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'''<big>Stakeholders</big>'''
Since this topic will be tackled in a EU perspective, it is crucial to define the EU's stance as well as the opportunities of using soft power to influence a truly global matter. Soft power refers to the ability of making a stance and a change through talk, external policies, culture and political debate; opposite to the use of hard power - force, coercion and using money as means of persuasion. The EU is a major stakeholder in the climate justice issue and must represent the moral values that it defends throughout all the process. The key actors of this topic also include the '''developing countries''', especially the four largest developing nations - '''Brazil, Russia, India and China''' (also called the '''BRIC’s'''). With a combined population of 3 billion people, the BRIC’s will have a huge impact on the future of climate change.
Not only do '''fossil fuels produce 90% of the Russia’s energy''' , they are also responsible for half of the government’s budget<ref>“Total Petroleum and Other Liquids Production – 2016”, retrieved from: https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/?fips=rs</ref>. Nevertheless, '''Russia could be seriously damaged by climate change''', which threatens around 2/3 of the Russian territory. With the tensions between Russia and the EU heating up because of the Ukrainian conflict and sanctions from the European Union, the US and others resulting in quid-pro-quo sanctions from Russia, including a ban on food imports from the EU, can the EU ensure a joint commitment to tackle climate change?
Other important stakeholders:
- [[European Commission]]
- [[Climate vulnerable countries]] - [[G20]] - [[International court of justice|International Court of Justice]]
In order to achieve the [[UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development|UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]] the first step is the '''mapping exercise of external policies'''. It also needs a detailed and comprehensive gap analysis and assessment in order to identify the real gaps that exist between current external policies and programmes and the future ones. The future ones should fully include, mainstream and integrate, in a balanced and fair way, the economic, social and environmental pillars of the 2030 Agenda. For this, the EU needs to make civil society organisations in third countries '''real partners in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.''' The [[European Commission]] has drafted a [http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/swd-key-european-actions-2030-agenda-sdgs-390-20161122_en.pdf document] establishing the '''priorities, policies, funds and other actions''' cover all Sustainable Development Goals and making sure they provide a '''significant contribution''' to their implementation, both within the EU and through EU external action.
'''COP 22''' took place in Marrakech in 2016 and marked the transition from the main discussion being developing the [[Paris Agreement]] to how to better implement it. '''COP 23''' will take place in Bonn in November 2018 and will for sure debate the best '''international approach''' to dealing with the opting out of the [[Paris Agreement]] by the United States of America and the '''future of the Agreement'''. What should the EU's stance be in COP23? What chances of using its soft power before and after the Conference does it have?
People are being forced to leave their homes, losing their lives and more and more human rights are being threatened due to climate change, especially minorities’.
The EU has had a historically valuable role in the climate justice fight, with its groundbreaking policies, conferences, research support, external policies and monetary aids. However, how far can the EU impact the reality of climate change whilst other developed countries, like the USA, turn its back to their historical duties to the rest of the world? How far can the EU impact climate change whilst safeguarding the right to development of developing countries? What are the next steps to be taken to achieve a greener world and how can the EU help reach it through domestic policies and soft power?
