Presenter(s): Valeska Ramirez − General Social Science: Globalization, Environment And Policy
Faculty Mentor(s): Ronald Mitchell, Sarah Crown
Poster 178
Research Area: Social Science
It is known that climate change is an ever pressing issue, and that countries around the world face different levels of vulnerability associated with their abilities to mitigate climate change issues. The research will analyze if a country’s level of development affects or determines their commitment to climate change mitigation. I will be researching this question by analyzing theory in relevant literature that allows us to quantify level of development of different countries being researched. The theory in turn will allow us to categorize a country as developed or developing. There will be control for variation by researching four countries, two developing and two developed, that are a part of the Cartagena Dialogue, a negotiating group of alliances that were formed at the Paris climate conference. Countries within the Cartagena Dialogue are working towards an ambitious, legally binding agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention. Mitigation levels will be researched and measured for each country, with the Cartagena Dialogue serving as a baseline year for each of the four countries researched. Levels of mitigation will be looked at before and after to conclude if the countries joining the dialogue have taken initiative in climate change mitigation efforts. People should have the opportunity to mitigate and adapt to climate change regardless of where in the world it is happening. There are interests to investigate how environmental impacts vary across a country’s level of development and who bares the cost of climate change. Possible implications or conclusions I hope to find based on analysis is whether or not a country’s level of development motivates climate change mitigation efforts through policy.