Legal Structures in Use for Climate Change Mitigation

Many legal structures have been successfully used around the world for realizing clean energy solutions for climate change. The legal instruments discussed include economic and market mechanisms, standards, utility programmes and regulatory requirements, government-sponsored programmes, voluntary programmes and financing mechanisms. A remarkably large number of successful programmes to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been undertaken, by countries large and small, industrial and developing, as well as by municipalities, businesses and non-profit institutions. Indeed, many developing countries have undertaken more far-reaching programmes than the industrialized countries, achieving greater emissions reductions.