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THE UN CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio by 154 nations. The Earth Summit was a major gathering on the Environment and Development where, in addition to the FCCC, the nations of the world adopted the Biodiversity Convention, the Agenda 21 and other documents.

The FCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994 after ratification by 50 signatories and was ratified by 181 countries which are therefore called 'Parties to the Convention'. Parties meet regularly at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to review the implementation of the Convention and continue talks on how best to tackle climate change. The FCCC's status as a framework convention means that so-called protocols can be added to specify reduction targets or particular measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

THE ULIMATIVE OBJECTIVE

The FCCC's ultimate objective is "the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

A "sustainable level" has not been defined by the FCCC, but climate scientists and politicians have suggested thresholds of 450 or 550 ppm. If no major cuts are made, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are projected to rise far beyond these "sustainable thresholds" within the next few decades.

PRINCIPLES

The Convention is based on four main principles:

Equity: The global climate and the atmosphere belong equally to every human being. Until now, emissions have occurred mainly in Europe and North America. These countries are responsible for 85 percent of the human-induced carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today.

Precautionary action: All climate science is based on estimates with associated uncertainties. However, Parties must act now to protect the climate and cannot wait until they have absolute scientific proof of what exactly the impacts of climate change will be.

Efficiency: Policies and measures to deal with climate change should be cost-effective so as to ensure global benefits at the lowest possible cost.

Sustainable Development: the exact meaning of this principle is still disputed, but it the UN described it as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

The Convention divides countries into two groups: those who are listed in Annex 1 of the Convention and those who are not (known as 'non-Annex 1 Parties'). Annex 1 Parties are the industrialised countries, who have historically contributed the most to climate change. For example, North America and the EU are jointly responsible for 85 per cent of the man-made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today.

Accordingly, the FCCC called only on Annex-1 Parties to stabilise their greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000. This aim, which was not legally binding, was only fulfilled by three Parties in the EU, plus some countries in Central and Eastern Europe (whose emissions have fallen substantially due to the breakdown of economies after 1990, resulting in less industrial production).

Last year's disasters

International action against climate change

Friends of the Earth's call for action at COP 6

How governments try to wreck the Kyoto Protocol

The UNFCCC

The Kyoto Protocol