17 July 2009
Nina Markovic and Nick Fuller
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section
Contents
Introduction
The Rudd Government has emphasised that a major part of Australia’s efforts to control global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be Australia’s participation in international negotiations leading to a global agreement on this issue.[1]
Australia participates in a number of bilateral and multilateral climate change partnerships.[2] It is party to both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC on 12 December 2007.[3] The Kyoto Protocol contains legally binding GHG emissions targets for developed countries that have ratified the Protocol.[4] The Australian Government has proposed an emissions trading scheme (ETS), which is currently being debated in Parliament.[5]
The Australian Government is also participating in international meetings intended to shape a future global response to tackling climate change. Formal negotiations are taking place within various meetings and working groups that have been established under the UNFCCC framework. This background note will be a ‘living’ document, updated to include new developments.
The following table shows significant events leading up to the proposed start of an Australian ETS and scheduled international meetings ahead of the Copenhagen conference on climate change.[6] A brief summary of some of the key components referred to in the calendar will follow.
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Date
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Australia
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UNFCCC
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Other international
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2007
|
|
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December
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Final report of National Emissions Trading Task Force released on possible design of a national GHG emissions trading scheme.
|
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December
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Australia ratifies Kyoto Protocol on 12 December.
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COP 13/CMP 3, Bali (Indonesia),
3–15 December.
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|
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2008
|
|
|
|
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1 January
|
|
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The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)—second trading period started.
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4 February
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Garnaut Climate Change Review Interim Report to the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments in Australia released.
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|
|
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March
|
11 March–Kyoto Protocol comes into effect for Australia. Garnaut Climate Change Review Emissions Trading Discussion Paper released on 20 March.
|
|
|
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July
|
Report of the Strategic Review of Climate Change Policies (‘Wilkins Review’) delivered to the Australian Government, 31 July.
|
|
World Bank approves the creation of two Climate Investment Funds worth US$5bn, the Clean Technology Fund and the Strategic Climate Fund.
|
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4 July
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Garnaut Climate Change Review Draft Report released.
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|
|
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7–9 July
|
|
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G8 Summit in Japan
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10 July
|
|
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Major Economies Meeting (MEM) on Energy Security and Climate Change, Japan.
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16 July
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Australian Government Green Paper on Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme released.
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|
|
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21–27 August
|
|
UNFCCC Climate Change Talks, Accra, Ghana.
|
|
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31 August–4 September
|
|
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29th meeting of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Geneva
|
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1–27 September
|
|
UNFCCC Centralised GHG Reviews–Bonn, Germany.
|
|
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30 September
|
Garnaut Climate Change Review, Final Report delivered to the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments.
|
|
|
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30 October
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Treasury modelling on the economic impact of emissions targets and scheme caps released.
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|
|
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22–23 October
|
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Pre-sessional workshop on preparations for the Second Review of the Kyoto Protocol.
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16–25 November
|
|
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APEC meetings, Peru.
|
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December
|
Release of Australian Government White Paper on Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
|
|
|
|
1–12 December
|
|
COP 14 / CMP 4–Poznań, Poland.
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
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16–20 February
|
|
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25th session on United Nations Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environmental Forum, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.
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March
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Exposure draft Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) legislation released.
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|
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21–23 April
|
|
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30th meeting of the IPCC, Turkey
|
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14 May
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CPRS Bill and associated legislation introduced into Parliament.
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|
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24–26 May
|
|
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World Business Summit on Climate Change, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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June
|
CPRS Bill and associated legislation passes House of Representatives on 4 June. CPRS Bill and associated legislation introduced to the Senate on 15 June.
|
Bonn climate change talks, Germany
1–12 June, negotiating text of eventual agreement made public.
|
|
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8–10 July
|
|
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G8 Summit in Italy
|
|
10 to 14 August
|
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Informal UNFCCC inter-sessional climate change talks in Bonn, Germany. Two more formal meetings of the AWG-LCA and AWG-KP are expected to be held before COP15.
|
|
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12–16 October
|
|
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UN World Meteorological Organisation–3rd World Climate Conference, Geneva, Switzerland.
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November/ December
|
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COP 15 / CMP 6–Climate change treaty negotiations, Copenhagen, Denmark,
7–8 December.
|
APEC meetings in Singapore, 8–15 November.
|
|
2011
|
1 July—CPRS due to commence operation .
|
|
|
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2012
|
1 July—start of market pricing for emissions permits under CPRS.
|
|
|
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December
|
|
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Second trading period ends for the EU ETS.
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2013
|
Assessment of inclusion of agriculture in ETS.
Australian Government due to announce final decision on inclusion of agriculture.
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Start of the third trading period for the EU ETS.
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2015
|
Potential inclusion of agriculture in ETS if decided in 2013.
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|
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2016
|
First scheduled public strategic review of ETS by independent expert committee.
|
|
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The following presents a brief overview of key meetings and dialogues referred to in the climate change calendar above. Further information and links can be found on the Parliamentary Library’s climate change website.[7]
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the key inter-governmental treaty on climate change. It sets an overall framework for international efforts to reduce the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere. It was adopted in May 1992, and came into force on 21 March 1994.[8]
All parties to the Convention meet each year to report on their progress in meeting commitments made under the Convention. This meeting is called the ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP).[9] The thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP13) in 2007 set out the Bali Road Map, which lists a number of initiatives such as an agreement by all parties to map out a post-2012 global climate change agreement within two years.[10] It also calls for a larger role for developing nations—in particular China and India—to make greater contributions on GHG emission reductions. At the fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP14) meeting in 2008, the Bali Road Map was advanced.[11]
The Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC was adopted in the Japanese city of Kyoto on 11 December 1997, entering into force on 16 February 2005.[12] It sets legally binding GHG emissions targets for developed countries. Developing countries can be signatories to the Protocol, but legally binding targets do not apply to them.[13]
Australia signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, but ratification was not pursued until December 2007. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed the instrument of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on 3 December 2007 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.[14] Australia deposited its instrument of ratification on 12 December 2007. The Kyoto Protocol came into force for Australia on 11 March 2008.[15]
UNFCCC-led international negotiations on the post-2012 framework are currently underway. COP14/CMP4 took place in December 2008 in the Polish city of Poznań. COP15/CMP5 will take place in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, in December 2009. This is expected to be a landmark international meeting that will attempt to reach agreement on ‘a long-term post-2012 set of arrangements for the international community on climate change including carbon targets’.[16]
Established in 1988, the IPCC has been to be one of the major sources of information for the UNFCCC-led negotiations on the global climate change policy.[17] The IPCC regularly evaluates published scientific, technical and socio-economic material relevant to the understanding of climate change. It also produces authoritative reports, which in the early 1990s contributed to the creation of the UNFCCC.
The European Union (EU) is a regional and supranational organisation with 27 member states. In 2005, the EU launched the European Union GHG Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in an effort to control emissions of GHG emissions and combat the threat of climate change with its consequences for European and global security.[18] The EU ETS is the world’s largest market in GHG emissions trading, covering over 14 000 installations across the EU.
The scheme commenced in January 2005. The first phase of the EU ETS ran from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007, with a second phase running from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. The second phase coincided with the first Kyoto commitment period. The EU has announced that a third phase will follow in 2013.
In January 2009, the European Commission set out proposals for a global deal on climate change ahead of the Copenhagen conference.[19]
Created in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) dialogue comprises: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Chinese Taipei; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; South Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Thailand; the United States of America, and Vietnam.
Climate change became a key focus for APEC at the APEC meeting in Sydney in September 2007.[20] APEC has instituted programs relating to energy investment and trade, energy efficiency, energy technology, transport emissions and alternative fuels.[21] On 9 September 2007 in Sydney, APEC adopted the Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development.[22] The Declaration called for a post-Kyoto international climate change agreement to reduce GHGs.[23] The next APEC meeting is scheduled for November 2009 in Singapore, and climate change is likely to be one of the key subjects for discussion.
The Group of Eight (G8) is a meeting of major industrialised states which seeks to play an important role in the shaping of the post-Kyoto climate change agreement by creating a political momentum for discussions. The G8 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
G8 Finance Ministers, who met in Osaka (Japan) in June 2008 agreed to the ‘G8 Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public Financial Institutions’.[24] On this occasion, the Ministers called for public-private partnerships in addressing climate change.[25]
On 8 July 2008, the Group of Eight issued a communiqué, which amongst other things covered the reduction of global GHG emissions.[26] The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon welcomed the statement of the G8 Summit on climate change and environment, but called for further international action:
By next year in Copenhagen we need to collectively agree to ambitious mid-term emission reduction targets for developed countries, coupled with meaningful efforts by developing countries to reduce the growth of their emissions.[27]
In July 2009, the G8 summit took place in the Italian city of L’Aquila. Leaders from G8 countries endorsed the scientific view that the global temperature rise should be kept below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels. They also agreed to a long-term goal of reducing global GHG emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2050, with developed nations to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 80 per cent.[28]
The leaders of the Group of Five (G5) (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) issued a Political Declaration, in which they called for, amongst other things, the establishment of ‘an international mechanism for the development, deployment and transfer of environmentally friendly technologies’ to developing countries.[29]
In a separate session attended by the Leaders of Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (of which Australia is a member), along with the UN Secretary General, the European Commission, Sweden and Denmark, an agreement was reached on key pillars of the so-called ‘Copenhagen climate deal’.[30] The Leaders’ Declaration on Energy and Climate provides more information about their joint position on climate change.[31]
On 1 July 2008 the board of directors of the World Bank approved the creation of two Climate Investment trust Funds: the Clean Technology Fund, and the Strategic Climate Fund.[32] It is hoped that the total commitment of these funds over the next three years will reach five billion US dollars.[33] The aim of the funds is to help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.[34] The first Partnership Forum for the Climate Investment Funds took place in September 2008.[35] The World Bank remains an important instrument of financing projects aimed at adaptation and mitigation.
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