Non‐state actors in hybrid global climate governance: justice, legitimacy, and effectiveness in a post‐Paris era

Abstract

In this article, we outline the multifaceted roles played by non-state actors withinthe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and place thiswithin the wider landscape of global climate governance. In doing so, we look atboth the formation and aftermath of the 2015 Paris Agreement. We argue thatthe Paris Agreement cements an architecture of hybrid multilateralism thatenables and constrains non-state actor participation in global climate gover-nance. Weflesh out the constitutive features of hybrid multilateralism, enumer-ate the multiple positions non-state actors may employ under these conditions,and contend that non-state actors will play an increasingly important role in thepost-Paris era. To substantiate these claims, we assess these shifts and ask hownon-state actors may affect the legitimacy, justice, and effectiveness of the Paris Agreement.