The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Abstract

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), one of the substantive outcomes of the 1992 Rio ‘Earth Summit’, entered into force in 1994 16. The Convention aims to “prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” (Article 2) (UNFCCC, Paris Agreement as Contained in the Report of the Conference of the Parties on Its Twenty-First Session, 2015). It is one of the most complex intergovernmental regimes, with over 270 institutional elements, which perhaps explains its complexity—and opacity—to both participants and the general public alike. This chapter describes the main elements of the regime, briefly outlines the history of some of its key mechanisms, notably the Kyoto Protocol and its policy instruments, the initiative referred to as ‘REDD+’, and the 2015 Paris Agreement, concluding with some observations on the Convention’s future and current developments.

Tim Cadman is a Research Fellow with the Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law at Griffith University, Australia; Senior Research Fellow with the Earth Systems Governance Project; and Adjunct Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He specialises in the governance of sustainable development, climate change, natural resource management (including forestry), and responsible investment. In addition to his formal academic work, his first work of climate fiction, The Changes: Refuge was published in 2017.