Call for Papers

Efforts by governments, businesses and other autonomous actors seeking to respond to the unique challenges posed by anthropogenic climate change have resulted in a wide range of innovative schemes at local, national and global levels. Within the past decade, the world has witnessed the successful institutionalization of the first truly international emission trading scheme, the formation of many unique public-private partnerships and the establishment of voluntary carbon offsetting programs. Other creative approaches induced by the threat of climate change include avoided deforestation and land use schemes, the clean development mechanism (CDM), massive investments in renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, and the development of private standard setting and reporting initiatives such as the carbon disclosure project (CDP).

However, despite the proliferation of these innovative schemes, there are still fears in some quarters that the absolutely drastic depth of cuts required to meet climate stabilization targets demand even more radical and fundamental shifts in the current socio-political structures, organizations and modes of organizing. There is therefore an urgent need to better understand, assess, and articulate the potential transformative ability of the variety of innovative schemes that have emerged in response to the global environmental challenge. The purpose of this sub-theme is therefore to bring diverse scholarship from international relations, political economy, management studies and organization theory to explore the characteristics of innovative approaches to governing climate change with a view to understanding their nature, implications for society and organizations as well as their ability to meet the goals of sustainability.

Papers that address one or a combination of the following issues are particularly welcome:

• In-depth analysis of innovative approaches to governing climate change, articulating potential implications for transforming society, organizations and ways of organizing.

• Detailed accounts of the factors that are most likely to trigger fundamental changes; and in what directions such changes are most likely to occur.

• In-depth accounts of the actors and forces as well as the underlying rationales that are driving innovative approaches to climate change.

• Analysis of the role of existing institutions, structures and ideas in both shaping and constraining creative responses to climate change and other environmental problems.