ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the stages in the development of international climate change policy, from the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), via the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, to the current negotiations on a new agreement to be reached in Paris in 2015. The UNFCCC sets a long-term, science-based objective which calls for the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at safe levels. The European Union (EU) believes the 2015 Agreement should take the form of a legally binding Protocol to the UNFCCC, as this is the best understood form of 'legal instrument' the Parties can adopt. The new Protocol needs to cover, in a comprehensive manner, the bulk of global emissions, to send a strong signal to the public and to the markets that the world is serious about phasing-down greenhouse gas emissions over time. The Protocol must set out the key elements of a common transparency and accountability system, applicable to all Parties.
