10  The European Union’s emissions trading scheme – a post-political tool for strengthening integration and wide-reaching sustainability?

Lydia Kernevez

Introduction

Sustainable development has been widely accepted in political and public arenas as the conceptual model upon which to base international environmental cooperation (see Figure I.1). However, the primary objectives of sustainable development are difficult to determine in the globalized world of competition, where governments’ priorities are to stimulate economic growth and maintain employment. The road for international environmental regulation appears to be paved with many good intentions, but also many obstacles.

The first part of this chapter analyses the process, driven by the objective ...

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