The Challenges of Global Governance in Climate Policy

By Martín de la Fuente

As climate change becomes a more urgent issue, the need for effective governance has never been more crucial. Due to climate change, transnational issues like the increase in sea levels, and extreme whether have started to occur. Although, the efforts to manage them are inconsistent across governments. 

Unlike national sovereign states that can enforce laws and regulations for their citizens, global governance relies on the cooperation from multiple countries. This makes creating treaties and international agreements more challenging.  Unlike domestic law, international climate agreements like the Paris Agreement in 2015, aimed to limit the carbon emissions and create solutions to reduce global warming. However, it lacked enforcement to achieve its climate goals (UNFCCC, 2015).  

Another challenge that impacts the level of governance regarding climate change, is whether the countries is low income or a high-income country.  More economically developed countries (MEDC) tend to have a stronger role in the decision making in global matters such as climate change. This power imbalance makes it difficult to reach effective and fair agreements.  

Due to weak leadership across countries, various non state actors have stepped up to fill the governance gaps. They can offer resources and funding but still lack the authority to enforce any laws (Nasiritousi, Hjerpe, & Linnér, 2014). This reflects a key limitation in international law, since non state actors (NSAs) are not given the authority to enforce laws/regulations, even if it benefits the country. Therefore, for governance to be effective, there must be a combination in prioritizing national interests and global affairs.  

UNFCCC. “Paris Agreement.” Unfccc.int, United Nations, 12 Dec. 2015, unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf. 

Naghmeh Nasiritousi, et al. “The Roles of Non-State Actors in Climate Change Governance: Understanding Agency through Governance Profiles.” International Environmental Agreements Politics Law and Economics, vol. 16, no. 1, Springer Science+Business Media, Jan. 2014, pp. 109–26, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-014-9243-8. Accessed 16 May 2025.