Jeffrey McGee
Thu, 22 May 2008 00:21:46 -0700
Dear All Sylivia Karlsson from Finland Futures Research Centre and I are putting together are panel proposal for ISA 2009. We are looking for 1-2 further papers to finalise the panel. If you are interested in the panel we would need a short abstract (250 words) of your proposed paper by 28 May 2008 at the latest. Apologies for the short time frame. Do All Roads Lead to Copenhagen? Fragmentation and Contestation in Negotiations for the Post-2012 Climate Change Regime. In February 2009 the United Nations negotiations on climate change will be midway towards the post-2012 climate agreement expected to be finalised at Copenhagen in December 2009. However, international deliberations on climate action are no longer confined to the UN corridors. In recent years a *fragmentation* of meetings and initiatives has occurred, often lead by contesters of the *hard law* path, particularly the US. The US Major Economies Meetings, the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) and various multilateral and bilateral *climate change partnerships* are examples of this fragmentation. At the same time, international economic forums such as the G8, APEC and the WTO have become increasingly vocal on climate related matters. This fragmented landscape for international climate dialogue has often been welcomed as an innovative strategy to increase the weight of the climate change agenda and/or pragmatically bring reluctant players on board. However, the fragmented landscape has also been seriously criticised for its potential to dilute the legitimacy and ambition of the UN negotiations to establish an effective regime based on legal commitments by countries. It is on this stage of contested recent history and future in the making that this panel enters. This panel includes papers which take a closer look at several of the parallel deliberation arenas and how they interact with the UN based post-2012 negotiations on a climate agreement. In particular, the panel will analyse the extent to which the fragmentation of negotiation arenas is contributing to a convergence or divergence of positions amongst key actors in the post-2012 negotiations. The panel will also consider how these negotiation arenas are being used by key actors to contest or boost negotiations for the post-2012 regime both inside and outside the UN process. ISA 2009 offers a unique and timely opportunity for international relations and international legal scholars to reflect upon the fragmentation in international climate change negotiations and thereby assist climate policymakers to better understand this phenomenon. Interested persons should forward abstracts be return e-mail to Sylvia at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or myself at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Best Regards Jeffrey McGee Lecturer-in-Law Room MC 166 School of Law Faculty of Business & Law University of Newcastle Australia 2305 + 61 2 49 21 5050 (phone) + 61 2 49 21 6931 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED]