1.0 Defining the challenge Threats to effective climate governance Transparency International
Introduction
There will perhaps be no greater challenge to global governance in the 21st century than climate change. Successfully meeting that challenge will require trust and cooperation between countries, across stakeholders, within communities and, fundamentally, in the new institutions and processes created to steer humanity’s collective efforts. The difference between success and failure could not be starker. ‘Climate governance’ is a relatively new term in the development and environmental lexicon, but it is assuming increasingly regular usage. ‘Governance’ in its broad sense refers to ‘a concept that goes beyond the traditional notion of government to focus on the relationships between leaders, public institutions and citizens, including the processes by which they make and implement decisions’.1 The practice of ‘good’ governance contains certain core characteristics that promote equity and accountability and minimize opportunities for corruption. Good governance covers a range of practices, including respect for the rule of law, enhanced disclosure and greater participation. Increasingly, good governance also implies sustainable systems – both for governing and for outcomes. ‘Climate governance’ can be understood as the processes that currently exist at the international, national, corporate and local levels to address the causes and effects of climate change. This is a very wide spectrum, positioned in the framework of international conventions, norms and regulations, and applied through intergovernmental institutions, compliance mechanisms and funding bodies. Climate governance incorporates independent systems of governance in their own right – regional, national and city governance, as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships – thus increasing its complexity.2
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