climate-change-and-environmental-governance

Alice Owen and Paul Toyne wrote the second paragraph (below) of the summary of this paper back in 2004. The question has still not been fully answered although ofcourse some nation’s have started to both mitigate and adapt to climate change and ratification of the Paris Agreement is progress too.

“Reversing the change to the world’s climate that has resulted as a consequence of man’s actions in the last 100 years will take many decades. It is likely that things will get worse before they get better. In this sense the greatest challenge in terms of environmental governance is how to ensure that all businesses seek to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change and therefore minimise the potential impacts climate change will have on the economy, society and the environment. The unanswered question is ‘How can politicians provide the enabling conditions for this to happen without impairing the ability of business, and their own nations, to prosper?’ ”

This paper was written for the British Council as part of its global programme to raise awareness of climate change. Dr Toyne subsequently provided a series of lectures to businesses, governments, universities and school children in Cyprus and South Africa.