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Photo: Oxfam Agreement still doesn't match need
For the first time all the countries of the world have united to deliver a global roadmap for tackling climate change. But while addressing the issue of fairness – with all countries having to limit emissions – the agreement reached at the Bali climate change conference in December 2007 fails to keep us from exceeding what is considered a critical tipping point, a 2°C warming in the planet's temperature.
Bali climate change conference – Oxfam's verdict
Our aim at the conference
Awareness and concern about the climate is rising fast, and Oxfam is determined to harness this energy and turn public pressure into real political action.
In December last year, the United Nations (UN) climate change conference took place in Bali. At this conference politicians discussed how to combat climate change on a global level.
This was a key moment. Oxfam attended the conference to demand a new global climate agreement which:
- Kept global warming at less than 2°C by setting binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets
- Put the needs of the most vulnerable centre stage
- Provided adequate and equitable resources and financing to developing countries to adapt to climate change
The United Nations and climate change
Meetings of the UN, such as that in Bali, are the only forum for the world's governments to agree on action to stem climate change. National and regional forums and actions can help, but it is only through the UN that we will get the concerted and coordinated global response to the global threat of climate change.
The UN plays the leading role on climate change with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol (KP).
The UNFCCC
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in May 1992. It consists of a Preamble, 26 Articles and two Annexes. The ultimate objective of the Convention is to achieve the safe stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is to be achieved by measures guided by the principles of equity and the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities of developed and developing countries.
The Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is the only binding international agreement to combat climate change. Developed within the FCCC it was adopted after much negotiation in 1997. It aims to reduce the emissions of developed countries by at least 5 percent below the 1990 level in the period 2008-2012.
Individually, these countries have separate commitments. The European Union countries are collectively expected to reduce their emissions by 8 percent, the US by 7 percent and Japan by 6 percent. Australia is allowed to increase its emissions by 8 percent. Although an important first step, it falls short of what is needed to stabilise global concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol is important because it is the first agreement of its kind to reduce emissions. The US and Australia are the only two countries which originally signed the Kyoto Protocol that failed to ratify the agreement (although Australia eventually ratified the Kyoto Protocol late in 2007).
Working to a post-2012 agreement
In 2012 the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol concludes and a second commitment period begins. The UN meeting in Bali kick-started negotiations for this second period.
While the new Rudd Government made good its election commitment to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, there is still much to be done if it is to realise its ambition to build a bridge between rich and poor countries.