[Leçon inaugurale] “Navigating complexity: the European Union and global climate governance”

Joseph EARSOM – ESPOL, Université catholique de Lille

Amphithéâtre MF 1092, bâtiment ‘Michel Falise’, 13 rue de Toul

During his opening speech at COP29 in Baku, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Steill stressed that “The [climate] crisis is affecting every single individual in the world one way or another.” Indeed, the multi-faceted and increasingly wide-spread nature of the crisis means that climate change is being addressed across all levels of governance. It is on the agenda of many different institutions bringing together all types of actors: from high level political fora like the G20 to networks of cities and businesses­. This proliferation of institutions has been accompanied by pushes, such as the European Green Deal, to mainstream climate into nearly every policy area. While this increased attention to the inter-connected nature of climate change is a significant development, it adds even more complexity to an already fragmented and crowded governance landscape. The addition of new agendas, institutions, and interests presents serious challenges, both internally and externally, for climate action advocates. This lecture therefore seeks to shed light on how actors like the European Union, a self-declared climate leader, navigates this complexity across the global governance landscape.

Joseph Earsom is Associate Professor of Environmental and Climate Policy as ESPOL, Université catholique de Lille.