Background

Climate change is happening now. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says in their most recent report:

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level. Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the twelve warmest years since 1850.”

This is largely because of human activities releasing greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and methane. Burning fossil fuels, agriculture and land-use change are the activities that cause the largest emissions. Again the scientific consensus is:

“Most of the observed increase in globally-averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.” (IPCC, 2007)

The IPCC predicts a number of impacts from increasing emissions and continuing climate change this century. Predicted impacts on Europe include:

  • increased risk of inland flash floods, more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion due to storminess and sea-level rise;
  • mountainous areas will face glacier retreat, reduced snow cover, less winter tourism and extensive species loss;
  • in Southern Europe climate change is projected to worsen high temperatures and drought, and to reduce water availability, summer tourism and crop productivity;
  • increased health risks due to heat-waves, and the frequency of wildfires;
  • if the Greenland ice sheet melts sea level will rise by 7metres.

Many of the possible impacts of climate change are abrupt and irreversible. When we consider the severity of these predicted impacts, and recognise the massive impacts elsewhere in the world, affecting disproportionately the world’s poor, it is clear that it is our individual and collective responsibility to act; money we spend now to reduce emissions and stop climate change will reduce the risk of huge loss of life and priceless ecosystems.

International, national and regional policy has been reacting to the increasing certainty about the causes and impacts of climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and 189 countries have now signed it, including the United States and Australia. The ultimate aim of the Convention is to stabilise greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that would avoid dangerous climate change (agreed by the UK as global average temperature increase of less than 2°C).

It also placed a non-binding commitment on developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2000. The UK is one of a small number of countries that met this voluntary target.

It was quickly recognised that the UNFCCC could only be a first step in the international response to climate change and so the Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997. The Protocol has since been ratified by over 166 countries, and entered into force in February 2005.

The Kyoto Protocol is the first international treaty to set legally binding emissions reduction targets on developed countries (with the exception of countries that did not ratify the Treaty, notably the USA, Canada, Japan and, until December 2007 Australia). The Kyoto Protocol has also put in place the Clean Development Mechanism and emissions trading.

The UK is the first country to propose its own domestic legally binding emission reduction targets, which are set out in the draft Climate Change Bill. London has already set out a Climate Change Action Plan, which sets higher reduction targets than the UK’s Bill: 20% reduction in emissions by 2016, and 60% by 2025 (excluding aviation).