The Beginner’s Guide to Poznań
On December 1, leaders from around the world will gather in Poznań, Poland, for the 2008 United Nations Framework on Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) – a significant step towards the globalization of environmental initiatives and goals. It is also the half-way mark during a two-year negotiating process to reach a post-2012 climate change deal in Copenhagen in 2009.
If all of these names, places and concepts sound a bit, well, foreign, then keep reading for our breakdown of why we’re here and who’s involved:
The Back Story – The UNFCCC
In March of 1994, countries joined the UNFCCC, an international treaty to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. An almost near-universal ratification of the Convention (192 countries total) agrees that the climate system “is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.”
Under the Convention, governments:
- Gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices
- Launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries
- Cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change
Recently – The Kyoto Protocol
In December of 1997, a number of nations approved an addition to the UNFCCC treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which came into effect in February 2005. The Protocol sets powerful, legally binding targets for 37 industrialized countries, and the European community, for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities.” Of the nations who ratified the UNFCCC, 182 have ratified the Protocol.
The Parties to the Kyoto Protocol are mandated to meet their targets to reduce GHG emissions primarily through national measures. On the other hand, the Protocol offers them additional means of meeting their objectives through three market-based mechanisms, which help stimulate green investment and help Parties meet their targets in a cost-effective manner:
- Emissions trading – known as “the carbon market”
- The clean development mechanism (CDM)
- Joint implementation (JI)
The Players
The Convention plays host to a number of key players and governmental bodies, whose names will be important to know as the conference moves forward. Here’s the cast:
- The “Supreme Body” - The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest decision-making authority of the Convention. It is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the Convention. Responsible for keeping efforts to address climate change on track, the COP reviews emission inventories submitted by Parties and meets annually.
- The President – The newly elected president of the COP will be Professor Maciej Nowicki, the Polish Environmental Minister. The presidency rotates among the five recognized UN regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, and Western Europe and Others).
- The Supporting Roles – Two permanent subsidiary bodies exist: the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). One of the main activities of the SBSTA is to promote the development and transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies. The SBI gives advice to the COP on all matters concerning the implementation of the Convention and assess the Convention’s overall effectiveness.
- The Others – Under the Convention, other Constituted Bodies have been established to host a Consultative Group of Experts, an Expert Group on Technology Transfer and a Least Developed Countries Expert Group.
