Based on the information in the IPCC First Assessment Report, world governments established the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. The UNFCCC provides an overall framework for development of international actions to address climate change. The objective of the UNFCCC is to stablise atmospheric greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. However, the convention did not identify what constituted dangerous climate change or how it might be prevented.
The IPCC Second Assessment Report (SAR) was published in 1997. Based on the findings of the SAR the European Union (EU) developed the view that dangerous climate change could be avoided if the global average temperature did not increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. This provided the basis for the EU position at the Kyoto Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC.
At the Kyoto conference developed countries agreed to reduce their emissions of GHG by 6% relative to 1990 levels. These reductions are to be achieved during the 2008-2012 commitment period. The Kyoto protocol also established a number of flexible mechanisms, such as emissions trading, through which countries could achieve the required emissions reductions in a cost effective manner. The other Kyoto mechanisms are the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation For more on the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol click here.
The Kyoto Protocol is the first step in achieving the objective of the UNFCCC; to prevent dangerous climate change More on the Kyoto Protocol.
In 2007, the IPCC published the Fourth Assessment Report, which stated that climate change is unequivocal. This response provided world governments, meeting under the UNFCCC in Bali, with the rationale and impetus to agree a pathway for future actions on climate change.
Ahead of the Bali meeting, the E.U. had already agreed to cut its emissions by 20% relative to 1990 levels by 2020 and indicated that it would future reduce emissions by up to 30% over this time scale if other developed countries took similar targets. The EU also considers that global GHG reductions of 50% are required by 2050 in order to ensure that its climate protection target is not breeched.The resulting Bali Action Plan, although containing no binding targets for emissions cuts, does pave the way for the E.U. to commit to a new binding protocol by 2009, as well as to continue to adhere to the Kyoto Protocol and for wealthier countries to cut emissions by 2020 up to 40% below 1990 levels, and a 50% cut in emissions globally by 2050.