Governing Climate in the Paris Era: Why Climate Action Still Misses the Point

Since the adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement, global climate governance has shifted from binding international targets to a framework based on voluntary commitments by states, cities, businesses, and even individuals. At first glance, this pluralistic approach may seem like progress—more actors should, theoretically, lead to more action. However, Florian Steig and Angela Oels (2025) argue that this shift has, in fact, entrenched a system of what they term “organized irresponsibility,” where the semblance of action masks the persistence of deeper structural problems.