United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) Timeline
Integrated in the timeline below are the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations for various years, measured in parts per million. Parts per million (ppm) is how scientists measure the concentration of different gases, and means the ratio of the number of carbon dioxide molecules to all of the molecules in the atmosphere. Natural background levels (pre-industrial revolution) of carbon dioxide were approximately 280ppm. Today, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is over 387 ppm.
1979 – World’s first climate conference. A declaration issued at this conference called on the world’s governments “to foresee and prevent potential man-made changes in climate that might be adverse to the well-being of humanity”. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is 337 ppm.
1988 – During a conference on the changing atmosphere in Toronto in June, 1988 the World Meteorological Organization and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s mandate is to assess scientific information related to climate change, to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic consequences of climate change, and to formulate realistic response strategies.
1990 – IPCC First Assessment Report Released
December, 1990 – UN General Assembly approved the start of treaty negotiations. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is 354 ppm.
May 9, 1992 – Wanting to complete negotiations prior to the June 1992 Rio “Earth Summit”, negotiators from 150 countries finalized the Convention in just 15 months. United Nations adopted the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in New York, and 154 states signed it in Rio in June, 1992.
March 21, 1994 – UNFCCC entered into force with requisite ratification by 50 signatories. 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.
1995 – The first Conference of Parties (COP), was held in Bonn, Germany. Delegates from 117 Parties and 53 Observer States participated in COP-1, as did over 2,000 observers and journalists. The COP meets every year, adopts decisions and resolutions, and develop a detailed set of rules for practical and effective implementation of the Convention.
December 1995 – IPCC Second Assessment Report Finalized.
December 1997 – COP -3 took place in Kyoto, where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. 10,000 delegates, observers, and journalists participated in this high-profile event from 1 – 11 December. Because there was not enough time to finalize all the operational details of how the Protocol would work in practice, successive COPs focused on developing the details to the protocol.
2000: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is 369 ppm.
2001: IPCC Third Assessment Report released.
February 16, 2005 – The Kyoto protocol entered into force ninety days after 55 of the countries that had ratified UNFCCC ratified the protocol. Today 184 countries have ratified it. Under this treaty, 37 industrialized countries and the European Community have committed to reducing their emissions by an average of 5 percent by 2012 against 1990 levels.
December 2005: Cutoff date for new information to be integrated into Fourth IPCC Assessment report.
2007: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. COP-13 took place in Bali. The COP developed a 2-year road map to achieve an agreement in Copenhagen.
2008: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is 386 ppm.
2009. COP-15 will take place Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen the goal is to develop a new protocol to be in effect from 2012-2050. Over 40,000 participants are expected.
