Argentine climate discourses and worldviews at the General Assembly (1992 to 2020)

The objective of this policy report is to analyze the inclusion of climate change in the speeches delivered by Argentine representatives during the General Debate from 1992 to 2020, in the context of transformations at the global and regional levels. The analysis reveals that references to climate change were linked to the evolution of international negotiations and that, until recently, climate change was recognized more as a foreign policy issue than as a domestic concern. Climate change was not consistently addressed in Argentine speeches until 2016. It is worth noting that principled positions were a common feature of references to climate change under the administrations of Néstor Kirchner, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and Alberto Fernández, particularly through the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. Both the Fernández and Macri administrations demonstrate continuity in the association of climate change with issues such as the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as in their emphasis on the collective nature of the efforts required to implement the Paris Agreement, rather than placing responsibility solely on developed countries. This contrasts with the strong emphasis on the latter approach adopted by previous administrations during the negotiations leading up to the Agreement.