The document discusses the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was created in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Nearly every country is party to the UNFCCC, which meets annually to assess climate change progress. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted under the UNFCCC in 1997 and established emissions reduction obligations for developed countries. The goal of the UNFCCC process is for universal participation to efficiently limit future global warming below 2.0°C through a new legally binding climate agreement.

1. COP 19
Dr. Mark McGinley
Honors College and Department of
Biological Sciences
Texas Tech University

2. COP 19
• The latest international meetings on climate
change, COP 19, are currently taking place in
Warsaw, Poland.

3. United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change
• http://unfccc.int/2860.php

4. Do People Have an Influence on
Climate Change?
• Climate change is a natural phenomenon which has occurred many
times before on Earth, and depends on factors such as: solar
activity, the properties of the surface of Earth, and composition of
the atmosphere.
• There is no doubt that now another climate change takes place during the last hundred years the average global temperature rose
by 0.74°C, the sea level increased for the first time since the last ice
age (over 20cm since 1870, and the pace of the increase is getting
faster), glaciers melt and the snow cap of the Northern hemisphere
decreases.
• The climate change from distant history is attributable, above all, to
the fluctuations of Earth’s orbit, Sun’s cycle and volcanic activity.
These processes continue, but their influence on the observed
climate change is generally too insignificant to explain the current
situation (studies show that, for example, the Sun may be
responsible for not more than 10% of the current global warming).

5. Do People Have an Influence on
Climate Change?
• The key element is the activity of humans who, since the beginning of the
industrial revolution (around 1750), started to affect the natural
environment on global scale:
– deforestation and burning of fossil fuels - the CO2 concentration in the
atmosphere increased by 30% compared to the pre-industrial era (in the
prehistoric times the concentration was invariable) and - according to the
studies on glacier cores - it is currently the highest since 650,000 years
– the use of synthetic fertilisers and animal farming on industrial scale - the
concentration of methane and nitric oxide in the atmosphere in the second
half of the 20th century was growing 2-6 times faster than in any other period
of our era before 1800.
• What is more, the changes occur at an unprecedented pace (for
example, the changes in CO2 concentration and in global temperature
similar to those taking place in the 20th century took 5000 years during
the periods of ice age!)
• The changes on the global scale cannot be confused with the local trends
(which may be positive or negative) or, even more so, with the changing
weather!

6. What can be done to stop / limit the
extent of the climate change?
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Every one of us may contribute to stopping or, at least, limiting the climate change. These actions
do not require expert knowledge or a lot of time or money, it is enough to bear in mind the best
interests of the natural environment when making everyday decisions.
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Reduce the use of electric energy - at home and at workplace. It is possible by choosing energy-saving
equipment (marked with A, A+, A++ symbols) with thermostats and time switches. Changing light bulbs to
energy-saving ones can save up to 80% of energy. Lamps and equipment should be turned off whenever we
are not using them, electric equipment should not be left on stand-by, and cell phone (laptop, shaver, etc.)
chargers should not be left plugged in when charged.. Insulation of buildings, decrease in heating and
sealing up of windows and doors will contribute not only to lowering the energy consumption, but also to
lowering your bills.
Save water - by remembering to close the tap (also when brushing your teeth) or by installing a special
spout which by optically increasing the water jet helps lower water consumption. Taking a shower instead of
a bath, turning the washing machine and the dishwasher on only when they are fully loaded, and putting a
cover on pots when cooking helps save not only water, but also energy.
Save paper - by printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, using sheets of paper printed on one side for
notes and working printouts, storing documents in electronic version instead of paper one, or by collecting
waste paper - 1 ton of wastepaper saves 17 trees.
Rationalise transport - use of public transport or the increasingly popular eco-driving (economic style of
driving) will contribute to reduce the emissions from transport.
Become a conscious consumer - using bags for multiple use, limiting of use of throw-away
packaging, buying products made of recycled materials, buying food and other products in the right amount
(not excessively) will not only decrease the amount of waste, but also the amount of energy needed to
produce what we consume.

7. What can be done to stop / limit the
extent of the climate change?
• Actions of individuals in the area of climate
change have major significance but they alone
will not suffice. Countries are the entities that
have at their disposal the relevant tools to make
efficient policy in the area, create regulations for
industry, set the technical standards or finance
agriculture modernization programs. At the same
time, because the problem of climate change is of
global nature, wide international co-operation is
necessary - otherwise the endeavors of some
countries may be thwarted by the careless policy
of others.

8. What can be done to stop / limit the
extent of the climate change?
• The co-operation has been started at the so-called
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, during which
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change was adopted.
• The Convention aims at reducing the emissions of
greenhouse gases, the main culprit of the humaninduced climate change of the industrial era.
• Only by controlling the emission of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases humankind may stop the
accelerating pace of climate change and limit the
damages caused by the extreme weather phenomena
occurring over and over again.

9. The United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
• The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change is an international environmental
treaty negotiated at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit,
held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.
• The objective of the treaty is to "stabilize
greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system".

10. UNFCCC
• The UNFCCC was opened for signature on 9 May 1992, after an
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee produced the text of the
Framework Convention as a report following its meeting in New
York from 30 April to 9 May 1992. It entered into force on 21 March
1994. As of May 2011, UNFCCC has 195 parties.
• The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in
Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with
climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and
established legally binding obligations for developed countries to
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
• The 2010 Cancun agreements state that future global warming
should be limited to below 2.0 °C relative to the pre-industrial level.

11. UNFCCC
• One of the first tasks set by the UNFCCC was for
signatory nations to establish national
greenhouse gas inventories of greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions and removals, which were used
to create the 1990 benchmark levels for
accession of Annex I countries to the Kyoto
Protocol and for the commitment of those
countries to GHG reductions. Updated
inventories must be regularly submitted by Annex
I countries.

12. UNFCCC
• The UNFCCC process has universal range - all UN
states take part therein. What is more, works on a
new agreement are currently ongoing which will
set binding reduction aims for everyone.
• So far, the UNFCCC process brought measurable
results in the form of national mitigation and
adaptation programs helping countries to make
more rational, pro-ecological and prodevelopment policy, or in the form of organizing
markets for emissions trading.

13. UNFCCC
• The participation of all countries is key for the efficiency of
the UNFCCC process. This aim is achieved at the stage of
negotiations, and such is the planned shape of the new
climate agreement.
• The new agreement should set the reduction aim which
will stop the drastic climate warming in future. It will be
legally binding for all parties, which will ensure its
efficiency. Even if the armed forces or court of law do not
guard the treaties (apart from the special role of the
International Court of Justice), it is in the best interest of
the countries to abide by the commitments, considering
the benefits the Treaty alone creates, and due to the care
to maintain good relations with other parties of the
international community.

14. Short History of UNFCCC
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1997 — Kyoto Protocol formally adopted in December at COP3. More about the
Kyoto Protocol.
1996 — The UNFCCC Secretariat is set up to support action under the Convention.
1995 — The first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) takes place in Berlin.
1994 — UNFCCC enters into force. An introduction to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
1992 — The INC adopts UNFCCC text. At the Earth Summit in Rio, the UNFCCC is
opened for signature along with its sister Rio Conventions, UNCBD and UNCCD.
More about the two other Rio Conventions: UNCBD and UNCCD.
1991 — First meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) takes
place.
1990 — IPCC's first assessment report released. IPCC and second World Climate
Conference call for a global treaty on climate change. United Nations General
Assembly negotiations on a framework convention begin.
1988 — The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is set up.
1979 — The first World Climate Conference (WCC) takes place.

15. Short History of UNFCCC
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2012 - The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol is adopted by the CMP at CMP8.
2011 — The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action drafted and accepted by the COP, at COP17
2010 — Cancun Agreements drafted and largely accepted by the COP, at COP16.
2009 — Copenhagen Accord drafted at COP15 in Copenhagen. This was taken note of by the COP.
Countries later submitted emissions reductions pledges or mitigation action pledges, all nonbinding.
2007 — IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report released. Climate science entered into popular
consciousness. At COP13, Parties agreed on the Bali Road Map, which charted the way towards a
post-2012 outcome in two work streams: the AWG-KP, and another under the Convention, known
as the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action Under the Convention.
2005 — Entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol
(MOP 1) takes place in Montreal. In accordance with Kyoto Protocol requirements, Parties launched
negotiations on the next phase of the KP under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further
Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP).
2001 — Release of IPCC's Third Assessment Report. Bonn Agreements adopted, based on the
Buenos Aires Plan of Action of 1998. Marrakesh Accords adopted at COP7, detailing rules for
implementation of Kyoto Protocol, setting up new funding and planning instruments for
adaptation, and establishing a technology transfer framework.

16. Kyoto Protocol
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The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty that sets binding obligations on
industrialized countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The UNFCCC is
an environmental treaty with the goal of preventing "dangerous" anthropogenic
(i.e., human-induced) interference of the climate system.
According to the UNFCC website, the Protocol "recognizes that developed
countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions
in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, and
places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of "common but
differentiated responsibilities.“
There are 192 parties to the convention, including 191 states (all the UN
members, except Andorra, Canada, South Sudan and the United States) and the
European Union.
The United States signed but did not ratify the Protocol and Canada withdrew from
it in 2011.
Wikipedia

17. Kyoto Protocol

18. Kyoto Protocol
• As part of the Kyoto Protocol, many developed
countries have agreed to legally binding
limitations/reductions in their emissions of greenhouse
gases in two commitments periods. The first
commitment period applies to emissions between
2008-2012, and the second commitment period
applies to emissions between 2013-2020. The protocol
was amended in 2012 to accommodate the second
commitment period, but this amendment has (as of
January 2013) not entered into legal force.
• Wikipedia

19. Kyoto Protocol
• Developing countries do not have binding targets
under the Kyoto Protocol, but are still committed
under the treaty to reduce their emissions. Actions
taken by developed and developing countries to reduce
emissions include support for renewable
energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing
deforestation. Under the Protocol, emissions of
developing countries are allowed to grow in
accordance with their development needs.
• Wikipedia

20. Kyoto Protocol

21. Is the UNFCCC process efficient in the
battle with the climate change?
• The UNFCCC process has universal range - all UN
states take part therein. What is more, works on a
new agreement are currently ongoing which will
set binding reduction aims for everyone.
• So far, the UNFCCC process brought measurable
results in the form of national mitigation and
adaptation programs helping countries to make
more rational, pro-ecological and prodevelopment policy, or in the form of organizing
markets for emissions trading.

22. Is the UNFCCC process efficient in the
battle with the climate change?
• The participation of all countries is key for the efficiency of
the UNFCCC process. This aim is achieved at the stage of
negotiations, and such is the planned shape of the new
climate agreement.
• The new agreement should set the reduction aim which
will stop the drastic climate warming in future. It will be
legally binding for all parties, which will ensure its
efficiency. Even if the armed forces or court of law do not
guard the treaties (apart from the special role of the
International Court of Justice), it is in the best interest of
the countries to abide by the commitments, considering
the benefits the Treaty alone creates, and due to the care
to maintain good relations with other parties of the
international community.

23. COP 19- The “Construction COP”
• Two years ago in Durban, South Africa, countries agreed to
establish an international climate action agreement by
2015 that would be applicable to all countries, with the
goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5-2 °C above
pre-industrial levels. These kind of new agreements do not
emerge overnight, but rather require progress to take place
each year along the way.
• In that sense, this year’s COP should be thought of as a
“construction COP,” where the road is being laid to reach
the 2015 international agreement at COP 21 in Paris.
• http://www.wri.org/blog/5-issues-watch-cop-19%E2%80%9Cconstruction-cop%E2%80%9D

24. Architecture and Process for a New
International Agreement
• How to design the architecture for the new agreement
and the process leading up to it will be a central
discussion in Warsaw. It is an enormously complex
challenge to get all nations of the world to agree to a
common way forward.
• A new approach to the negotiations is emerging, aimed
at creating an international process that catalyzes
change at the national level around the world. This
approach would take countries’ “national offers” on
how they will reduce their respective emissions and
blend them with an effective international process and
regime

25. Equity
• Based on the negotiating mandate adopted in Durban, the 2015
agreement will apply to all countries—it is no longer possible to
keep developed and developing countries in two entirely separate
cabins. As a result, addressing equity among the wide range of
countries in the UNFCCC has become an essential issue for the
negotiations. This includes complex questions about which
countries should be responsible for taking what types of action, as
well as how to factor in the vulnerability of those who often face
the harshest climate impacts but who have contributed least to the
problem.
• How equity will be built into the process leading to the 2015
agreement is a key question for Warsaw, especially in terms of
national offers and assessments. This includes the issue of how
benchmarks for equity will be determined and how they will be
used when countries propose offers and when those offers are
reviewed.

26. Finance
• Climate finance discussions will be central to laying the
groundwork for the 2015 agreement. Specifically, countries
must discuss how to move toward the goal of mobilizing
$100 billion in climate finance annually by 2020, and
establish what types of reporting and transparency
mechanisms they will use. How and when countries plan to
mobilize resources for the emerging Green Climate Fund
(GCF) will also be a significant issue, especially now that the
GCF has laid out a schedule for completing its essential
framework and initiating a pledging process by September
2014. There will also be discussion of the overall balance of
funding for adaptation and mitigation, which is currently
weighted heavily towards mitigation.

27. Loss and Damage
• An important question is how the international community
will address the needs of communities who will be harmed
by climate impacts that are difficult or impossible to adapt
to. In many cases, these impacts will be experienced
several decades from now (including submersion of island
nations, loss of coastal land and communities, loss of
biodiversity and crop varieties, etc.).
• This issue, referred to as loss and damage, rose on the
agenda of the negotiations at the very end of COP 18 last
year in Doha, when countries agreed to adopt institutional
arrangements on loss and damage this year at COP 19.
Discussions at Warsaw will revolve around creating
strategies to address the harm caused by long-term climate
impacts.

28. Measurement, Reporting, Verification,
and Accountability
• The process to reach ambitious and fair commitments by 2015 must
be underpinned by rules and guidance to ensure that countries
prepare their negotiating offers transparently and with some
degree of comparability. Countries can also reach an agreement in
Warsaw on how to implement the verification pillar of MRV
(measurement, reporting and verification) for developing countries,
known as International Consultation and Analysis (ICA).
• ICA involves assessments of developing countries’ biennial reports
on their mitigation actions and financial support received.
Agreement on how to carry out ICA can be reached in Warsaw, but
an outcome will depend on developing countries seeing the
verification and assessment exercise as an opportunity for more
effective cooperation.