International Climate Policy
Chronology
1979
The first World Climate Conference in Geneva is recognized as the birth of the new climatology.
1988
During the Toronto conference, preparation of an international convention and a reduction of global CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2005 were recommended. Furthermore, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was established by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in cooperation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in 1988. The IPCC is the scientific cornerstone of climate policy
1990
The IPCC presented the first IPCC Assessment Report during the second World Climate Conference in Geneva. In the course of this conference, agreement was reached at the highest political level to start negotiations on a set of agreements pursuant to international law on climate protection.
1992
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed by 154 states at the UN Conference for Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Its major objective is the stabilisation of the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level at which dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climatic system (greenhouse effect) is avoided and ecosystems are allowed to adapt to climate change.
1994
The Framework Convention on Climate Change came into force.
The Conference Of the Parties (COP) is the highest body of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which monitors and supervises the implementation of the convention and the steps necessary for realising convention objectives.
1995
The main task of the first Conference of the Parties in Berlin (COP 1) was the verification of the commitments of the Annex I countries pursuant to which these countries should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2000 to the level of the year 1990. Further, agreement was reached to the effect that new commitments for the developed countries would be necessary for the period after the year 2000. The demand for new commitments was defined in the 'Berlin Mandate' and an Ad hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate' (AGBM) was established which was to prepare a protocol containing particular commitments. This process resulted in the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
1997
The Kyoto Protocol (KP) was concluded at the third Conference of the Parties in 1997, and specified qualified limit and reduction targets for emissions of six greenhouse gases in comparison to 1990 for the period from 2008 to 2012 for the developed countries. Introduction of the Flexible Mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol.
2001
Marrakech Accords: at the seventh Conference of the Parties, following four years of negotiations, a detailed set of regulations (Marrakech Accords) were passed, necessary for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
2002
At COP 8 in New Delhi, the Executive Board was reaffirmed in its functional operation.
2004
First CDM Project registered.
2005
Kyoto Protocol enters into force on 16 February 2005. At COP/MOP 1 (COP 11) in Montreal, the JI Supervisory Committee was elected.
2007
At the Climate Conference in Bali a Roadmap for the future climate protection regime was fixed.
2008
On January 1st, emission reduction units from the first JI project became operative.
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