Rayfuse, Rosemary; Scott, Shirley V. --- "Mapping the Impact of Climate Change on International Law" [2012] ELECD 736; in Rayfuse, Rosemary; Scott, V. Shirley (eds), "International Law in the Era of Climate Change" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: International Law in the Era of Climate Change

Editor(s): Rayfuse, Rosemary; Scott, V. Shirley

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849800303

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Mapping the Impact of Climate Change on International Law

Author(s): Rayfuse, Rosemary; Scott, Shirley V.

Number of pages: 24

Extract:

1. Mapping the impact of climate
change on international law
Rosemary Rayfuse and Shirley V. Scott

INTRODUCTION
Climate change has been described as `the defining issue of our era',1 `a
serious and long-term challenge that has the potential to affect every part of
the globe',2 and `one of the greatest challenges of our time'.3 More than a
mere increase in the global average temperature, climate change encom-
passes a set of climatic and related events projected to result in potentially
dramatic ecological, social and economic changes, which threaten human
security and have the potential to threaten both international peace and
security and the stability, and possibly the very existence, of nation states.4
Climate change is now recognised as an economic, social and political issue
of global, indeed some say `universal',5 proportions. No collective chal-
lenge facing humanity has ever attracted the level of attention, participation

1
Ban Ki Moon, United Nations Press Conference, `High-Level Event on
Climate Change with the Secretary-General, The President of Indonesia, and the
Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change',
24 September 2010, available at http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=
1082 (last accessed 23 April 2012).
2
World Summit Outcome 2005, UN Doc A/Res/60/1 (24 October 2005) para
51.
3
2009 Copenhagen Accord, para 1, available at http://unfccc.int/meetings/
copenhagen_dec_2009/items/5262.php (last accessed 23 April 2012).
4
Working Group II Contribution to the Fourth ...