This paper sheds light on a key point of contention within the international climate regime: the differing normative understandings of distributive climate justice held by the two ‘climate leaders’ – the EU and China. Drawing on the theoretical framework of American pragmatism, the convictions guiding the actions of both actors are identified through sequential analysis of their written submissions to the 2025 ‘ICJ Climate Opinion’ and compared side by side. This reveals significant divergences in their views on the fair distribution of mitigation burdens. The author conducts research in the field of international climate policy, with a particular interest in matters of climate justice. This title is also available as Open Access.
