Institutionalizing climate change mitigation in the Global South: Current trends and future research

Abstract

Following the Paris Agreement, states and non-state actors have pledged countless commitments to mitigate climate change. Yet, translating these words into tangible action and institutionalizing mitigation efforts remains a key challenge in post-Paris climate governance. This is particularly prevalent in the Global South, where carbon emissions are expected to grow most significantly over the next decades. Besides, efforts to tackle the climate crisis compete with other human development priorities. With this review, we explore the prospects and challenges of institutionalizing climate change mitigation in the Global South. We (1) map the field in terms of concepts, methods, regions, sectors, and topics; (2) suggest a differentiation between reform-oriented, transformative, and failed attempts to institutionalize climate change mitigation, and (3) propose a future research agenda. We conclude that a stronger emphasis on institutionalization as a political, societal, and discursive challenge is crucial for implementing, sustaining, and enhancing climate change mitigation in the Global South.