UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC)

UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Ø  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992.

Ø  The objective of the treaty is to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

Ø  The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms. In that sense, the treaty is considered legally non-binding.

Ø  Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called "protocols") that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases.

Ø  The UNFCCC was opened for signature on May 9, 1992. It entered into force on March 21, 1994. As of May 2011, UNFCCC has 194 parties.

Ø  The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change.

Ø  In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Ø  One of the first tasks set by the UNFCCC was for signatory nations to establish national greenhouse gas inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals, which were used to create the 1990 benchmark levels for accession of Annex I countries to the Kyoto Protocol and for the commitment of those countries to GHG reductions. Updated inventories must be regularly submitted by Annex I countries.

Ø  Since the UNFCCC entered into force, the parties have been meeting annually in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change, and beginning in the mid-1990s, to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol to establish legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Ø  From 2005 the Conferences have met in conjunction with Meetings of Parties of the Kyoto Protocol (MOP), and parties to the Convention that are not parties to the Protocol can participate in Protocol-related meetings as observers.

1995: COP 1, The Berlin Mandate

Ø  The first UNFCCC Conference of Parties took place in 1995 in Berlin, Germany.

Ø  It voiced concerns about the adequacy of countries' abilities to meet commitments under the Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).

1996: COP 2, Geneva, Switzerland

Ø  Its Ministerial Declaration was noted (but not adopted) July 18, 1996.

Ø  It accepted the scientific findings on climate change proffered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its second assessment (1995);

Ø  It rejected uniform "harmonized policies" in favor of flexibility;

Ø  It called for "legally binding mid-term targets".

1997: COP 3, The Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change

Ø  After intensive negotiations at Kyoto, Japan, it adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which outlined the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation for Annex I countries, along with what came to be known as Kyoto mechanisms such as emissions trading, clean development mechanism and joint implementation.

Ø  Most industrialized countries and some central European economies in transition (all defined as Annex B countries) agreed to legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of an average of 6 to 8% below 1990 levels between the years 2008–2012, defined as the first emissions budget period.

Ø  The United States would be required to reduce its total emissions an average of 7% below 1990 levels; however Congress did not ratify the treaty after Clinton signed it. The Bush administration explicitly rejected the protocol in 2001.

1998: COP 4, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ø  It had been expected that the remaining issues unresolved in Kyoto would be finalized at this meeting.

Ø  However, the complexity and difficulty of finding agreement on these issues proved insurmountable, and instead the parties adopted a 2-year "Plan of Action" to advance efforts and to devise mechanisms for implementing the Kyoto Protocol, to be completed by 2000.

Ø  During COP4, Argentina and Kazakhstan expressed their commitment to take on the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation, the first two non-Annex countries to do so.

1999: COP 5, Bonn, Germany

Ø  It was primarily a technical meeting, and did not reach major conclusions.

2000: COP 6, The Hague, Netherlands

Ø  The discussions evolved rapidly into a high-level negotiation over the major political issues.

Ø  These included major controversy over the United States' proposal to allow credit for carbon "sinks" in forests and agricultural lands, satisfying a major proportion of the U.S. emissions reductions in this way; disagreements over consequences for non-compliance by countries that did not meet their emission reduction targets; and difficulties in resolving how developing countries could obtain financial assistance to deal with adverse effects of climate change and meet their obligations to plan for measuring and possibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Ø  In the final hours of COP 6, despite some compromises agreed between the United States and some EU countries, notably the United Kingdom, the EU countries as a whole, led by Denmark and Germany, rejected the compromise positions, and the talks in The Hague collapsed.

Ø  Jan Pronk, the President of COP 6, suspended COP-6 without agreement, with the expectation that negotiations would later resume.

2001: COP 6, Bonn, Germany

Ø  United States delegation to this meeting declined to participate in the negotiations related to the Protocol and chose to take the role of observer at the meeting.

Ø  As the other parties negotiated the key issues, agreement was reached on most of the major political issues, to the surprise of most observers, given the low expectations that preceded the meeting.

Ø  The agreements included:

·        Flexible Mechanisms:

¬  The "flexibility" mechanisms which the United States had strongly favored when the Protocol was initially put together, including emissions trading; Joint Implementation (JI); and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which allow industrialized countries to fund emissions reduction activities in developing countries as an alternative to domestic emission reductions. One of the key elements of this agreement was that there would be no quantitative limit on the credit a country could claim from use of these mechanisms provided domestic action constituted a significant element of the efforts of each Annex B country to meet their targets.

·        Carbon sinks:

¬  It was agreed that credit would be granted for broad activities that absorb carbon from the atmosphere or store it, including forest and cropland management, and re-vegetation, with no over-all cap on the amount of credit that a country could claim for sinks activities.

¬  In the case of forest management, an Appendix Z establishes country-specific caps for each Annex I country.

¬  For cropland management, countries could receive credit only for carbon sequestration increases above 1990 levels.

·        Compliance:

¬  Final action on compliance procedures and mechanisms that would address non-compliance with Protocol provisions was deferred to COP 7, but included broad outlines of consequences for failing to meet emissions targets that would include a requirement to "make up" shortfalls at 1.3 tons to 1, suspension of the right to sell credits for surplus emissions reductions, and a required compliance action plan for those not meeting their targets.

·        Financing:

¬  There was agreement on the establishment of three new funds to provide assistance for needs associated with climate change:

(1) a fund for climate change that supports a series of climate measures;

(2) a least-developed-country fund to support National Adaptation Programs of Action; and

(3) a Kyoto Protocol adaptation fund supported by a CDM levy and voluntary contributions.

2001: COP 7, Marrakech, Morocco

Ø  Negotiators wrapped up the work on the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, finalizing most of the operational details and setting the stage for nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Ø  The completed package of decisions is known as the Marrakech Accords.

Ø  The United States delegation maintained its observer role, declining to participate actively in the negotiations.

Ø  The date of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (August–September 2002) was put forward as a target to bring the Kyoto Protocol into force. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

2002: COP 8, New Delhi, India

Ø  Taking place from October 23 to November 1, 2002, in New Delhi COP 8 adopted the Delhi Ministerial Declaration that, amongst others, called for efforts by developed countries to transfer technology and minimize the impact of climate change on developing countries.

Ø  The COP8 was marked by Russia's hesitation, stating that the government needs more time to think it over.

Ø  The Kyoto Protocol's fine print says it can come into force only once it is ratified by 55 countries, including wealthy nations responsible for 55 per cent of the developed world's 1990 carbon dioxide emissions.

Ø  With the United States (and its 36.1 per cent slice of developed-world carbon dioxide) out of the picture and Australia also refusing ratification, Russia was required to make up the difference; hence, it could delay the process.

2003: COP 9, Milan, Italy

Ø  The parties agreed to use the Adaptation Fund established at COP7 in 2001 primarily in supporting developing countries better adapt to climate change. The fund would also be used for capacity-building through technology transfer.

2004: COP 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ø  To promote developing countries better adapt to climate change, the Buenos Aires Plan of Action was adopted.

Ø  The parties also began discussing the post-Kyoto mechanism, on how to allocate emission reduction obligation following 2012, when the first commitment period ends.

2005: COP 11/MOP 1, Montreal, Canada

Ø  It was the first Meeting of the Parties (MOP-1) to the Kyoto Protocol since their initial meeting in Kyoto in 1997.

Ø  The event marked the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol.

Ø  The Montreal Action Plan is an agreement hammered out at the end of the conference to "extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol beyond its 2012 expiration date and negotiate deeper cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions".

2006: COP 12/MOP 2, Nairobi, Kenya

Ø  The parties adopted a five-year plan of work to support climate change adaptation by developing countries, and agreed on the procedures and modalities for the Adaptation Fund.

2007: COP 13/MOP 3, Bali, Indonesia

Ø  Agreement on a timeline and structured negotiation on the post-2012 framework (the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol) was achieved with the adoption of the Bali Action Plan.

2008: COP 14/MOP 4, Poznań, Poland

Ø  Delegates agreed on principles for the financing of a fund to help the poorest nations cope with the effects of climate change and they approved a mechanism to incorporate forest protection into the efforts of the international community to combat climate change.

2009: COP 15/MOP 5, Copenhagen, Denmark     

Ø  The overall goal for the COP 15/MOP 5 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark was to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from 2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Ø  The conference did not achieve a binding agreement for long-term action. A 13-paragraph 'political accord' was negotiated by approximately 25 parties including US and China, but it was only 'noted' by the COP as it is considered an external document, not negotiated within the UNFCCC process.

Ø  The accord was notable in that it referred to a collective commitment by developed countries for new and additional resources, including forestry and investments through international institutions, that will approach USD 30 billion for the period 2010–2012.

2010: COP 16/MOP 6, Cancún, Mexico

Ø  The 2010 Cancún agreements state that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F) relative to the pre-industrial level, recognizing the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report goal.

Ø  It was concluded that the base year shall be 1990 and the global warming potentials shall be those provided by the IPCC.

2011: COP 17/MOP 7, Durban, South Africa

Ø  The conference agreed to a legally binding deal comprising all countries, which will be prepared by 2015, and to take effect in 2020.

Ø  There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) for which a management framework was adopted. The fund is to distribute US$100 billion per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts.

2012: COP 18/MOP 8, Doha, Qatar

Ø  The Conference produced a package of documents collectively titled The Doha Climate Gateway over objections from Russia and other countries at the session.

Ø  The documents collectively contained:

·        An eight year extension of the Kyoto Protocol until 2020 limited in scope to only 15% of the global carbon dioxide emissions due to the lack of participation of Canada, Japan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, New Zealand nor the United States and due to the fact that developing countries like China (the world's largest emitter), India and Brazil are not subject to any emissions reductions under the Kyoto Protocol.

·        Language on loss and damage, formalized for the first time in the conference documents.

·        The conference made little progress towards the funding of the Green Climate Fund.

·        Russia, Belarus and Ukraine objected at the end of the session, as they have a right to, under the session's rules.