Download Political responses climate change

Political
responses
to climate
change
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
The Kyoto Protocol

An international agreement, initially adopted
in 1997, setting targets for industrialised
countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

These countries have committed to cut their
combined emissions to 5% below 1990 levels
by 2008 - 2012.

EU countries are expected to cut their present
emissions by 8% and Japan by 5%. Some
countries with low emissions are permitted to
increase them.

The Kyoto Protocol became a legally binding
treaty on 16 February 2005 on ratification
by 55 countries covering 55% of all emissions
from industrialised countries
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
Stern Review

The Review has assessed a wide range of evidence on
the impacts of climate change and on the economic costs.

It concludes that the evidence shows that the benefits
of strong and early action far outweigh the economic
costs of not acting.

Climate change will affect the basic elements of life for
millions of people around the world who could suffer
hunger, water shortages and coastal flooding as the world warms.

If we don’t act, the overall costs and risks of climate change will be
equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year, now and forever.
If a wider range of risks and impacts is taken into account, the estimates of
damage could rise to 20% of GDP or more.

In contrast, the costs of action – reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid
the worst impacts of climate change – can be limited to around 1% of global
GDP each year.
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
Cost-benefit analysis

Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)
estimates and totals up the
equivalent money value of the
benefits and costs of projects to
determine whether they are
worthwhile.

Future benefits and costs are
‘discounted’ to estimate their value
now – partly to allow for inflation
but also for the value that could be
gained by investing the money in
other ways

The most challenging part of CBA is
to put a money value on such things
as clean air, diverse environments
and human lives.
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
EU policy
The EU has an ambitious 20-20-20 package:

a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions,

a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and

20% of energy to come from renewable
sources, all by 2020.
In January 2005 the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading
System (EU ETS) commenced operation as the largest multi-country, multisector Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading System world-wide.
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
Emissions trading

Emissions trading works by allowing
countries to buy and sell their agreed
allowances of greenhouse gas
emissions.

Highly polluting countries can buy
unused ‘credits’ from those which are
allowed to emit more than they
actually do.

Countries are also able to gain
credits for activities which boost the
environment's capacity to absorb
carbon.
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
UK government policies
The UK Government is taking action on five fronts:

Protecting the public from risks – such as floods, water
shortages, extremes of heat

Preparing for the future – by taking climate change into
account in decision, for example, changing house building
policies, managing water better and adjusting farming
practices.

Limiting the severity of future climate change through a
new international climate agreement (Copenhagen 2009)

Building a low-carbon UK – the 2008 Climate Change Act made Britain the first
country in the world to set legally binding “carbon budgets” through investment in
energy efficiency and clean energy technologies such as renewables, nuclear and
carbon capture and storage

Supporting individuals, communities and businesses to play their part
© Nuffield Foundation 2009
The 2009 Copenhagen
conference
A conference in December 2009 at which representatives of
nearly 200 countries are to meet to thrash out a successor to
the Kyoto protocol. There are 4 key issues:

How much are industrialised countries willing to reduce
their emissions of greenhouse gases?

How much are major developing countries such as China
and India willing to do to limit the growth of their
emissions?

How is the help needed by developing countries to
engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the
impacts of climate change going to be financed?

How is that money going to be managed?
© Nuffield Foundation 2009