7 Key Terms of the United Nations Climate Change Conference
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1. Greenhouse effect: The Earth’s atmosphere has a heat-retaining effect similar to that of greenhouse glass. When sunlight hits the Earth, some of its energy is absorbed by the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth; the heat emitted by the Earth’s surface is also absorbed by the atmosphere to some extent. The atmosphere’s ability to retain heat creates a warm environment on the Earth’s surface, a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. 2. Climate change: It encompasses various cooling and warming changes that have occurred throughout Earth’s history, but the climate change discussed today mainly refers to global warming caused by humans’ massive emission of gases such as carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Global warming refers to a series of environmental and economic problems arising from changes in the composition of the atmosphere that lead to an intensified greenhouse effect, resulting in an abnormally high average temperature on Earth. 3. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, more than 150 countries and regions formulated the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (abbreviated as the “Convention”). The ultimate goal of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that does not cause harm to the climate system. The Convention establishes a comprehensive framework for the international community’s efforts to address the challenge of climate change, and to date 191 countries and regions have ratified it. 4. The principle of \"common but differentiated responsibilities\": Environmental problems such as global warming currently exist mainly as a result of the unrestrained exploitation of the environment and resources by developed countries since the Industrial Revolution; developing countries, to a large extent, are the victims of this situation. Therefore, international cooperation in environmental protection must adhere to the principle of \"common but differentiated responsibilities\"; developed countries have the obligation to take the lead in implementing environmental protection measures and make greater practical contributions to international cooperation. This should be reflected mainly in two aspects: providing additional funding to developing countries to help them participate more effectively in international environmental cooperation, or compensating for the associated economic losses ； Provide developing ** with advanced technologies needed for pollution control on favorable, non-commercial terms. 5. The Kyoto Protocol: Adopted at the Third Conference of the Parties to the Convention held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, it was the first international agreement to set mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under this agreement, between 2008 and 2012, the greenhouse gas emissions of the major industrialized countries were to be reduced by an average of 5.2% compared to 1990 levels. To date, over 170 countries have **approved this agreement, but the United States, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has still not signed the protocol. 6. Carbon footprint: Refers to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by each individual, calculated on a CO2 basis. A person’s carbon footprint can be divided into a first carbon footprint and a second carbon footprint. The first carbon footprint refers to the carbon dioxide emitted directly as a result of the use of fossil fuels, while the second carbon footprint refers to the carbon dioxide emitted indirectly due to the use of various products. 7. Food mileage and fair mileage: The food that people consume every day must undergo various forms of transportation before it reaches their homes, and transportation is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Food mileage simply refers to the distance that food travels. Some people hope to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions by adding information on the food’s journey to products such as food. However, developing countries are **concerned that food mileage could become a new trade barrier for developed countries**, which led to the concept of fair mileage. The fair mileage requirement takes into full account various factors such as food-related production methods and the use of renewable energy.
Behind the millions of words of documents, speeches, and brochures produced at the United Nations climate conferences are three simple numbers: 2, 445, and “25 to 40”. They represent 2 degrees Celsius respectively, with carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere at 445 ppm (1 ppm is one part per million), and a 25% to 40% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions. Some people believe that this plan is intended to save the Earth from the most severe consequences of climate change. At the insistence of the United States, none of these figures ended up in the final key document of the United Nations climate change conference. But in the crucial climate negotiations over the next two years (as approved by the Bali Conference), these simple figures will surely become bargaining chips in the nearly 190 **high-risk diplomatic and economic negotiations** that are taking place. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states in its report that if emissions of carbon dioxide and other industrial, transportation, and agricultural gases that cause global warming are not drastically reduced, the situation will only get worse. The research team noted that global average temperatures have risen by 0.7 degrees Celsius compared to the early 19th century, and an additional rise of 1.3 degrees Celsius would have severe consequences: water shortages in some areas, poor crop yields, widespread extinction of coral reefs, more deaths due to heatwaves, and more intense rainfall. In order to keep the cumulative temperature rise at 2 degrees Celsius, **the Interim Panel on Climate Change concluded that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere should be maintained at 4,450 ppm, whereas it is currently estimated to be below 400 ppm. At the beginning of the conference in Bali, more than 200 scientists (many of whom were authors of United Nations reports) called on signatories to the United Nations climate treaty to set the limits of 2 degrees Celsius and 445 ppm as a \"minimum requirement\". The EU and many other **have already done this. They agreed to the goal of reducing industrialized countries’ greenhouse gas emissions by 25% to 40% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. **The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes that this approach can keep the rise in temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. This goal was also included in the draft final document of the Bali conference. But these figures were rejected by the United States and were ultimately removed from the Bali conference documents.