The UNFCCC Process
Trish Harrup, Greenpeace
The Convention
• UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change
• Signed by Heads of State at Rio Earth
Summit 1992
• 192 Nations have ratified the Convention
• Including USA
Objective of the Convention
• Article 2: Ultimate objective: to achieve the
stabilization of greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level
that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the
climate system
Principles of the Convention
• Article 3: common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective
capabilities…developed country Parties
should take the lead in combating climate
change and the adverse effects thereof
UNFCCC Structure
• Conference of the Parties (COP) –
establishes yearly meetings to review
progress and make further decisions
• UNFCCC Secretariat
• Two Subsidiary Bodies
• SBSTA Scientific and Technical Advice – focus on
setting policy
• SBI Implementation –how to implement
Commitments of the Convention
• Developed countries to return their
emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000
Kyoto Protocol
• Adopted in 1997
• Industrialized countries committed to
reduce their combined emissions by at least
5% compared to 1990 levels by the period
2008-2012
• Legally binding
Negotiating Groups
• European Union (EU) – 27 countries, Sweden
currently holds the Presidency
• G77 plus China - >130 developing countries,
includes sub groupings
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AOSIS
OPEC
LDCs
AU
Negotiating Groups continued
• Umbrella group – Australia, Canada, Japan,
New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Ukraine,
Iceland
• Environmental Integrity Group –
Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea
Plenary
Statements from Parties
Agree agenda
Allocate time
Media / Public record
Lead negotiators
NGO observers
Contact groups
Most negotiating
No media
NGO observers
Closed contact group
Friends of the chair
No NGOs
Only “pink” badge
Take disputes into a small
group if negotiating stalls
Negotiators with disputes
Contact Group
New text
Open to NGOs
Plenary
Once agreed or to force
dispute onto public record
All
Closed contact group
Bali Action Plan
• Agreed a two year work plan to get to
outcome at COP 15
• Established two processes
– AWGKP – future commitments for Annex 1
– AWGLCA – long term vision, developing
countries
2009
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AWG LCA
Draft negotiating text released in May
By the end of Bonn II in June
200 pages
2,500 brackets
2009
• AWG KP
• Still no negotiating text
• Chairs text
Meeting schedule
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Bangkok – 28 September to 9 October
Barcelona – 2 to 6 November
Copenhagen COP – 7 to18 December
COPbis
Other international Fora
• MEF – Major Economies Forum – little
progress, no A1 target
• G8 – limit temperature rise to no more than 2
degrees C and cut 80% by 2050
• G20 – Climate finance
• UN Summit on CC – Heads of State