Paging Earth is a climate communications blog dedicated to demystifying, depolarizing and educating the public about climate activism and climate science. Now that we’ve discussed the nuances of the climate crisis, let’s talk about viable solutions.
Undoubtedly, climate change is a global issue that requires cooperation from the entire world. All nations must view the protection of our climate system as a shared responsibility. Every human is a stakeholder in our Earth — we cannot act alone in protecting it.
Collaboration could come in the form of scientific efforts, proposed legislation, or simply accountability, but it needs to come soon. The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization of 193 Member States, and it could be the key to unifying the world against climate change. Founded in 1945 following the Second World War, the organization actively advocates for peaceful relations and the well-being of all lives.
The UN recognizes climate change as an immediate threat that calls for progress on a global scale. The current initiatives produced by the UN are quite expansive but have been dubbed insufficient by many.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created to analyze climate science and keep the governments of the UN informed on ongoing climate developments.
The IPCC’s goal is to ensure that climate policies around the world are based on science. Representatives from each country within the UN contribute to the IPCC and its work. Through an extensive review of current climate research, IPCC scientists produce agreements that are then used to inform the UN through the IPCC Climate Change Report.
The IPCC Climate Change Reports are perhaps the most important products of the IPCC. With the sixth synthesis report set to be released in 2022, the UN will likely be encouraged to take more immediate action against climate change, due to the fact that each report has become more urgent than the last.
Although these warnings are often ignored by world leaders, they are explicitly directed at international policymakers and provide complex information in accessible language. The current outline for the upcoming report includes topics such as socio-economic development, methods for reducing carbon emissions, and projections for global climate change.
The work done by the IPCC is key to informing policymakers on what steps to take, although it is not concrete action in itself. Thus, the UN has created other initiatives.
The Paris Agreement
In 2015, a legally binding treaty with a focus on stopping climate change was adopted by 196 countries. Formally known as the Paris Agreement, the treaty aims for a global net-zero of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. It marked the first time countries united in the name of solving the climate crisis with a binding agreement. The Paris Agreement is also designed to be reviewed and updated as time progresses to keep its goals ambitious.
The promises made within the treaty are not without concrete support; each participating country is required to transform both socially and economically to accomplish the goals of the agreement. This is accomplished by establishing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — specific actions a country can take to reduce its carbon emissions. Countries are also encouraged, but not required, to produce long-term planning and development goals that work to keep emissions down.
Additionally, the Paris Agreement recognizes large investments as being imperative to reducing emissions. For example, the Paris Agreement holds that more developed countries should provide assistance to countries in need of climate finance. A potential investment in technological advancement could provide a framework that improves longevity in the UN’s approach to the climate crisis.
So far, the Paris Agreement has produced widespread low-carbon solutions, with many countries now having established carbon neutrality initiatives. The UN is now on track to have net-zero carbon solutions implemented by entities that produce 70% of emissions in 2030.
Although the agreement is considered legally binding, the consequence for not following the commitments seems to only be a series of “negative reactions” from the other nations with no definite repercussions. This means that, although the Paris Agreement has requirements, it cannot and does not enforce them effectively. As a result, the involved countries are not even on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement due to a lack of action.
Without a system of enforcement, the global response required to mitigate climate change becomes impossible without countries taking their own action. There has continuously been no agreement within the UN on how to approach climate change as an issue of security. The inability to cooperate and hold accountability is ultimately why the Paris Agreement is so flimsy.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary body within the UN focused on climate change. It is considered the “parent” of the Paris Agreement and often acts with guidance from the IPCC. The ultimate goals of the UNFCCC are to stabilize greenhouse gasses and prevent humans from interfering with the climate system.
While the UN can be quite difficult to finance as it requires fluctuating contributions and a series of voluntary contributions, the limited budget becomes even more limited once the funding reaches the UNFCCC. This budget also largely goes towards administrative assistance as opposed to rebuilding infrastructure. The organization has instead set out to accomplish its goals through intergovernmental negotiations and a handful of climate action endeavors.
The Kyoto Protocol was a major product of the UNFCCC. Effective from 2005 to 2020, this was a somewhat weaker treaty that was only legally binding for more developed countries. It requested that participating countries adopt policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with specific emission targets created for only 37 of the involved countries.
The protocol also had an ambitious goal of reducing damaging emissions by 5% before 2012. While a system of monitoring emission targets was established, the initiative has ultimately been deemed a failure due to its inability to produce significant change. It is considered to be insufficient and far too lenient in its requirements and a lack of encouragement for collective action.
The UNFCCC also hosts the annual United Nations Climate Change Conferences. As one of the largest international meetings, this conference is the hub for intergovernmental negotiations regarding climate change — it allows parties from different countries to discuss, review, and amend current initiatives such as the Paris Agreement.
This core component of the UN is what brings the world together in facing climate change. An organization such as UNFCCC has the most potential in climate action as it provides a path to global unity. As environmentalists know, this is crucial.
Looking Forward
The UN strives to maintain international peace and security. To achieve this, however, our Earth must come first; it is home to all. Through legal initiatives and scientific analysis, the UN recognizes that the countries of the world must unify and take ambitious, effective climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The push to keep Earth livable begins with the United Nations. Increasing global temperatures will prove disastrous if action is not taken on a widespread, international scale. In fact, many of the damages caused by climate change will continue to harm the planet, even if current UN efforts are successful. This only emphasizes the need for global collaboration, stronger endeavors by the UN, and elected leaders who care about the planet. A passion for protecting the world’s environment should be a requirement for all politicians — no matter where you are from. The accountability of government officials is of the utmost importance.