The Powerful Norm for Climate Change Action

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

How do international climate and energy organisations survive and thrive despite powerful contestation? This analysis reveals how the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) maintain legitimacy when key players like the United States withdraw from global agreements.

Using qualitative research including interviews and participant observation, The Powerful Norm for Climate Change Action unveils the 'norm for climate change action'—a powerful principle that transforms contestation into reinforcement of international climate governance. In doing so, it demonstrates how opposition doesn't destroy these organisations but paradoxically strengthens their role in global climate action.