THE BULLETIN OF THE GLOBAL CLIMATE COALITION Volume 1 Issue 6 May 993 Executive Director '3 Column KEEPING SCORE By ver the last three years we have wit- nessed a tremendous increase in activity surrounding the climate change debate. Almost unnoticed are at least 18 major UN. agencies or their working groups that have been established to deal with or emphasize potential climate change. In addition, a ?urry of activity fol- lowed last year? 5 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (the ?Rio Summit?). At least four major worldwide private sector ups, or NGOs as they are called (for ?non- vemmental organizations?), have been organizing to engage the UN. bodies and track their activities, initiatives and progress. Interest in the climate issue is accelerat- ing, fueled by the public and policy discus- sions taking place throughout the world. The first truly public discussions began in mid-1988 with the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by the World Meteorological Organi- zation and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Maurice Strong, who organized the Rio Summit, was also instru- mental in establishing UNEP in 1972. The IPCC was established ?to address the issue of climate change, its environmental, economic and social impacts and possible national and international responses to such changes." Soon after the IPCC was set up, 154 nations organized as the Intergovern- mental Negotiating Committee (INC) to negotiate a treaty on climate change. Within 15 months after its initial session in Chantilly, Virginia (February 1991), the INC had a treaty, the Framework Convention on Cli- mate Change, ready to be signed at the Rio Summit. Once the treaty is rati?ed by 50 countries (perhaps later this year), the INC 'll become a permanent institution dedicat- to the implementation of treaty objectives. The World Bank is involved as well, administering the primary international funding mechanism called the Global Envi- ronment Facility (GEF). With its initial allo- GEF will fund projects that encourage tech- 5 nology transfer and cooperation and other mitigation measures. In the wake of the Rio Summit, the UN. General Assembly formally established the Commission on Sustainable Development. With 53 member states, the commission will also review how well each country complies with the Framework Convention. A relative- ly new group of international legislators and parliamentarians, the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) has been busy encouraging a num- ber of international trade groups to focus on climate, environmental and trade issues. GLOBE was successful in getting the Gener- al Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to revive its working group on environment and trade after 20 years of inactivity. The Organiza- tion for Economic Cooperation and Devel- opment is also responding to the ?green? agenda by establishing a working group on environment and trade. A number of non-govemmental groups also are forming around the issue. The Earth Council, based in Costa Rica, is to serve as a ?global ombudsman on environmental mat- ters." At the council?s ?rst major meeting this March, Council Chairman Maurice Strong said that the Earth Council will work with the Commission on Sustainable Development and the scores of non-governmental organi- zations that are concerned with the environ? ment and development. Mr. Strong also will co-chair another new private sector group, the Sustainable Development Task Force. A part of the Rome?based Society for Interna- tional Development, the task force wants to push governments to act more swiftly in the areas of technology cooperation and ?nance from the ?enterprise sector? perspective. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gor- bachev recently agreed to lead a new envi- ronmental organization, the lntemational Green Cross. Announced at an April meet- ing of GLOBE, the group will aim to mitigate and prevent environmental disasters world- wide and convene environmentaliss from around the world to develop a global envi- ronmental policy. Mr. Gorbachev has already begun fundraising effort in the West. This issue of Climate Watch attempts to summarize the various major organizations tracking the climate issue. These brief descriptions, along with the diagram on pages two and three will give readers a bet- ter understanding of the scope of the activity and interrelationships of these groups. INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC) he IPCC was established in 1988 in conjunction with the World Meteo- rological Organization and the Unit- ed Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to provide a focal point for research and information on potential climate change. The Geneva-based panel issued its ?rst ?scienti?c assessment? in 1990. This initial attempt to summarize the state of the science on climate change was updated in a 1992 supplemental report. The IPCC intends to provide its next climate assess- ment (on potential warming) by mid-1995. Headed by its original chairman, Dr. Bert Bolin, the organization gained ?new life" after the adoption of the Framework Con- vention in May 1992, and it certainly will be active for several years to come. Three working groups, which meet inde- pendently throughout the world, have Group One is responsible for assessing available scienti?c information about cli- mate change induced by human activity. Working Group Two is responsible for evaluating available scienti?c, technical, environmental, social and economic infor- mation regarding the impacts of climate change and potential responses to adapt to or mitigate it. Working Group Three is responsible for dealing with cross-cutting issues, including the development of a range of scenarios for future emissions, a technical assessment of the socio-econom- ics of climate change impacts, and adapta- tion to and mitigation of climate change in the short and long term. The IPCC is an important body that will continue to advise U.N. climate negotiators. Its scien- ti?c assessments and other activities will play a central role in the ongoing climate cation of $1.3 billion already committed, the been set up within the IPCC. Working change debate . INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE (INC) hortly after the establishment of the IPCC, 154 nations sat down to deter- inewhetheromottheycould nego- tiate a treaty on climate change. They organized as the Intergovernmental Negoti- ating Committee (INC) on Climate Change and subsequently held ?ve sessions in Chantilly. Geneva, Nairobi, and two in New York. In just 15 months alter the initial ses- . sion in Chantilly, Virginia, in February 1991, these nations agreed to a new treaty which was hailed by some observers as a truly rev- olutionary way to deal with issues such as the envrronment, energy and technology The treaty?s objective is to ?stabilize greenhouse gas concentrators In the atmos- INTERN ATION A1, 511 RI T: ?l phere at a level that woukl prevent danger- ous anthropogenic lman-madel interleienc With the climate system." The treatv takes a ?exible approach, stipulating that this "lev- el' should be 'achieved wrthin a time frame suf?cient to enable economic dwelotxnent to proceed within a sustainable manner Toward this end the treaty established a framework for addressing climate change issues "with differentiated obligations among developed countries, developing countries and least developed countnes.? it also corn- mits all panies 'to formulate. implement and I publish national or regional programs to mit- igate climate changes.? Developed countries must report on national policies and measures adopted to potentially will impact net The treaty does not set a legally binding level of emrssions reduction as a target, but it does state the 'aim of returning these to 1 their 1990teveisf Til-caywasrur?edby the United States in September l9?)2, the ?rst industrialirecl nation to do so. The INC Will continue to meet as a body as it has twic already since its adoption, id design a lrameworli tor a lull-blown, lree. standing institution (referred to as the Con- ference of the Parties) that will have a per- manent staff and an mgoing relationship with the UN. This will take place after 50 I countries haw rati?ed the treaty, which coukl he as early as the latter part of this year or early While waiting for rati?- cation of the treaty, the INC will continue to I working groups. Working Group One is responsible for treaty implementation, including commitments and national plans. . Working Group Two is responsible lor rules i of procedure, coordination of the science and oversight of the ?nancing mechanism I currently embodied in the Global Environ: I ment Farility (see description). 1 While the treaty provides a for 7 building many new to continue to work on the worldwide reduction of greenhouse gases, there is always the possi- bility that INC members could decide to iate separate protocols tor 'mini- aties'i on speci?c issues such as target; and timetables, emissions trading schemes. or data collection. 0 UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVEIDPMENT (CSD) Unind Naions Conference on Environrrierit and (UNCED). which was held in Riode hneiro, Brazil, in lune 1992 ml! chalredby mm spawned many ?i l\l\li organizations and activities. Themost tainableDevelopmenth SD). which was for- mally established by the UN. General Madeupofrep- mm and by UN articles in keeping their corn- mi'trrients to the accords reached at UNCED, Sustainable Development ot'the U.N., which will, sidedtheUN. Thenewdepartmentis directxoftheUNCEDmeetfng. mmwwumm in lune. iiti It locus will he to provrde a forum in 'Northem' (prrmanlv developed nations) and 'Southem" iprimanly developing nations) country Writs will he held ac countable for their efforts to promote surr tainability. Another result of the formation of the will be a strengthening of the role of N005 (mo-governmental cxgani- zations) in the process since they are expected to play a signi?cant role in the tie ation and future direction of the commis- sion. It is Interesting to note that last year some members of Congress were consider- ing a Similar U.S commission, and several gram have sumsted this same concept to the new . 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