Title:
The Role of International Organizations about Climate Change
Abstract:
This study is about the climate change in perspective of global governance. I try to explain
the structures of global governance bodies, how they prevent the nature and what precautions
do they take as a governer. In this paper I seek the answers about the critical role of
international organizations such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) and their responsibilities and suggestions for climate change through
policy coordination, financing, capacity building, advocacy and monitoring.
Introduction:
Earth exists million years till now, since the fist human beings as a hunter-gatherer through
industrial revoluation till to modern times world resources are consumed wildy some how by
the human beings and this leads to climate change with carbon gases increase. At this point,
there are some attempts by the governments and non-govermental organizations after
understand the importance of natural resources such as providing platforms for negotiations,
setting global standards and mobilizing resources. In this paper try to examine their roles and
evaluate their effectiveness while dealing with climate change.
1. The Need for Global Governance in Climate Change
Climate change is a global problem for to concern of all human beings. Average global
temperature is currently estimated to be 1.1°C above pre-industrial times. Based on existing
trends, the world could cross the 1.5°C threshold within the next two decades and 2°C
threshold early during the second half of the century. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is
still narrowly possible and will be determined by the investment decisions we make over the
next decade. And all nations has to cooperate to deal with this problem by set up some
organizations to standardizing their acts for to prevent carbon emissions moreover take under
control to decrease negative effects of production and consume.
Key challenges include:
There are some challenges while dealing with climate change like;
-Different levels of economic development.
-Responsibility of emissions.
-The need for large-scale funding and technological innovation.
International organizations thoughts that the way cope with these challenges by encourage
collaboration and ensuring accountability among nations.
2. Key International Organizations and Their Roles
2.1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UNFCCC is a multilateral treaty adopted in 1992 – shortly after the first assessment
report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990 – to stabilize
greenhouse gas concentrations "at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
(human-induced) interference with the climate system.” Major milestones include:
Kyoto Protocol (1997): Legally binding emission reduction targets for developed countries.
Paris Agreement (2015): A global commitment to limit warming to below 2°C, with
nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as a central mechanism.
Every year, countries party to convention meet in Conference of the Parties (COPs), as well
as in technical meetings throughout the year, to advance the aims and ambitions of the Paris
Agreement and achieve progress in its implementation.
2.2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
IPCC structured for ensure scientific knowledge and perceptive to the parties of the members
for to create suitable policies and decisions can be taken about climate change. It’s key
functions are scientific assesments and assessment reports, such as the Sixth Assessment
Report (AR6), emphasize the urgency of reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts
Also the organization show up the implementation for solutions and warn about the potential
future risks like causes of climate change, oberserved changes in the climate system, and as
well as put forward adaptation and prevention options. İn addtion IPCC produces special
reports on specific issues, such as the 1.5°C global warming limit (2018), climate change and
land use, oceans and the cryosphere in a changing climate.
The IPCC provides summaries of reports to policymakers, ensuring accessibility and
relevance for decision-making at local, national, and international levels.
The IPCC is consist of 3 working groups and a task force; first group is focuses on the
physical science basis of climate change, such as temperature trends, sea level rise, and
greenhouse gas concentrations.The second working group; Deals with impacts, adaptation,
and vulnerability, exploring how climate change affects ecosystems, human societies, and
economies. And the last one is concentrates on mitigation efforts, such as reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to sustainable energy sources.
The task force is responsible to develop methodology to calculate and report of members
greenhouse emissions for to control it lowest levels.
2.3 Green Climate Fund (GCF)
The GCF is served as world largest climate found which is a critical element of the historic
Paris Agreement supports developing countries by financing projects that mitigate emissions
and enhance resilience. It prioritizes vulnerable nations, including small island states and
least-developed countries.
The GCF achieve it’s goal by investing across four transitions – built environment; energy &
industry; human security, livelihoods and wellbeing; and land-use, forests and ecosystems –
and employing a four-pronged approach:
-Transformational planning and programming: by promoting integrated strategies, planning
and policymaking to maximise the co-benefits between mitigation, adaptation and sustainable
development.
-Catalysing climate innovation: by investing in new technologies, business models, and
practices to establish a proof of concept.
-De-risking investment to mobilize finance at scale: by using scarce public resources to
improve the risk-reward profile of low emission climate resilient investment and crowd-in
private finance, notably for adaptation, nature-based solutions, least developed countries
(LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS).
-Mainstreaming climate risks and opportunities into investment decision-making to align
finance with sustainable development: by promoting methodologies, standards and practices
that foster new norms and values.
GCF employs part of its funds to help mobilise financial flows from the private sector to
compelling and profitable climate-smart investment opportunities.
3. Contributions to Climate Action
3.1 Policy Development
International cooperation frameworks have been set up by entities like the UNFCCC to
enable countries to embrace and pursue common objectives and strategies.
3.2 Mobilization of Funds and Other Resources
Financial mechanisms like the GCF and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) address the
funding shortfall in climate action through support for initiatives/projects in renewable
energy, sustainable agriculture, and disaster preparedness.
3.3 Capacity Development
Knowledge and hands-on technical assistance to low-carbon transitioning nations are
provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
3.4 Advocacy and Public Awareness
These groups, especially like WWF and Greenpeace, are instrumental in raising awareness to
the public, pressuring governments, and advocating practices that embrace sustainability.4.
Challenges Faced by International Organizations
4.1 Political and Economic Barriers
Diverging national interests and economic priorities often hinder the negotiation of ambitious
climate agreements. Like China and USA the countries which are the most greenhouse gas
producer countries many times not obey the decisions of the UNFCCC taken. For example
USA is resign the Paris agreement in 2021 and then sign in again, today China, USA, İndia,
Saudi Arabi, Kuweyt, Qatar is produce greenhouse gas above the standarts. World mean 6,5
tco2 (total carbon dioxide)
4.2 Funding Constraints
Despite commitments, developed countries have fallen short of the $100 billion annual
climate finance target set for 2020. Difficulties to find funding the countries can not make
changes of their production type or social projects which are highly costed such as renewable
energy stations or urban transformation projects like transfrom buildings to decarbonized
ones.
4.3 Implementation Gaps
Weak enforcement and lack of accountability makes it difficult to observe effective
implementation of climate agreements.
5. Future Directions
5.1 Strengthening Multilateral Cooperation
Develop collaboration between international organizations, governments, and non-state actors
is essential for comprehensive climate governance. All organizaton move and take parallel
desions about the problem and it’s solution
5.2 Pressure on Scaling Up Financing
The aim of the parties are to collect $100 billion a year to support develepment countries and
their transformation process of environment friendly factories, or green energy investments.
5.3 Further Steps about Transparency and Accountability
According to the parties, the development of adequate monitoring and reporting systems
could enhance compliance to international agreements. İf not monitoring strictly and act
honestly they will not make progress.
Conclusion
Global cooperation and helping nations finally make it easy an international organization that
has all the necessary characteristics to meet these challenges. It helps to solve the problem of
how international organizations can assist in reducing or removing the factors keep from the
efforts put in for climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Apart from that, progress
has been made, but other limitations still remain, such as the financial and political barriers.
Eventually, effectivenes of these organiations depends on the acts of parties about the
keeping their promise or not. For to sustainability of evnvironmental healing, the parties must
act together to be succesfull and better future.
References
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Chan
ge
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/
https://www.greenclimate.fund/annual-report-2023
https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2024