The Effectiveness of Negotiation in the Climate Change Regime - Role of the European Union, the USA and China

This thesis addresses the topic of the effectiveness of negotiation in the climate change regime, which is examined in connection with leadership theory. The goal of this thesis is to find out, if selected actors behaved as leaders during climate change conferences and if their behavior contributed to the effectiveness of negotiation in the climate change regime. Effectiveness of negotiation is examined at three selected climate change conferences, more specifically at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference (2009), Cancún Climate Change Conference (2010) and Paris Climate Change Conference (2015). The leadership role is examined at above mentioned conferences with connection to the European Union, the USA and China. The research of leadership is based on the congruence method, which is based on examination of observable predictions established from theory. This thesis reached the conclusion, that the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was not effective, on the contrary the Climate Change Conferences in Cancún and Paris were assessed as effective. In connection to fulfillment of conditions of leadership, the thesis reached the conclusion, that at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference none of the actors acted as a leader, at the Cancún Climate Change Conference the European Union acted as a..