International Response to Climate Change

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• The IPCC was created by the United Nations Environment Programme and World Meterological Organisation in 1988.
• The goal of the IPCC is to provide objective reports on climate change and its impacts and to give an understanding of the possible risks associated with human-induced climate change.
• Currently 195 countries are Members of the IPCC.
• The IPCC releases an Assessment Report every several years to serve as methodologies and guidelines to help Parties to the UNFCCC prepare their national greenhouse gas inventories.
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Kyoto Protocol

• The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• A total of 192 countries have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
• The main goal of the treaty is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Kyoto Protocol also introduced the concept of emissions (carbon) trading.
• When it was written, the treaty was not legally binding. The protocol didn't become international law until more than halfway through the 1990–2012 period.
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Paris Climate Agreement

• The Paris Climate Agreement is an agreement within the UNFCCC, dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.
• The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21).
• The main goal of the agreement is to keep the increase in global average temperatures below 2 °C.
• Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
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EU Climate Directive

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• The EU is currently at the forefront of international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The EU has set targets for emissions reductions in all of its member states, along with standards for renewable energy development and carbon trading.
• Some member states have been very slow in adopting policies, however, and energy efficiency has been limited.

Carbon Trading and Carbon Credits

• The Story of Cap & Trade (2009) (Embed)
• The EU Emissions Trading System (EUETS) is the largest emissions trading scheme in the world.
• The EUETS is a "cap and trade" system that aims to reduce emissions through financial incentives.
• Emissions are monitored each year by the EU and fines are put in place for those who do not stay within limits.
• A full explanation of the cap and trade system can be seen in the video on the right.

National and Sub-National Policy: Denmark

• National Policies:
• Denmark's climate policy is not only determined by EU measures, it also has its own targets for reducing emissions, aiming for a 40% reduction of 1990 levels by 2020.
• Denmark is also aiming to completely switch to renewables by 2050.
• Denmark aim to reduce emissions through carbon taxes and funds for renewable developments.
• Most of Denmark's focus is turned towards mitigation strategies for the future.
• Sub-National Policies:
• The capital city, Copenhagen, has turned its focus towards adaptation rather than mitigation.
• Because the city is at sea level, it aims to create "climate-proof" neighbourhoods to protect the city from heavy rainfall and storm surges.
• New protection plans such as storm barriers are planned for the near future.