representation of the major shift towards international cooperation was the
bilateral agreement to reduce carbon emissions between the leaders of the two largest contributors to global carbon emissions 31 , China and the US. Both nations agreed to reduce their use of fossil fuels by approximately twenty percent each by 2030 32 . The significant progress made between COP 3 and COP 21 in fostering
inclusive talks between major carbon emitters and setting specific goals for
limiting future global warming shows that the trajectory of international
discourse on limiting carbon emissions is positive and shows that states have
become increasingly willing to work cooperatively to reduce global emissions.
Despite historic struggles of states to cooperate on reducing their carbon
emissions, especially between the global North and global South, this essay has
shown that interstate cooperation on this issue is becoming increasingly
common. This is not only demonstrated by the increasing attention that climate
issues receive in agendas of states’ foreign policy, but also within empirical data.
Increases in funding to research, development and technology in both the global
North and South are evidence of the increasing cooperation within the
international community on the issue of carbon emissions. In conclusion,
comparing the rate of state interaction over global carbon emissions at the
beginning of the recognition of the global warming issue, compared to today,
shows that it is no longer as difficult for nation states to agree on targets for
carbon emissions.
31 Our World In Data, Ann ual CO₂ emissions (2022), https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/co2?facet=none&country=CHN~USA~IND~GBR~OWID_WRL&Gas=CO%E 2%82%82&Accounting=Production- based&Fuel+or+Land+Use+Change=All+fossil+emissions&Count=Per+country [accessed 14/11/2022) 32 Salawitch et al., p. 118.
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