Is climate change ungovernable?

• Published in: London review of international law
• Main Author: Edwards, Paul N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 21-11-2024
• ISSN: 2050-6325; 2050-6333
• DOI: 10.1093/lril/lrae017

Climate governance spans multiple levels of socio-political organisation, from global institutions to local governments and non-governmental entities. Coordination among them is often weak, chaotic, or non-existent, hindering effective climate action. Massive infrastructure built on fossil energy systems, supported by powerful interests and long-term social commitments, exacerbates the challenge. This article begins with a review of recent climate science and data pointing to potentially catastrophic outcomes within the next few decades. It then explores failures and weaknesses of existing governance modes. Incantatory ungovernance declares broad objectives but lacks specific mechanisms to achieve them. De-governance through policy reversal and enforcement failure has already occurred and will happen again, especially where overlapping jurisdictions conflict. Anti-governance takes multiple forms, including ideology, greenwashing, and denialism. In the face of these common failure modes, the most effective climate ‘policy’ is infrastructural change.