ABSTRACT
The diverging ways to address the global climate change challenge are the focus of this chapter. Here the European Union’s polycentric domestic climate action underpins the EU’s global climate policy and allowed the EU to emerge as a leader on this key issue of global governance. Not surprisingly the nationalist-defensive green growth policy in the three countries of Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea) have little in common and are characterised by competitiveness concerns, while on the global stage the contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are crucial. The Paris Agreement is shown as a relatively successful compromise between the multilateral ambitions of the EU and the nationalist limits to global governance exemplified by Northeast Asia. The chapter explains the European Emissions Trading System and Effort Sharing Decision as well as policy learning in the Korean Emissions Trading Scheme, the Tokyo Cap and Trade system and China’s climate change policy. These are platforms for emerging international polycentric governance.
