Who Drives the Climate? Actors and Influences in International Climate Policy

Climate change has recently arised in the international agenda as one of the top issues. The paper first provides with a theoretical comprehension of actorness in international relations. Second, the paper examines milestones of the historic development of the current climate regime. Third, the focus turns to the major actors which influence the climate change negotiations and examines their preferences, their evolution and pursuit on the international scene. It assumes politics is a two-level game and that political factors are not exclusive driving forces on the international scene. Finally, remarks on the future of climate regime are presented. The paper concludes by stating that actors differ in social identification with natural reality and that the shift in current environmental paradigm is rather unlikely