjonas, Matthew & Aldana, Lesly, 2020. "The Flyer’s dilemma and the Logger’s case for climate justice," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).

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