Coal, power, and Kyoto protocol: regulating greenhouse gas emissions in Poland and Kazakhstan
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Date
2016
Authors
Zhekey, Ainur
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nazarbayev University School of Sciences and Humanities
Abstract
This thesis focuses on coal-using power generation companies’ behavior under
state policies and the outcomes of greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts (as a result
of the Kyoto Protocol and COP 21) of two countries, Poland and Kazakhstan. Why did
these countries differ in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions levels as both have
followed the same Kyoto Protocol’s obligations and both have similar coal production
and consumption rates? Addressing this empirical question helps investigate broader
theoretical questions of how and why some countries take implementation of
international regimes seriously while others do not. Is the difference due to faulty
international agreement or due to domestic politics, which shape the implementation of,
or failure to implement, international environmental obligations? To understand this
difference deeper I used two embedded case studies, analyzed government documents
and company GRI reports, data from International Energy Statistics (EIA), ‘United
Nations Framework on Climate Change’ (UNFCCC), ‘Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change’ (IPCC), and environmental policies for sustainable development, and
conducted interviews with 10 employees and managers from a coal-powered generation
company in Kazakhstan. On the basis of my evidence, I have reached the following three
conclusions. First, domestic political constraints as defined by financial, informational,
and personnel constraints in Kazakhstan were stronger than in Poland, and Kyoto’s
approach to tackle the emissions issue was not effective. Second, European Union (EU)
membership helped Poland to reduce its emissions as it both pressured Poland to
implement environmental obligations and helped reduce domestic political constraints.
Third, the difference between the political regimes of two nations (Poland being a “flawed democracy”; and Kazakhstan being an “autocracy”) was not sufficient to explain
for why international agreements work for Poland and do not work for Kazakhstan. Many
scholarly works exist that examine environmental impact reduction in Poland and its
performance under the international climate change agreements; however, there is a void
in the existing literature for Kazakhstan due to its comparatively slow reform process.
Description
Keywords
greenhouse gas, coal-using power, Kyoto protocol