Study about International Regimes, their dimensions of variance and change

Abstract

Regimes are institutions which provide a venue of cooperation for states to address issue-specific concerns. Intergovernmental organizations (IGOS) are more tangible entities designed to facilitate the implementation of a regime’s objectives. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for example, is an IGO tasked to coordinate states in finding solutions related to the specific issue of climate change mitigation. As a global environmental issue, climate change is strongly associated with greenhouse gases (GHG) emanating from fossil fuel extraction/refining, transportation sector, electricity and other energy-intensive industries. The UNFCCC is mandated to find ways to mitigate the impact of this impending global threat through the cooperation of member-states in curbing their own respective GHG emissions. However, energy security is imperative in a country’s economic growth and fossil fuels have historically played a role in any state’s industrialization.