In their recent article, Dr. Camilla Bausch and Michael Mehling, analyse the main negotiation and discussion tracks under the United Nations for the further evolution of the international climate regime beyond 2012.

In June 2007, the presidency of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations (G8) declared that the United Nations will remain "the appropriate forum for negotiating future global action on climate change."

Different parallel "tracks" have emerged in the U.N. for negotiations and discussions, with options for future climate governance addressed in formal negotiations under Article 3.9 and 9 of the Kyoto Protocol, while parties to the UNFCCC have initiated an open and non-binding dialogue on future co-operative action under the Convention and the Russian Federation has submitted a proposal on the adoption of voluntary commitments.

With a view to the recent discussions at the Vienna Climate Talks in August 2007, this article outlines the central features and respective differences of each negotiation track, describing the legal boundaries and assessing options for the application of issues discussed within each forum towards a coherent climate regime.

The article can be purchased from Zeitschrift für Europäisches Umwelt- und Planungsrecht (EurUP).