Analysis of the evolution of the principle of special and differential treatment in the context of the international legal regime for climate change governance

Abstract

While global climate change began as an environmental issue, it has now impacted every element of human life, with consequences for the economy, public health, social issues such as migration, and loss of livelihood. However ,affluent nations are responsible for the vast majority of climate change. However,every country is affected by the global climate issue. This is a concern since different countries have varying capabilities and capacity to address the problem. The international community has been creating mechanisms to account for the differences between industrialised countries, developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) . One of these tools is the principle of Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) .The purpose of this study is to assess how the principleSpecial and Differential Treatment has eveloped over the years and map out its application in the development of the international legal regime for cliate change governance. Drawing on largley on existing literature, we analyze the development of the SDT principle, how it's scope has changed over the years and how it is applied in climate change governance instruments.