UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan 2008
| UN Climate Change Conference 2008 | |
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Entrance area of the Poznan International Fair conference building
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| place | Poznan , Poland
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| date | 1st - 12th December 2008 |
| Attendees | Members of the UNFCCC |
| Website | Profile on unfccc.int |
The UN climate conference in Poznan took place from December 1st to 12th, 2008 in the Polish city of Poznan . It served the further negotiation of a successor regulation to the Kyoto Protocol , which should be finally decided in 2009. Around 11,000 delegates, experts, journalists and other interested parties from 187 countries attended the conference. The conference was the 14th meeting of the member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-14) and the fourth meeting of the signatory states of the Kyoto Protocol (MOP-4) since it came into force in 2005. The negotiator was the Polish Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki as host . The conference took place at the Poznan International Fair .
background
The Kyoto Protocol on climate protection adopted in 1997 expired in 2012. At the UN climate conference in Bali in December 2007, a schedule was set according to which a binding succession plan should be created. According to this schedule, the Kyoto successor should be finally decided at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, even if detailed regulations can be negotiated later. The conference in Poznan was an important preliminary meeting for this purpose, at which some fundamental questions were to be clarified and preparatory work to be done.
According to the Secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the following points were in the foreground in Poznan:
- the negotiation of a specific time and work plan for the final year of negotiations on the Kyoto successor;
- improving the implementation process of the Kyoto Protocol; The Secretariat mentioned in particular capacity building in developing countries, reduced deforestation , technology transfer and adaptation measures to climate change as individual points ;
- common understanding should be achieved and common positions should be further elaborated;
- the commitment and binding nature of the political climate protection process and the negotiated time frame should be strengthened.
Constraints
The Poznan conference was influenced by three political factors:
- Due to the financial crisis from 2007, climate protection moved into the background of economic interests in the months leading up to the Poznan conference. It was reported from emerging economies that the short-term solution to the financial crisis would have to be in the foreground and climate targets would therefore have to be scaled back. The German car lobby and Poland as hosts also argued for a more cautious climate policy due to the financial crisis. As a result, expectations of Poznan were dampened by the financial crisis.
- The USA, as the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases , has barely moved on the climate issue under the government of George Bush , which is close to the oil industry, and has refused to accept the Kyoto Protocol. In contrast , US President- elect Barack Obama has made the fight against climate change an important task, but has not yet taken part in Poznan because he took office in January 2009. Little progress was therefore to be expected from the USA in Poznan. However, in addition to representatives of Bush in Poznan, representatives of Obama also took part, so there was definitely optimism about more climate protection.
- For the first time since the meeting in Bali, the ministers came together on the climate issue, so that a political signal in the direction of climate protection appeared possible. For this reason, the conference in Poznan could be seen as setting the course for Copenhagen 2009.
Result
A simultaneous climate summit of the EU states in Brussels also failed to achieve a breakthrough. At the last minute, the result was watered down there due to Germany's pro-industry stance. Originally it was hoped that there would also be a sign of the results in Poznan. At the end of the Poznan conference, delegates from Western countries referred to progress in the negotiations. In contrast, environmental experts criticized the results as insufficient. Rich states would have made too few concessions.
Web links
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change : The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, 1–12 December 2008
- International Institute for Sustainable Development : Earth Negotiations Bulletin , daily reporting on the negotiations in Poznan and side events taking place
- Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety : From Bali via Poznan to Copenhagen - International climate negotiations under the umbrella of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of November 27, 2008
Individual evidence
- ^ A b UNFCCC: The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, 1–12 December 2008
- ↑ a b tagesschau.de: Before the UN climate summit in Poznan: Negotiations with Obama effect ( memento of December 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) of November 30, 2008
- ^ G. Monbiot: Germany: the new dirty man of Europe. Guardian December 12, 2008
- ^ R. Black: Mood mixed as climate summit ends. BBC News dated December 13, 2008