The International Climate Treaty Negotiations
Global warming is a worldwide problem, so we need international agreements to reduce global emissions.
In 1992, countries from around the world, including the United States, signed the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—an international agreement to address the issue of global warming. Under the UNFCCC, governments formally share information about global warming emissions and programs to reduce those levels.
However, the UNFCCC only encouraged reductions in global warming emissions, it does not require them. So, in 1997, at a meeting in Kyoto, Japan, the UNFCCC was strengthened by an amendment that set legally binding targets and timelines for reducing global warming pollution from developed nations. The "Kyoto Protocol" entered into force in 2005 and has been ratified by all major industrialized countries—except the United States.
The Kyoto Protocol’s first round of emission reductions expire in 2012. Therefore, a new framework of deeper emission reductions needs to be developed and approved – and this time the United States needs to be involved.
When is the next Conference of Parties (COP)?
Starting in late 2001, negotiators, ministers, and officials from around the world gathered in Durban, South Africa for two weeks, for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC. The goal of this meeting will be to continue to determine the next steps in addressing climate change internationally after the Kyoto Protocol’s first reduction period ends in 2012.
COP is the highest body of the UNFCCC and consists of environment ministers who meet every winter to discuss developments in the Convention. During these negotiation sessions, delegates will work together to try to create text that all parties could agree upon. The U.S. delegation of negotiators will consist primarily of State Department experts but also will include relevant staff from other federal agencies.
Click here to learn about the 2009 COP in Copehnagen, Denmark.
Click here to learn about the 2010 COP in Cancun, Mexico.
What is being negotiated?
The four essentials that must be negotiated for an effective international agreement are:
- The amount that industrialized countries will reduce their global warming pollution.
- The actions that major developing countries such as China and India will take to limit the growth of global warming pollution.
- Funding to help developing countries engage in reducing their global warming pollution and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
- Management of the funds.
The continuing negotiations towards a treaty provide the United States with an excellent opportunity for world leadership on clean technology, energy conservation, and global security. Moreover, international cooperation towards addressing climate change will provide additional opportunities for U.S. businesses that are focused on clean technology to thrive from exports.
