ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the role of non-state actors in driving European and American climate law and policy down different tracks. It shows that a heterogeneous multitude of non-state actors as diverse as sub-national governments, indigenous peoples, businesses organisations and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO's) has engaged with climate governance, either to push its boundaries or to resist its expansion. Analogous collections of information exist at the European Union (EU) and at the US level. The Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Commission regularly publishes information concerning submissions received from civil society. A host of climate-related standards have been developed outside the scope of law-making processes established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. The chapter reviews the involvement of non-state actors with climate governance across the Atlantic by painting a picture of their participation in law and policy-making and standard-setting processes, as well as litigation.
