An analysis of the principle of common, but differentiated responsibilities in the Paris Agreement

Načelo skupnih, a različnih odgovornosti (SARO) je temeljno načelo mednarodnega okoljskega prava. Načelo SARO izhaja iz pojma pravičnosti in poštenosti ter zahteva, da se vse države udeležijo boja proti podnebnim spremembam ob upoštevanju njihovega raznolikega položaja, okoliščin in zmogljivosti, zgodovinskih prispevkov k podnebnim spremembam in prihodnjih razvojnih potreb. Oblika in uporaba načela sta se skozi razvoj mednarodne podnebne ureditve velikokrat spreminjali. Okvirna konvencija Združenih narodov o spremembi podnebja in Kjotski protokol k Okvirni konvenciji sta implementirala načelo SARO z določanjem dveh kategorij držav (razvite države in države v razvoju), kar se je izkazalo za problematično. Ta model je zavezoval le razvite države ter ni upošteval spreminjajočih se okoliščin hitro rastočih držav, ki so sčasoma postajale velike onesnaževalke. Zaradi velikega neuspeha Kjotskega protokola so države pogodbenice Okvirne konvencije začele pogajanja o sprejetju novega mednarodnega protokola, ki bo veljal za vse. Rezultat tega je Pariški sporazum o podnebnih spremembah, ki je bil sprejet leta 2015. Pariški sporazum je dokončal premik iz strogega binarnega razlikovanja v zelo raznoliko razlikovanje držav. Vse države je zavezal, da ukrepajo v boju proti podnebnim spremembam, vendar je upošteval posebne okoliščine držav v razvoju. Čeprav Pariški sporazum ne deli držav v vnaprej določene kategorije, načelo SARO ostaja v središču podnebne ureditve na mednarodni ravni.The principle of common, but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) is a fundamental principle of international environmental law. It is based on equity and fairness and requires all countries to take part in the fight against climate change, based on their differentiated position, circumstances and capabilities, historical contributions to climate change and future developmental needs. Together with the evolution of the climate change regime, the form and the implementation of CBDR have been changed as well. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol operationalised the CBDR principle through determining two categories of countries (developed and developing countries), which proved to be problematic. That model was only binding for developed countries and did not take into consideration the changing circumstances of emerging countries, which were becoming some of the largest polutters on Earth. Because of the major failure of Kyoto Procotol, the State Parties to UNFCCC launched a process to draw up a new international protocol, which would be applicable to all of them. As a result, they adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015. The Paris Agreement finalised the shift from the strict binary differentiation to a very diverse differentiation. While all countries are bound to participate in the combat of climate change, the agreement takes into condsideration the special circumstances of developing countries. Even though the Paris Agreement does not categorize countries into predetermined groups, the CBDR principle stays at the center of the climate regime on international level