COP15 - Jakten efter ett ambitiöst och globalt klimatavtal. -Vad motiverar Danmark att verka för ambitiösa bindande klimatmål?

Until recently the Danish government was hesitant about whether investments in climate and energy policies were the right strategy for Denmark. Today the Danish government argues that during the forthcoming climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009 (COP15), the world's countries must agree upon ambitious climate objectives. Denmark is together with EU-27 aiming at an ambitious climate agreement. This thesis intends to contribute with an understanding of why Denmark, both politically and economically, invests profound resources into committing the world's countries to a climate agreement. The study uses both a neoliberal institutionalism and a constructivist theory in analyzing the Danish engagement. First, the study claims that the Danish advocacy on a multilateral agreement is motivated on the nature of the global climate challenges. Secondly, it claims that an international cooperation prosper towards absolute gains which cannot be reached unilaterally. Denmark's strategy is even representing an influential strategy in terms of climate leadership and trough the advocacy of specific norms. It is assumed that this strategy seeks to change the negotiators perceptions, and that a reduced emission together with investments in low carbon economy will gain the worldwide welfare. Further, the study argues that the Danish proactive role creates opportunities to exploit economic self-interests and protect the autonomy of energy policies