The European Union as a Protagonist to the United States on Climate Change

The European Union (EU) has established itself as the moving force in the development of the international climate-change regime. By proceeding with the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and building its own carbon emissions trading system, it has directly confronted the United States. Contemporary commentaries on the politics of climate change center upon the conflict between the EU and the U.S., but the precise nature of the EU as a protagonist remains elusive. It is neither a state nor an orthodox international organization but it can be regarded as an actor. This article investigates what it means for the EU to be an actor and develops a conceptualization based upon presence, opportunity, and capability. This is applied to the analysis of how the Union became an actor in climate-change politics, and its special characteristics, strengths, and vulnerabilities. The final part of the article then proceeds to consider the differences between the European actor and the United States over the development of the climate-change regime.