The Efficiency of the "Common but Differentiated Responsibility” Principle in the Law of Climate Change

Climate change is the big tragedy of our era, which has affected or will affect all of the inhabitants of the Earth. The extent and intensity of the climate change phenomenon is such that combating it is impossible without global participation, and the mobilization of all available capacities. The law of climate change needed a way by which such a public participation could be realized. The formation of the “common but differentiated responsibility” (CBDR) principle was a response to this need. However, the efficiency of this principle has been doubted. Due to the continuation of climate change and its adverse effects, the question arises: is the CBDR principle efficient enough to solve a crisis which is threatening the survival of mankind? In this paper, some of challenges the CBDR principle is facing as a rule of international climate change law have been examined in order to evaluate its efficiency.