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The Enduring Credibility Challenge of Long-Term Global Environmental Policy

Detlef F. Sprinz & Vegard Tørstad

Global Environmental Politics2026https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.a.723article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This article marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Global Environmental Politics (GEP) by conducting an extensive review of the scholarship on long-term global environmental policy, with a particular focus on climate change. Drawing on articles published in GEP and twenty political science and interdisciplinary journals, we identify three key research themes: the persistent problem of time inconsistency and credible commitment, the rapid rise of net-zero targets and long-term low emissions development strategies, and a shift from analyzing climate mitigation as an international collective action problem toward framing it as a distributive-conflict problem within domestic economies. Building on these themes, we outline four open research challenges for the long-term environmental policy community—ranging from assessing long-term targets and policy instrument mixes to designing intergenerational compensation schemes—that may guide future research and improve the practical design of credible climate and environmental policy.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.a.723

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@article{detlef2026,
  title        = {{The Enduring Credibility Challenge of Long-Term Global Environmental Policy}},
  author       = {Detlef F. Sprinz & Vegard Tørstad},
  journal      = {Global Environmental Politics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.a.723},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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