International climate change law: strategies for mitigation, adaptation, and accountability

Najm Abed Al- Nuaimi, Sami; Khairy Abdullah, Sawsan; Fadhel Eisa Muhsin, Abbas; Salman Husein, Bushra; Abdul Kareem Khazal, Faris; امینی, عطا; احمدپری, هدیه

doi:10.22098/mmws.2025.17618.1610

International climate change law: strategies for mitigation, adaptation, and accountability

نوع مقاله : Special issue on "Climate Change and Effects on Water and Soil"

نویسندگان

¹ Al-Turath University, Baghdad 10013, Iraq

² Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq,

³ Al-Mamoon University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq

⁴ Al-Rafidain University College Baghdad 10064, Iraq

⁵ Madenat Alelem University College, Baghdad 10006, Iraq

⁶ استاد، گروه تحقیقات حفاظت خاک و آبخیزداری، مرکز تحقیقات و آموزش کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی کردستان، AREEO، سنندج، ایران

⁷ دانشجوی دکتری، گروه هیدرولوژی زمین، منابع آب، هیدروشیمی، دانشگاه دولتی آب و هواشناسی روسیه، سنت پترزبورگ، روسیه.

10.22098/mmws.2025.17618.1610

چکیده

The escalating global climate crisis has accorded international climate law a central role in environmental governance. This research explores the legal frameworks that govern climate mitigation, adaptation, accountability, and transparency in a representative set of countries. By applying a multidisciplinary framework that integrates emissions projections, assessment of adaptation efforts, and legal compliance modeling, the study evaluates the impact of the existence and strength of domestic and international legal instruments on climate-performance outcomes. The study built a predictive emissions model with a Legal-Resilience Effectiveness Index and Normative Compliance Score to help quantify the relationship between legal enforcement and environmental effects. Germany and Australia reported slower growth rates due to decarbonization policies already implemented. Emission increases were partially offset under moderate Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) compliance, especially in Germany and Brazil, where transition measures have legal force, from 2020 to 2024. As for the aggressive policy scenario, the annual emissions decrease remained stable for every country (with emissions in Germany and Brazil reducing, 13.4% and 10% respectively over five years). India and Nigeria, although demonstrating decreases in their national emissions, had higher absolute emissions than others, a challenge of balancing economic development with environmental responsibility under international law. These results call for accelerated legal harmonization, improved institutional investments and the decentralization of climate law beyond the conventional state-centric topography. The research suggests for new areas of scholarship, especially on the possible integration of financial, trade, and human rights law into global climate regimes in order to achieve inclusive and actionable policy outcomes.

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