United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

 

Introduction

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental convention that aims to lower atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases in order to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the earth's climate system. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), commonly known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit, or the Rio Conference, was ratified in 1992. Each participating nation is expected to make a commitment to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions under this framework. A Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual gathering of the 197 parties to the convention to review the status of efforts to combat climate change.

 

UNFCCC - Objective

  • The ultimate objective of the Convention is to "achieve, stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would preclude harmful anthropogenic influence with the climate system".
  • The prerequisite for this objective is that it shall be accomplished in a time frame sufficient:
    • to allow ecosystems to adjust naturally
    • to climate change
    • to ensure that food supply is not jeopardized, and
    • to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

 

UNFCCC - Structure

The Conference of the Parties (COP)

  • Article 7.2 defines the COP as the “supreme body” of the Convention, as it is its highest decision-making authority. The climate change process revolves around the annual sessions of the COP.

COP President and Bureau

  • The office of the COP President normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups. The President is usually the environment minister of his or her home country. S/he is elected by acclamation immediately after the opening of a COP session. Their role is to facilitate the work of the COP and promote agreements among Parties.
  • The work of the COP and each subsidiary body is guided by an elected Bureau. To ensure continuity, it serves not only during sessions, but between sessions as well.

Subsidiary Bodies (SBs)

  • The Convention establishes two permanent subsidiary bodies (SBs), namely the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), by Article 9, and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), by Article 10. These bodies advise the COP.
  • The SBSTA’s task is to provide the COP “with timely advice on scientific and technological matters relating to the Convention”.
  • The SBI’s task is to assist the COP “in the assessment and review of the effective implementation of the Convention”

The Secretariat

  • The secretariat, also known as the Climate Change Secretariat, services the COP, the SBs, the Bureau and other bodies established by the COP.

 

Other Bodies:

  • The COP has established other bodies to carry out particular tasks. When they finish their duties, these bodies give a report to the COP.
  • Two ad hoc groups were created by COP 1 to carry out negotiations on particular topics.
  • The "Dialogue" was started at COP 11 to discuss long-term cooperative action to combat climate change and to share experiences.

 

Classifications of Parties Associated with UNFCCC

The classifications of countries that are signatories to UNFCCC are given in the table below:

  • Annex I:           43 parties (countries) come under this category. The countries that come under this category are developed countries.
  • Annex II:          24 countries of Annex I also come under Annex II countries. The countries in this category are expected to provide technical and financial assistance to countries coming under the category of developing countries.
  • Annex B:         The countries in this category are Annex I countries, who have first or second-round Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions targets.
  • Least-developed countries (LDCs):   47 Parties (countries) come under the category of LDCs. These countries are given special status under the treaty taking into consideration their limitations adapting to the effects of climate change.
  • Non Annex I:   Parties (countries) that are not listed in Annex I that come under the category of low-income developing countries.

 

Limitations of UNFCCC

  • Non-inclusive: Most scientists agree the most dangerous environmental air pollutants today are microscopic particulates that come from car engines and combustion-based power plants, but these pollutants are largely ignored by the Kyoto Protocol.
  • Slow progress:It took a long time for COP to bring Russia to agree to participating in the Kyoto Protocol. (until 2005)
  • UNFCCC failed to persuade the USA to ratify the Kyoto protocol thereby keeping one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses away from commitments.
  • Unsustainable targets:The world reached at almost 1 degree Celsius warming post industrialization and the Paris contributions are not enough to maintain 2 degree Celsius levels.
  • Unsatisfactory Response:Many countries argued for a tougher target of 1.5C – including leaders of low-lying countries that face unsustainable sea levels rises in a warming world.
  • Financial Constraints:The agreement requires rich nations to maintain a $100bn a year funding pledge beyond 2020, which is not enough as highlighted by several pacific island countries.
  • Non-binding agreement:The US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, citing that the deal punished” the US and would cost millions of American jobs”, has created new barriers and more pressure on the rest of the nations in achieving the targets of the Paris agreement.
  • No enforcement mechanism: Under the Paris agreement, each country determines, plans, and reports its own efforts to mitigate global warming. The only penalty for non-compliance is a so-called “name and shame” — or “name and encourage” — system whereby countries that fall out of compliance are called out and encouraged to improve.

 

 

UNFCCC - Achievements

  • Initiatives from the UNFCCC helped raise public awareness of climate change, which is much higher now than it was in the late 1990s.
  • It is difficult to dispute that over the previous two decades, during which the UNFCCC played a crucial role, the scientific understanding of the climate catastrophe has significantly advanced.
  • In accordance with the National Adaptations Programme of Action (NAPAs) and the Nairobi work program, UNFCCC has facilitated the planning and execution of specific adaptation initiatives.
  • The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which rewards projects in developing countries that reduce emissions with credits that can be sold to nations or businesses that have a commitment to reduce emissions, is one of the creative solutions to climate change mitigation that the UNFCCC helped to create.
  • National governments have promoted and enhanced collaboration on technology creation and transfer since the UNFCCC was established.
  • Through efforts like the UNFCCC, which offers a venue for funding, technological transfers, talks, international collaborations, etc., developing nations are helped in their fight against climate change.

 

UNFCCC Challenges

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) faces several challenges in its efforts to address climate change. Some key challenges include:

 

Ambition Gap: Despite global commitments, there is a significant gap between the current level of climate action and what is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Many countries' emissions reduction targets are not sufficient to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, let alone 1.5 degrees Celsius. Increasing the ambition of climate action remains a major challenge

 

Financing Climate Action: Adequate and predictable climate finance is essential to support developing countries in their climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. However, there is a gap between the financial commitments made by developed countries and the actual funding provided. Mobilizing and effectively channeling climate finance to those in need is an ongoing challenge.

 

Equity and Differentiation: Addressing climate change requires balancing the needs and priorities of countries at different stages of development. The principle of "comman but differentiated responsibilities" under the UNFCCC recognizes that developed countries should take the lead in emission reductions and support developing countries. However, defining equitable contributions and ensuring fair burden-sharing remains a complex challenge.

 

Implementation and Compliance: The UNFCCC relies on voluntary commitments and lacks strong enforcement mechanisms. Ensuring effective implementation of national climate action plans and tracking progress requires robust monitoring, reporting, and verification systems. Encouraging compliance and holding countries accountable for their commitments is an ongoing challenge.

 

Adaptation and Vulnerability: Adaptation to climate change is crucial, particularly for vulnerable countries and communities. However, building adaptive capacity, accessing funding, and implementing effective adaptation measures pose significant challenges. Vulnerable regions and communities often face resource constraints and lack the technical expertise to adapt adequately.

 

Political Will and International Cooperation: Overcoming political barriers and fostering enhanced international cooperation remains a challenge. The interests of various countries, economic sectors, and stakeholders can sometimes hander progress. Navigating geopolitical complexities and fostering collaboration across nations with diverse priorities and circumstances is a continuous challenge for the UNFCCC.

 

UNFCCC and India

  • In 1993, India ratified the UNFCCC. The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is India's nodal UNFCCC agency.
  • India, a developing nation, is exempt from GHG reduction commitments due to its relatively low emissions as well as its limited financial and technological resources.
  • At the Convention, India has been a vocal supporter of the concepts of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities, and respect for capability.
  • This is mostly based on the idea that rich countries, which industrialized decades before other nations, are largely to blame for the high emission levels.
  • According to the scientific analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from 1850 to 2012, the US, China, and the EU would each be responsible for 50% of the global temperature increase by 2100.
  • The US, the European Union, and China each contributed 20%, 17%, and 12% of global emissions during the specified time period. India, on the other hand, only accounts for 5% of it.
  • Another issue is that developing nations and LDCs would have to give environmental concerns less importance in favor of alleviating poverty and other developmental efforts.
  • Therefore, they should have some latitude in evaluating their capacity to combat climate change.
  • India has taken an active part in mitigating climate change because the nation is vulnerable to dangers like unpredictable monsoons and natural disasters like floods, droughts, landslides, etc.
  • The National Environment Policy of 2006 encourages sustainable growth while also upholding natural boundaries and social justice requirements.
  • The National Action Plan on Climate Change was introduced by the Indian government in 2008.
  • India had committed to a number of goals at COP 21 (Paris Agreement) that were to be accomplished by 2030.
  • One goal was to increase the amount of forest and tree cover by 2030 in order to produce an additional 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent to carbon sinks.
  • The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure was founded in large part thanks to India.
  • India reaffirmed at the UN climate negotiations held in Poland that the CBDR principle must be upheld despite rising worries that rich nations were attempting to weaken it.

 

 

Elaborate the role of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in uniting the efforts of the fight against climate change