HISTORY OF TACKLING CLIMATE CRISIS

My last article has focused on basic introduction to climate crisis. Now, we should talk about what governments do to tackle the climate crisis when it is such a multifaceted issue that affects so many aspects of not only human life but life on earth entirely.

How Everything Has Started?

Even though the struggle with the climate crisis may date back to the early 20th century, I will focus more on the actions taken in the late 20th century, especially from the 1980s onward. Especially because throughout this period the world has witnessed a significant increase in industrialization, population growth, and the use of fossil fuels, all of which have contributed to the emission of greenhouse gases and climate crisis at large. The impacts of the climate crisis, including more frequent and intense extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to ecosystems, have become increasingly evident in time as we are already witnessing to this day.

Efforts to address the climate crisis have evolved over time. In the latter half of the 20th century, scientific awareness of the climate crisis and its potential consequences has become more visible. International discussions and agreements, such as the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 and the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, marked significant milestones in global cooperation tackling the climate crisis.

The IPCC was established by UNGA in 1988 to point out the effects and consequences of climate crisis, potential response strategies, and other potential inclusion mechanisms. Since its establishment, IPCC has published six assessment reports which are accepted as the most comprehensive reports produced in the world to address the climate crisis.

UNFCCC

The UNFCCC has entered into force with almost near global recognition. In the website of UNFCCC, the ultimate aim of it is described as “preventing dangerous human interference with climate system”. Parties who joined this convention recognized the threat of climate crisis and promised to take necessary steps to tackle the issue. The convention itself didn’t set concrete targets but provided a framework for future negotiations and policies to be taken.

The UNFCCC operates based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, meaning that different states have varying capabilities and responsibilities to address the climate crisis meaning that there is a universal need for action and also the different levels of responsibility and capacity among states. The Convention establishes key institutions, structures, and processes, such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) to collaboratively work towards climate goals.

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC, and it brings together representatives from member countries to discuss and negotiate the implementation of the Convention. Since its establishment, the UNFCCC has led to significant agreements, policies, and infrastructure, including the Paris Agreement (2015) and the Glasgow Climate Pact (2021), shaping international efforts for climate action.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Thousands of school students and protesters march along College Street during a climate strike rally on September 20, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. Rallies held across Australia are part of a global mass day of action demanding action on the climate crisis. (Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Kyoto Potocol

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and it encouraged the developed countries to take more responsibility for tackling the climate crisis. It set targets for emission reductions for industrialized countries to meet. The protocol entered into force in 2005 but the US withdrew from the agreement on the grounds that the mandate was not fair and would hurt the U.S. economy unproportionally.

There were many critics about the agreement because especially China and the US who are two largest greenhouse gases emitters in the world were not bound by the agreement since China at that time was not a “developed country” but a “developing country” and the US withdrew from the agreement for the sake of its own economic development. We have to ask whether it is effective to have such an agreement when the most responsible ones are not held accountable.

Paris Agreement

However, the protocol is replaced by the Paris Agreement which was adopted at COP21 in 2015 and entered into force in 2016. The agreement is legally binding and it was ratified by 195 parties, almost universally accepted. It aims to limit the temperature to 1.5 celsius degrees. The key elements of the agreement include emission reduction goals, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and long term strategies. With this agreement, countries committed to work collectively to achieve emission goals by developed nations are supporting developing nations in various ways, especially supporting economically. Moreover, every five years, countries submit updated NDCs outlining their climate actions, including emission reduction plans and strategies for building resilience as well as regular reports on their progress.

The Paris Agreement is a historic milestone in the global effort to address the climate crisis, representing the first time that a legally binding treaty united nations worldwide to collectively struggle against the climate crisis and adapt to its impacts. Even though the agreement is a great development for the fight against the climate crisis globally, there are critics saying it is not enough. One of the most relevant critiques which I have also agreed is that there are no penalties for non-compliance. Although the treaty itself is a legally binding agreement, the states who don’t comply with it, don’t face serious sanctions.

Also, the agreement calls for financial support from developed to developing countries, but the specifics of funding, including the amount and sources, are not clearly defined. There are concerns about the sufficiency and predictability of financial support. Moreover, some argue that the collective emission reduction targets set by countries, even if fully achieved, may not be sufficient to limit global warming to the agreed-upon targets of well below 2 degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In 2021, in COP26 The Glasgow Pact which aims to turn 2020s into the decade of climate action and support was adopted. In order to push the world toward a more sustainable, low-carbon future, COP26 provided new \”building blocks\” to speed up the implementation of the Paris Agreement, even as the reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions fall below of expectations and support for countries that are vulnerable is still insufficient.

COP28

People around the world are demanding more and more action from their governments to address the climate crisis and challenge it. Most of the scientific reports defending that 2030 is a crucial point to address and governments and countries have to reduce their carbon emissions to a great extent until 2030. To be able to do so, they have to take concrete actions starting from today.

For all of these reasons, I think talking about what happened at COP28 separately is significant. COP28 was held in Dubai and the president of the conference was very controversial because of his close relations with the oil industry and he also made very jaw dropping arguments about the source of the climate crisis. Previous COPs have been criticized by critics like Greta Thunberg for allegedly engaging in \”greenwashing,\” which allows nations and companies to claim to be climate leaders without making the required adjustments.

The 1.5°C warming limit agreed at COP21 has driven widespread climate action, although the world is not yet acting at the necessary steps to achieve Paris Agreement goals.

The UAE Consensus, termed \”historical\” by the COP28 presidency, leaves loopholes for the fossil fuel industry and lacks financial commitments. The Loss and Damage Fund, while established, lacks sufficient funding. The summit faced restrictions on civil society participation, and the UAE\’s oppressive actions and authoritarianism drew criticism.

COP28 in Dubai concluded with an agreement recognizing the need to transition away from fossil fuels, a first in global climate negotiations. The final COP28 agreement didn\’t explicitly mention a \”fossil fuel phaseout\” but emphasized a \”transition away from fossil fuels\” in line with the scientific goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC. But as I have already mentioned, some scientific reports say that we have already crossed the threshold of 1.5 celsius degrees and the world collectively takes some new measures to meet 2030 targets. The agreement also urged parties to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030.

The approach involves different starting points for countries, with wealthier ones and those with significant oil industries needing to lead in achieving the fossil fuel phaseout, ensuring a fair and equitable transition for people. At this point, we may again raise the question how efficiently those oil industries and countries whose economies are highly dependent on oil are going to fight against the climate crisis. Poorer countries require substantial public funding and technological support to achieve the transition because they are the ones even though making the least contribution to greenhouse gases emissions, affected more than any other countries whose responsibility is higher in climate crisis.

Source:

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Greenpeace. (2023, December). What happened at COP28?. Greenpeace UK. Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/what-happened-cop28-climate/

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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (n.d.). The Glasgow Climate Pact: Key outcomes from COP26. Retrieved from https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-glasgow-climate-pact-key-outcomes-from-cop26

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Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. (n.d.). What is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?. London School of Economics. Retrieved from https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-the-un-framework-convention-on-climate-change-unfccc/

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