global gov environmental Flashcards
what is the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?
international organisation that provides the UN with objective evidence about the origins and impact of climate change. founded in 1988
what does the IPCC produce every few years that brings together the latest scientific evidence?
assessment reports- comprehensive reports reviewing the latest climate science. 5 published so far
what is the UNFCCC?
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
objective- to ‘stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system’
what was agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement?
keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2’c above pre-industrial levels; and to limit the increase to 1.5’c since this would substantially reduce the risks and effects of climate change
what is the Tragedy of the Commons?
when the short-term, positive effects go to the individual, while the long-term, negative effects are spread out to the group.
William Forster Lloyd discovered it, but Garrett Hardin applied it to the Commons
e.g pollution and overpopulation
why does the environment require global governance?
some states have taken some action unilaterally- Climate Change Act 2008, UK- reducing Carbon Emmissions, and cut 80% of 1990 C02 levels by 2050
what are some obstacle to progress and cooperation?
- the focus on other global issues that can be seen more clearly- Global terrorism or the international drug trade
- economic cost- state might not want to agree to action, especially if it will cost them financially, if other states aren’t agreeing to it.
- state sovereignty and the exsistence of anarchy- compelling states to act is very difficult. lack of supranational authority- realism
- self interest
- displayed evidence- not all accept the causes and scale of climate change
what are the global commons?
antarctic
the high seas
space
the air
what is an example of states coming together for the commons?
the Montreal Protocol 1987- all states signed to help decrease the hole on the ozone layer.
what was the Montreal Protocol (1987)?
- one of the earliest successes of environmental global governance
- they banned the use of CFC’s and other chemicals
- a total of 197 states have now ratified the Montreal Protocol
- first example of an enviro global gov treaty where a certain number of states were required to sign and ratify the treaty before it would come into force
- first use of ‘precautionary principle’- set path for other summits
what were the successes of the RIO EARTH SUMMIT 1992?
- Attended by nearly all states in the world. endowed with unparalleled legitimacy
- nobody has subsequently withdrawn from the resulting framework- UNFCCC
- form of soft power
- it setup the UNFCCC- established a framework for future cooperation
- recognised that the problem was anthropogenic
- recognised there was a problem in the first place- carbon emissions
what were the failures of the RIO EARTH SUMMIT 1992?
- specific targets were not agreed to, not legally binding
- identified a problem but haven’t given an exact goal to solve it
- it is a shallow green perspective
not going far enough, fundamentally anthropocentric- a Deep green would say
NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT
what were the succcesses of the KYOTO COP SUMMIT AND PROTOCOL 1997?
- introduced carbon credits- buying the right to pollute more. creates incentives and competition
- marked a shift in enviro global gov from agreeing the existence of problems to finding specific action to take
- first attempt to hold states accountable for their actions
- creates legally binding targets to reduce emissions
- some regions did ended stick to their commitments to successfully reduce emissions
- EU reduced emissions by 8%
- 30 countries agreed to continue to meet Kyoto’s targets, even once the treaty had officially expired in 2012
- by not asking developing countries to cut, it is arguably more realistic and practical
what were the failures of the KYOTO COP SUMMIT AND PROTOCOL 1997?
- coverage was not comprehensive and not all states agreed to the legally binding states
- the 5% emission target was insufficient
- USA refused to ratify because of resentment that the developing world didn’t have to- particularly China
- didn’t have to start cutting until 2005
- emissions did not reduce
BY GIVING TIME FRAME DID NOT CREATE SENSE OF URGENCY
what were the successes of the COPENHAGEN COP 15 SUMMIT 2009?
- china and India (for the first time) agreed to cut emissions
- there was an agreement that there was a need to limit global temp sises to less than 2’c
- created a method for verifying industrialised nations reductions in emissions
- promise to help developing states- $100 Billion by 2020
- introduced the ‘green climate fund’ tohelp with climate change related projects in developing states
- states had to make their plans public
- it addressed the greivances of Kyoto as it sought to create more equality between developed and developing states
- there was a degree of US leadership
- developed states were going to help developing world through investement (shallow green)
