What Happened to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

United States ratification of the 1992 UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was accompanied by the expectation that all developed countries would sign onto the co-caled Kyoto Protocol--an international agreement linked to the UNFCCC that sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.

But in 2001 the George W. Bush Administration’s decided to abandon the Kyoto Protocol process. This left some committees in both houses of Congress (Sens. McCain, Kerrey, and Kennedy, Lieberman and Rep. Waxman and Markey) on their own to promote legislation. .

As candidates, then Sens. Obama and Biden outlined several climate change initiatives in a “New Energy for America” plan, highlighted by a pledge to “implement an economy-wide cap and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.” They also promised to “re-engage” the UNFCCC (with a Conference of Parties to meet in Copenhagen in December 2009 to negotiate a post-Kyoto program),

By the 2009 negotiations at Copenhagen, showed that China and India were in the driver seat, because the USA has squandered its influence by falling deeply in debt and over-committed overseas. The US emissions reduction target for 2020, from a baseline of 2005, is about 17%, in conformity with anticipated U.S. energy and climate legislation, recognizing that the final target will be reported to the Secretariat in light of enacted legislation. [Note: The pathway set forth in pending legislation would entail a 30% reduction in 2025 and a 42% reduction in 2030, in line with the goal to reduce emissions 83% by 2050.]31

For a developing country like China, the goal is to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45% by 2020 compared to the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15% by 2020 and increase forest coverage by 40 million hectares and forest stock volume by 1.3 billion cubic meters by 2020 from the 2005 levels. [China’s submission adds:]

Meanwhile widespread Congressional opposition arose over the cost of the cap-and trade program, among other things. They have prevented meaningful action.

But global warming is an increasingly obvious fact to the rest of us.

Ace