EXPLAINING NATIONAL CLIMATE-CHANGE POLICIES

In this article, the 'interest based explanation' for international environmental policy is used to investigate the climate change issue. By assessing vulnerability and abatement costs for 24 OECD countries, their respective policy positions are predicted. These are then compared with those policies that actually exist in the international debate to date. Of the 24 countries' policy positions, 11 are accurately predicted, while 13 fail. The article concludes with some comments about the limitations and potential of the interest based explanation.