As at: August 2011

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Background

The Framework Convention on Climate Change, 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. Within the framework of this Convention the Parties, now 194 in number, aim to reduce anthropogenic influences on the climate, slow down global warming and mitigate the consequences of climate change.

The Framework Convention on Climate Change cites 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 itself the target of limiting global warming to no more than 2°C compared with pre-industrial times, because otherwise serious environmental damage has to be expected.

In order to meet the objective of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, all Parties to the Convention have committed themselves to report regularly on their GHG emissions and to initiate climate protection measures. In this context, the Convention distinguishes between "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the industrialised countries on the one hand and the developing countries on the other hand.

For the industrialised countries listed in Annex I, the 40 so-called "Annex I countries", more far-reaching - although not binding - obligations were agreed upon. They refer to reporting, implementation of climate protection 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

The signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 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 relevant 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, based in Bonn, that 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.

The development of an international climate protection regime

The first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) in Berlin in 1995 already recognised that the voluntary commitment of the industrialised countries laid down in the Convention does not suffice 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, which for the first time laid down internationally binding emission reduction targets for the industrialised countries, including a specific timeframe to reach these targets. Further details of the Kyoto Protocol were adopted at subsequent conferences with the Bonn Resolution at the Bonn conference (COP 6) and the Marrakesh Accords at the Marrakesh conference (COP 7). The Kyoto Protocol did not enter into force until 2005 following ratification by Russia. One year before the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends, the international community has still not succeeded in adopting a binding agreement for the post-2012 period.

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 adoption of adaptation measures in countries already affected by climate change.