| 作者 Leonie Haimson
於1988年，在世界各國的支持下，聯合國環境規劃小組(United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP)與世界氣象組織(World Meteorological Organization)成立了跨政府的氣候變遷專家小組(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 簡稱「IPCC」)，集合了來自世界各國數百位在全球溫暖化研究領域的頂尖科學家及專家。這個小組的任務是評估目前氣候變遷的相關科學知識、對於環境及社會經濟的潛在衝擊，以及制定一套處理問題的實用性策略。
兩年之後，「IPCC」發表一份報告，其中結論說明大氣中人為溫室效應氣體的持續累積將使得下個世紀的「溫室效應增強，造成全球地表平均氣溫暖化」，除非能採取適當措施限制溫室效應氣體的排放，否則溫度將會持續增加。(關於更多「IPCC」的研究發現，請見「氣候變遷摘要」 (Climate Change in Short)，請見編譯註)
研討會在里約展開後，陸續舉行一連串的重要會議
於1992年，在里約熱內盧地球高峰會中與會各國簽署了「聯合國氣候變化綱要公約」 (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 簡稱「UNFCCC」)。這個協議要求各個工業化國家在公元兩千年前自動將排放量減少到1990年的水平以減少氣候遭人為破壞。然而這些自發性的措施並沒有發生效用，包括美國在內的許多國家反而排放了比以前更多的溫室效應氣體。
自里約的會議之後，一些更進一步關於「UNFCCC」的協商會議或研討會跟隨而來。於1995年三月，德國柏林的COP-1中與會國家聯合發表所謂的「柏林協定」 (Berlin Mandate)，承認之前所採取自發性的方法失敗，並同意各工業化國家間必須要有約束力的協議，才能在公元兩千年後減少排放會產生溫室效應的氣體。
於1996年七月，瑞士日內瓦的COP-2中，美國宣佈將支持在近期內減少溫室效應氣體累積相關具有法定約束力的目標及時間表，同時也要求各工業國配合。超過一百個工業國家宣佈將朝這些目標邁進。
於1997年三月，在德國「波昂」(Bonn)的一個替代性協商會議中，歐洲人率先提出明確的目標，建議所有工業國在2010年前將溫室效應氣體的排放量減低到1990年的85%。為了有效因減少工業排放的氣體所付出的代價,美國政府提議成立一項國際貿易廢氣排放的權益制度。伯特布林(Bert Bolin)，是當時「IPCC」的主席也是科學家之一，舉出單靠工業國家進行減量的做法並不能使得溫化情形減輕到環境可以承受的地步，最終還是須要開發中國家配合。
於1997年十二月十一日，在日本京都COP-3會議的結論，宣佈超過150個國家接受「京都協議」 (Kyoto Protocol)，這個空前的協議使得許多工業國承諾要立法限制六種溫室效應氣體的排放。這六種氣體包括二氧化碳、甲烷、氮氧化物、氫氟碳化物(HFCs)、全氟碳化物(PFCs)及六氟硫化物(SF6)。排放量的要求雖然因不同國家而有所不同，但應可以在2008至2012年間平均減少排放量至1990年的95%。美國同意減量7%、日本6%、歐盟與會各國8%。美國同意這麼一項相當不凡的目標，關鍵是同時協定成立各工業國間排放貿易系統，只要是有設立排放限制的國家就能在他們之間販賣排放溫室效應氣體的權利。
京都協議也授權各工業國的「清淨發展機制」(Clean Development Mechanism, 簡稱「CDM」)可以藉由投資發展中國家減少碳排放計劃來履行它們自己減低排放量的部分義務。為使更多發展中國家的參與，美國推動一項允許參加的國家自己選擇是否要參加具有約束性的委員會，但是中國與印度已經拒絕這項措施。
原文詳見: http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/
heatbeat/negotiationsa.stm
編譯註 : 關於氣候變遷簡史(Climate Change in Short)（一）(二)原文請見:
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/
heatbeat/inshorta.stm
中英對照譯稿請見:
http://news.ngo.org.tw/2000/04/0428/sub-ed00042801.htm
http://news.ngo.org.tw/2000/05/0501/sub-gw00050104.htm
版權歸屬 Earth Day Network，環境信託協會(陳均輝 譯，鄭先祐、劉呈寶審校) |
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by Leonie Haimson
In 1988, at the behest of national governments from around the world, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), consisting of hundreds of leading scientists and experts on global warming. The panel was asked to assess the state of scientific knowledge concerning climate change, evaluate its potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and formulate realistic strategies to deal with the problem.
Two years later, the IPCC published a report concluding that the growing accumulation of human-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would "enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface" by the next century, with continued temperature increases thereafter, unless measures were adopted to limit the emissions of these gases.
(For more on the findings of the IPCC, see Climate Change in
Short.)
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/
heatbeat/inshorta.stm
Kicking It Off in Rio, and Keeping the Ball Rolling
In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted. The treaty called for industrialized countries to take the first step to prevent "dangerous anthropogenic interference" with the climate by voluntarily reducing their emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. These voluntary measures were not effective, however, and many nations, including the United States, are emitting more greenhouse gases than ever before.
Since Rio, there have been several follow-up negotiating sessions to the UNFCCC, or Conferences of the Parties. At COP-1 in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995, the participating nations issued the so-called Berlin Mandate, which acknowledged that the voluntary approach had failed and agreed that there would have to be binding commitments by the industrialized countries to reduce their emissions of heat-trapping gases sometime after the year 2000.
At COP-2, which met in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 1996, the U.S. announced that it would support legally binding targets and timetables in the near future to reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gases, and challenged other industrialized nations to do the same. More than 100 countries announced they would develop such targets.
In an interim negotiating meeting in Bonn, Germany, in March 1997, the Europeans then took the lead by offering specific targets, proposing that all industrialized nations be required to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by 15 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2010. The U.S. government proposed a system of international trading in emissions rights that would significantly reduce the costs of reductions. And Bert Bolin, scientist and then-chair of the IPCC, made the case that reductions undertaken solely by industrialized countries would not be sufficient to limit warming to environmentally sustainable levels; developing countries eventually would need to curb their increasing rates of emissions as well.
On December 11, 1997, at the conclusion of COP-3 in Kyoto, Japan, more than 150 nations adopted the Kyoto Protocol. This unprecedented treaty committed industrialized nations to make legally binding reductions in emissions of six greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The called-for reductions varied from country to country, but would cut emissions an average of about 5 percent below 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. The U.S. agreed to reductions of 7 percent, Japan to reductions of 6 percent, and the members of the European Union to joint reductions of 8 percent. Key to the U.S. agreement to such a relatively ambitious target was a concurrent agreement that a system of emissions trading among industrialized countries be established, by which nations with binding limits could buy and sell among themselves the right to release greenhouse gases.
The Kyoto Protocol also authorized the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), by which industrialized countries could meet part of their obligations for reducing their emissions by receiving credits for investing in projects that reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. As to the further participation of the developing countries, the U.S. pushed for a provision that would have allowed these countries to voluntarily "opt in" to binding commitments, but China and India blocked this measure, among others
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/
heatbeat/negotiationsa.stm |
