The International Climate Regime after the Paris Agreement: The United Kingdom’s Leadership, Challenges, and Policy Shifts (2015–2024)

The aim of this article is to explore the evolution of the international climate regime following the Paris Agreement, with a particular focus on the shifting dynamics of global climate governance. Using the United Kingdom as a case study, it examines how perceived national leadership, domestic political challenges, and broader policy transformations between 2015 and 2024 impacted the country’s role and standing within the international climate framework. Employing a systems method complemented by wide range of auxiliary techniques such as historical-comparative, decision-making, and institutional-legal methods, the article discusses the nature of UK’s leadership role in climate action, its engagement in shaping the climate change regime, and the impact of internal political shifts. Our research reveals that while the UK played a leading role in forming post-Paris global climate governance, particularly around COP26, its focus and influence have fluctuated due to internal political dynamics and evolving international contexts. The study contributes to the scholarship on international climate change cooperation, shedding light on its complexity and the challenges of maintaining effectiveness in the face of dominant national interests.