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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Background

The Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), is an international, multilateral climate protection agreement which entered into force in 1994. Under this Convention the Parties, now numbering 195, aim to reduce anthropogenic influences on the climate, slow down global warming and mitigate the consequences of climate change.

In the Framework Convention on Climate the Parties agreed on the following objective:

Article (2) [Objective]:

"The ultimate objective of this Convention (...) is (...) to achieve (...) stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

Precisely what constitutes "dangerous" interference with the climate system is left open to interpretation by the Convention. Germany and the European Union set themselves the target of limiting global warming to no more than 2°C compared with pre-industrial times, because otherwise serious environmental damage is to be expected. After years of campaigning by the EU, at COP 16 in Cancún the international community also adopted the 2 degree target.

In order to meet the objective of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, all Parties to the Convention committed themselves to report regularly on their GHG emissions and to implement climate protection measures. In this context, the Convention distinguishes between the "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the countries. When the Convention was drawn up, this was understood as relating specifically to the different levels of responsibility for climate change borne by industrialised and developing countries, and their options for combating it. Recently, there has been growing awareness that global realities extend beyond the distinction between industrialised and developing countries - for instance due to the rising greenhouse gas emissions of newly industrialising countries like China and India. In future, any interpretation of "common but differentiated responsibilities" must also take the increased economic capacity of newly industrialising countries and their rising share in global emissions.

For the industrialised countries listed in Annex I, the 40 so-called "Annex I countries", the Parties agreed on more far-reaching - although not binding - commitments. They refer to reporting, implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and, for the richer industrialised countries only, financial and other support of measures in the developing countries. The Annex I countries comprise mainly the OECD countries at that time, also including the member states of the European Union, as the major emitters of climate damaging greenhouse gases. Developing countries (Non-Annex 1 countries) were initially exempt from the requirement to reduce emissions. In keeping with the polluter-pays principle, the industrialised countries must thus take the lead in GHG reduction.

Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change

By signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change the Parties launched a continuous negotiation process on climate protection at international level. Within the framework of this ongoing process, diverse aspects of international climate policy are discussed and decisions taken. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest decision-making body of the Convention.

The Convention specifies that the participating countries shall convene once a year at a Conference of the Parties (COP) to discuss further measures for international climate protection. In addition, the first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) in Berlin in 1995 established a permanent secretariat. This is based in Bonn and monitors the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Two subsidiary bodies of the Convention

In addition to the annual Conferences of the Parties, there are also two subsidiary bodies, one of which focuses on scientific and technical issues (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice / SBSTA) while the other addresses implementation issues (Subsidiary Body for Implementation / SBI). The COP meets regularly once a year and the subsidiary bodies twice: in Bonn in the summer and during the annual COP at the end of the year.

The development of the international climate protection regime

At the first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) in Berlin in 1995, the international community already recognised that the voluntary commitment of the industrialised countries laid down in the Convention is not sufficient to guarantee effective climate protection. Therefore a Protocol was to be adopted, stating the specific GHG emission reduction of these countries. At the second Climate Change Conference (COP 2) in Geneva in 1996, the countries agreed that this Protocol should set legally binding targets for reducing or limiting GHG emissions.

At the third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, this negotiation process eventually culminated in the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. It laid down for the first time internationally binding emission reduction targets for industrialised countries, including a specific timeframe to reach these targets. The Parties adopted further details of the Kyoto Protocol at subsequent conferences with the Bonn Resolution at the Bonn conference (COP 6 bis) and the Marrakesh Accords at the Marrakesh conference (COP 7). The Kyoto Protocol did not enter into force until 2005 following ratification by Russia. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012. At COP 17 in Durban the international community agreed on a new commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol as from 1 January 2013. Furthermore a new, comprehensive legally binding climate agreement is to be negotiated by 2015 and become applicable for all Parties from 2020.

Today, in addition to the further development and formulation of the international climate protection regime, the agendas of the Conferences of the Parties embrace a multitude of additional topics. These include in particular the financing of climate protection measures in developing countries and the implementation of adaptation measures in countries already affected by climate change.