Follow up to the COP21: Implementing the International Agreement to Limit Global Warming
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Topic B: Follow up to the COP21: Implementing the International Agreement to Limit Global Warming INTRODUCTION Four years after the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in 1988, in May 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is adopted during the Rio Earth Summit as part of the “Rio Convention”. The “convention set out a framework for action aimed at stabilising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system (COP21, 2015).” Concentrated efforts until now have led to 195 parties having signed the UNFCCC and meeting regularly to assess the state of the implementation of the Convention and to consider further actions to tackle climate change at the Conference of Parties (COP). The most important document of the UNFCCC so far is the Kyoto protocol, which was agreed upon in 1997 and obliges industrialized countries (“Annex I Parties”) to cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5% for 2008-2012 compared to 1990. In Durban and Qatar, an extension of the protocol until 2020 was decided upon, as it was impossible to agree on a new convention. The protocol is subject to “ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by Parties to the UNFCCC. Parties to the UNFCCC that have not signed the Protocol may accede to it at any time (UNFCCC 2014).” The Kyoto protocol builds on three key mechanisms to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Parties that have accepted targets for limiting or reducing emissions are allowed under the International Emission Trading scheme to trade spare emission units with countries which exceed their targets. Emissions reductions hence are a commodity on the “carbon market”. (UNFCCC 2014) The Clean Development Mechanism allows parties to fulfil their emission reduction targets within the country by emission-reduction projects in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits counting towards meeting Kyoto targets. (UNFCCC 2014) Similar emission reduction project can not only be implemented in developing but also other Annex Parties under the Joint Implementation scheme, allowing for more efficient emission reduction projects under international collaboration. (UNFCCC 2014) Figure 1 - The State of the Climate (IPCC, 2013) The Kyoto protocol also includes monitoring, reporting and a compliance system to ensure that Parties are meeting their commitments. Another goal both of the protocol and the convention as a whole is to assist nations to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. (UNFCCC, 2014) The Kyoto protocol has been the first step towards a “truly global emission reduction regime” that will enable mankind to reach the necessary targets for successfully tackling climate change (UNFCCC, 2014). However, as seen in the overview of the 5th report of the IPCC in Fig. 1, threats imposed by climate change are still pressing and measures taken have not been enough. After the first commitment period of the Kyoto protocol from 2008 to 2012, negotiations for a legally binding document following up the Kyoto protocol remained unsuccessful. A second commitment period, Kyoto II, was established reaching from 2013 to 2020, while committing to establishing a new protocol by 2015. COP21, the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, for the first time aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C (COP21). The conference itself has been celebrated as a success by many. However even a legally binding agreement will only be as successful in limiting global warming as the targets and goals will be implemented in the different nations. The commitment of the Parties to the overall goal of maximum 2°C global warming as well as their specific emission reduction goals has to be translated into action – which must lead to results. This process will be a challenging one, but also a crucial one turn the UNFCCC’s more than 20 yearlong efforts into true success. Milestones of Development (UNFCCC 2014) 1994: UNFCCC enters into force, including 196 parties. 1998: The Kyoto protocol, the world’s first greenhouse gas emissions reduction treaty, is adopted. It “commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.“ (UNFCCC 2014c) 2005: The Kyoto protocol enters into force and the EU Emission Trading Scheme launches. 2006: The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a key mechanism of the Kyoto protocol, opens. 2008: The Joint Implementation Mechanism (JI), a key mechanism of the Kyoto protocol, starts and allows countries to fulfil their emission reduction commitment by emission- reduction or emission removal projects in another country. 2010: The Cancun Agreements resulting from COP16 in Cancun focus on assisting developing nations in dealing with climate change. The Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism and the Cancun Adaptation Framework are established. 2011: At COP17 in Doha, governments commit to a new universal climate change agreement by 2015. 2015: COP21 in Paris is the last chance to agree to a follow up of the Kyoto protocol commitment period II reaching until 2020. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS According to the UNFCCC (2014), important key terms regarding the Conference of Parties and its duties are defined as follows. Conference of the Parties (COP) The supreme body of the Convention. It currently meets once a year to review the Convention's progress. The word "conference" is not used here in the sense of "meeting" but rather of "association". The "Conference" meets in sessional periods, for example, the "fourth session of the Conference of the Parties." Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Programme, the IPCC surveys world-wide scientific and technical literature and publishes assessment reports that are widely recognized as the most credible existing sources of information on climate change. The IPCC also works on methodologies and responds to specific requests from the Convention's subsidiary bodies. The IPCC is independent of the Convention. Policies and measures (PAMs) A frequently used phrase -- sometimes abbreviated as PAMs -- referring to the steps taken or to be taken by countries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. Some possible policies and measures are listed in the Protocol and could offer opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation. Kyoto Protocol An international agreement standing on its own, and requiring separate ratification by governments, but linked to the UNFCCC. The Kyoto Protocol, among other things, sets binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions by industrialized countries. Kyoto mechanisms Three procedures established under the Kyoto Protocol to increase the flexibility and reduce the costs of making greenhouse-gas emissions cuts. They are the Clean Development Mechanism, Emissions Trading and Joint Implementation. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) A mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol through which developed countries may finance greenhouse-gas emission reduction or removal projects in developing countries, and receive credits for doing so which they may apply towards meeting mandatory limits on their own emissions. Emissions trading One of the three Kyoto mechanisms, by which an Annex I Party may transfer Kyoto Protocol units to, or acquire units from, another Annex I Party. An Annex I Party must meet specific eligibility requirements to participate in emissions trading. Joint implementation (JI) A mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol through which a developed country can receive "emissions reduction units" when it helps to finance projects that reduce net greenhouse-gas emissions in another developed country (in practice, the recipient state is likely to be a country with an "economy in transition"). An Annex I Party must meet specific eligibility requirements to participate in joint implementation. Adaptation Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Mitigation In the context of climate change, a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Examples include using fossil fuels more efficiently for industrial processes or electricity generation, switching to solar energy or wind power, improving the insulation of buildings, and expanding forests and other "sinks" to remove greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (UNFCCC, 2014) DISCUSSION The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was officially adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, setting out a legal framework and inter-governmental platform to address rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In the words of Margaret Thatcher in 1998 in her speech to the United Nations, she said, “We need a realistic programme of action and an equally realistic timetable. Each country has to contribute, and those countries who are industrialised must contribute more to help those who are not. The work ahead will be long and exacting. We should embark on it hopeful of success, not fearful of failure.” (Thatcher, 1989) No truer words spoken on what the premise of the UNFCCC should be about, that each member-state