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UNFCCC Crashcourse. Introduction to the Climate Regime sebastien@youthclimate.org. Outline. The History The Convention The Kyoto Protocol The Institutions The Negotiations The Actors. The History. The existing Climate Regime. Intergovernmental Cooperation on Science
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UNFCCC Crashcourse Introduction to the Climate Regime sebastien@youthclimate.org
Outline • The History • The Convention • The Kyoto Protocol • The Institutions • The Negotiations • The Actors
The existing Climate Regime • Intergovernmental Cooperation on Science • 1988: establishment of the IPCC by the UNEP & WMO • UNFCCC • 1990: UN General Assembly Mandate • 1991-1992: Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee • 1992: Convention Signed • 1994: Convention entered in force Mainly limited to an overall objective, a few key institutions and the statements of key principles
The existing Climate Regime • The Kyoto Protocol • 1995: The Berlin Mandate (beginning of the negotiations) • 1997: Protocol Signed • 2005: Protocol entered in force • 2008-2012: First Commitment Period • The Post-Kyoto Agreements (more detailed rules necessary to implement the KP) • 2001: Marrakesh Accords
The Objective The ultimate objective of this Convention and any related legal instruments that the COP may adopt is to achieve, …, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner. Article 2
The Principles • Precautionary Approach • Sustainable Development • Rights of Future Generations • Cooperation • Common but Differentiated Responsibility • Historical responsibility • Respective Capacity (most debated principles, no consensus on what it concretely means) Article 3
The main obligations • All: • Develop inventories of GHGs (Annex I pay for the costs of developing countries) • Only developed States: • Stabilisation by 2000 at the 1990 level of Annex 1 Countries (Art. 4) • Financial and technological transfers (not for Economies In Transitions)
The Kyoto Protocol • Ratification • 55/55 requirement • Entered into force: 2005 (with the ratification of Russia) • Scope: • 6 GHGs concerned CO2, Methane, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6
The Kyoto Protocol • The main obligation only for Developed states: • Aggregate reduction of 5% of GHG in the commitment period based on 1990 levels Australia 108 Greece 92 Norway 101 Austria 92 Hungary* 94 Poland* 94 Belgium 92 Iceland 110 Portugal 92 Bulgaria* 92 Ireland 92 Romania* 92 Canada 94 Italy 92 Russian Federation* 100 Croatia* 95 Japan 94 Slovakia* 92 Czech R* 92 Latvia* 94 Slovenia* 92 Denmark 92 Liechtenstein 92 Spain 92 Estonia* 92 Lithuania* 92 Sweden 92 E.U. 92 Luxembourg 92 Switzerland 92 Finland 92 Monaco 92 Ukraine* 100 France 92 Netherlands 92 UK, Northern Ireland 92 Germany 92 New Zealand 100 United States† 93 • Accompanying technical requirements
The Kyoto Protocol • The Flexibility Mechanisms • ETS: Emissions Trading (North-North) • Regional Carbon markets • CDM: Clean Development Mechanisms (North-South) • For projects in developing countries • JI: Joint Implementation (North-North) • For projects in another developed country • The Sinks • LULUCF (forest activities in developed countries) - included • CCS - excluded
The Institutions • The Institutions • COPs (Conference Of the Parties): Main decision-making body for matters under the convention • CMPs (Meeting Of the Parties): same thing for matters related to the Kyoto Protocol • Secretariat, • Facilitates the process and support parties in their implementation • Subsidiary Bodies, support the COP: • SBI: Subsidiary Body for Implementation • SBSTA: SB for Scientific and Technical Advice • The IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change • The GEF: Global Environmental Facility
The Institutions CDM Bureau Financial Mechanism COP/MOP IPCC JWG SBI SBSTA Bureau Bureau Secretariat JLG
UNFCCC Timeframe COP 13, 2007: Bali Road Map, detailed plan on how to move forward COP 14, 2008: Poznan ”half way” COP 15, 2009: Copenhagen, foreseen as the conclusion of the negotiations under the AWGs, failure COP16, 2010: Cancun, pragmatic/incremental approach Other International Processes Major Economy Forum, G8, G20 Bilaterals and Regional Consultations REDD + Partnernship High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) Sometime more political momentum, but less transparency and inclusiveness The On-going Negotiations
AWG-LCA covering other issues under the Convention Created in 2007 Workplan: Four building blocks from the Bali Road Map: Mitigation of Developed countries (“1b i”) Developing countries (“1b ii”) REDD: Reducing Deforestation in the Global South with financial support from Global North Adaptation Financial Transfers Short Term (up to 2012) Long Term (up to 2020) Technological Transfers The current negotiations process
AWG-KP looking at issues under the Kyoto Protocol Created in 2005 Two main issues How to renew obligations from Annex 1 countries after the first commitment period (= after 2012) Kyoto Protocol planned to work with successive commitment periods So far agreement only on the first one up to 2012 No expiration date, but necessity to include new targets after this date How to improve the functioning of the Kyoto Protocol in the future (forest accounting/LULUCF, Flexibility Mechanisms) The current negotiations process
Expectations towards COP16 Progress and COP decisions on specific policy areas where consensus is easier Clear mandate to move the negotiations towards a fair, ambitious and binding deal in South Africa
The Process of Negotiations “The Brick”
The parties to the Convention The developed Countries (Annex I) • EU • Umbrella • JUSCANNZ The developing countries (Non-Annex I) • G77/China (130+ countries) • LDCs: Least developed countries • OPEC: oil producing and exporting countries… • AOSIS (SIDS): Small Islands States • Africa One country might join more than 1 grouping: e.g. Algeria is a member of Africa, OPEC and G77/China The Environmental Integrity Group, with both developed (Switzerland) and developing countries (Mexico, South Korea)
Observers • Other States (US in the case of the KP) • International Organizations (WTO, UNICEF…) • Civil Society • Observer Organizations • Organized within 9 constituencies Environmental NGOs, Business and Industries, Research, Indigenous People, Gender, Trade Unions, Local Governments, Farmers, Youth • Press
Questions ? Comments …
The UNFCCC • Key Articles of the Convention • 2: Objective • 3: Principles • 4: Commitments • 6: Education • 7-10: Institutions
The Kyoto Protocol • Key Provisions of the Convention • 2: Political Actions • 3: Reductions of emissions • 4, 6, 12: Commitments • 5: Inventory of emissions • 7, 8: Sinks • 10: Cooperation • 11: Financial Transfers
List of Acronyms used in this presentation INC Intergovermental Negotiations Committee IPCC Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change JI Joint Implementation JLG Joint Liaison Group JUSCANNZ Japon, US, Canada, Norway, New Zealand LDCs Least Developed Countries LULUCF Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry MRV Measurable, Reportable and Verifiable OPEC Oil Producing Exporting Countries (?) SBI Subsidiary Body on Implementation SBSTA Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice SIDS Small Island Developing States UNEP UN Environmental Program UNGA UN General Assembly WMO World Meteorological Organization AGF High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) AOSIS Alliance Of Small Island States AWG-KP Ad Hoc Working Group on further commitment for Annex I Parties of the Kyoto Protocol AWG-LCA Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action CCS Carbon Capture and Storage CDM Clean Development Mechanism CMP Conference of Parties acting as Meeting of the Parties COP Conference of Parties ETS Emissions Trading Scheme EU European Union GEF Global Environmental Facility GHGs GreenHouse Gases