Against the background of increasing risks of climate-related sovereign defaults, this thesis analyses whether doctrines relating to unexpected circumstances could act as an effective alternative to climate resilient debt clauses (CRDCs), the inclusion of which in sovereign bonds has been championed by some scholars. The thesis compares CRDCs and doctrines relating to unexpected circumstances under relevant domestic and international law and it is argued that neither approach is a satisfactory solution to the problem of climate-related sovereign defaults. Instead, the thesis proposes the inclusion of statutory provisions at the local law level as an alternative approach.
