Same Agenda, Different Governance :A Comparative Analysis of Climate Change Governance in China, Japan, and Korea

The goal of this paper is to find out how climate change governance of China, Japan, and Korea transformed between 1997 and 2015. From a comparative perspective, this study examines the role of three key sectors – the government, the private sector, and civil society – and their interactions around the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement in 2015. Climate change governance of China is led by the government with unwavering support from the highest leadership pursuing national rejuvenation based on low-carbon development. The number and diversity of the nongovernmental sectors in China have significantly increased, but they fall short of exerting significant influence on the government. Japan’s governance resulted in a proactive 6% reduction target with support from civil society in 1997, but the government has backslid thanks to the economic stagnation and the Fukushima accident since the Kyoto Protocol. Thereafter, policy decisions have been made in favor of the private sector with little input from the NGOs. It is uncertain to assert whether there existed climate change governance in Korea at the time of the Kyoto Protocol. However, the private sector and the civil society had gained more leverage regarding climate change governance in the advent of the Paris Agreement. Despite the differences, the three countries seem to share one in common, that is, the growing influence of the private sector and civil society in climate change governance.