GLOBE Climate legislation study

The Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) has published a major study into the status of climate change legislation in 16 of the world’s largest economies.

The study, completed in partnership with the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, the following findings:

• Legislation is being advanced, to varying degrees, in all of the study countries
• Most of the legislative activity has taken place over the last year and a half – contrasting sharply with the difficulties experienced by the international negotiations over the same timeframe
• This demonstrates that the shape of the debate is changing from one about sharing a global burden – with governments naturally trying to minimize their share – to one of a realisation that acting on climate change is in the national interest
• It is particularly encouraging that the large developing countries of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa – who together represent the engine of global economic growth – are developing comprehensive laws to tackle climate change
• Current legislation does not yet, cumulatively, add up to what is necessary to avoid dangerous climate change
• However, this legislation is putting in place the legal and policy frameworks to measure, report, verify and manage carbon
• An international climate change agreement will only be possible when countries are already committed to taking the necessary action rooted in self-interest. In other words, an international agreement will only reflect political conditions, not define them.

As a result of the Study GLOBE believes that much greater attention should be paid to national level policy and legislative development. Equally, that in the MRV (measuring, reporting, verification) debate Parliaments have a clear responsibility that is currently unrecognised. Combined with a focus on legislation there should be measures to strengthen national scrutiny structures.

Following the launch of the Study, GLOBE will initiate a dialogue between legislators and governments in the run up to the UN negotiations in Durban in December and the GLOBE Cape Town Legislators Forum. This dialogue will explore how domestic legislation can be formally recognised under the UNFCCC. Additionally, GLOBE will work with its members to continue to share legislative best practice, advance legislation and to develop a set of legislative scrutiny principles to support the implementation of legislation.