2023-11-29 12:21:32
Climate change has become an important challenge that requires urgent and effective action. The harmful effects of these changes are not limited to a specific scope, but extend to touch all aspects of life.
Global warming is accelerating, the environment is suffering from unsustainable circulation of resources… Snow is seeping from mountaintops, and sea levels are rising, threatening coastal communities. Floods and drought are worsening, affecting food and economic security… and other phenomena related to the climate crisis, which is a reality that requires a serious and urgent response.
Hence the importance of climate action, which includes the efforts of countries, companies, and individual communities, as climate action represents an integration of actions and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting adaptation to ongoing climate shifts.
Since 1992, when the United Nations recognized climate change as a serious issue, negotiations between countries have produced notable agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and even a loss and damage fund at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit in Egypt last year.
While the world awaits a new pivotal summit hosted by the United Arab Emirates (COP28), which is relied upon to achieve further progress on the outstanding issues, including the most controversial financing file. During this session, countries also evaluate the progress made towards achieving the goals set in the Paris Agreement and chart a course of action.
Background Information
A long history of climate conferences has been witnessed since 1992, and following the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These annual conferences aim to measure progress and negotiate global multilateral responses to climate change.
The Framework Convention, in which 198 countries around the world are involved, is a multilateral international treaty that came into being in 1992, two years following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its first report in 1990, in order to urge action to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations “at A level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”
Preserving planet Earth…is the responsibility of all of us
The agreement has entered into force since 1994, and is considered the basic reference on climate change, including the subsequent historical agreements that enumerate the main foundations of climate action efforts, the most important of which are the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and the Paris Agreement in 2015.
The agreement does not legally obligate its signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and does not provide any targets or timetables for doing so. But to resolve this requires repeated meetings between ratifying countries, known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP.
It is noteworthy that the host country for the conference will be determined alternately among the five regions of the United Nations. Members of the regional group determine which country submits a bid to host the conference.
These successive conferences throughout their history, since the Conference of the Parties in Berlin 1995 in particular, laid the foundations for climate action, and in their entirety constituted a global movement to combat climate change and accelerate related transformations, especially in the areas of adaptation and mitigation.
The following is a monitoring of the most important climate conferences and the events accompanying them since the Earth Summit in 1992, through the Berlin Summit in 1995, up to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, all the way to the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, which the American Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) classified as the most prominent stations in this context related to climate action, as follows: the next:
1992.. Earth Summit
Place: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Date: June 3 to June 14, 1992 Progress achieved: Three agreements were adopted in order to change the traditional approach to development
An unprecedented summit in terms of the interest and participation it received regarding its main topic. It resulted in some of the first international agreements on climate change, which became the foundation upon which subsequent agreements were built. Among the agreements was the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system. The summit also recognized that human activities contribute to climate change, and recognized climate change as an issue of global concern.
1995.. cup (1)
Signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change met at the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in Berlin. While the United States at that time rejected legally binding goals and timetables, it joined other parties in agreeing to negotiations to strengthen commitments related to reducing greenhouse gases.
The final document, known as the Berlin Mandate, laid the foundation for what later became the Kyoto Protocol, but was criticized by environmental activists as a political solution that did not require immediate action.
1997.. The historic Kyoto Treaty
At the third climate conference, or COP3 in Japan, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, a binding treaty requiring developed countries to cut their emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels while establishing a system to monitor countries’ progress.
But the protocol does not oblige developing countries, including China and India, to take action. It also created a carbon market for countries to trade emission units and encourage sustainable development. The agreement entered into force on February 16, 2005, but faced many obstacles before that.
2001.. a new breakthrough
After the collapse of the talks in November 2000 and the United States’ withdrawal from the previous agreement in March 2001, the Kyoto Protocol became in danger, especially following Washington considered that the protocol was not in the country’s economic interest.
In July 2001, negotiators in Bonn, Germany, reached breakthroughs in green technology, new agreements on emissions trading, and compromises on how to calculate carbon sinks. In October of the same year, countries agreed on the rules for achieving the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol, which practically paved the way for its entry into force.
2005.. The Kyoto Protocol sees the light
In the history of climate action, there are turning points in the history of climate action. The year 2005 is among those stations, especially with the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol in February of the same year, following its ratification by a sufficient number of countries responsible for at least 55 percent of global emissions ( This did not include the United States, the world’s leading carbon emitter.)
Under the Protocol, between 2008 and 2012 when the Protocol expires, countries were supposed to reduce emissions by the amounts they pledged as follows (the European Union commits to reducing emissions by 8 percent below 1990 levels, Japan commits to 5 percent, Russia is committed to keeping levels constant with 1990 levels.)
2007.. Bali Action Plan and Alternative to the Protocol
After the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a new report with firm language, asserting at the time that global warming was “most likely” caused by human activity, the COP13 in Bali, Indonesia, saw discussions on a stronger alternative to the Protocol. Kyoto, but it reached a dead end.
The United States then objected to a widely supported proposal calling on all industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by specific targets.
US officials believed that developing countries should also make commitments, but Washington eventually relented and the parties adopted the Bali Action Plan, which sets the goal of drafting a new climate agreement by 2009.
2009.. a year full of developments and an “American awakening”
In September 2009, three months before the target date for a new agreement, several world leaders pledged to take action at the United Nations climate change summit.
Chinese President Hu Jintao then announced a plan to reduce emissions by a “significant margin” by 2020, marking the first time that Beijing has committed to reducing the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also pledged at the time to reduce emissions by 25 percent.
In his first speech at the United Nations, former US President Barack Obama said that the United States is determined to act and lead, but he did not present new proposals. The Secretary-General of the United Nations at the time, Ban Ki-moon, also expressed his hope that the leaders would reach a “substantial agreement” during the next conference in Copenhagen.
At the Copenhagen summit in Denmark in December, the drafting of an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol was supposed to be finalized at the COP15, but it only came down to a non-binding document that was “taken into consideration” and was not adopted.
The conference passed the Copenhagen Agreement which stated that global temperatures should not increase by 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels, although representatives from developing countries pushed for a target of 1.5°C (2.7°F).
After leading the negotiations, the US President told the conference that the agreement was not enough. Some countries later pledged to follow the non-binding agreement and make their own pledges.
2010.. Green Climate Fund
In Mexico, there was increasing pressure to reach consensus during the COP16 in Cancun, following the failure in Copenhagen and NASA’s declaration that 2000-2009 was the warmest decade on record.
During the conference, countries committed for the first time to keeping global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius, in the Cancun Accords.
Nearly 80 countries, including China, India and the United States, as well as the European Union, introduced emissions reduction targets and measures, and agreed on stronger mechanisms to monitor progress.
The Green Climate Fund, a $100 billion fund to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change, was also established. As of 2019, only regarding $3 billion has been contributed.
2011.. A new agreement from the African continent
In 2011, on the African continent most affected by the repercussions of climate change, the Durban Conference was held in South Africa, which almost collapsed following the three largest polluting countries in the world (China, India, and the United States) refused to agree on a proposal from the European Union.
But they eventually agreed to work on drafting a new legally binding agreement in 2015 at the latest, provided that the new agreement would differ from the Kyoto Protocol in that it would apply to developed and developing countries alike. Also, with the Kyoto Protocol expiring in a few months, the parties agreed to extend it until 2017.
2012.. The Doha Summit and a new extension of “Kyoto”
In Doha in 2012, COP18 negotiators extended the Kyoto Protocol until 2020 (by this time, Canada had withdrawn from the treaty, Japan and Russia say they would not accept new commitments, and the United States had never signed).
Environmental groups have criticized countries for not reaching an effective agreement as Typhoon Bopha hits the Philippines, which they say is an example of the rise in extreme weather caused by climate change. Among the conference’s successes was the Doha Amendment, under which developed countries agreed to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. The agreement also puts delegates on the path towards a new treaty.
2013.. “Losses and damages” to the fore
In 2013, the concept of “loss and damage” came to the fore during the first week of COP19 in Poland, when a group of developing countries, known as the Group of 77 (G77), and China proposed a new financing mechanism to help vulnerable countries Dealing with “loss and damage” caused by climate change.
Developed countries naturally opposed this mechanism, which is why the G-77’s chief negotiators withdrew from the conference.
The talks were eventually resumed, and governments agreed to a mechanism that did not meet what developing countries wanted. They also agreed on how to implement an initiative to end deforestation known as REDD+. This conference is considered the “least important” outcome of climate conferences.
Guterres: We are trapped in a deadly cycle due to global warming
2015.. a new historical station
After the stumbles that befell the climate negotiations and the controversial issues that dominated the scene widely, 196 countries agreed to what is the most important global climate agreement in history, known as the “Paris Agreement.”
In contrast to previous agreements, they require almost all countries – both developed and developing – to set emissions reduction targets. However, countries can choose their own targets and there are no enforcement mechanisms to ensure they are achieved.
Under the agreement, countries are supposed to submit targets known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The mission of the Paris Agreement, which enters into force in November 2016, is to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius and to continue efforts to keep it below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It is noteworthy that in 2017, during the era of US President Donald Trump, the United States of America withdrew from the agreement, and Trump said at the time that it imposed “extremely harsh financial and economic burdens” on the country.
2018.. Establishing the rules of the Paris Agreement
Ahead of COP24 in Katowice, Poland, an IPCC report warned of devastating consequences – including powerful storms and dangerous heatwaves – as the average global temperature rises 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the level Which the report said the world is expected to reach by 2030. Despite the warnings contained in this report, countries have not agreed to stronger goals. However, they have largely settled on the implementing rules of the Paris Agreement, which cover questions including how countries report emissions. But they did not agree on carbon trading rules, and postponed that discussion to 2019.
2019.. Climate pledges
UN Secretary-General António Guterres organized the UN Climate Action Summit of world leaders in New York. Countries were mandated under the Paris Agreement to submit their revised national-level contributions by the following year, so the meeting represents an opportunity for leaders to share their ideas. But leaders of the world’s biggest carbon emitters, including the United States and China, did not attend the conference.
Enormous resources required to address climate change in South Africa
At the summit, Guterres asked countries to submit plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
In December of the same year, COP25 made no progress on key climate issues despite year-long warnings from scientists, record heatwaves, and worldwide protests demanding action.
Negotiators were unable to finalize rules for a global carbon market, and disagreed over whether developing countries devastated by the effects of climate change including rising sea levels, climate change and extreme weather should be compensated.
The conference’s final declaration does not explicitly call on countries to increase their climate pledges made under the Paris Agreement, and Secretary-General Guterres calls the talks a “missed opportunity.”
2020..Corona looms over the scene
The United Nations postponed COP26, initially scheduled to be held in November 2020, until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Countries were expected to boost their emissions reduction targets set out in the Paris Agreement at the Glasgow conference.
Amid the pandemic, emissions have fallen around the world, with many countries implementing nationwide lockdowns, significantly slowing economic activity.
2021.. developments and commitments
Ahead of the Glasgow conference, more than 100 countries, together representing nearly 60 percent of signatories to the Paris Agreement, announced the deadline for submitting updated NDCs ahead of COP26.
Some major emitters have proposed more ambitious targets. US President Joe Biden announced that the United States will aim to reduce its emissions to nearly half their 2005 level by 2030, doubling President Obama’s commitment.
In Glasgow, commitments made during the conference kept the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C “alive”.
The final agreement, the Glasgow Climate Pact, calls on countries to reduce coal use and fossil fuel subsidies – both firsts for a UN climate pact – and urges governments to deliver more ambitious emissions reduction targets by the end of 2022.
Climate losses and damages… developing countries await financing
In addition, delegates finally established rules for the global carbon market. Small groups of countries have also made notable side deals on deforestation, methane emissions, coal, and more.
2022.. Progress towards the Loss and Damage Fund from Egypt
In Egypt, specifically in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh, significant progress was made at the 27th Conference of the Parties, with agreement for the first time to establish a fund to compensate poor and vulnerable countries for losses and damages resulting from climate change (known as the Loss and Damage Fund), although the details have not been determined. During the conference (who is funded? How is it funded? And the channels for providing funding? And other details).
However, also for the first time, in an extraordinary summit hosted by Egypt, the conference’s final statement called on global financial institutions to renew their practices to address the climate crisis.
2023.. UAE Hope
The world is awaiting the holding of the 28th Conference of the Parties in the United Arab Emirates, which is expected to bring regarding broad progress in the context of the outstanding issues in climate action, and basic issues, most notably those related to the climate financing crisis, and the pursuit of further reduction of emissions and keeping the temperature of the atmosphere below 1.5 degrees, and the file of providing modern technology to developing countries to facilitate adaptation to the effects of climate change.
Every one of us has a carbon footprint.. What does that mean?
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