Climate protection in times of geopolitical upheavals
The international economic order and the international climate protection architecture are eroding. Some observers are even calling for the end of the rules-based world order and multilateralism altogether. Geopolitical conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, new power constellations and security challenges are also fundamentally changing the framework conditions for global energy and climate policy. Europe is still driving climate protection forward on its agenda, but it must coordinate it in the international environment, assert itself in the face of geopolitical upheavals, ensure energy security and at the same time secure the competitiveness of its industry. In contrast, the dynamic development of new technologies such as AI and the cost-cutting effects of green technologies open up new opportunities for a global restructuring. So how can climate protection and the energy transition be made effective and resilient under these conditions?
Possible research approaches
- How are the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement and international law as a whole developing under changed geopolitical conditions?
- What legal mechanisms are available effectively to enforce climate protection goals and international obligations?
- How can European climate protection law and standards hold their own in an increasingly fragmented world order?
- What new forms of international cooperation are emerging – such as climate clubs, strategic (energy) partnerships or new coalitions of pioneering states?
- How can energy infrastructures and energy supply be made resilient in the face of the multitude of geopolitical challenges – including energy and resource security, energy self-sufficiency, military or hybrid attacks, or diversification of energy imports?