Climate club politics - the challenges of making a small group work on a global issue

Climate clubs have gained popularity in both politics and academic studies. Yet, they are also controversial, as the term “club” comes with the notion of elitist decision-making. Also, it seems that both academic thinking and political expectations often fail to recognize the gap between the arguably idealized potential of climate clubs and what they actually achieve, i.e., the reality of existing clubs. This review article examines the large spectrum of grey and academic publications on climate clubs. Based on this literature analysis, it discusses the controversies that come with the launch and implementation of climate clubs along three broad themes: (1) Effectiveness and efficiency; (2) Membership constellations; (3) Equity concerns and internal dynamics. I conclude that climate clubs depict a challenge that we face overall in climate governance: On the one hand, we need a rapid transformation and decarbonization, and stringent climate clubs could help us with that. On the other hand, the qualitative and normative dimension of the global transformation towards a healthy “net zero” planet includes justice, equity, and social concerns, which often require profound, long-term changes and inclusive approaches.