On Thursday 17 October our collaborating scholar, Harro Van Asselt will defend his PhD thesis at 13:45 in the Auditorium of the VU University, Amsterdam. His dissertation explores the fragmented state of global climate change governance by addressing the interactions between the United Nations (UN) climate regime and other international climate-related regimes such as Minilateral Clean Technology Agreements, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Trade Organization. Furthermore, based on his study of the consequences of such interactions in global climate governance, he proposes possible management options that would address conflicts and enhance synergies between these climate-related regimes.

Besides clear academic relevance of exploring the consequences and the management of regime interactions, his theses draws attention to those aspects that are highly relevant from the policy makers’ perspective as well. Accordingly he proposes possible policy recommendations based upon each individual regime interaction and the changing role of the UN climate regime in a fragmented governance landscape.