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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Increasing scientific evidence about the possibility of global climate change in the1980s led to a growing awareness that human activities have been contributing tosubstantial increases in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Concernedthat anthropogenic increases of emissions enhance the natural greenhouse effect andwould result, on average, in an additional warming of the Earth"s surface, the WorldMeteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988.The Panel focused on: assessing scientific information related to the various aspects ofclimate change; evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of climatechange; and formulating response strategies for the management of global climatechange. In 1990, the finalization and adoption of the IPCC report and the SecondWorld Climate Conference focused further attention on climate change.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INC/FCCC

On 11 December 1990, the 45th session of the UN General Assembly adopted aresolution that established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for aFramework Convention on Climate Change (INC/FCCC). Supported by UNEP andWMO, the mandate of the INC/FCCC was to prepare an effective frameworkconvention on climate change. The INC held five sessions between February 1991 andMay 1992. During these meetings, participants from over 150 states discussed thedifficult and contentious issues of binding commitments, targets and timetables for thereduction of carbon dioxide emissions, financial mechanisms, technology transfer, and"common but differentiated" responsibilities of developed and developing countries.The INC sought to achieve a consensus that could be supported by a broad majority,rather than drafting a treaty that dealt with specific policies that might limitparticipation.

ADOPTION AND ENTRY INTO FORCE

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) was adoptedon 9 May 1992, and opened for signature at the UN Conference on Environment andDevelopment in June 1992 in Rio, where it received 155 signatures. The Conventionentered into force on 21 March 1994 (90 days after receipt of the 50th ratification).The first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) will take place in Berlinfrom 27 March - 7 April 1995.

PREPARATION FOR THE COP

Since the adoption of the Convention, the INC has met five more times to consider thefollowing items: matters relating to commitments; matters relating to arrangements forthe financial mechanism and for technical and financial support to developingcountries; procedural and legal matters; and institutional matters. During these INCsessions, scientific work was done to improve the methodologies for measuringemissions from various sources, but the larger scientific problem is choosing the bestmethodology to estimate the removal of carbon dioxide by "sinks," namely oceans andforests. The other major task before negotiators has been to work on the difficult issueof financial support for implementation, particularly for developing country Partieswho will require "new and additional resources" to obtain data and implement energy-efficient technologies and other necessary measures.

INC-9

The INC held its ninth session from 7-18 February 1994, in Geneva. In discussions onmatters relating to commitments, delegates examined methodologies forcalculations/inventories of emissions and removal of greenhouse gases, the first reviewof information communicated by Annex I parties, the role of the subsidiary bodiesestablished by the Convention, and criteria for joint implementation. Delegates alsoreviewed the adequacy of commitments. The need for broader action beyond the year2000 on the commitments in Article 4.2(a) and (b) was considered, based on theunderstanding that the provisions of this article refer to the present decade.

In its discussions on matters relating to the financial mechanism and technical andfinancial support to developing country Parties, the Committee chose to focus on theimplementation of Article 11. It was agreed that only developing countries that areParties to the Convention would be eligible to receive funding upon entry into force ofthe Convention. There was general support for a cost-effective arrangement for thePermanent Secretariat that would encourage collaboration with other secretariats. Thequestion of the location of the Permanent Secretariat was not resolved, but it wasagreed that the Permanent Secretariat will start operating on 1 January 1996, and, inthe interest of continuity, will be organized along the same lines as the InterimSecretariat.

INC-10

The tenth session of the INC was held from 22 August - 2 September 1994, inGeneva. The Committee agreed on the mechanisms for the first review of informationcommunicated by Annex I Parties. Some countries expressed the need for a cautiousapproach to the review of the adequacy of commitments, since the scientific andtechnical assessments upon which existing commitments are based were essentiallyunchanged. Some countries also felt that the first meeting of the COP would be a goodoccasion to make progress on the elaboration of additional commitments. On the issueof joint implementation, comments were invited on: objectives, criteria and operationalguidelines, functions and institutional arrangements, and communication and reviewand early experiences.

On matters related to the financial mechanism, countries agreed to stage-by-stagefunding modality for adaptation measures. The temporary arrangements between theCommittee and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was also adopted. On agreedfull incremental costs, the Committee concluded that this issue was complex and thatfurther discussion was needed. Delegates also concluded that the concept should beflexible and applied on a case-by-case basis. The Interim Secretariat was requested toprepare a paper on transfer of technology and delegations were invited to submit theirviews on this issue. On the subject of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific andTechnological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI),the provisional recommendation to the COP is that the SBSTA will be the linkbetween the scientific and technical assessments and the information provided byinternational bodies and the policy-oriented needs of the COP. The SBI will developrecommendations to assist the COP in its assessment and review of the implementationof the Convention.

With regard to procedural and legal matters, the Committee decided to continue itsconsideration of the draft Rules of Procedure at its eleventh session. On institutionalmatters, a contact group composed of five members of the Bureau, one from each ofthe five regional groups, was established to consider the various offers of governmentsand UN agencies to host the Permanent Secretariat for the Convention and makerecommendations for the consideration of the Committee at its eleventh session.

Subsequent to INC-10, Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the Alliance of Small IslandStates (AOSIS), submitted a draft protocol to the Interim Secretariat. This protocol,which was distributed to other Parties, calls for a reduction of emissions of greenhousegases by "at least 20% by the year 2005."

INTERSESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The 49th session of the UN General Assembly considered the Framework Conventionon Climate Change from 19-21 October 1994. During the debate, the Chair of theINC/FCCC, Amb. Raúl Estrada-Oyuela (Argentina), noted that although much progresshas been made, additional measures may be needed. The participation of developingcountries in the Convention needs to be clearer " the only quantitative commitment isthat the developed countries must reduce emissions to 1990 levels.

In other statements, Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of the Caribbean Community,said industrialized countries should take significant steps to reduce emissions of carbondioxide and other greenhouse gases. These concerns are adequately addressed by theAOSIS draft protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that thedebate on the AOSIS draft protocol begin at INC-11, with its subsequent adoption atthe first COP. Austria, supported by New Zealand, stated that commitments must bestrengthened and that a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions after the year 2000 isnecessary to achieve the goals of the Convention.

Algeria, on behalf of the G-77, urged parties to the Convention not to go beyond theoriginal mandate. Distinct categories of parties should have distinct responsibilities andany attempt to undermine this principle through innovative concepts, such as jointimplementation, would have negative repercussions. China said that it did not approveof any attempt to make developing countries accept concrete restrictive targets throughamending the Convention or negotiating new protocols. India said there is still a lackof clarity on several concepts in the Convention, including full incremental costs, jointimplementation and transfer of technology. While India recognized the need to addressreduction of greenhouse gases beyond the year 2000, he did not believe that this is thetime to strengthen commitments, since INC negotiations on a new protocol coulddistract from establishing a fundamental basis to implement the existing Convention.

49TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The 49th session of the UN General Assembly considered the Framework Conventionon Climate Change from 19-21 October 1994. During the debate, the Chair of theINC/FCCC, Amb. Raúl Estrada-Oyuela (Argentina), noted that although much progresshas been made, additional measures may be needed. The participation of developingcountries in the Convention needs to be clearer " the only quantitative commitment isthat the developed countries must reduce emissions to 1990 levels.

In other statements, Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of the Caribbean Community,said industrialized countries should take significant steps to reduce emissions of carbondioxide and other greenhouse gases. These concerns are adequately addressed by theAOSIS draft protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that thedebate on the AOSIS draft protocol begin at INC-11, with its subsequent adoption atthe first COP. Austria, supported by New Zealand, stated that commitments must bestrengthened and that a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions after the year 2000 isnecessary to achieve the goals of the Convention.

Algeria, on behalf of the G-77, urged parties to the Convention not to go beyond theoriginal mandate. Distinct categories of parties should have distinct responsibilities andany attempt to undermine this principle through innovative concepts, such as jointimplementation, would have negative repercussions. China said that it did not approveof any attempt to make developing countries accept concrete restrictive targets throughamending the Convention or negotiating new protocols. India said there is still a lackof clarity on several concepts in the Convention, including full incremental costs, jointimplementation and transfer of technology. While India recognized the need to addressreduction of greenhouse gases beyond the year 2000, he did not believe that this is thetime to strengthen commitments, since INC negotiations on a new protocol coulddistract from establishing a fundamental basis to implement the existing Convention.

EXTENDED BUREAU MEETING

Members of the extended Bureau met the week before INC-11 to consult withinterested delegates from a number of countries on how to proceed with the 11thsession and prepare for the first meeting of the COP. The meeting, which addressedboth procedural and substantive matters, was intended to provide guidance to the Chairand the Co-Chairs of the working groups, as well as to the Interim Secretariat.

The following issues were discussed during the week-long meeting: the financialmechanism, especially maintenance of the interim arrangements; treatment of thecompilation and synthesis document for communications from developed Parties listedin Annex I; roles of subsidiary bodies; the review of the adequacy of commitments,including the treatment of protocol proposals and possible follow-up; criteria for jointimplementation; Rules of Procedure of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiarybodies; the Permanent Secretariat (including institutional linkages, financial proceduresand budget, and physical location); arrangements for the first session of the COP; andorganization of work at INC-11. With regard to the composition of the Bureau for theCOP, there is some agreement that it should have 15 members. With regard to AnnexI communications, questions were raised as to whether individual Parties" nationalcommunications should be referred to specifically in any synthesis or compilation orwhether the summary should refer to the collective results of national communications.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

PLENARY: INC-11 will open this morning at 10:00 am in ConferenceRoom 2. Delegates will first deal with organizational matters, including adoption ofthe agenda and organization of work, as contained in document A/AC.237/77. TheChair of the IPCC, Bert Bolin, and the Chair/CEO of the Global Environment Facility,Mohamed El-Ashry, are then expected to make statements. The Plenary is alsoexpected to get an update on the status of ratification of the Convention. The Plenarywill then adjourn to enable the working groups to begin their work.

WORKING GROUP I: Following the conclusion of the Plenary, WorkingGroup I will meet to adopt its organization of work and begin discussion of AgendaItem 7, Questions to the Chair of the IPCC, and Item 7(d), Methodological issues.

WORKING GROUP II: Following the conclusion of the Plenary, WorkingGroup II will meet to adopt its organization of work and begin discussion of AgendaItem 8, Questions to the Chair/CEO of the GEF, and Item 8(b), Maintenance ofinterim arrangements.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: There will be a roundtable on Central America"sexperiences with joint implementation today at 1:30 pm. The Climate Action Networkwill evaluate national communications today at 6:00 pm. The room numbers for bothof these meetings will be announced.