A Critical Evaluation of the Limitations of Global Climate Governance and the Structural Adjustments Required for Effective Climate Action

Abstract

Although the global climate governance has grown considerably since the creation of the UNFCCC in 1992, global emissions have grown more than 52% between 1990 and 2023, which is a clear manifestation of a discrepancy between the global climate governance systems and the actual climate performance. Although the Paris Agreement aims at keeping warming to 1.5°C, the world is presently heading towards 2.6–2.8°C warming by 2100 meaning that there is a global policy-performance gap of 1.1–1.3°C. Moreover, 23 percent of the countries are estimated to have achieved their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the year 2030, and more than 70 percent are off track. An analytical assessment of global governance failures that hinder cooperative climate action: out of the vowed USD 100 billion per year, USD 83.3 billion only was delivered by 2021 creating a cumulative shortfall of USD 16.7 billion per year. Based on comparative climate governance performance data, 1990-2023 the study shows that there are structural restrictions to enforcement, representation, technology transfer, and long-term accountability. The results demonstrate how voluntary commitments, unequal mitigation burden, and the lack of coordination between the regulations decrease the effectiveness of climate action by about 40-55 percent, especially among developing countries with low incomes and high vulnerability. The article suggests structural changes, such as binding NDC responsibility, an upgraded model of climate finance, and an improved representation of vulnerable countries. On the whole, the paper finds that it is only through the institutional restructuring and reforms based on equity that climate governance can get significant and scientifically consistent outcomes.

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