Publication

This paper discusses the role which the EU could play in the upcoming December 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21 or CMP11). More specifically, the author examines 1) the geopolitical shifts that have affected the globe prior to the 2015 conference, particularly since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997; and 2) the areas of negotiation which are of particular interest to the EU at the 2015 negotiations, such as sustainable energy, the transition to a low carbon economy and carbon markets. He also comments on the role that the EU's "soft power" could play in the upcoming negotiations.