Climate agreement: When denunciation works

One challenge in international cooperation is actually enforcing joint decisions. The so-called "naming and shaming" principle is a central mechanism for this purpose in many international agreements. Put simply, those who do not do enough are publicly exposed for it. However, little research has been conducted into the factors that influence the success of this "naming and shaming" strategy and move states towards a greater willingness to cooperate.

Prof. Dr. Astrid Dannenberg and Marcel Lumkowsky from the Department of Environmental and Behavioral Economics at the University of Kassel have addressed this question in a newly published study. They specifically investigated the conditions under which "naming and shaming" can help states to keep the promises they made as part of the Paris Climate Agreement. "The success of the agreement depends on a functioning naming and shaming mechanism. Stronger punitive measures such as trade sanctions are explicitly not provided for in the Paris Agreement," explains Marcel Lumkowsky.

The study is based on a survey of over 900 experts in the field of international climate policy - including negotiators who were involved in drafting the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that it is primarily those countries that have efficient political institutions and in whose social discourse the topic of climate change plays an important role that consider naming and shaming to be legitimate and effective. "Even if some of these countries are already on the right track, it is important that the strategy works, as the ambition of the climate targets still needs to be significantly increased in the coming years," explains Prof. Dannenberg. In other countries, however, the strategy appears to be less effective. "Further enforcement mechanisms are needed here for successful global cooperation," continues Prof. Dannenberg.

This research is of great importance for the perception and further development of international climate policy. The Paris climate targets are often referred to in the media and in the public debate; the implementation of the targets is rarely discussed, but is just as important as the targets themselves.

The paper was written in collaboration with Prof. David Victor and Emily Carlton from the University of California, San Diego and has been published in the renowned scientific journal PNAS.

More information:

The paper "Naming and Shaming as a Strategy for Enforcing the Paris Agreement: The Role of Political Institutions and Public Concern" was published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS): https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2305075120

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Astrid Dannenberg
University of Kassel
Faculty of Economics
Department of Environmental and Behavioral Economics
Tel.: 0561 804-3758
Email: dannenberg[at]uni-kassel[dot]de