Griffith University is leading an international team of experts to map and assess climate change governance systems.
Director of the Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law Professor Charles Sampford said they would analyse the emerging ‘architecture’ of the global response to climate change and assess it in similar ways to national integrity systems.
“Governments and individuals are prepared to commit large sums to reduce carbon emissions in a variety of international and local programs which involve considerable governance risks — from corruption to lack of clarity, co-ordination and coherence,’’ he said.
“We want to understand how the current ‘system’ works before new post-Kyoto accords are reached, ensuring that governance risks are recognised and addressed rather ignored in an orgy of naïve enthusiasm, self-interest and corruption.”
Sustainability governance expert Dr Tim Cadman said they would identify gaps and weaknesses and areas of non-collaboration in Global Carbon Integrity Systems.
“It will help to understand how institutional and governance failures have occurred or could again, how they impact on other sustainable development initiatives and how such failures might be prevented in the future.”
Funded by a $364,000 Australian Research Council grant, the study will also examine the integrity of the current international climate negotiating process for the proposed 2020 legally binding international climate instrument.
Local partners include ANU and QUT. International partners include the United Nations University and the University of Leuven.