After several years of preparation, the first congress of the parties took place in Berlin, determining the format for the police officers to come. It quickly became clear that countries needed a way to implement the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – to avoid dangerous anthropogenic intervention in the climate system – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Delegates Attend Rio-92 Earth Summit Opening Session June 12, 1992. Photo: Daniel García / AFP / Getty Images For the first time, the goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: the goal was to reduce them by about 5%, compared to 1990 levels, by 2012, with all developed countries meeting national targets, while developing countries countries were able to continue increasing their emissions. But the US Congress would not ratify the treaty, which meant that the protocol could not be implemented. The cops continued every year, but did not seem to escape the central political impasse. Carbon emissions have continued to rise for the past 30 years since the Earth summit in Rio – chart And then the Kyoto Protocol was saved from the pile of history by an unexpected source – Russia. He wanted to join the World Trade Organization and offered to ratify the protocol as an advance. Russia’s decision in October 2004 brought the protocol into legal force. But as the US remains opposed to the protocol, it could have a limited impact. Eventually, most countries met the strict terms of their Kyoto commitments, but this had little effect on global emissions as China and the US continued to increase coal production during the 2000s, with China surpassing the US. as the largest source of emissions. Kevin Conrad. Photo: Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images With the Kyoto Protocol in place, but largely toothless, the UN realized it needed to find a new way forward. And so Yvo de Boer, who was appointed executive secretary of the UNFCCC in 2006, proposed a roadmap that would lead to the replacement or successor to the Kyoto Protocol involving all countries. The hesitant and tough meeting continued well after Friday’s deadline for the end of the talks, as the US delegation – constantly on the line to White House George W. Bush – refused to agree to anything. Finally, as the representatives of the developing countries became more and more angry, one took the floor. Kevin Conrad, from Papua New Guinea, told the United States: “We are asking for your leadership, we are seeking your leadership, but if you are not willing to lead, please leave.” With that, the US finally agreed to sign the Bali roadmap, with the ultimate goal of an emissions deal to be signed by the end of 2009. In Copenhagen there were high hopes that an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol could be signed by all developed and developing countries. But as the conference approached, it became clear that a fully-fledged new treaty was not about to happen, and officials sought to soften expectations in recent months by making it clear that Copenhagen would produce only one “political statement.” A scientist standing in front of a globe delivers a speech at Cop in Copenhagen, December 15, 2009. Photo: Axel Schmidt / AFP / Getty Images In this case, even this proved to be almost impossible to achieve. The Danes lost control of the UNFCCC’s complicated procedures, and China was reluctant to sign any agreement implying it would reduce its emissions. The world leaders who attended the last day of the conference welcomed scenes of chaos. Barack Obama and other leaders finally managed to sign all the world’s major emitters, including China, to agree on greenhouse gas emission targets for 2020. But this achievement – which marked the first time that developed and developing countries agreed to jointly take responsibility for reducing greenhouse gases – largely ignored by the rest of the world, who saw only discord and frustration. In Cancun, the political declaration reached in Copenhagen finally took legal form, with a series of police decisions within the UNFCCC. The Cancun Agreements formalize the national goals of all countries by 2020. The failure to draft a new protocol or legally binding treaty in Copenhagen has revealed the fragility of the UN process. Fortunately, the then EU climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, had a plan to persuade the countries to agree on a roadmap for a new treaty – the plan that eventually led to the Paris agreement. EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard in 2012. Photo: John Thys / AFP / Getty Images The EU faced opposition from China and India, and the talks lasted well after Friday’s deadline. But the EU did not succumb, and instead rallied a coalition of developed and developing countries. Isolated, China and India retreated and the world began its journey to Paris. The French were determined to avoid Copenhagen’s mistakes and spent the year before the conference engaged in non-stop “360-degree diplomacy”. World leaders flew in early to instruct their groups on how to reach an agreement, and some of the most thorny issues were resolved – the $ 100 billion promise to poor countries in Copenhagen was confirmed, national emission cut targets were set. no -The binding annex of the legally binding treaty and the question of whether a temperature limit of 1.5 or 2 C will be set has been resolved to include both. Visual installation at the Eiffel Round in Paris by artist Yann Toma Drawing attention to man-made power, December 2015. Photo: Ian Langsdon / EPA The final agreement marked the first time the countries had set a global limit on the temperatures they had all pledged to adhere to. Extinction Rebellion activists are holding a funeral for Cop26 on November 13, 2021 in Glasgow. Photo: Peter Summers / Getty Images Delayed by a year due to the Covid pandemic, Cop26 would always be a critical officer. The national commitments, known as NDCs, that the countries brought to the Paris Agreement were insufficient to keep the world at 2 degrees Celsius, so stricter targets were needed. New science has also shown how dangerous it would be to reach 2C, so a key goal for UK hosts – to reach an agreement to reduce global warming to 1.5 C – has been achieved, and countries have also agreed – despite the last-minute problem of objections from China and India – to phasing out coal. The agreement was fragile – but it represented substantial progress as the countries agreed to return in 2022 and each year thereafter with tougher national plans to cut emissions. 10
2022: Forward to the future and Egypt
The ink had hardly dried up in the Glasgow Pact when the world began to change in ways that were potentially destructive to hopes of tackling the climate crisis. Rising energy and food prices mean governments are facing a cost-of-life and energy security crisis, with some threatening to respond by returning to fossil fuels, including coal. However, the war in Ukraine strengthens the argument for renewable energy sources, which compares favorably with high fossil fuel prices. It has also made energy and climate a top national security issue, which should catch the government’s attention. But the geopolitical changes mean that Egypt – generally friendly to Russia, which relies on grain, some fuel and tourism – will face a diplomatically difficult task.
