UNFCCC and COP are designed by the United Nations to coordinate the global response to climate change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a Treaty formulated by the United Nations (UN) and ratified by its member countries to organize the world’s response to what it saw as a global climate crisis. The Conference of the Parties (COP), is basically the annual conference of member countries of UNFCCC. It basically serves as the annual executive meeting of the UNFCCC.
The UNFCCC was ratified in 1992 and the rationale for its creation was the realization that human-created Greenhouse gases were warming the planet to the potential detriment of humanity and other living things. As stated in the written Text of the UNFCCCC Treaty, it was formed out of concern “that human activities have been substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, that these increases enhance the natural greenhouse effect, and that this will result on average in an additional warming of the earth’s surface and atmosphere and may adversely affect natural ecosystems and humankind.” And it argues also “that steps required to understand and address climate change will be environmentally, socially and economically most effective if they are based on relevant scientific, technical and economic considerations and continually re-evaluated in the light of new findings in these areas”.
It is clear from the convention Treaty that it believes global coordination is needed if the world is to achieve an acceptable level of greenhouse gas emission reduction. It argues that Developed Countries, the producers of most of the greenhouse gases, should urgently embark on reduction efforts, given that they have a bigger burden to act. The written text of the Treaty demonstrates concerns for Small Island Nations which are experiencing the biggest share of the climate impact, despite their low greenhouse gas emissions. Given Small Island Nations and other Developing Countries inability to sufficiently finance the climate adaptation and mitigation requirements of the UNFCCC treaty, the Treaty itself stipulates that Developed Countries are to give financial and other forms of assistance to Developing Countries.
UNFCCC implores its members to “promote sustainable development. Policies and measures to protect the climate system against human-induced change should be appropriate for the specific conditions of each party [each country] and be integrated with national development programmes.” It also calls for a unity of purpose among countries, it says countries should “promote and cooperate, in the development, application and diffusion, including transfer, of technologies, practices and processes that control, reduce or prevent anthropogenic [or human caused] emissions of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol in all relevant sectors, including the energy, transport, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste management sectors.” In 1987 the Montreal Protocol, signed by all members of the UN banned manufacturing of substances that deplete the earth’s ozone layer. The convention Treaty wants the UNFCCC to now focus exclusively on climate change and greenhouse gas elimination.
The convention asks countries to commit themselves to progress assessment, it says each should “identify and periodically review its own policies and practices which encourage activities that lead to greater levels of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol than would otherwise occur.” The convention asks countries to engage in “research and systematic observation” and engage in “education, training and public awareness.”
In the UNFCCC Treaty it was declared that “a Conference of the Parties is hereby established,” signaling the birth of COP. It says “the Conference of the Parties as the supreme body of this convention shall keep under regular review the implementation of the convention and any related legal instruments that the Conference of the Parties may adopt.” The COP21 conference in Paris in 2015, and the resulting agreement, now known as the ‘Paris Agreement’, has now been ratified by most UN member countries. The UNFCCC was merely a framework conference that sought the consent of countries regarding the UN’s intended policy responses to climate change, basically serving as the prelude to the Paris Agreement which has become the legally binding manifestation of those policies. The Paris Agreement is discussed more fully elsewhere.
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