Citizens Guide | Understand and Participate in the Success of the Paris Global Climate Agreement
compiled by Rhonda Fabian
Why Paris Is So Important
The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 was the last time a major international climate agreement was established that limited greenhouse gas emissions. The Protocol included legally binding emission targets for developed countries for the six major Green House Gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflurocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.
Dear Colleagues;
The Citizens’ Guide is intended to help Campaign participants better understand (1) The urgency of reaching a December 2015 global agreement to cap the emission of greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere before we reach a point where extreme weather patterns with harmful ecological consequences will occur; (2) The process of getting countries to make strong greenhouse gas emission pledges prior to the meeting in Paris this December where the negotiations for a global agreement are scheduled to take place; and (3) Actions that Campaign participants can take within and across their countries to help ensure that a strong global agreement emerges from the Paris Summit meeting. We hope the Guide meets the needs of the NGOs and citizens whom we serve, and who are on the front lines of the effort to stabilize our climate.
Sincerely, Campaign Co-Chairs:
Ron Israel
Executive Director
The Global Citizens’ Initiative
Lois Barber
Executive Director
EarthAction
Despite Kyoto’s promise, the agreement has not been signed and/or ratified by several major countries including the United States, Canada, Russia, and Japan. In addition, developing countries, including China and India, were exempted from signing the Protocol. Since the breakdown of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, the countries of the world have struggled to reach a new agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Since 1997, under the auspices of the United Nations there have been 17 global Conferences of the Parties (COPs) focused on reaching a new global climate agreement. Several of these meetings have contributed to a new framework for such an Agreement; for example, the 2010 Copenhagen Accord (COP 16) established an agreed upon global accord of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. However, to date, there has not been an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, where countries commit to legally binding GHG emission reduction targets.
(image) DOWNLOAD THE GUIDEDuring this period, the documented emission of greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere has continued to rise at an alarmingly fast rate. Global levels of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent heattrapping gas, have passed a daunting milestone. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that in March 2015 the global monthly average for carbon dioxide hit 400.83 parts per million. That is the first month in modern records that the entire globe broke 400 ppm, reaching levels that haven’t been seen in about 2 million years.
‘‘It’s both disturbing and daunting,’’ said NOA chief greenhouse gas scientist Pieter Tans. ‘‘Daunting from the standpoint on how hard it is to slow this down.’’ He said it is disturbing because it is happening at a pace so fast that it seems like an explosion compared to Earth’s slow-moving natural changes. Carbon 5 dioxide isn’t just higher, it is increasing at a record pace, 100 times faster than natural rises in the past, Tans said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fifth Assessment in 2014, indicated that the concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are now higher than they have been for a million years, long before human society began. The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind this increase. Without strong action, the IPCC Report states that atmospheric temperatures are very likely to exceed 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2050. This will result in serious consequences including sea level rises, heat waves, loss of snow and ice cover, disruptions to agriculture and food production, and greater extremes of drought and rainfall.
At the United Nations Conference of the Parties # 20, held last December in Lima Peru, participating countries finally agreed upon a plan for a new global climate agreement. They agreed that the UN should sponsor a global climate Summit this December in Paris to be attended by the Heads of State of all countries. Prior to this meeting all countries are supposed to make greenhouse gas emission reduction pledges that, when totaled, will limit GHG emissions to below the 2 degrees Celsius tipping point. The Pledges that countries make will feed into a legally binding Agreement that is expected to emerge from Paris. The Paris Summit meeting also will tackle issues related to climate financing, the nature of the legal agreement mechanism, and the need for acceptable accounting standards to measure emission reductions in different sectors.
The Paris Summit Meeting looks like the last opportunity for countries to come together and reach a global climate agreement before the heating of the earth’s atmosphere makes it impossible for us to do so. A strong agreement in Paris will steer the planet away from the 2 degrees Celsius tipping point, guide the implementation of national environmental policies, and provide a clear signal to key stakeholders, such as businesses, urban municipalities, and communities, to make investments and set policies that support low carbon emissions.