united nations framework convention on climate change Archives

Statement by UNFCCC Executive Secretary on crossing of 400 ppm CO2 Threshold

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

Press release from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Bonn, 13 May 2013): Reacting to the fact that the global concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last week passed the 400 parts per million mark, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres on Monday called for a greatly stepped-up response to climate change by…

Climate negotiations in Bonn end on a guardedly positive note

Climate Negotiations Wind Down in Bonn, Seek a More Flexible Approach on the Road to Paris and COP 21

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

The latest round of climate negotiations wound down last Friday in Bonn, Germany with most delegates from the nearly two hundred countries represented expressing guarded optimism that progress has been made toward laying the groundwork for an international agreement to be signed in 2015 at the COP 21 climate conference in Paris. In learning lessons from the past, especially with…

Scientists and organization from around the world warn that the door is quickly closely for the chance to avert a climate catastrophe

COP 18: Bridging the Gulf between Science and Reality

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 0 Comments

In theory the slew of recent climate studies should inspire the delegates that have assembled for the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18). In practice the 194 nations that are meeting in Doha, Qatar, are getting bogged down by the same old arguments. The consensus once again this year appears to be that nothing will be accomplished. The United Nations…

Video Friday: COP 18 Mid-Session Update

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

The UNFCC COP 18 climate conference winds down its first week in Doha, Qatar. The following two press briefings from UNFCC executive secretary Christiana Figueres outline the goals of the conference and the progress of the first week.

Developing Countries’ Climate Change Adaptation Costs May Double $100 Billion per Year by 2050

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Andrew Burger | 0 Comments

Global climate is on track for changes including a greater than 2°C rise in average temperature, and that’s going to result in adaptation costs for developing countries well above the World Bank’s 2°C estimate of $70 billion by 2020 and as much as $100 billion per year by 2050, according to a report produced by ActionAid, Care, GermanWatch and WWF, which in a report introduced at the Bonn Climate Change Conference urge government leaders to adopt a set of policies to scale up and accelerate climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Last Minute Save at COP17: Durban Delegates Set Path to 2020 Emissions Reduction Treaty, Green Climate Fund

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Andrew Burger | 6 Comments

It took three days of non-stop negotiating but UN climate change treaty delegates in Durban in the end managed to agree on the 3 major issues on the agenda. While there’s no shortage of criticism, the last-minute deal does pave the way for a legally binding UN emissions reduction treaty to go into effect in 2020, as well as setting up funding mechanisms and organizational structure for the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund.

Marathon Session at COP17 Produces the Durban Platform

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

Unwilling to allow the two-week negotiations at the COP17 climate conference in Durban, South Africa, a marathon session lasting 36 hours beyond the scheduled end of the talks, produced the “Durban Platform”. The document calls for all nations–developed and developing–to negotiate a treaty by 2015 to cut carbon emissions to go into effect by 2020. Nations still adhering to the…