Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement

This comprehensive Research Handbook sets out a systematic analysis of the Paris Agreement taking into account developments since it entered into force in 2016. It explores the treaty’s capacity, as an instrument of international law, to compel state action to address the universal threat of climate change.

Highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the Paris Agreement in light of state practice, each chapter contains a critical examination of a separate aspect of the treaty in order to aid understanding of its legal force. Eminent scholars with experience on Paris Agreement law explore how the agreement’s efficacy relies heavily upon the good will of states, sui generis domestic initiatives, forceful climate law at the domestic level, and other contextual factors such as international peace and cooperation. Acknowledging the weak legal substance of the Paris Agreement, the expert contributors propose new avenues of scholarly inquiry as well as new directions in the fight against climate change.

The Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement will prove beneficial for scholars, researchers, and students of law, environmental studies, and politics and public policy. Legal practitioners, ministries of foreign affairs, and international NGOs concerned with environmental issues and human rights will also benefit from the book’s practical implications.