Framework Convention Research Articles

MPOWER Tobacco Control Policies’ Effects on Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Trends in MERCOSUR Countries

Background: As tobacco is the main risk factor for oral cancer, it is important to understand the burden of this disease in light of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. For MERCOSUR, tobacco control is a topic of interest. The aim of this study was to describe MPOWER measure scores and to evaluate the trends in lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) incidence, mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), from 2005 to 2021, in MERCOSUR countries. Methods: This is an ecological descriptive study, where the MPOWER measure scores were extracted from the Global Health Observatory of World Health Organization, and the Age-standardized Rates (ASRs) of LOC for MERCOSUR countries were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases 2021 results tool. The trends of LOC ASRs were obtained using the Prais–Winsten method. Results: Paraguay and Venezuela had lower MPOWER scores over time than Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. These last three countries showed LOC trends decreasing for most indicators among males, while Paraguay and Venezuela showed increasing trends in incidence for both males and females, and no decreasing trends. Conclusion: This study suggests that MERCOSUR countries with a history of more rigorous MPOWER tobacco control policies are exhibiting decreasing trends in LOC burden.

How is climate science used to inform national-level adaptation planning in southern Africa?

ABSTRACT Climate model projections are increasingly being included within adaptation planning across sectors but there is limited understanding of how they are being used, and to what extent they improve adaptation planning. This article investigates how climate projections inform adaptation planning processes in the National Communications (NCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 16 southern African countries through a document analysis together with 18 key informant interviews. The study found that all the NCs include future climate model projections for the mid and/or late twenty-first century and focus on average changes in temperature and precipitation; meanwhile, the models, scenarios and time periods used vary between countries. The climate analysis is often detached from the adaptation planning section of the NC. The impacts and adaptation sections focus on key risks, such as flooding and drought and have limited recognition of uncertainties, suggesting plans are made without considering the full range of plausible futures. The role of climate science in the adaptation planning process varies, with some evidence of highly collaborative processes, resulting in evidence-based adaptation options across sectors and scales. In many cases, boundary agents play a key role in interpreting and communicating climate projections. We suggest that providing additional climate projections is unlikely to improve national adaptation planning, despite their scientific benefits. Instead, the focus should be on developing approaches and collaborative processes to distil and interpret climate information in different contexts, to enable decision-makers to understand the range of plausible futures, including changes in climate alongside growing populations, urbanization and changing economies.

Second Homes and Potential Impacts on Return Migration and Rural Tourism Development

The emergence of second homes in Portugal are strongly related to emigration (especially between 1960-1974) and out-migration (between 1960-1973) and the consequent depopulation of many rural areas where, apart from new housing construction, the emigrants’ and out-migrants’ first homes were frequently converted into second homes. These territories are still socially depressed, mainly due to the inability to create employment and income opportunities, as also attract and nurture the establishment of communities. In this case, culture can be a generator of important external economies of human capital and a catalyst for tourism development The tourism sector, too, under certain conditions, can be a driving force for economic activity in general. Therefore, the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics (2020) states the strategic importance of the association of local populations in tourism activities. Thereby, this study suggests that those second homes can encourage return migration and rural tourism development in Portugal. How return migration will address rural culture and tourism development will also influence how visitor’s perceive local culture and hospitality in the places of origin of Portuguese emigrants. With this aim, 5,157 Portuguese emigrants were surveyed through the application of a questionnaire to assess the potential impact of their return on tourism development in Portugal. Results show that Portuguese emigrants of the working age and with a second home in a rural area consider that their participation in associations of Portuguese emigrants in the host country, has been a way of maintaining their culture of origin. If they had a job in the tourism sector, in Portugal, would like to control their own working hours so that they can have a rural lifestyle and reconcile with the practice of agriculture, mainly for self-consumption. While locals, their return can also strengthen rural culture and, consequently, develop rural tourism in Portugal. The financial benefits are similarly key variables that can encourage them to rent accommodation units in the second home of their family in the place of origin.

Overshoot: A Conceptual Review of Exceeding and Returning to Global Warming of 1.5°C

Limited progress with mitigation makes it almost inevitable that global warming of 1.5°C will be exceeded. This realization confronts Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a choice either to stabilize warming above but as close as possible to 1.5°C or to reverse global warming back to this level. We review core concepts and current knowledge relating to overshoot: an exceedance and subsequent decline back below a specified global warming level. We clarify the concept and origins of overshoot in science and climate policy, discuss the key drivers of climate-related risks and how they might evolve under overshoot trajectories to foster more systematic research into those risks, and consider the role of adaptation. We then consider the feasibility of overshoot in terms of mitigation across the six feasibility dimensions introduced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its sixth Assessment Report. We conclude by discussing critical barriers, challenges, and knowledge gaps related to overshoot.

The Role of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Influencing Climate Change Policy: The Case of PACJA at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan

Over 40,000 delegates from all over the world gathered in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan, the transcontinental country bordering Eastern Europe and West Asia for the 29th edition of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP29). Adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Dawson & Spannagle 2008), the Conference of Parties set the limits on the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) to prevent the dangers of climate change. 195 countries adopted the Parish Agreement in 2015 at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21), committing to undertake more efforts to keep a global temperature rise in this century below 2°C. Over the years, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have recorded tremendous impact and influence over policy decisions in key areas of the economy within nations and transnational structures. The paper examines the realities of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) within the global climate change corridor, and their contributions towards influencing climate change policies at COP29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, particularly advocacy efforts, high-level intergovernmental and civic engagement activities to drive policy changes.

From promises to practice: Persistent challenges in safeguarding local rights in forest carbon market initiatives

Abstract In recent years, a strong push has been underway to expand the scope and number of forest carbon market initiatives (FCMIs) to meet climate change mitigation goals set by the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Cancun Safeguards of 2010 established an international policy commitment to assure that FCMIs would align with social safeguards (among other goals) to protect the rights and well-being of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs). Despite the rapid growth of FCMIs in recent years, several studies have raised concerns about their implementation and the rights and well-being of local communities. In response to anecdotal reports of rights violations, we conducted a literature review, drawing on 94 sources, to understand the reality on the ground. An eight-principle framework was proposed for evaluating FCMIs’ impacts on the rights and well-being of IP&LCs, providing a structured approach to assess equity and effectiveness. There are two main findings. First, there have been significant violations of the rights of IP&LCs in recent years. Second, there is a widespread lack of empirical evidence on the implementation of safeguards to protect local rights. Measures are necessary to strengthen protections and transparent monitoring, reporting, and verification of the implementation of safeguarding the rights of IP&LCs. This review contributes actionable insights and a framework to inform the design and implementation of more effective and equitable FCMIs.

Looking back and planning ahead: the tobacco endgame and controlling tobacco industry interference in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Smoking causes at least 16 different cancers and has resulted in persistent health inequities. Aotearoa New Zealand was initially a Tupeka Kore (Tobacco Free) nation and Māori leaders have led calls for measures that would end the harms smoking imposes. Their vision inspired a national movement and later saw a new law introduced that mandated denicotinisation, reduced the supply of tobacco, and introduced a smokefree generation. The National-led coalition Government repealed these measures, drawing on arguments often advanced by tobacco companies. Using the Policy Dystopia Model, we analysed tobacco industry narratives and reviewed politicians’ use of industry arguments. We found coalition Government members drew on prohibition and illicit trade arguments, which segued into public safety concerns, despite weak evidence for these claims. To protect innovative public health policies, we argue for stronger lobbying regulation to reduce tobacco companies’ ability to interfere with policy making and improve compliance with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Stronger regulation of lobbying would protect critical public health policies that could profoundly reduce cancer rates from commercial interests.

The Impact of Environmental Protection Expenditures on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In order to address the adverse impacts of climate change, international initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, are setting targets to governments and asking them to commit to take action. In pursuit of fulfilling these commitments, countries have set national goals, reflecting their policy choices, local contexts and capabilities, to fight against climate change. Given that governments implement their commitments through their budgets, environmental protection expenditures (EPEs) are the major tool that governments use to fight against climate change. This study investigated the extent to which EPEs are effective in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a major contributor to climate change. Our results provide some evidence that the increase in EPEs has led to a reduction in GHG emissions.

Who cares about carbon dioxide removal? Assessing actors, policy positions, and participation modes within European and United Nations public consultation processes

ABSTRACT In addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, alternate strategies to mitigate climate change are entering the policy debate, such as Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), which aims to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Despite being in the early stages of development, these interventions have already been indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as necessary contributors to the net zero transition. CDR has been at the centre of two public consultation processes in 2023, one by the European Union and one by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These two consultation processes provide an opportunity to have an initial understanding of the types of actors participating in such consultations and their positioning regarding key issues in the governance and deployment of CDR interventions. This study maps the stakeholders participating in these consultations according to their defining characteristics and analyses the content of their submissions to identify the main arguments presented. In both cases, most participants are based in the Global North, are for-profit actors and focus their activities on farming or greenhouse gas removal. The analysis of the content of the submissions reveals a wide range of positions that can be divided into expansive and restrictive. Expansive stances are mostly emphasized by actors from the for-profit sector, whereas the restrictive positions are emphasized by non-governmental organizations. This divide suggests the need for a governance set-up capable of balancing diverse perspectives while ensuring an equitable and effective deployment of these technologies to address the global challenge of climate change.

Landscape-Level Assessment of Topographic Influences on Organic Carbon Storage in Forests of Far Western Nepal.

Carbon sequestration significantly aids in mitigating climate change, with its spatial distribution greatly influenced by topographical factors. However, data on organic carbon distribution and its interaction with topographic factors inside the forest of the Far Western Region of Nepal are limited. Therefore, this study aims to analyze forest carbon stock variation under different topographic variables (physiographic region, aspect, and slope) in Far-western Nepal. In this study, stratified systematic cluster sampling was adopted with elevation, aspect, and slope as strata. A total of 181 circular plots were used for dendrometric measurements and soil sample collection. Within each plot, diameter at breast height and height of each tree (diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm) were measured for biomass carbon assessment. Composite soil samples (0-30 cm) from each soil pit within a plot were collected for determining soil organic carbon stock. Physiographic region-wise, our study reported the highest mean aboveground carbon (174.04 ± 29.75 ton ha-1) and belowground carbon (34.044 ± 5.95 ton ha-1) and soil organic carbon stock (150.62 ± 11.02 ton ha-1) in the Mountain and High Himal region. The East aspect exhibited the highest aboveground carbon (125.9 ± 22.34 ton ha-1) and belowground carbon (27.54 ± 3.44 ton ha-1) stocks, while the North aspect showed the highest soil organic carbon stock (96.85 ± 8.82 ton ha-1). Organic carbon stocks declined with steeper slopes, with the (0-10)° slope category recording the highest aboveground organic carbon (135.17 ± 17.87 ton ha-1), belowground carbon (27.03 ± 3.57 ton ha-1), and soil organic carbon (107.14 ± 12.51 ton ha-1) stocks. Conversely, the (30-40)° slope category exhibited the lowest organic carbon stocks across all pools. This study's findings will support accurate monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) processes for initiatives like reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and enhance credibility on United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting on a national scale. The design and application of site-specific management activities to optimize organic carbon storage are recommended due to the observed variability of organic carbon stock with topographic factors.

МЕЖДУНАРОДНО-ПРАВОВЫЕ АСПЕКТЫ БОРЬБЫ С ИЗМЕНЕНИЕМ КЛИМАТА И СТРАТЕГИИ ИХ РАЗРЕШЕНИЯ

This article analyses the international legal aspects of combating climate change and develops strategies to effectively address them. The paper highlights key international treaties, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, and explores their impact on global climate policy. The authors focus on the contribution of national courts and countries in the Global South to the application and development of international climate law. The article goes on to address the complexities involved in implementing international commitments and suggests measures to strengthen legal mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of interstate co-operation in this area. Special attention is given to the need for deep engagement between countries and international organizations to combat climate change more decisively, highlighting the importance of a global response to this threat.

Climate denial and the classroom: a review

Abstract. Climate change awareness is floundering across the globe despite climate change education being embedded in international treaties to address the climate crisis – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC) and the subsequent Paris Agreement. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges forces hostile to climate awareness and education – namely, climate denial sponsored by the energy-industrial complex. Climate change is studied by the physical sciences, but climate denial is the purview of the social sciences; the latter has revealed the why and how of climate denial. Climate-denial organizations (which directly deny aspects of the scientific consensus on climate change) and the related petro-pedagogy groups (which teach that oil is a benefactor to humanity, but say little about the connection of fossil fuels to the climate crisis) have arisen to attempt to interfere with the teaching of the science of climate change in school classrooms. These organizations were found in the United States, Canada, and some European nations (this review is mainly restricted to English-language sources). This review aims to (1) provide an overview of climate denial, promoted and funded by the energy-industrial complex; (2) identify and examine organizations involved in climate denial in schools; (3) summarize the strategies of climate-denial organizations in school classrooms; and (4) put forward recommendations for further research and action.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Articles 9 and 10 implementation for sustainable tobacco control—a scoping review protocol

IntroductionTobacco consumption continues to pose a substantial global public health threat, resulting in more than 8 million preventable deaths annually. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) negotiated as the first global public health treaty under the auspices of the WHO, which serves as a critical instrument in combating the global tobacco epidemic. The WHO FCTC prioritizes a comprehensive approach that addresses both the demand for and supply side interventions for curbing tobacco epidemic globally. Strong evidence demonstrates the efficacy of these measures in safeguarding individuals, regardless of age, from tobacco initiation, and the associated harms. WHO FCTC Article 9 and 10 emphasizes upon testing and disclosure of tobacco product contents. This scoping review aims to explore the Implementation Landscape of WHO FCTC Articles 9 and 10 globally by adopting Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) framework.MethodsThe planned scoping review will adhere to the methodology outlined by “Arksey and O’Malley and Levac et al.” Through an exhaustive search strategy, relevant literature published from 2013 onwards will be sourced from databases including PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, government websites, and reports. A predetermined set of criteria for study inclusion and exclusion will be applied independently by four reviewers to assess study eligibility. The findings will be synthesized narratively and qualitatively analyzed, incorporating the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) framework for discussion and outlining. The review will adhere to the reporting standards outlined in the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR)” guidelines.Conclusions/discussionAnalyzing the implementation of FCTC Articles 9 and 10 across global contexts is expected to offer valuable insights into the need for context-specific adjustments and customized interventions. Understanding regional variations in efforts to regulate tobacco products is crucial for formulating specific strategies that effectively address cultural, economic, and regulatory challenges. This comparative examination has the potential to guide policymakers, public health professionals, and researchers in optimizing tobacco control initiatives to expedite progress toward effective implementation of Articles 9 and 10 in both the WHO-SEAR region and globally.Ethics approvalThis review will identify the landscape of the implementation of WHO FCTC Article 9 and 10. This review will also identify the best practices, policies, and strategies across the globe. An ethics committee approval was not sought for this since this involve secondary data.

Efforts to Mainstream Gender Equality in the Work of the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

This article analyses the jurisprudence of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities with regard to gender equality in order to establish the efficacy of gender mainstreaming outcomes in the monitoring of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. At the outset, we elaborate on gender mainstreaming as a policy instrument developed by international human rights organizations, which is gradually being promoted in national policies through action plans and institutional structures that pursue gender mainstreaming efforts, gender budgeting policies, and training of relevant actors. Subsequently, we analyse the Advisory Committee’s efforts in the pursuit and promotion of gender equality in order to establish the extent to which this monitoring mechanism helps the realization of the rights of minority women and girls. In preparing this article, we conducted a detailed examination and evaluation of the country-specific opinions prepared by the Advisory Committee and the relevant academic literature on gender mainstreaming.

Non-Communicable Disease: Challenges and Opportunities for Global Regulation of Tobacco, Unhealthy Food, and Alcohol.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant global health challenge, requiring distinct prevention and control strategies. Public health efforts have concentrated on regulating three primary risk factors: tobacco and nicotine products, unhealthy foods and beverages, and alcohol. While the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) stands as a legally binding international treaty, similar international legal efforts for alcohol and unhealthy foods have never gained significant traction. Consequently, global governance of NCD risk factors largely relies on soft law instruments, including WHO strategies, UN resolutions, and cross-sectoral initiatives that set political goals and technical standards. The article argues for the potential of a human rights-based approach to enhance global NCD regulation, emphasizing legal capacity building and managing industry influence. Future efforts should leverage regional and local governance, and ensure robust legislative frameworks to overcome the limitations of current international law and effectively address NCD risk factors.

The legal regulation of climate policy in the field of greenhouse gas emissions: global challenges and ways of adaptation of Kazakhstan

The article focuses on examining the legal framework governing climate change and ecosystem protection, highlighting both international and national strategies. Key global agreements, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, as well as Kazakhstan’s legislative measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fostering sustainable economic growth, are analyzed. Particular attention is given to Kazakhstan’s efforts to meet international commitments, including the introduction of an emissions trading system, the establishment of carbon budgeting standards, and the development of environmental regulations. The study aims to explore the challenges Kazakhstan faces in adapting to climate change and the role of legal norms in promoting green technologies and sustainable development. The research methodology combines legal analysis, a comparative approach (examining international and national contexts), analysis of empirical data, and evaluation of policies and laws regarding their environmental impact in Kazakhstan. The authors underline the necessity of robust legal frameworks in climate policy to achieve sustainable development, enhance energy security, and ensure social equity. The conclusion highlights the importance of refining legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, contributing to the effective realization of sustainable development goals and emission reductions.

Challenging the Narrative of Inclusion: Feminist Decolonial Perspectives on Climate Governance

Abstract This article explores climate governance arrangements decided in 2021 at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 26 in Glasgow through a feminist decolonial lens. Through a micropolitical study of negotiations around who should participate on the advisory board for the UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), I challenge the dominant narrative that the inclusion of women, Indigenous, and youth constituencies on the CTCN board results in purely positive outcomes for marginalized communities. The article uncovers hidden agendas behind the Global North’s support for these constituencies to be included on the board and explains the reasons for serious hesitation from Global South parties concerning advisory board changes. Decolonial feminisms can underscore how this inclusion continues to erase epistemologies of women of color, effectively reconstituting the colonial gender system.

Moving from Creditor-Centric Debt Relief Initiatives Towards the Realization of the UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt

Moving from Creditor-Centric Debt Relief Initiatives Towards the Realization of the UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt

Global greenhouse gas reconciliation 2022

Abstract. In this study, we provide an update on the methodology and data used by Deng et al. (2022) to compare the national greenhouse gas inventories (NGHGIs) and atmospheric inversion model ensembles contributed by international research teams coordinated by the Global Carbon Project. The comparison framework uses transparent processing of the net ecosystem exchange fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from inversions to provide estimates of terrestrial carbon stock changes over managed land that can be used to evaluate NGHGIs. For methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), we separate anthropogenic emissions from natural sources based directly on the inversion results to make them compatible with NGHGIs. Our global harmonized NGHGI database was updated with inventory data until February 2023 by compiling data from periodical United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) inventories by Annex I countries and sporadic and less detailed emissions reports by non-Annex I countries given by national communications and biennial update reports. For the inversion data, we used an ensemble of 22 global inversions produced for the most recent assessments of the global budgets of CO2, CH4, and N2O coordinated by the Global Carbon Project with ancillary data. The CO2 inversion ensemble in this study goes through 2021, building on our previous report from 1990 to 2019, and includes three new satellite inversions compared to the previous study and an improved managed-land mask. As a result, although significant differences exist between the CO2 inversion estimates, both satellite and in situ inversions over managed lands indicate that Russia and Canada had a larger land carbon sink in recent years than reported in their NGHGIs, while the NGHGIs reported a significant upward trend of carbon sink in Russia but a downward trend in Canada. For CH4 and N2O, the results of the new inversion ensembles are extended to 2020. Rapid increases in anthropogenic CH4 emissions were observed in developing countries, with varying levels of agreement between NGHGIs and inversion results, while developed countries showed a slowly declining or stable trend in emissions. Much denser sampling of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations by different satellites, coordinated into a global constellation, is expected in the coming years. The methodology proposed here to compare inversion results with NGHGIs can be applied regularly for monitoring the effectiveness of mitigation policy and progress by countries to meet the objectives of their pledges. The dataset constructed for this study is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13887128 (Deng et al., 2024).

THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE

The greatest problem of the 21st century is climate change, and due to its global repercussions, it calls for global efforts around the globe in the form of international institutions and law. This research responds to the role of international law in responding to climate change, and the evolution of the history of major treaties, protocols, and agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. It raises the question of the capacity of international legal regimes to enable adaptation to the effects of climate change, compliance issues, and international institutions' efforts in pushing for progress with climate justice. The article also responds to loopholes and lacunae in current global regimes of law and suggests how the global legal response to climate change might be strengthened, including through demanding accountability, technology transfer, and financing to affected states. The document concludes on policy recommendations and future litigation for a more sustainable, equitable and ethical world order of climate policy.