The Cancun Agreements
An assessment by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
key steps of the United Nations Climate Change Conference
What Governments
will do in 2011 It is also important to keep in mind that, as UN analysis shows, the emission reduction targets and actions announced in Cancun, although they are the most ambitious global effort to date, are inadequate in the longer term to keep the world under the agreed maximum global temperature rise of two degrees. It is therefore essential to keep raising the global level of ambition to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, if the agreed goal of limiting the temperature rise is to be achieved successfully over time.
To this end, in Cancun, Governments agreed to continue work on identifying a goal for substantially reducing global emissions by 2050. They also agreed to work towards identifying a time frame for the peaking of global emissions. Both are important to keep the world on a viable timetable to address climate change. The first review of progress to identify whether the world is meeting the necessary timetable, or whether it will require stronger action, will start in 2013 and be completed by 2015. The review will be based on the latest scientific information and on progress made in combatting climate change.
Parties meeting under the Kyoto Protocol agreed to continue negotiations in 2011. The Protocol is the existing international agreement that commits industrialized countries to reduce emissions under a framework of commitment, transparency and compliance.
The Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period, the time period in which industrialized countries made specific commitments to reduce emissions, runs to the end of 2012. The overall aim of Governments is to complete their work and ensure no gap in effort between the end of the first commitment period and a second commitment period under the treaty, which is yet to be agreed.
Governments will have the opportunity to capture further progress this year and make further decisions on all these aspects at the end of 2011, at the next Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. Following is a more detailed overview of what Cancun agreed, as well as the key work on each issue that will be done going forward.
Parties meeting under the Kyoto Protocol agreed to continue negotiations. The Protocol’s first commitment period ends in 2012.
February 2011
21
21-02-2011
Parties submitted to the secretariat by 21 February 2011 their views on the composition of, and modalities and procedures for, the Adaptation Committee, including on proposed linkages with other relevant institutional arrangements.
March 2011
28
28-03-2011
Parties submitted to the secretariat by 28 March 2011 their views on guidelines for strengthened reporting. Industrialized countries will boost the regular reporting of progress towards economy-wide emission reduction targets by submitting detailed annual inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and by reporting on progress in emission reductions every two years.
Developing countries will also increase reporting of progress towards their mitigation objectives, although in a differentiated way to that of industrialized countries. A process of international consultation and analysis of these biennial reports will be established.
Parties submitted to the secretariat by 28 March 2011 their views on guidelines for matching actions and support, reporting, international consultation and analysis, as well as for measurement, reporting and verification.
April 2011
28
28-04-2011
The first meeting of the Transitional Committee took place from 28-29 April 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico.
In order to scale up the provision of long-term financing for developing countries, Governments at COP 16 in Cancun decided to establish a Green Climate Fund. A Transitional Committee of forty members, selected by Parties to the UNFCCC, will design the details of the new fund.
May 2011
01
01-05-2011
Developed country Parties are invited to submit to the secretariat by 1 May 2011 information on the provision of new and additional resources approaching USD 30 billion for the period 2010-2012, including ways in which developing country Parties can access these resources.
July 2011
14
14-07-2011
The second meeting of the Transitional Committee for the design of the Green Climate Fund, held from 13-14 July in Tokyo, Japan, concluded with an agreed work plan.
September 2011
03
03-09-2011
The first meeting of the Technology Executive Committee, held from 1-3 September in Bonn, Germany, made important progress.
The Technology Executive Committee (TEC) is the policy component of the Technology Mechanism. The TEC has a central role in further strengthening international strategies to support technology cooperation, and to catalyze the adoption of policies at the national level to support technology deployment.
11
11-09-2011
The third meeting of the Transitional Committee for the design of the Green Climate Fund took place from 11-13 September 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland, with solid progress made on the design of the Fund.
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