Global climate change has become one of the greatest challenges of our times. The UN has started to tackle this global challenge as a security issue. Respecting the initiative and role of the UN, the EU has played a strong leadership role for global climate change by proactively setting international agendas, implementing emissions reductions, and helping poor countries adapt to climate change. Clearly, it has responded more actively to global climate change than any other countries in the world. Although China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is now seeking to take climate change leadership, its policy response is still limited compared to the EU.
This thesis aims to examine which factors make the EU take more active climate change policy. It will find out why a country’s soft power is the main determinant to enable the country to respond more actively to global climate change. For the research, we will look into the following four factors: vulnerability to impacts of climate change on security; understanding of global climate change (as a source of soft power); economic power (as a source of hard power); and democracy in politics and society (as a source of soft power).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Global Climate Change and Security: From Rio, Kyoto to Copenhagen
1.2. Climate Change Leadership and Soft Power: The EU and China
2. Research Design
2.1. Research Question
2.2. Variables and Operationalization
2.2.1. Dependent Variable and DV-Indicators
2.2.2. Independent Variables and IV-Indicators
2.3. Hypothesis and Expected Result
2.4. Theoretical Framework
2.5. Methodology
3. Comparative Analysis: The EU and China
3.1. [DV] Policy Response to Global Climate Change
3.1.1. Setting (or Existence) of Emission Reduction Targets and Other Commitments under the Kyoto Protocol
3.1.2. Setting of Future Emissions Targets and Other Commitments for the Post-Kyoto World
3.1.3. Financial offer for Poor Countries Vulnerable to Climate Change after the Copenhagen Summit (2010-2020)
3.1.4. Summary
3.2. [IV1] Vulnerability to Impacts of Climate Change on Security
3.2.1. Food Security
3.2.2. Water Security
3.2.3. Health Security
3.2.4. Other Climate Effects
3.2.5. Summary
3.3. [DV2] Understanding of Global Climate Change (As a Source of Soft Power)
3.3.1. Position of Governments towards the Relationship between Climate Change and Security
3.3.2. Public Awareness of Global Climate Change
3.3.3. Summary
3.4. [IV3] Economic Power (As a Source of Hard Power)
3.4.1. GDP and Economic Growth Rate
3.4.2. GDP Per Capita and Standard of Living
3.4.3. Preparation of Economy for a Low Carbon World
3.4.4. Summary
3.5. [IV4] Democracy in Politics and Society (As a Source of Soft Power)
3.5.1. Type of Regime
3.5.2. Degree of Corruption
3.5.3. Degree of Freedom
3.5.4. Summary
4. Conclusions
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines why the European Union’s policy response to global climate change has been significantly more active than that of China, identifying the core determinants behind these divergent approaches by applying Joseph S. Nye’s theory of soft power.
- The role of the EU as a global climate change leader versus China’s emerging but limited policy response.
- The distinction between hard power and soft power as drivers for environmental policy engagement.
- An evaluation of four key factors: vulnerability to climate change, understanding of climate issues, economic power, and the level of democracy in politics and society.
- The influence of public awareness and political systems on the ability of governments to commit to international climate goals.
Excerpt from the Book
1.2. Climate Change Leadership and Soft Power: The EU and China
In 2005, Mark Leonard published a book titled “Why Europe will Run the 21st Century” and stressed out the role of the EU as a global leader to tackle new challenges facing the world. By examining various aspects of the EU, he says that “the need for global institutions is as great now as it was after World War II. And it is the EU that is taking the lead in building and modernizing them.” Most of all, he argues that the EU would be a ‘true’ leader “not because Europe will run the world as an empire, but because the European way of doing things will have become the world’s.”
There is no doubt that the EU has taken a leadership role in setting international agendas and providing advanced ideas for solving global problems. As Jeremy Rifkin says, “we’re going to have to get used to the idea that the European Union has its own global agenda and its own dream about the kind of world it would like to fashion – that dream won’t always coincide with our own.”
Holding climate talks from Rio, Kyoto to Copenhagen, the UN has called for concerted international action to address global climate change. As mentioned above, the UN regards the global challenge as a high priority issue by emphasizing the impacts of climate change on security. Respecting the role of the UN, the EU has taken active climate change policies by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pushing for binding emissions targets at the UN climate meetings. Pinder and Usherwood argue that “the EU’s action with respect to climate change has a powerful impact, both internally and in the wider world” and that, especially for the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the EU played a strong climate change leadership role.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces global climate change as a critical security challenge and frames the comparative leadership roles of the EU and China within international negotiations.
2. Research Design: This section establishes the research question, defines the variables—vulnerability, climate understanding, economic power, and democracy—and outlines the methodological approach using comparative analysis.
3. Comparative Analysis: The EU and China: This core chapter evaluates the empirical evidence for policy responses in both regions, dissecting the four identified independent variables and their correlation with active climate policy.
4. Conclusions: This chapter synthesizes the research findings, confirming that soft power factors are the primary determinants for active climate leadership, rather than economic power or vulnerability alone.
Keywords
Climate Change, Global Security, European Union, China, Soft Power, Hard Power, Policy Response, Kyoto Protocol, Sustainability, Democracy, Corruption, Environmental Policy, Carbon Markets, Copenhagen Summit, Vulnerability
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this Master's thesis?
The research analyzes why the European Union has consistently adopted a more proactive policy response to global climate change compared to China, focusing on the specific political and social factors that drive these differences.
What are the central thematic fields?
The study revolves around international security, climate change mitigation, the theory of soft power, and the comparative political analysis of environmental governance in the EU and China.
What is the primary research question?
The primary question asks why the EU's climate policy is more active than China's and how various factors—specifically soft power resources—influence these differences in policy response.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research employs a comparative case study methodology, utilizing official government documents, international statistics, academic literature, and indices (such as the Corruption Perceptions Index and the Low Carbon Competitiveness Index) to test the proposed hypotheses.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section evaluates four independent variables: the degree of vulnerability to climate change, understanding of climate issues, economic power, and the influence of democracy within a society.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The research is best described by terms like soft power, climate leadership, EU-China relations, environmental security, and democratic governance.
How does the author define soft power in the context of climate change?
The author follows Joseph S. Nye’s definition, characterizing soft power as the ability to attract and set agendas through values, policies, and institutions, rather than through coercion or mere economic inducement.
Does economic power directly equate to stronger climate policy?
No, the research concludes that economic power (hard power) is only a partial determinant; high economic growth can occur without a corresponding proactive climate policy, as demonstrated by the case of China.
What role does democracy play in the author's findings?
Democracy is identified as a critical source of soft power that encourages environmental consciousness and transparency, ultimately enabling more effective and active policy responses to global challenges.
- Quote paper
- Sang-Min Han (Author), 2010, Impacts of Climate Change on World Security. Policy Response to Global Climate Change and Role of Soft Power in the EU and China, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/385830
