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Climate Change: Impacts and Responses Topic 9: Climate Change Policy and Regulation

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Introduction Policy instruments International climate change agreements Recent negotiations and developments Topic outline Image: UN Photo, Frank Leather

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Learning outcomes for this topic Describe a variety of policy instruments for enabling globally equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation Describe the operations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto protocol Explain the steps forward that have been made by the UNFCC Give an account of the problems and barriers that have been encountered Discuss recent developments in climate change negotiations

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Section 1: Introduction

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Why do we need global policy frameworks? Key features of global climate change policy Outline: Introduction

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Why do we need a global policy framework? Opening of the UN climate change conference in Durban (COP 17) Image: UN Photo, Jan Golinski

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Key features of global climate change policy United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, negotiated in Rio 1992 Three key principles: Equity and common but differentiated responsibilities The precautionary principle Sustainable development

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Section 2: Types of policy instruments

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Regulations and standards Taxes and charges Tradable permits Voluntary agreements Subsidies and financial incentives Research and development programmes Information instruments Outline: Types of policy instruments

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Regulations and standards Technology standards specify methods of production or methods for pollution abatement Performance standards specify environmental outcomes, but polluting firms have greater choice about how to reach them. Image: UN photo, Rick Bajornas

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Emissions taxes, charges or fees are paid by emitters per unit of emissions. Schemes can be effective but do not ensure a particular emissions level is reached. Taxes and charges Image: UN photo, Kibae Park

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Tradable permits Image: www.economist.com

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Agreements negotiated between governments and groups of companies Preferred by companies as they enable leadership on decisions around emission reduction strategies Voluntary agreements

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Subsidies and financial incentives Politically popular Widely used by governments around the world to support national industries Fossil fuel industries continue to be highly subsidized Renewable energy subsidies can help a market get established Subsidies should eventually be phased out Image: UN photo, Pasqual Gorriz

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Research and development programmes

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Product labelling Disclosure programmes Public awareness campaigns Information instruments Image : Iyzadanger and Diliff

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Environmental effectiveness Cost-effectiveness Distributional considerations Institutional feasibility How effective are policy instruments?

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Section 3: International climate change agreements

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The landscape of climate agreements and institutions What is the UNFCCC and who is included? A brief history leading up to the UNFCCC How does the UNFCCC operate? What is the Kyoto Protocol? Parties to the Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms Successes and failures Outline: International climate change agreements

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The landscape of climate agreements and institutions IPCC AR5 WGIII, 2014; Fig 13.1

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Aims to: stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner - Article 2, UNFCCC The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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1972 UNEP 1979 1 st World Climate Conference 1988 IPCC 1990 IPCC 1 st Assessment Report 1991 International Negotiating Committee May 1992 INC adopts the UNFCCC text June 1992 Rio Earth Summit: UNFCCC opened for signature 1994 UNFCCC entered into force 1995 1 st Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the UNFCCC A brief history leading up to the UNFCCC

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The Conference of the Parties (COP) supreme decision making body Parties: Annex I industrialised countries and countries with economies in transition) Annex II as Annex I, but excluding countries with economies in transition Non-Annex I mostly developing countries Other bodies to support the UNFCCC have been set up Operations of the UNFCCC

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Opening of COP 3, Kyoto, Japan, 1997 The Kyoto Protocol UN Image Frank Leather

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Parties to the Kyoto Protocol Signatories of the Kyoto Protocol Image: L. Tak

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Emissions Trading trading emissions permits to meet targets Joint Implementation investing in emission reduction projects in other Annex I countries Clean Development investing in emission reduction projects in developing countries The mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol

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Australian Prime Minister Ratifies the Kyoto Protocol in 2007 How successful has the Kyoto Protocol been? UN Image: Evan Schneider

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Section 4: Recent negotiations and developments

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Bali Road Map COP Copenhagen Cancun agreements Durban outcomes Doha climate gateway The future: COP 2015 Paris Outline: Recent negotiations and developments

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COP 13 - Bali Road Map, Indonesia (2007) Ambitious plan for a new global climate deal is launched Image: UN Photo, Evan Schneider

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COP15 - Copenhagen, Denmark (2009) Hopes for a new climate deal were dashed at Copenhagen Image: UN photo, Mark Garten

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COP 16 - Cancun agreements, Mexico (2010) Expectations were reduced and some progress was made Image: UN Photo, Paulo Filgueiras

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COP17 - Durban outcomes, South Africa (2011) New global deal to be ready by 2015, to come into force in 2020 Image: UN photo, Mark Garten

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COP18 0 Doha Climate Gateway, Qatar (2012) Kyoto Protocol extended Image: UN photo, Mark Garten

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The future: COP21 Paris, France (2015) Image: F. de la Mure/ MAE

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Common but differentiated responsibility Types of policy instruments The UNFCCC The Kyoto Protocol Recent negotiations and progress in reaching a global climate change deal Summary

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IPCC (2014). Summary for Policymakers In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlmer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. IPCC (2007). Summary for Policymakers In: Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [B. Metz, O.R. Davidson, P.R. Bosch, R. Dave, L.A. Meyer (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Metz B. (2010). Controlling Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. (2007) The Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms: International Emissions Trading, Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation. Available at: Http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/publications/mechanisms.pdf http://unfccc.int/2860.php https://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf References

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Image: UN Photo, Jan Golinski Thank you! Youve reached the end of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses