Global Climate Change: A Strategic and Operational Framework for Future Negotiations beyond Copenhagen

Abstract

Global climate change – essentially an adverse consequence of global warming, is principally caused by progressive build-up and extensive spread of greenhouse gases (ghgs) across countries, regions or continents, together with adverse effects of various other anthropogenic activities. The potent sources of ghgs are fossil-fuels and biomass. With the increasing pace of globalization, industrialization and rapid change of life-style the demand and consumption of these feed-stocks to stimulate economic growth is steadily rising – both in the developed and developing economy. In the process, the emissions level is also rising phenomenally; and fast becoming alarming to impact global climate. Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997 (COP3) and Bali Roadmap designed by COP14, a decade later in 2007, inter alia, made concerted effort to reduce emissions level substantially in a legally binding manner for the Annexure-I developed/industrialized nations by 2012 and beyond. The key objective of the Copenhagen Climate Summit in December 2009 was to continue and improve the existing Kyoto agreement from 1997, which ends in 2012. The new Copenhagen Protocol and the amended Kyoto Protocol (i.e. two tracks) would form the core of the Agreement in December, 2010 at Mexico with the main elements agreed to and a process with the details thereof to be finalized through decisions in a year or so, in order to ensure ratification by 2011. The paper is a conceptualization, collation, review and documentation of various elements related to global climate change issues and policies – from the historic past till December, 2009. The paper, based on this exercise, also offers a broad Strategic and operational framework for future climate negotiations beyond Copenhagen.