ABSTRACT
This chapter will give an overview of the main international policy developments from the early 1990s onwards. The aim of this synopsis is not to provide an extensive discussion of all initiatives over the years, but merely to indicate and briefly explain the most relevant regulatory developments around the world. This covers international, regional and national climate policies. The chapter describes the basic climate change policy events, giving particular attention to emissions trading, to understand the context in which business responses have evolved. Chapter 3 will subsequently focus on the voluntary co-operative initiatives taken by companies, including voluntary agreements and multi-stakeholder partnerships on climate change, that have evolved against the background of these developments.
