The Paris agreement: Development, the North-South divide and human rights

Abstract

In December 2015, nations of the world joined together in Paris to negotiate a new legal instrument to address climate change. The debates which took place in the lead up to the adoption of the Paris Agreement reflected broader, ongoing tensions between developed and developing states within the international climate regime. They also demonstrated the divergence of opinion between states as to the relationship between climate change and human rights. While the human impacts of climate change are now well-understood, there is still debate as to what a human rights-based approach to climate change should look like. This chapter argues that these geopolitical dynamics and differing priorities will continue to shape the implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as the specific debates over intellectual property, finance, technology transfer and innovation. The chapter therefore provides an important contextual backdrop for further analysis of these issues.