the european union as a distinctive actor in global climate change policy a thesis submitted to the

391 Pages·2015·3.7 MB·English

THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A DISTINCTIVE ACTOR IN GLOBAL CLIMATE
CHANGE POLICY

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

İLHAN SAĞSEN

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

MARCH 2015

Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Meliha BENLİ ALTUNIŞIK
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy.

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin BAĞCI
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Prof. Dr. Ayşegül KİBAROĞLU Prof. Dr. Hüseyin BAĞCI
Co-Supervisor Supervisor

Examining Committee Members
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin BAĞCI (METU,IR)
Prof. Dr. Oktay TANRISEVER (METU,IR)
Prof. Dr. Türel YILMAZ ŞAHİN (Gazi,IR)
Prof. Dr. Aykut Namık ÇOBAN (ANKARA,ADM)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şule GÜNEŞ (METU,IR)

I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and
presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also
declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and
referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last name :
Signature :

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ABSTRACT

THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A DISTINCTIVE ACTOR IN GLOBAL CLIMATE
CHANGE POLICY

Sağsen, İlhan
Ph.D., Department of International Relations
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Kibaroğlu

March 2015, 373 pages

This dissertation focus on the relationship with the international climate change
policy and key actors’ positions on global climate negotiations. The main aim of
this dissertation is to show that the European Union takes a different position than
other international actors in terms of international climate change negotiation and
policy. This distinction stems from the founding philosophy of the European Union
and its environmentalist tradition. The argument of this dissertation is that whereas
nation-states in general, great emitter states in particular, emphasize their national
interests regarding climate change issues, the EU behaves in different way. This
different behavior stems from the factors of ‘logic of action,’ ‘supranational
decision-making mechanism’ and ‘its concern of spreading the EU standards.’
Despite the fact that there are different views on climate change policy among the
EU members and the EU (because it is itself a great emitting body), these factors
enable the EU to behave differently than other actors in the international climate
change process.

Key Words: European Union, Great Emitters, Climate Change Negotiations

iv
ÖZ

KÜRESEL İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİ POLİTİKASINDA FARKLILAŞAN BİR
AKTÖR OLARAK AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ

Sağsen, İlhan
Doktora, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı
Ortak Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Kibaroğlu

March 2015, 373 pages

Bu tez uluslararası iklim değişikliği politikası ile küresel iklim müzakerelerindeki
ana aktörlerin arasındaki ilişkiye odaklanmaktadır. Bu tezin temel amacı Avrupa
Birliği’nin (AB) uluslararası iklim değişikliği müzakerelerinde diğer uluslararası
aktörlerden farklı bir pozisyon almasını göstermektir. Bu farklılaşma Avrupa
Birliği’nin kuruluş felsefesi ve AB’nin çevreci geleneğinden kaynaklanmaktadır.
Bu tezin temel argümanı, genel anlamda ulus-devletler, özelde de büyük gaz
emisyon yayıcısı devletler iklim değişikliği konusunda ulusal çıkarları çerçevesinde
davranırken, Avrupa Birliği farklı bir şekilde davranmaktadır. Bu farklı davranış
“davranış mantığı”, “ulusüstü karar verme mekanizması” ve “AB’nin standartlarını
yayma isteği” şeklinde üç unsurdan kaynaklanmaktadır. Aslında, Avrupa Birliği
üyeleri arasında iklim değişikliği politikasında farklı görüşler olmasına rağmen, bu
unsurlar uluslararası iklim değişikliğinde AB’nin diğer aktörlerden birlik
seviyesinde farklı davranmasına imkan sağlamaktadır.

Key Words: Avrupa Birliği, İklim Değişikliği Müzakereleri, Büyük Gaz Emisyonu
Yayıcı

v
To my dearest family…

vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis would not have been possible without the essential and gracious support
of many individuals.

First and foremost, I owe a special debt to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı,
who provided me with an endless support and encouragement not only in finishing
this thesis but also in every step throughout my academic life.

I am heartily thankful to my co-advisor Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Kibaroğlu, whose
encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final level enabled me
to develop an understanding of the subject. Her immense expertise, unsurpassed
patience and boundless understanding added considerably to my thesis.

Also, I would like to mention my appreciation to the distinguished members of my
thesis committee, Prof. Dr. Türel Yılmaz Şahin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şule Güneş, Prof.
Dr. Oktay Tanrısever, and Prof. Dr. Aykut Namık Çoban for their help,
encouragement, advice, patience and invaluable comments.

I am also grateful to my colleagues and my best friends, Hakan Karaaslan, Pınar
Arıkan Sinkaya, Murat Demirel, Zeynep Sütalan, Bayram Sinkaya and Özlem
Kaplan for their support and motivation.

I acknowledge the support of all of my colleagues at METU.
I would like to express my deepest thanks to my dear mother, Melike Sağsen and
my dear brother, Burak Sağsen who have supported and encouraged me not only in
finishing this thesis but also in every step throughout my life.
And finally, I offer my regards and blessings to all of those who supported me in
any respect during the completion of the project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PLAGIARISM……………………………………………………………………..iii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..iv
ÖZ…………………………………………………………………………………...v
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………...vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………viii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………...xii
CHAPTER
Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………...1
1.1.Scope and Objective…………………………………………………………….6

1.2. Main Research Question and Argument of the Dissertation………………….13

1.3. Methodology…………………………………………………………………..13

1.4. Review of Literature…………………………………………………………..16

1.5. Contribution to the Literature…………………………………………………21

1.6. Structure of the Chapters……………………………………………………...22

Chapter 2: Evolution of International Climate Change Policy………………..26
2.1.Introduction……………………………………………………………………26
2.2.The development of the global climate change policy………………………..30
2.2.1. The Emergence of Scientific Consensus……………………………30
2.2.2. Early International Responses 1985-1990…………………………..42
2.2.3. Rio Conference, Negotiations of the UNFCCC and Kyoto
Protocol………………………………………………………………47
2.2.4. From Kyoto Protocol to 2012 Period………………………………..53
2.2.5. Post-2012 Negotiation Period……………………………………….60
2.3. Concluding Remarks………………………………………………………….66
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