JEAIL > Volume 9(2); 2016 > Articles
Research Paper
Published online: November 30, 2016
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2016.9.2.04

MNCs under International Climate Change Regime: Recognizing Atmospheric Absorptive Capacity as the Common Heritage of Mankind

Tsung-Sheng Liao
Department of Law, National Chung Cheng University, #168, University Rd., Min-Hsiung Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan 62102.
Corresponding Author: lawtsl@ccu.edu.tw

ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Global warming is a result of human influence. However, little has been done to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a 'safe' level. An important factor for such dismal state of affairs is that the international community has emphasized far too much on the State-centric approach to combating climate change. The international legal regime does not directly control major emitters or MNCs. This article recognizes the atmosphere as a part of the global commons and the atmospheric absorptive capacity as the common heritage of mankind. Therefore, the international community can pave the way to link global climate change regime and MNCs. Those common interests of the international community can be protected when MNCs turn their production processes green, by redirecting their investment into green technology, and try to alter the negative status quo.

Keywords : MNCs, Climate Change Regime, Atmospheric Absorptive Capacity, Common Heritage of Mankind

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