The integration of private actors in the global climate regime: targeting the symptoms rather than the disease?

Since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, private actors have significantly expanded their influence within the global climate governance framework. This chapter examines their role, using automated clustering analysis to demonstrate that their efforts are predominantly focused on carbon emissions management as a response to climate change – a trend referred to as carbon-centric climate governance. Despite the substantial resources allocated to this approach, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. We argue that this governance model, driven by carbon-focused private actors and related measurement protocols, requires a fundamental re-evaluation. A shift is needed to address the root cause – dependence on fossil fuels – rather than merely mitigating the symptoms through emission controls.