Reforming global climate governance in an age of bullshit

ABSTRACT

There is a significant deficit of ‘ecological integrity’ in contemporary climate change governance, defined as explicit recognition of the mismatch between rhetoric, intentions and actions. This deficit is not unique to climate governance: we live in an age of bullshit (indifference to the truth). Philosopher Harry Frankfurt (On bullshit, 2005, Princeton University Press) identifies this as ‘one of the most salient features of our culture’. In this article, I argue that the concept captures the inconsistencies we observe in global climate governance. I begin by conceptualizing it and identifying the various forms it can take. I then provide an overview of the past three decades of global climate governance, before analysing illustrative examples of bullshit. I conclude by proposing reforms to the climate regime’s accountability arrangements to enhance the integrity and limit the harmful effects of bullshit in global climate governance.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• bullshit
• accountability
• globalization
• reglobalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This can be confirmed by searching the meeting reports of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.

2 NE: not estimated; IE: included elsewhere (precisely where is unknowable because the data is protected); C: confidential; NA: not applicable; NO: not occurring. I verified this by checking data submitted to UNFCCC in 2006, a year which captured key conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, available at: http://unfccc.int/di/DetailedByCategory/Event.do?event=go Only three countries, France, Sweden and Slovenia, transparently reported emissions from their participation in multilateral operations.

3 See the Swedish explanation: ‘These emissions are calculated based on information from the military on the amount of fuel purchased in Sweden but used abroad by Swedish forces participating in international operations.’ (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2017, p. 126).

4 For a fuller account of reforms consistent with democratic reglobalization, see Stevenson and Dryzek (2014).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hayley Stevenson

Hayley Stevenson is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, Argentina.