Global Climate Protection

From Kyoto to Copenhagen 
and the world was left disappointed
with the outcome

The Copenhagen UN world conference of Climate Change (COP15) came and went, but its results were disappointing.

When over 190 countries met in Copenhagen, the Danish Capital from 7-16 December, people all over the world held their breath, as world leaders negotiated nothing less that the future of the planet. The negotiations turned out to be a highly complex game of political maneuvering, between the rich and industrialized nations, and the poor and underdeveloped nations.

The issue at stake in COP 15 was the very foundation of the destinies of hundreds of millions of people, yet little was achieved to reach binding agreements for all nations to take measures to protect the Earth’s atmosphere from a dangerous rise in temperature.

The alarming reality

If human economic activity continues at its present rate, the average global temperature on the Earth could rise by up to seven degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era. Such a temperature increase would be faster and greater than the one the Earth experienced at the end of the last Ice Age about 15,000 years ago.

At that time the global temperature rose by five degrees – but over a period of 5,000 years. And there were natural causes for that change.

But this time around, humanity itself is responsible for the change in the climate. We are burning too much fossil-fuel – in other words, coal, oil and gas. We are destroying too much forest and farming our fields in the wrong way, ways that are harmful to the climate. If this doesn’t change, one in ten of the Earth’s approximately seven billion people could lose their homes to rising sea levels. 

The danger has been recognized, but not overcome. As early as 1992 the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro forged an agreement under international law to stabilize greenhouse – gas concentrations “ a level at which a dangerous disruption of the climate system is avoided”.

The Kyoto Protocol of 1997, caused about three dozen nations – most of the industrialized countries – to commit themselves to reducing, or at least limiting, their emissions of climate gases. But up to now, neither the promise made at Rio, nor at Kyoto, has proven effective.

It is no exaggeration to say that humanity is currently tottering on the brink of a climate catastrophe. If the climate system becomes unbalanced, irreparable damage threatens. But if the danger is so great, why is it not be tackled with the appropriate urgency?

Basically the answer is simple: it is not because no one knows how to tackle climate technologically. So far there has been no agreement on who should do what to overcome the problems.

As far as the scale of the challenge is concerned, climate researches agree that humanity could just about cope with a temperature increase of some two degrees Celsius. But not all agree on this.

The poorer nations, and especially those whose nations are made up of islands, even a two degrees increase will have devastating effects on their countries.

Combating climate change has to do with justice. If every human being has the same right to use the Earth’s atmosphere, the industrialized countries have already run up enormous “ climate debts “vis-a-vis” the south. They must not only settle these debts, but also lead the way in limiting emissions – and they must do it soon – since any delay would subsequently mean almost unattainable reductions in emissions if the two degree target is to be reached.

The countries of the South have made their voice heard – loud and clear – what is needed is not climate protection had climate justice.

Climate Change Timeline

1992
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, 192 countries pass the framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC). It aims to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gases and slowdown global warming.

1994
The UNFCCC comes into force.

1997
Breakthrough at the third COP in Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions is adopted.The industrialized countries commit to reducing their collective emissions of the six greenhouse gases to 5.2% below the 1990 level between 2008 and 2012.

2001
Despite the USA’s rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, in March 2001 UNFCCC parties come to an agreement at the sixth COP in Bonn- clearing the way for the ratification and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

2005
The Kyoto Protocol enters into force and becomes binding under international law. 184 states ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

2009
COP15, that is, the Conference of Parties met in Copenhagen, to conclude negotiations on a comprehensive climate-protection agreement for the period after 2012.

The Reality of Climate Change

More greenhouse gases
+70% (from 1970 to 2004)

Global Warming
+0.76 ºC (since 1850)

Rise in Sea Level
+ 3.1mm (since 1993)

Decline in Artic sea ice
-2.7% ( per decade since 1978)

Melting of the Alpine glaciers
-50% (volume of ice since 1850)