The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

1
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
  Change (UNFCCC) international treaty developed
  at Earth Summit in Rio in 1992
• Acknowledges the anthropogenic greenhouse gas
  effect
• Aims to stabilise greenhouse gases in the
  atmosphere ? preventing dangerous climate change
• No commitment to emission reductions
• Ratified by 192 countries, came into force in
  1995
• Annex I countries industrialised countries
• Non-Annex I countries developing countries

2
The Kyoto Protocol

• Kyoto Protocol international agreement developed
  at COP3 in Kyoto in 1997
• Aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid
  dangerous climate change
• Common but differentiated responsibilities
  (Art. 10)
• Binding emission reduction commitments for
  industrialised countries
• No emission reduction commitments by developing
  countries, but financial incentives for clean
  development
• Average emission reduction 5 compared to 1990
  levels over the period 2008-2012, 8 EU
• Ratified by184 countries, came into force in 2005
• US did not ratify

3
The Kyoto Mechanisms

• Clean Development Mechanism CDM
• - Off-setting Annex I countries can implement
  projects leading to emission reductions in
  developing countries. Developing countries gain
  technology, Annex I countries gain emission
  reduction credits.
• Emission Trading
• - Carbon markets allows countries that have
  emission units to spare to sell this excess
  capacity to countries that are over their
  targets. EU ETS
• Joint Implementation JI
• - Annex I countries can invest in emission
  reduction projects in other Annex I countries as
  an alternative to reducing emissions
  domestically.

4
COPs

• COP1 Berlin ? Berlin Mandate 1995 (2 year
  assessment phase)
• COP2 Geneva 1996
• COP3 Kyoto ? Kyoto Protocol 1997
• COP4 Buenos Aires 1998
• COP5 Bonn 1999
• COP6 The Hague 2000
• COP7 Marrakech ? Marrakech Accords 2001 (road to
  KP ratification)
• COP8 New Delhi 2002
• COP9 Milan 2003
• COP10 Buenos Aires 2004
• COP11 Montreal 2005
• COP12 Nairobi ? Nairobi Pledge 2006 (5 year
  programme on adaptation)
• COP13 Bali ? Bali Roadmap 2007 (for post-2012
  climate agreement)
• COP14 Poznan 2008
• COP15 Copenhagen ? new agreement 2009 ???

5
The Bali Roadmap Bali Action Plan

• Roadmap for post-2012 climate agreement in
  Copenhagen in 2009 new agreement with higher
  emission reduction commitments needed
• 4 building blocks of Bali Action Plan
• Adaptation
• Mitigation
• Technology
• Financing
• 2009 Many questions, for example Will (large)
  developing countries also have emission reduction
  commitments?