The European Union in International Climate Change Politics Still Taking a Lead? Routledge Studies in European Foreign Policy Series

In recent years climate change has emerged as an issue of central political importance while the EU has become a major player in international climate change politics. How can a ?leaderless Europe? offer leadership in international climate change politics - even in the wake of the UK?s Brexit decision?

This book, which has been written by leading experts, offers a critical analysis of the EU leadership role in international climate change politics. It focuses on the main EU institutions, core EU member states and central societal actors (businesses and environmental NGOs). It also contains an external perspective of the EU?s climate change leadership role with chapters on China, India and the USA as well as Norway. Four core themes addressed in the book are: leadership, multilevel and polycentric governance, policy instruments, and the green and low carbon economy. Fundamentally, it asks why we have EU institutional actors, why certain member states and particular societal actors tried to take on a leadership role in climate change politics and how, if at all, have they managed to achieve this?

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners in EU studies and politics, international relations, comparative politics and environmental politics.

Part I: Introduction

1. Introduction: European Union Climate Leadership

2. Global Climate Politics: Can the EU be an Actor?

Part II: EU Institutions

3. The Commission’s Shifting Climate Leadership: From Emissions Trading to Energy Union

4. The European Parliament and Climate Change: A Constrained Leader?

5. The Council and the European Council: Stuck on the Road to Transformational Leadership

Part III: Member States and Neighbouring European States

6. Denmark: Small State with Big Voice and Bigger Dilemmas

7. French Climate Policy: Diplomacy in the Service of Symbolic Leadership?

8. Germany: Innovation and Climate Leadership

9. The Netherlands: A Case of Fading Leadership

10. Poland’s Clash Over Energy and Climate Policy: Green Economy or Grey Status Quo?

11. Spanish Climate Change Policy in a Changing Landscape

12. The United Kingdom: A Record of Leadership under Threat

13. Norway: A Dissonant Cognitive Leader?

Part IV: Civil Society: Business and Environmental Groups

14. Business: Greening at the Edges

15. Environmental NGOs: Pushing For Leadership

Part V: Europe and the Wider World

16. United States: The Challenge of Global Climate Leadership in a Politically Divided State

17. China: From A Marginalized Follower to an Emerging Leader in Climate Politics

18. India: The Global Climate Power Torn Between ‘Growth-First’ and ‘Green Growth’

Part VI: Conclusion

19. Conclusion: Re-Assessing European Union Climate Leadership

Rüdiger K.W. Wurzel is Professor of Comparative European Politics and Jean Monnet Chair in European Union Studies in the School of Law and Politics, University of Hull.

James Connelly is Professor of Political Theory, School of Law and Politics, University of Hull.

Duncan Liefferink is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Sciences of the Environment, Institute of Management Research, at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.