Year |
Milestone |
1979
|
1st
World Climate Conference
- Climate as a vital natural resource
- Live in harmony with nature
- Governments should ‘foresee and prevent potential man-made changes in climate that
might be adverse to the well-being of humanity’ |
| 1987 |
Brundtland
Commission Report
- Need to adopt a sustainable development path that would help
meet present needs while leaving enough resources to meet future needs.
Precedent set by successful negotiation of Montreal Protocol |
| 1988 |
WMO and UNEP
establish IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) |
| 1989 |
UN General
Assembly Resolution calls for global summit on environment and
development issues |
| 1990
|
First
Assessment Report of IPCC publised
UN General Assembly resolution establishes INC (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee)
to draft a framework convention |
| February 1991
to May 1992 |
Representatives
of 160 nations negotiate key issues
- Commitments to emission targets
- Provisions for technology transfer and financial resources to developing countries |
| May 1992 |
INC
adopts UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) |
| June 1992 |
UNFCCC opened
for signature at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio
Earth Summit) |
| 21
March 1994 |
UNFCCC comes into force on 21 March 1994
(ratified by 186 countries as of July 2002)
- No legally binding targets (Annex I countries to return to 1990 levels by the end of the
decade)
- Submit National Communications |
| April 1995 |
First
Conference of Parties (COP-1) in Berlin adopts the Berlin Mandate.
New round of negotiations launched on a 'protocol or other legal instrument'
- No new commitments for non-Annex I countries
- Introduction of Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) - voluntary cooperative
GHG-mitigation projects |
| December 1995 |
IPCC
approves its Second Assessment Report. Its findings underline the need for strong
policy action.
- The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human
influence on global climate
- Significant 'no regrets' opportunities available
- Potential risk of damage sufficient to justify action beyond 'no regrets' |
| July 1996 |
COP-2
in Geneva takes note of the Geneva Ministerial Declaration, which acts as
a further impetus to the on-going negotiations
- Scientific research provides basis for urgently strengthening action
- World faces significant, often adverse impacts from climate change
- Legally-binding significant overall reductions in GHG emissions to be negotiated by the
next COP |
| December 1997 |
COP-3 meeting
in Kyoto adopts the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change |
| March 1998 |
Kyoto
Protocol opened for signature at UN headquarters in New York.
Over a one-year period, it receives 84 signatures |
| November 1998 |
COP-4
meeting in Buenos Aires adopts the Buenos Aires Plan of Action setting
out a programme of work on the operational details of the Kyoto Protocol and the
implementation of the Convention. COP-6 set as deadline for adopting many important
decisions |
| November 1999 |
COP-5
in Bonn sets an aggressive timetable to achieve measurable progress by COP-6 on the entry
into force of the Kyoto Protocol |
| November 2000 |
COP-6
meets in The Hague, but fails to agree on a package of decisions under the Buenos Aires
Plan of Action |
| July 2001 |
COP-6
part II (or COP-6b) resumes in Bonn. Parties adopt the Bonn Agreements,
registering political consensus on key issues under the Buenos Aires Plan of Action. They
also complete work on a series of detailed decisions, but some remain outstanding |
| October/November
2001 |
COP-7
in Marrakesh finalizes and formally adopts COP-6b decisions as the Marrakesh
Accords |
| October/November
2002 |
COP-8
to be held in New Delhi |
