NEGOTIATIONS
PROCESS
KEY DOCUMENTS
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First steps to a safer future: Introducing The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
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The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal membership. The 195
countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention.
The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth
Summit” in 1992. Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and
the Convention to Combat Desertification. The three are intrinsically linked. It is in this context
that the Joint Liaison Group was set up to boost cooperation among the three Conventions, with the
ultimate aim of developing synergies in their activities on issues of mutual concern. It now also
incorporates the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of
the UNFCCC.
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First steps to a safer future: the Convention in summary
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The Convention:
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Recognized that there was a problem.
This was remarkable for its time. Remember, in 1994, when the UNFCCC took effect, there was less
scientific evidence than there is now. The UNFCCC borrowed a very important line from one of the
most successful multilateral environmental treaties in history (the Montreal Protocol, in 1987): it
bound member states to act in the interests of human safety even in the face of scientific
uncertainty.
Related reading: Methods & Science
The ultimate objective of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations "at a
level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human induced) interference with the climate
system." It states that "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."
How do we know what is "dangerous anthropogenic interference"? See IPCC's 4th
Assessment Report
The idea is that, as they are the source of most past and current greenhouse gas emissions,
industrialized countries are expected to do the most to cut emissions on home ground. They are
called Annex I countries and belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). They include 12 countries with “economies in transition” from Central and
Eastern Europe. Annex I countries were expected by the year 2000 to
reduce emissions to 1990 levels. Many of them have taken strong action to do so, and some have
already succeeded.
What compelled these countries to act? See The Kyoto Protocol
Industrialized nations agree under the Convention to support climate change activities in
developing countries by providing financial support for action on climate change-- above and
beyond any financial assistance they already provide to these countries. A system of grants and
loans has been set up through the Convention and is managed by the Global Environment Facility. Industrialized countries also agree
to share technology with less-advanced nations.
Related reading: Cooperation & Support
Industrialized countries (Annex I) have to report regularly on
their climate change policies and measures, including issues governed by the Kyoto Protocol (for
countries which have ratified it).
They must also submit an annual inventory of their greenhouse gas
emissions, including data for their base year (1990)and all the years since.
Developing countries (Non-Annex I Parties) report in more general
terms on their actions both to address climate change and to adapt to its impacts-- but less
regularly than Annex I Parties do, and their reporting is contingent on their getting funding for
the preparation of the reports, particularly in the case of the Least Developed Countries. Detailed
discussed on reporting requirements and frequency of reporting for both Annex I and Non-Annex I
Parties are taking place in negotiations under the AWG-LCA at present. This discussion currently
also comprises transparency and auditing requirements.
You can find all Parties' submitted reports and the
inventories of Annex I Parties here: National
Reports
Economic development is particularly vital to the world's poorer countries. Such progress is
difficult to achieve even without the complications added by climate change. The Convention takes
this into consideration by accepting that the share of greenhouse gas emissions produced by
developing nations will grow in the coming years. Nonetheless, in the interests of fulfilling its
ultimate goal, it seeks to help such countries limit emissions in ways that will not hinder their
economic progress. One such win-win solution was to emerge later, when the Kyoto Protocol to the
Convention was conceived.
Related reading: the Clean Development
Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol
The Convention acknowledges the vulnerability of all countries to the effects of climate change and
calls for special efforts to ease the consequences especially in developing countries which lack
the resources to do so on their own. In the early years of the Convention, adaptation received less
attention than mitigation, as Parties wanted more certainty on impacts of and vulnerability to
climate change. When IPCC’s Third Assessment Report was released, adaptation gained traction,
and Parties agreed on a process to address adverse effects and to establish funding arrangements
for adaptation. Currently, work on adaptation takes place under different Convention bodies. The
Adaptation
Committee, which Parties agreed to set up under the Cancun Adaptation
Framework (184 kB) as part of the Cancun Agreements, is a major step towards a
cohesive, Convention-based approach to adaptation.
Related reading: Adaptation
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Status of Ratification
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Find out which countries are Parties to the UNFCCC here.
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Rio 2012
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2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. In the birthplace of the three Rio
Conventions, the Rio 2012 summit will take place on 4 to 6 June 2012. It will focus on two themes: a
green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional
framework for sustainable development.
Read more about it at the Rio 2012
website.
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