Background

The ultimate objective of the Convention is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Accordingly, under Article 4.1(b) of the Convention, all Parties are required to undertake efforts to mitigate climate change.

Following consideration of the Third Assessment Report of the IPCC, the COP, by its decision 10/CP.9, requested the SBSTA to initiate work on two new agenda items:

• scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change; and
• scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of mitigation.

This work is to focus on exchanging information and sharing experiences and views among Parties on practical opportunities and solutions to facilitate the implementation of the Convention.

The SBSTA, at its twenty-eight session, recognized that mitigation is currently being addressed under the work and negotiations under the Bali Action Plan ( Decision 1/CP.13) towards a post-2012 climate change agreement.

Parties agreed that further work on mitigation in needed, but that duplication of work between the different bodies and processes under the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol should be avoided. Parties also agreed that further work should take into account the best available scientific information on mitigation, particularly that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).   

The SBSTA, at its twenty-eight session, agreed to continue work on mitigation at its thirty-second session (May–June 2010) (FCCC/SBSTA/2008/6 paras. 137-140).

The SBSTA, at its eighteenth session, requested the secretariat to organize a pre-sessional consultation before its nineteenth session to provide information and share experiences to facilitate the development of these two new agenda items.

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