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negotiator briefs on cognition and climate change

The Negotiator Briefs on Cognition and Climate Change (CCC briefs) build on ongoing research on the role of cognition in the global climate change negotiations and offer insights specifically targeted to the current needs and challenges of participants in the global climate change negotiations – diplomats, climate policy experts, members of the UNFCCC Secretariat, representatives of non-governmental organizations and stakeholders, climate scientists and domestic policymakers. Merging insights about the working of the mind and international relations, the CCC briefs seek to support political actors in their efforts to understand and effectively navigate their complex political and negotiation environment.

The CCC briefs are intended to be conversation starters. We hope they will give rise to questions, ideas and new kinds of conversations. Please do not hesitate to be in touch, make suggestions or ask for advice.

CCC Brief #1

This introduction to the series outlines what the CCC briefs will be about, why they are important and whom they are for. It mentions some of the topics the series is going to address and lays out what you can expect to learn. Read now

CCC Brief #2

The first of three CCC briefs dealing with issues related to rationality, this brief explains what it means to be rational when it comes to multilateral cooperation on climate change and analyzes how individuals think in particular about the expected costs of climate change and climate policy. The three briefs taken together will assess to what extent climate negotiators do in fact think and decide rationally, and what else is going on in their minds when considering options for global climate governance. Read now

CCC Brief #3

This COP 19 issue of the CCC briefs uses the current negotiation context and events in Warsaw to explore the link between rationality and ethical thinking in the climate negotiations under the UNFCCC. The last issue of this series outlines that rationality can be understood as weighing the costs and benefits of various paths of climate action. It argues that depending on the types of climate-related costs a person is concerned about, they can use very different ethical frameworks. The important emotional dimension to the relationship between rationality and moral judgment is linked to the concept of national interest. Read now

CCC Brief #4

Power is distributed unevenly in the international system. For some, this statement captures an unchangeable truth, is a source of scholarly debate or is a major cause of injustice. For some, it is a reason – maybe the reason – why the climate negotiations are stuck. This CCC brief explores the relevance of global power structures for the climate negotiations under the UNFCCC umbrella, but its findings apply to all international efforts to create climate governance instruments that focus on mitigation and international resource transfers. Read now

CCC Brief #5

What does it mean to be powerful in the UNFCCC process and who holds the most power? Different definitions of power can result in very different assessments, leading and possibly misleading the analyst to pay attention to certain actors and developments, while ignoring others. Departing from the usual data-driven approach of the CCC briefs, this brief will offer a short conceptual introduction to power theory in the climate change context at the global scale.Read now