1886 - Arrhenius Hypothesis: Suggested that carbon dioxide could increase Earth's average temperature.
1930 - G.S. Callendar: Proposed that warming in the US was due to increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
1950s: Increased funding for climate research focusing on weather and the sea.
1960s: Development of the first simple mathematical models for climate.
Start of Climate Policy
1970s: Rise of environmentalism as a significant movement.
1979 - First World Climate Conference (Geneva): Identified climate change as an urgent global issue. The World Climate Programme (WCP) was established. It was convened by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and focused on global warming's potential effects on human activity. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU) were also established.
1988 - Toronto Conference: Recommended developing a comprehensive global framework convention to protect the atmosphere.
Role of the United Nations
1987 The Brundtland Report introduces the concept of sustainable development.
1988 - IPCC Established: The UN General Assembly Resolution 43/53 established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The WMO and UNEP created the IPCC. Its tasks included:
Preparing comprehensive reviews and recommendations on the state of knowledge of climate change science.
Reviewing the social and economic impacts of climate change and potential response strategies.
1990 - IPCC First Assessment Report: The IPCC released its first assessment report, calling for a global treaty on climate change.
1990 - UN Resolution 45/212: Established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC).
1991: First meeting of the INC takes place.
1992 - UNFCCC Adopted: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit.
The UNFCCC serves as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting global temperature increases and addressing inevitable impacts.
The UNFCCC is one of the Rio Conventions, adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The other two Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). These three conventions are intrinsically linked.
1994: The UNFCCC Convention entered into force.
UNFCCC Principles and Commitments
Ultimate Objective: To stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
Guiding Principles:
Equity
Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)
Specific needs and special circumstances of developing country Parties
Precautionary Principle: The lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as an excuse to postpone action when there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage.
Sustainable Development: Policies and measures to protect the climate system should be appropriate for the specific conditions of each Party and should be integrated with national development programmes.
Principle of Cooperation
Key Commitments (based on CBDR-RC):
All Parties:
Publish national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions.
Developed Country Parties:
Adopt national mitigation policies.
Provide new and additional financial resources for developing countries.
Assist developing countries particularly vulnerable to climate change in meeting adaptation costs.
Promote, facilitate, and finance the transfer of technology.
Consider the specific needs and situations of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
Convention Commitments (Art. 4, 5, and 6): All Parties (according to CBDR)
Develop national inventories of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of all greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol, using comparable methodologies
Formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national and, where appropriate, regional programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change
Promote and cooperate in the development, application and diffusion, including transfer, of technologies, practices and processes that control, reduce or prevent emissions
Promote sustainable management, and promote and cooperate in the conservation and enhancement, as appropriate, of sinks and reservoirs of all greenhouse gases
Cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change
Promote and cooperate in scientific, technological, technical, socio-economic and other research, systematic observation and development of data archives
Promote and cooperate in education, training and public awareness
Communicate to the Conference of the Parties information related to implementation
Convention Commitments (Annex I):
Adopt national policies and take corresponding measures on the mitigation of climate change, by limiting its anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and protecting and enhancing its greenhouse gas sinks and reservoirs
Communicate detailed information on its policies and measures on mitigation, on inventories, projections, vulnerability assessment, adaptation, financial sources, etc
Convention Commitments (Annex II):
Provide new and additional financial resources to meet the agreed full costs incurred by developing country Parties in complying with their obligations
Assist the developing country Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in meeting costs of adaptation to those adverse effects
Promote, facilitate and finance, as appropriate, the transfer of, or access to, environmentally sound technologies and know-how to other Parties, particularly developing country Parties, to enable them to implement the provisions of the Convention.
COP Meetings and the Kyoto Protocol
1995 – COP 1 (Berlin, Germany): The first UNFCCC Conference of the Parties. Voiced concerns about the adequacy of countries' abilities to meet commitments. Agreed on