Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Climate change benchmarking : constructing a sustainable future?

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Kuzemko, Caroline (2015) Climate change benchmarking : constructing a sustainable future? Review of International Studies, 41 (05). pp. 969-992. doi:10.1017/S0260210515000418

[img] PDF
WRAP_RIS-Final-S0260210515000418a.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer.

Download (680Kb)
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0260210515000418

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

This article analyses discourses on climate change and mitigation through the deconstruction of European Union (EU) rhetoric and practices on climate benchmarking. It critically examines the motivations behind climate benchmarking, the methods used to construct international benchmarks, and the reasons for variety in domestic compliance. Germany and the United Kingdom are analysed as cases where domestic politics drive very different reactions to the practice of climate mitigation, differences that have been largely hidden by the type of quantification that EU benchmarking involves. Through an exploration of the methods used to formulate climate benchmarks, the article demonstrates that these commitments have privileged certain responses over others, and thus helped to paint a picture of EU benchmarks as ‘reformist’ but not ‘radical’. EU climate benchmarks often end up concealing more than they reveal, making it difficult to fully engage with the scale and complexity of the far-reaching domestic changes that are required in order to comply with agreed international benchmarks. The deficiencies of benchmarks as a mechanism for driving long-term sustainable change, and importantly discouraging harmful policies, may ultimately undermine their credibility as a means for governing climate change at a distance in the EU.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Politics and International Studies
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Climate change mitigation -- Discourse analysis -- European Union, Climatic changes -- Law and legislation -- European Union, Benchmarking (Management) -- Government policy -- Great Britain, Benchmarking (Management) -- Government policy -- Germany
Journal or Publication Title: Review of International Studies
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISSN: 0260-2105
Official Date: 25 November 2015
Dates:
DateEvent
25 November 2015Available
10 June 2015Accepted
Volume: 41
Number: 05
Page Range: pp. 969-992
DOI: 10.1017/S0260210515000418
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us