The UNFCCC is an international treaty negotiated in 1992 aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations to prevent dangerous climate change. It provides a framework but no binding emissions limits. The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, implemented the UNFCCC by requiring reductions in emissions by developed countries. Subsequent agreements including the Copenhagen Accord and Cancun Agreements aimed to further strengthen climate actions and support for developing countries.

1. UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Shashank Shekhar

2. Introduction
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 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".
• The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and
contains no enforcement mechanisms. In that sense, the treaty is considered legally non-binding.
Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called
"protocols") that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases.
• 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 March 2014,
UNFCCC has 196 parties.

3. UNFCCC Principles
Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities
Developing countries are both, more vulnerable to the predicted adverse effects of climate
change and significantly less able to respond to them Given this, the Convention responds in
three ways:
• The convention puts the majority of the responsibility for battling climate change, as well as the
majority of the bill, on the wealthy, industrialized countries.
• The Convention recognizes that poorer nations have a right to economic development.
• The convention also allows for the “full consideration” of the specific needs & circumstances of
developing countries in any actions taken by the COP [Conference of the Parties ].

4. UNFCCC Principles cont…
Precautionary Principle
• The Convention’s precautionary principle implies that “activities that threaten serious or
irreversible damage can be restricted or even prohibited before there is absolute certainty about
their effects”.
• Indeed, under Article 3, the Convention calls for “precautionary measures” to combat climate
change even if there is a lack of “full scientific certainty” regarding a cause & effect relationship.
Principle of Cost-Effectiveness
• In response to the concern, among industrialized countries, that the economic costs of mitigating
climate change should be minimized, the Convention calls for all policies & measures that deal
with climate change to be cost-effective.

5. A Brief History
• In 1979 the first World Climate Change Conference recognized climate change as a serious
problem & called on all governments to address it.
• Between 1980-1990 a number of intergovernmental conferences focusing on climate change
were held.
• In Dec. 1990, the UN General Assembly approved the start of treaty negotiations on the UNFCCC
& a deadline was set for the June 1992 Rio “Earth Summit”.
• The UNFCCC was signed by 154 states at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.
• In February 1995, the Conference of the Parties (COP) became the Convention’s ultimate
authority/governing body.

6. Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on
16 February 2005. There are currently 192 Parties (Canada withdrew effective December 2012) to
the Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global
warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to 'a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system‘
Highlights
• The Kyoto Protocol is a agreement under which industrialized countries will reduce their collective
emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990
• Compared to the emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this
target represents a 29% cut.
• The goal is to lower overall emissions from six greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year
period of 2008-12.

7. Kyoto Protocol cont….
• National targets range from 8% reductions for the European Union and some others to 7% for the
US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland.“
• Sinks can be used to offset emission and emission credits can be traded.
Targets :
• Total: reduce developed nation emissions to 5% below 1990 levels during“commitment
period” 2008-2012 (most countries need -18% reduction in BAU by 2008)
• 37 industrialized nations and the EU subject to binding emissions targets Greenhouse gases: CO2,
CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6
Penalty :
• Non-compliant countries will have to reduce emissions by 1.3 units for every unit of
emissions“overshoot” in subsequent commitment period.

8. Kyoto Protocol cont….
India and Kyoto Protocol
• India will not sign any legally binding global agreement for emission reduction as the country
needs to eradicate poverty through economic growth.
• India argues that since the CO2 in the atmosphere is from developed countries it is their
responsibility to cut down the emissions. However India will make all efforts to cut down on green
house gas emissions but that would be voluntary.
• India being a developing country is still not stable enough to take up global warming as the
emission cuts will slow down its development and cripple it economically.

9. The Bali Action Plan
This Bali Action Plan has 5 core elements, which are the basis for the working sessions on the
future, called the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA):
• A shared vision for long-term cooperative action;
• Enhanced national/international action on mitigation of climate change;
• Enhanced action on adaptation;
• Enhanced action on technology development and transfer to support action on mitigation and
adaptation;
• Enhanced action on the provision of financial resources and investment to support action on
mitigation and adaptation and technology cooperation.

10. Copenhagen Accord
• Endorses the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol.
• To prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system, recognizes "the
scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius", in a
context of sustainable development, to combat climate change.
• Recognizes "the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation and
the need to enhance removals of greenhouse gas emission by forests", and the need to establish
a mechanism to enable the mobilization of financial resources from developed countries to help
achieve this.
• States that "enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation is urgently required to
reduce vulnerability and build resilience in developing countries, especially least developed
countries, small island developing states and Africa" and agrees that "developed countries shall
provide adequate, predictable and sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-
building to support the implementation of adaptation action in developing countries."

11. Cancún, Durban and Doha summit
• As part of the Cancún agreements, developed and developing countries have submitted
mitigation plans to the UNFCCC. These plans are compiled with those made as part of the Bali
Action Plan.
• In 2011, parties adopted the "Durban Platform for Enhanced Action". As part of the Durban
Platform, parties have agreed to "develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed
outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties". This new treaty is due to
be adopted at the 21st COP, and implemented in 2020. The 21st COP [Conferences of the
Parties] is scheduled to held in 2015.
• At Durban and Doha, parties noted "with grave concern" that current efforts to hold global
warming to below 2 or 1.5 °C relative to the pre-industrial level appear inadequate.

12. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mfif5TMTMk