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Stanford University Professors Stephen H Schneider and Robert Dunbar discuss climate change and Copenhagen
UN International Climate Negotiations
Conference of the Parties – 15 (COP-15), United Nations Framework Convention
Copenhagen, Denmark
December 7 – 18, 2009
Despite their critical role in moderating the earth’s climate, the oceans historically have not played a large role in international climate negotiations. Understanding the impacts to the ocean as a result of various carbon emission scenarios, as well as understanding the declining ability of the ocean to buffer against climate change, are both critical to making the most informed policy decisions. For this reason, the Center for Ocean Solutions, along with numerous other scientific, academic and educational institutions are heading to Copenhagen to ensure the knowledge maintained in our individual institutions reaches the larger climate community.
To keep tabs on progress in Copenhagen and to follow the Center for Ocean Solutions’ efforts there, read our Copenhagen Blog and follow us on Twitter.
Some Background
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force in 1994, just four years after the first International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report was published. It’s stated objective is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system … within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
COP-3 in 1997 took place in Kyoto – where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. The Kyoto Protocol was not finalized for several years, and did not enter into force until 2005. It set targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized countries from 2008 to 2012. During COP-13 in Bali, 2007 – the parties agreed to work towards an agreement for the years 2012-2050. The negotiations for this agreement are supposed to be concluded during COP-15 taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, 37 industrialized countries and the European Community have committed to reducing their emissions by an average of 5% by 2012 against 1990 levels. If the state goal of many parties, to limit global warming to 2 °C, is to be achieved, the emission targets must increase in the next agreement. According to recent scientific analyses, developed countries would need to cut their emissions to 25–40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 50–80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, in order to not exceed a 2°C warming.1
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