Global Energy Policy: A Legal Perspective on Renewable Energy Initiatives

The shift to renewable energy has become a crucial element in addressing climate change. However, the legal systems that regulate this transition are still largely fragmented, and there is no single international legal framework that governs renewable energy comprehensively. This study investigates why such a unified global framework has not emerged despite various international efforts. It identifies several key challenges, such as the lack of binding commitments in global treaties, inconsistencies between national energy laws, and overlapping jurisdictions. By examining how national policies interact with major international agreements—namely the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement—this study uncovers structural shortcomings that hinder global legal coordination in the renewable energy field. Using a comparative legal approach, the paper highlights how the existing agreements fall short in offering enforceable and coherent standards. In doing so, it contributes to the ongoing discussion on legal fragmentation in environmental governance and suggests possible pathways for developing more integrated legal responses to renewable energy challenges.

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Publication Details

Journal
Sustainability
Published
2025-04-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093991
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Global Energy Security and Policy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.96
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article

Global Energy Policy: A Legal Perspective on Renewable Energy Initiatives

Yasin Çağlar Kaya, Hasret Kaya
5 citations
Sustainability
Global Energy Security and Policy
8.96
article

Global Energy Policy: A Legal Perspective on Renewable Energy Initiatives

Yasin Çağlar Kaya, Hasret Kaya
article en
5 citations

Abstract

The shift to renewable energy has become a crucial element in addressing climate change. However, the legal systems that regulate this transition are still largely fragmented, and there is no single international legal framework that governs renewable energy comprehensively. This study investigates why such a unified global framework has not emerged despite various international efforts. It identifies several key challenges, such as the lack of binding commitments in global treaties, inconsistencies between national energy laws, and overlapping jurisdictions. By examining how national policies interact with major international agreements—namely the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement—this study uncovers structural shortcomings that hinder global legal coordination in the renewable energy field. Using a comparative legal approach, the paper highlights how the existing agreements fall short in offering enforceable and coherent standards. In doing so, it contributes to the ongoing discussion on legal fragmentation in environmental governance and suggests possible pathways for developing more integrated legal responses to renewable energy challenges.

SustainabilityVol. 17(9)
Karadeniz Technical University (TR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Global Energy Security and Policy
8.96
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