The role of climate conferences: successes and failures
The role of climate conferences: successes and failures
In the middle of the growing concern about climate change and its countless effects, the role of climate conferences has established itself as an important platform for scientific discussions, political negotiations and the setting of action plans to combat global warming. Over the years, both remarkable successes have been achieved at these conferences and accepted bitter failures. This article will discuss the role of climate conferences and their key successes and successes in order to give a comprehensive picture of the extent to which they have promoted or inhibited the fight against climate change.
History of climate conferences
The history of climate conferences began in the 1970s when scientists started to recognize global warming and the greenhouse effect as a serious threat to the global ecosystem. The first international conference on the effects of climate change took place in Geneva in 1979 and laid the foundation for later global meetings.
from the first UN climate conference to found the IPCC
The first UN climate conference (i.e. Uncc: United Nations Climate Change Conference) was held in German Berlin in 1995. There was the "Berlin mandate", which emphasized the need to conduct continuous negotiations to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Two years later, in 1997, this negotiations led to signing the Kyoto protocol, named after the Japanese city in which the conference took place.
The year 1988 was also remarkable, which is considered the year of birth of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This committee initiated by the UN has the task of evaluating the current state of science on climate change and developing the effects and risks, as well as possible adjustment and reduction strategies.
key success of the climate conferences
Climate conferences have contributed to raising awareness of the need for measures to combat climate change and have produced some important international agreements.
The Kyoto Protocol
One of the greatest successes in the history of climate conferences was the Kyoto protocol, which was adopted in 1997. It was the first international agreement to define legally binding goals for emission reduction for the industrialized countries. By 2020 you should reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% compared to the 1990 values.
The Paris agreement
The next important result was the Paris agreement, which was adopted in 2015 at the 21st UN climate conference (COP21). The goal is to limit global warming to well below 2 ° C, if possible to 1.5 ° C, compared to the pre -industrial age. It was signed by 195 countries and integrates both industrial and developing countries.
failures and challenges of climate conferences
Despite the successes mentioned, climate conferences have not remained without considerable challenges and failures.
Inconsistent participation and commitment
A key problem is the inconsistent participation and the commitment of key players. For example, the government of Donald Trump announced in 2017 that the United States - one of the world's largest issuers of greenhouse gases - would leave the Paris agreement.
lack of liability
Another problem is the lack of liability for many agreements. The Paris agreement, although a key success, largely relies on voluntary contributions from the countries to reduce their emissions, which could restrict the effectiveness of the agreement.
Fazit
Climate conferences play a crucial role in promoting global dialogue and setting the agenda for measures against climate change. They have produced some remarkable achievements, such as the Kyoto protocol and the Paris agreement. However, despite these successes, there are still considerable challenges, such as the inconsistent participation of key countries and a lack of binding of the agreements. These problems must be addressed in future climate conferences in order to achieve a stronger and more effective consensus in the fight against climate change.