Questions and Answers

Question

What is the UNFCCC?

In 1992, the United Nations convened 172 nations at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first attempt of governments to address global warming. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) emerged from the summit. The UNFCCC entered into force in 1994, and as of today enjoys near universal membership. 192 countries, including the United States, have ratified the treaty. The ultimate objective of the Convention and any related legal instrument is the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations … at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

The main decision-making body of the UNFCCC is the Conference of the Parties (COP).
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the UNFCCC.

Question

What is the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility?"

One of the prominent guiding principles of the UNFCCC is the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities." As the Convention explains, “Developed country Parties should take the lead in combating climate change and the adverse effects thereof." This reflects the international community's recognition that industrialized countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity. Under this principle, all countries have a responsibility to address the problem of climate change, but some countries-industrialized nations--should lead the world in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Question

What is the COP? Who decides at the International negotiations?

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the ultimate decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The COP meets every year to review the implementation of the Convention. The COP adopts decisions and resolutions, which make up a set of rules for how the Convention is implemented.

Question

How are the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol linked?

The Kyoto Protocol is a Protocol to the Convention.

In 1995, the parties to the UNFCCC adopted the Berlin Mandate, which called for the negotiation of a new agreement that would add quantified mitigation commitments to the UNFCCC. This led to the development of the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in 1997. The Protocol set targets for the world's developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These targets are legally binding for Parties that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, therefore excluding the United States, which signed the treaty but never had it ratified by the U.S. Senate. The targets are intended to reduce the overall emissions of six greenhouse gases from developed countries by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The period between 2008 and 2012 became known as the “first commitment period." Country-specific targets are given in Annex B of the Protocol. The United States' reduction target was set at 7 percent below 1990 levels (but again, since America did not ratify the Protocol, this target never became binding for the United States.)

The Protocol entered into effect on February 16, 2005 after Russia ratified the treaty. Australia ratified the Protocol in 2007, making the United States the only industrialized country that has not done so. As of late 2009, 183 countries and one regional economic integration organization (the EEC) have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

Question

Will countries like China and India take on responsibility for their emissions in a international climate program?

UNFCCC Parties agreed in the Bali Action Plan to consider “nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing country Parties in the context of sustainable development, supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building, in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner." This 2007 agreement between developed and developing countries represented a new means to share the task of addressing climate change.

Question

Who can participate at the meeting in Copenhagen and how?

Participants at the meeting in Copenhagen must:

  1. Belong to one of four categories: the United Nations system, country parties, observers or press. “Observers" is a very broad category, encompassing civil society organizations like think tanks, industry organizations or lobbying groups. Observer organizations need to be formally admitted. Representatives who do not belong to an admitted organization can still be admitted if they are nominated by an admitted organization. A list of these admitted organizations can be found on the UNFCCC official website.

  2. Be registered.

For more information visit the Copenhagen conference website.

Civil society parties and observers may contact the UNFCCC to register.

Question

What is the first commitment period?

The first commitment period refers to the years of 2008 through 2012. Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries are required to reduce their overall emissions of six greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during this period.

Question

What is the Bali Roadmap?

In 2007, parties to the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol negotiated on the future of the climate program. Following contentious closing meetings, negotiators were able to agree on a two-year process, or the “Bali Roadmap," to conclude with negotiations in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. This roadmap encompasses work under the Convention - with the United States as a Party - as well as work under the Kyoto Protocol, in which the United States is an observer but without the right to vote.

Question

What is the Bali Action Plan?

The Bali Action Plan (BAP) was agreed upon under the UNFCCC and describes the major negotiating track for a future climate program. It defines four pillars for cooperative action on climate change: mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to the effects of climate change, technology cooperation, and financing for developing countries. Furthermore, Parties decided to address a “shared vision … including a long-term global goal for emission reductions, to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention, in accordance with … the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and taking into account social and economic conditions and other relevant factors."

Question

What are the Ad Hoc Working Groups (AWG LCA and AWG KP)?

There are two main forums to negotiate the future program to curb global warming. One is one under the Kyoto Protocol and one under the UNFCCC.

  1. The negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol: As the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends in December 2012, Parties to the Kyoto Protocol established a formal means to prepare for January 2013. The first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol will end in December 2012. Bearing in mind the difficulty and time-consuming nature of reaching a new international agreement, Article 3.9 of the Kyoto Protocol instructs Parties to “initiate the consideration of such commitments" for the group of countries enumerated in Annex I “at least seven years before the end of the first commitment period" - that is by 2005. When meeting in Montreal in December 2005, Parties decided to establish the “Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol" (Kyoto Protocol Ad Hoc Working Group - AWG KP).
  2. A comprehensive solution to the climate challenge must encompass the United States, which did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Any effective future solution to climate change also requires the participation of developing countries, the source of 97% of the projected increase in global emissions between now and 2030. To complement the work of the Kyoto Protocol Ad Hoc Working Group and best address involve developing countries, UNFCCC Parties also decided in Montreal to consider - in parallel - long-term cooperation under the Convention through a series of four workshops referred to as a “Dialogue". However, the “Dialogue" under the Convention was not yet a formal negotiation. This changed at the ground-breaking negotiation session in December 2007, in Bali, Indonesia. To pursue the negotiations under the Bali Action Plan, Parties decided to establish the “Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention" (AWG LCA).

Question

What is the role of the UNFCCC Secretariat?

The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in the international climate change process.

Question

What is the IPCC?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading body in the world providing scientific assessments on climate change. In 1988, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) established the IPCC to review and assess the most recent climate change information available. The IPCC is made up of thousands of experts from all regions of the world who participate on a voluntary basis. These experts review scientific, technical, and socio-economic information relevant to climate change, but the IPCC does not conduct its own first-hand research. The IPCC produces comprehensive scientific reports about the current state of climate change knowledge, known as Assessment Reports. To date, the IPCC has published four Assessment Reports, with the most recent released in 2007. These reports are widely used by policymakers, and have played a key role in climate negotiations, including those leading to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.

The IPCC is open to all countries that are members of the United Nations and World Meteorological Organization. 194 countries are currently members. Because of its intergovernmental nature, the IPCC is able to provide scientific, technical, and socio-economic information in a policy neutral way for decision makers. When governments accept the IPCC Assessment Reports and approve their Summary for Policymakers, they acknowledge that the scientific information contained in the reports is legitimate.

The IPCC is organized into three Working Groups, made up of experts on various topics. Working Group I assesses the physical science information relevant to climate change. Working Group II assesses the vulnerability of natural systems and human societies to climate change, as well as options for adapting to climate change. Working Group III reports on options for mitigating, or slowing, climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the IPCC has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), which works to develop a standardized way for countries to report their greenhouse gas emissions.

On December 10, 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the IPCC and former Vice-President Al Gore. The Nobel Peace Prize Committee praised the IPCC for "creat[ing] an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming. Thousands of scientists and officials from over 100 countries have collaborated to achieve greater certainty as to the scale of the warming."

Question

What is the Kyoto Protocol? Which countries are bound by it?

In 1995, the first Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC adopted the Berlin Mandate, which called for the negotiation of a new agreement that would augment the UNFCCC with quantified mitigation commitments. This led to the development of the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in 1997. The Protocol set targets for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These targets are legally binding for Parties that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, therefore excluding the United States, which signed but has not ratified the treaty. According to the Protocol, the targets are intended to reduce the overall emissions of six greenhouse gases of developed countries by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The period between 2008 and 2012 became known as the “first commitment period." The targets vary for each country, and are given in Annex B of the Protocol. The United States' reduction target was set at 7 percent below 1990 levels.

The Protocol entered into effect on February 16, 2005 after Russia's ratification. Australia ratified the Protocol in 2007, making the United States the only industrialized country that has not done so. As of January 14, 2009, 183 countries and one regional economic integration organization (the EEC) have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

The Protocol is guided by the same principles as the Convention. The Conference of the Parties, or meeting of the Parties (COP/MOP or CMP), makes decisions under the Protocol. Since their first official meeting in Montreal, Canada in 2005, the Parties have adopted a complex set of decisions. Most prominent are the so-called “Marrakesh Accords." Established in Morocco in 2001, these elucidate the means for executing the more complex provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. For example, the accords include operational details for the “flexible mechanisms" of the Protocol, including the greenhouse gas emissions trading system and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The Kyoto Protocol Parties adopted the Marrakesh Accords in 2005 at the Montreal meeting.

Question

What is an Annex I country? Non-Annex I Country?

Under the Kyoto Protocol, countries are divided into Annex I and Non-Annex I Parties.

Annex I Parties are industrialized countries that were members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1992, along with "economies in transition," which include several countries in Central and Eastern Europe. These countries are subject to binding goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions. The actual targets for these emission reductions vary by country, but are intended to achieve an average reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. Annex I Parties include countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. The UNFCCC recognizes that these countries are especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, or to the potential economic impacts of responding to climate change. For this reason, Non-Annex I countries are not subject to binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. They can voluntarily participate in Kyoto Protocol mechanisms for reducing emissions, but are not required to reduce their emissions by 2012. Non-Annex I parties include China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, among many other countries.