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Climate change is real, it is happening and it has consequences on the entire globe. It has been described as “the most challenging environmental issue of our time.” According to the authors of Chapter 9 of China NTCs, there is the need of an adequate assistance to this region and the international community has a great potential in doing so. The concept of differential treatment first appeared in the field of international trade in 1965. From that moment it evolved a lot, becoming a milestone in international environmental law. According to Article 7 of the Rio Declaration, “States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit to sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.” The concept of common responsibilities includes both the notions of “common concern” and “common heritage of humankind”. Environmental issues such as climate change have too much of a universal impact for the response to be “solely a matter of domestic jurisdiction.” As highlighted in the article, the international community has the duty to face this challenge. It has to be noticed that negotiations during the 15th COP held in Copenhagen were particularly difficult because of “the continuing uncertainty about whether the United States [would] undertake serious action to curb its emissions [and] for another [because] Copenhagen negotiations have given serious attention to developing country emissions.” The United States’ commitments question is not new, but in the recent years, developed countries have started to put the accent on ‘common’ responsibilities, asking emerging economies to take action to reduce their GHG emissions. As highlighted in the article, the international community has the duty to face this challenge and this different approach is highlighted in many climate decisions which tend to refer more and more often to contextual norms of differentiation based on general criteria such as national/special circumstances, priorities or needs rather than making direct references to the common but differentiated responsibility principle. Furthermore, it is worth noting is that the fight against climate change is not limited to policies at the international or national level; many other issues, especially the lack of environmental awareness, need to be taken into consideration. Furthermore, the population is constantly growing and everyday decisions may become more and more important in the future.
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