World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on concepts from World Politics related to climate change, international agreements, and political dynamics.

Kyoto Protocol

An amendment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted in 1997, that established specific targets for reducing emissions of carbon and five other greenhouse gases through 2020.

Montreal Protocol

An international treaty, signed in 1989, designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of CFCs and other chemical compounds.

cap-and-trade system

A system that sets an overall limit on emissions, which is lowered over time, allowing firms to sell 'credits' when they emit less than allocated or must buy from others when they exceed their allocation.

nationally determined contribution (NDC)

The commitment each party to the Paris Agreement makes regarding how it will contribute to reducing the threat of global warming.

externalities

Costs or benefits resulting from an actor's decision that affect stakeholders other than that actor.

Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer

A framework convention adopted in 1985 to regulate activities that damage the ozone layer, especially emissions of CFCs.

postwar order

The institutions and patterns of interaction that developed after World War II, generating benefits including economic development, increased trade, and the spread of democracy.

weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

Nuclear, chemical, cyber, and biological weapons that actors hostile to the U.S. use to counter military superiority.

globalization

The process that creates winners and losers and increases the potential for political conflict within and among countries.