Abstract

Recent developments in international negotiations, particularly given the outcome of the COP 16 in Cancún, have underlined the need to involve developing countries and to act not just at global but also at local level. In this context it is particularly important to consider the effects of climate negotiations not only on economic costs, but also more widely on sustainability, thus considering also social and environmental aspects. Based on the outcomes of the Cancún negotiations, this article proposes an evaluation of different policy scenarios, which take into consideration climate policies as well as ones targeted towards improving adaptive capacity. This is done through the canalization of mitigation policy revenues to sectors such as health, education and research and development. The analysis shows the importance of introducing additional policies to attenuate the costs of climate policy on society. Implementing climate and social policies together is more likely to lead to a sustainable development and therefore to achieve the participation of developing countries in international climate negotiations.