United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at United Nations Conference on Earth and Development (UNCED) formally known as Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The main objective of the treaty is to stabilise the concentration of the green house gases in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The parties to the convention met annually from 1995 across different cities of the world in Conference of Parties (COP) to assess the progress made in dealing with climate change. The first COP was held in 1995 at Berlin.

By 1995, countries have realised that the existing emission reduction provisions under the existing treaties are inadequate. By 2007 as per the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries are required to reduce the emissions. The Protocol’s first commitment started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period starts on January 1st 2013 and ends in 2020. There are 195 countries party to the treaty and 192 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. UNFCCC supports all the institutions supporting the International climate change negotiations including Conference of Parties (COP), Conference of Parties serving the meeting of the parties (COP/CMP), COP/CMP technical bureau (which deals with procedural and organisational issues arising from  COP/CMP and other technical functions).

Climate change though very complex is the fall out of the rapid changes in the environment. It has serious implications on the global climate regime, population, its sustainable growth and development and finally on the economic development of the country as a whole. In 2010 countries have agreed to reduce the emissions needed to limit the global increase in temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius of the pre-industrial era.

COP 19 was attended by negotiators from 195 countries who met at Warsaw, Poland this year as a part of the UNFCCC. The discussions lasted for two weeks from Nov 11 to Nov 22. As the parties failed to reach a consensus on crucial issues, meeting was extended by one more day. The meeting was expected to make a progress towards forging a new International treaty that could offer a solution to the raging problem of global warming.

The climate talks this year were marred with several criticisms. The venue for the talks Poland gets 80-90% of power from coal and further Conference of Parties (COP-19) is sponsored by big polluters, including the petroleum companies across the world. Poland has co-hosted a summit on World Coal Association’s International Coal and Climate Summit during the second week of the climate talks. This has raised critical doubts among the environmental activists about the country’s commitments towards curtailing its green house gas emissions.

Outcomes of the COP-19: Countries have agreed to intensify their efforts in cutting down their emissions. Countries were expected to present transparent and clear plans by the first quarter of 2015 to make advance contributions for the International agreement in Paris 2015. Countries have come forward to intensify their technical work and for frequent engagements of the Ministries. In light of the trail of devastation caused by the super cyclone Haiyyan in Philippines, the conference has decided to extend maximum support to the vulnerable populations against loss and damage caused by the extreme weather events and slow onset of changes like increase in the sea-levels. A detailed plan of action under the “Warsaw International mechanism for loss and damage” is scheduled to begin next year.

More significantly the conference has witnessed the financial announcements of the public climate finance to support developing nation action by countries like Norway, UK, EU, US, Republic of Korea, Japan, Germany, Finland and Sweden. The most significant advancement in the conference was plans were chalked out to help developing nations to cut down their green house gas emissions due to degradation and deforestation which account to nearly one fifth of all human generated emissions. Warsaw framework for the REDD+ have received economic pledges to a tune of 280 million dollars from Norway, US and the UK.

A milestone was reached, when developed countries including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland have vouched for 100 million dollars to the Adaptation Fund which finances the national environmental projects in the 48 poorest countries. Developed countries have completed their work on the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) so that developing countries can immediately contact for immediate assistance and transfer of technology.

Stalemate over certain issues: The poor nations and developing countries were frustrated, as no headway was made in core issues like curtailing the emissions from the fossil fuels used in the power plants, cars and buildings which are responsible for global warming. Another major issue was financing the poor countries to reduce their emissions and moving towards renewable source of energy (mitigation) and getting adjusted to the changing climate (adaptation) are not sufficiently addressed.  Developed countries have promised $100 billion help for them annually by 2020 but an estimate by Oxfam suggests that till now only $3.6 billion was accumulated.

With increasing temperatures, extreme weather conditions become more frequent and deadly. Developed and developing nations have been working together right from the beginning of the talks to lay a firm foundation for a new international universal climate agreement slated to be signed in December 2015 in Paris. This will be kind of first obligation by all the countries of the world to cut down earth-warming green house gas emissions from burning coal, oil and gas.

The developed countries were highly critical about the commitments to be made by the emerging nations like China and India who occupy the first and fourth position in the table of the highest carbon dioxide emitters. But as a matter of fact, the developed nations till now had largely powered their growth by the combustion of the fossil fuels. China has made it clear that only developed nations should have commitment, while emerging nations could merely be expected to enhance their action.

On the final day of the talks, words have been suitably fortified in the text yet to be ratified from the earlier ‘commitments’ regarding green house gases emission cuts to the newer term and softer term ‘contributions’. Interestingly while several of the island states, sub-Saharan countries and Latin American countries have been enthusiastically driving forward for the International agreement, countries like Australia, Canada and Russia are backing from their commitments.

India has strongly stressed the need for more commitment from the developed countries as the irony is that developing countries have pledged for more reductions than the developed countries. Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, was more vociferous in her talks and lashed out at developed countries for not doing enough while warning the developing countries of the existing obligations. Her talks were scheduled on the day when nearly 800 environment and development activists, including participants from World Wild Life Fund, Green Peace have staged a walk out. The protests were against rich nations who haven’t done enough and for letting corporate interests to take the centre stage. While on the flip side, when the Philippines negotiators have raised a severe pitch about the horrendous destruction caused by the super cyclone Hayyian, Indian counterparts haven’t put across the devastation caused by the Cyclone Phalin at the International Convention.

India and China have stepped up pressure on the industrialised countries to take the first move for a fight towards global warming and further added that the developed nations are to be blamed the most for rising temperatures.

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