Held in Le Bourget in the suburbs of Paris, France |
From November 30th to December 12 2015, Paris, France held the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21; CMP 11). This conference was the 21st of it's annual sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and it is the 11th session of the meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
This conference achieved it's goal of making a global agreement on reducing climate change in the Paris Agreement (nearly all states adopted it). The Paris Agreement will become legally binding once a minimum of 55 countries that represent at least 55% of global greenhouse emissions sign and ratify the agreement. This agreement is expected to be in effect by 2020, in an effort to limit global warming by 2100. They reached a consensual goal of limiting temperature increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius. This will require that between 2030 and 2050, there must be zero emissions contributing to global warming. Click Here for the full details! |
|
|
|
An increase in temperature of over 2°C could have greatly negative effects. It could cause an increase in extreme climate events that could alter ecosystems that affects not just the climate but the people and the organisms of the environment. In Copenhagen in 2009, the countries taking part in the conference established a goal of limiting global warming to 2°C from now to the next century. In order to achieve this, it is estimated that the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must decrease by 40-70% by 2050 and that carbon neutrality (zero emissions) must be accomplished before 2100 at the latest.
|
|
1995: COP 1, The Berlin MandateThe first UNFCCC Conference of Parties took place from March 28, 1995 to April 7, 1995 in Berlin, Germany. The objective of this conference was to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere" to a level where human activity would not dangerously impact the climate. No limits were placed on emissions for individual countries and there was no enforcement. This conference only identified how specific international treaties (protocols) could be negotiated between the countries to limit the emission of greenhouse gases.
|
1996: COP 2, Geneva, Switzerland"COP 2 occurred in Geneva, Switzerland on July 1996. Its Ministerial Declaration was noted (but not adopted) on July 18, 1996, and reflected a U.S. position statement at that meeting, which:
|
1997: COP 3, The Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change"COP 3 took place in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. This meeting adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which outlined the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation for Annex I countries, along with what came to be known as Kyoto mechanisms such as emissions trading, clean development mechanism and joint implementation. Most industrialized countries and some central European economies in transition (all defined as Annex B countries) agreed to legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of an average of 6 to 8% below 1990 levels between the years 2008–2012, defined as the first emissions budget period. The United States would be required to reduce its total emissions an average of 7% below 1990 levels; however Congress did not ratify the treaty after Clinton signed it. The Bush administration explicitly rejected the protocol in 2001.
|
1998: COP 4, Buenos Aires, Argentina"COP 4 took place in November 1998 in Buenos Aires. It had been expected that the remaining issues unresolved in Kyoto would be finalized at this meeting. However, the complexity and difficulty of finding agreement on these issues proved insurmountable, and instead the parties adopted a 2-year "Plan of Action" to advance efforts and to devise mechanisms for implementing the Kyoto Protocol, to be completed by 2000. During COP 4, Argentina and Kazakhstan expressed their commitment to take on the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation, the first two non-Annex countries to do so.
|
1999: COP 5, Bonn, Germany"COP 5 took place between October 25 and November 5, 1999, in Bonn, Germany. It was primarily a technical meeting, and did not reach major conclusions"
|
2000: COP 6, The Hague, Netherlands"COP 6 took place between November 13 and November 25, 2000, in The Hague, Netherlands. The discussions evolved rapidly into a high-level negotiation over the major political issues. These included major controversy over the United States' proposal to allow credit for carbon "sinks" in forests and agricultural lands that would satisfy a major proportion of the U.S. emissions reductions in this way; disagreements over consequences for non-compliance by countries that did not meet their emission reduction targets; and difficulties in resolving how developing countries could obtain financial assistance to deal with adverse effects of climate change and meet their obligations to plan for measuring and possibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the compromise decisions were rejected and the conference was suspended until July 2001.
|
2001: COP 6, Bonn, Germany"COP 6 negotiations resumed July 17–27, 2001, in Bonn,Germany, with little progress having been made in resolving the differences that had produced an impasse in The Hague. However, the United States delegation to this meeting declined to participate in the negotiations related to the Protocol. As the other parties negotiated the key issues, agreement was reached on most of the major political issues, to the surprise of most observers, given the low expectations that preceded the meeting. The agreements included:
|
2001: COP 7, Marrakech, Morocco"At the COP 7 meeting in Marrakech, Morocco from October 29 to November 10, 2001, negotiators wrapped up the work on the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, finalizing most of the operational details and setting the stage for nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The completed package of decisions is known as the Marrakech Accords. The United States continued to decline to participate actively in the negotiations. The date of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (August–September 2002) was put forward as a target to bring the Kyoto Protocol into force.
The main decisions at COP 7 included:
|
2002: COP 8, New Delhi, India"Taking place from October 23 to November 1, 2002, in New Delhi COP 8 adopted the Delhi Ministerial Declaration[4] that called for efforts by developed countries to transfer technology and minimize the impact of climate change on developing countries. It is also approved the New Delhi work program on Article 6 of the Convention. The Kyoto Protocol could enter into force once it was ratified by 55 countries, including countries responsible for 55% of the developed world's 1990 carbon dioxide emissions. With the United States (36.1 per cent share of developed-world carbon dioxide) and Australia refusing ratification, Russia's agreement (17% of global emissions in 1990) was required to meet the ratification criteria and therefore Russia's hesitation could delay the process.
|
2003: COP 9, Milan, Italy"COP 9 took place between December 1 and December 12, 2003 in Milan. The parties agreed to use the Adaptation Fund established at COP 7 in 2001 primarily in supporting developing countries better adapt to climate change. The fund would also be used for capacity-building through technology transfer. At COP 9, the parties also agreed to review the first national reports submitted by 110 non-Annex I countries."
|
2004: COP 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina"COP 10 took place between December 6 and December 17, 2004. It discussed the progress made since the first Conference of the Parties 10 years ago and its future challenges, with special emphasis on climate change mitigation and adaptation. To promote developing countries better adapt to climate change, the Buenos Aires Plan of Action was adopted. The parties also began discussing the post-Kyoto mechanism, on how to allocate emission reduction obligation following 2012, when the first commitment period ends."
|
2005: COP 11/CMP 1, Montreal, Canada"COP 11 (or COP 11/CMP 1) took place between November 28 and December 9, 2005, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the first Meeting of the Parties (CMP 1) to the Kyoto Protocol since their initial meeting in Kyoto in 1997. It was one of the largest intergovernmental conferences on climate change ever. The event marked the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. Hosting more than 10,000 delegates, it was one of Canada's largest international events ever and the largest gathering in Montreal since Expo 67. The Montreal Action Plan was an agreement to "extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol beyond its 2012 expiration date and negotiate deeper cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions". Canada's environment minister, at the time, Stéphane Dion, said the agreement provides a "map for the future".
|
2006: COP 12/CMP 2, Nairobi, Kenya"COP 12/CMP 2 took place between November 6 and 17, 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya. At the meeting, BBC reporter Richard Black coined the phrase "climate tourists" to describe some delegates who attended "to see Africa, take snaps of the wildlife, the poor, dying African children and women". Black also noted that due to delegates concerns over economic costs and possible losses of competitiveness, the majority of the discussions avoided any mention of reducing emissions. Black concluded that was a disconnect between the political process and the scientific imperative. Despite such criticism, certain strides were made at COP12, including in the areas of support for developing countries and clean development mechanism. The parties adopted a five-year plan of work to support climate change adaptation by developing countries, and agreed on the procedures and modalities for the Adaptation Fund. They also agreed to improve the projects for clean development mechanism.
|
2007: COP 13/CMP 3, Bali, Indonesia"COP 13/CMP 3 took place between December 3 and December 15, 2007, at Nusa Dua, in Bali, Indonesia. Agreement on a timeline and structured negotiation on the post-2012 framework (the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol) was achieved with the adoption of the Bali Action Plan (Decision 1/CP.13). The Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) was established as a new subsidiary body to conduct the negotiations aimed at urgently enhancing the implementation of the Convention up to and beyond 2012. Decision 9/CP.13 is an Amended to the New Delhi work programme. These negotiations took place during 2008 (leading to COP 14/CMP 4 in Poznan, Poland) and 2009 (leading to COP 15/CMP 5 in Copenhagen).
|
2008: COP 14/CMP 4, Poznań, Poland"COP 14/CMP 4 took place from December 1 to 12, 2008 in Poznań, Poland. Delegates agreed on principles for the financing of a fund to help the poorest nations cope with the effects of climate change and they approved a mechanism to incorporate forest protection into the efforts of the international community to combat climate change.
Negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol were the primary focus of the conference." |
2009: COP 15/CMP 5, Copenhagen, Denmark"COP 15 took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from December 7 to December 18, 2009.
The goal for the COP 15/CMP 5 was to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from 2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires. However, on November 14, 2009, the New York Times announced that "President Obama and other world leaders have decided to put off the difficult task of reaching a climate change agreement". The conference did not achieve a binding agreement for long-term action. A 'political accord' was negotiated by approximately 25 parties including US and China, but it was only 'noted' by the COP as it is considered an external document. The accord was notable in that it referred to a collective commitment by developed countries for new and additional resources that will approach $30 billion for the period 2010–2012. The negotiations on extending the Kyoto Protocol had unresolved issues as did the negotiations on a framework for long-term cooperative action. |
2010: COP 16/CMP 6, Cancún, Mexico"COP 16 was held in Cancún, Mexico, from November 29 to December 10, 2010. The outcome of the summit was an agreement adopted by the states' parties that called for the 100 billion USD per annum "Green Climate Fund", and a "Climate Technology Centre" and network. However the funding of the Green Climate Fund was not agreed upon. Nor was a commitment to a second period of the Kyoto Protocol agreed upon, but it was concluded that the base year shall be 1990 and the global warming potentials shall be those provided by the IPCC.All parties "Recognizing that climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet, and thus requires to be urgently addressed by all Parties,". It recognizes the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report goal of a maximum 2 °C global warming and all parties should take urgent action to meet this goal. It also agreed upon greenhouse gas emissions should peak as soon as possible, but recognizing that the time frame for peaking will be longer in developing countries, since social and economic development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of developing countries.
|
2011: COP 17/CMP 7, Durban, South Africa"The 2011 COP 17 was held in Durban, South Africa, from November 28 to December 9, 2011. The conference agreed to a start negotiations on a legally binding deal comprising all countries, to be adopted in 2015, governing the period post 2020. There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) for which a management framework was adopted. The fund is to distribute $100 billion per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts. While the president of the conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, declared it a success, scientists and environmental groups warned that the deal was not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2 °C as more urgent action is needed.
|
2012: COP 18/CMP 8, Doha, QatarQatar hosted COP 18 which took place in Doha, Qatar, from 26 November to 7 December 2012. The Conference produced a package of documents collectively titled The Doha Climate Gateway. The documents collectively contained:
Russia, Belarus and Ukraine objected at the end of the session, as they had a right to under the session's rules. In closing the conference, the President said that he would note these objections in his final report. |
2013: COP 19/CMP 9, Warsaw, PolandCOP 19 was the 19th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (the protocol having been developed under the UNFCCC's charter). The conference was held in Warsaw,Poland from 11 to 23 November 2013.
|
2014: COP 20/CMP 10, Lima, PeruFrom December 1-12, 2014, Lima, Peru hosted the 20th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (the protocol having been developed under the UNFCCC's charter). The pre-COP conference was held in Venezuela.
|
2015: COP 21/CMP 11, Paris, FranceCOP 21 was held in Paris from November 30 to December 12, 2015. Negotiations resulted in the adoption of the Paris Agreement on 12 December, governing climate change reduction measures from 2020. The adoption of this agreement ended the work of the Durban platform, established during COP17. The agreement will enter into force (and thus become fully effective) only if 55 countries which which produce at least 55% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions ratify the Agreement.
*Refer to top of page for more info* |