Introducing 'COP15'
The key findings from The Arctic Survey, led by Pen Hadow, will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) to be held in November 2009 in Copenhagen.
As many of you may now be aware, Pen Hadow is leading an expedition called The Arctic Survey, to project using the most accurate figures ever produced how long the Polar ice cap will remain as a permanent geological feature.
Furthermore, the findings will be cross-referenced against how the melting of the ice cap will impact the rising water levels of the sea and oceans, and therefore give a far truer analysis of the actual impact of global climate change – see "consequences of the climate change" available on the COP15 website.
One of The Arctic Survey’s partners is the World Wildlife Fund and it will be their responsibility to deliver the key findings, that Pen’s team discovers, to the COP15 audience.
This single event is where the world’s key leaders will all sign binding agreements to reduce the individual country’s CO2 emissions – COP15 has been viewed as the single most important climate conference the world has ever seen.
We have downloaded some key FAQ’s from the COP15 website to help you understand more about this historical conference:
What is a COP?
COP stands for Conference of Parties. It is the highest body of the United Nations Climate Change Convention and consists of environment ministers who meet once a year to discuss the convention’s developments.
You can read more about the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change" here or at the website of the convention’s secretariat at www.unfccc.int.
Who is taking part in the conference, and how many people?
It is expected that ministers and officials from 189 countries will take part. In addition, there will be participants from a large number of organisations.
How long will the conference last?
The conference will last two weeks from 30 November to 11 December 2009.
What should come out of the conference?
The overall goal for the 2009 (COP15) is to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from 2012.
Who is hosting the conference?
The Danish government is organising the conference. The ministries involved are the Prime Minister’s Office, the Economics and Business Affairs Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Finance, the Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation, the Climate and Energy Ministry, the Transport Ministry and the Environment Ministry.
Can I take part in the conference myself?
The conference itself is only open to the delegations from the countries who are parties to the UN Climate Change Convention, countries with observer status, interested organisations and business organisations.
There will however be a large range of events targeted at a broader audience in parallel with the official conference.
Will the USA and China be at the conference?
The USA and China are in the group of 189 countries who have signed the United Nations Climate Change Convention, and which normally take part in the conference.
You can read more about the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change" here or at the website of the convention’s secretariat at www.unfccc.int.
Will there be more climate summits?
Yes, there will be. The parties to the Climate Change Convention meet once a year.
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The goal of the Kyoto Protocol was that industrialised countries should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% compared to the 1990 level, calculated as an average over the period of obligation, 2008 – 2012.
Click here to read about the Kyoto Protocol.
What does the United Nations Climate Change Panel (IPCC) do?
The United Nations Climate Change Panel or IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was established in 1988 by the special UN organisations for environment (UNEP) and meteorology (WMO) following the Brundtland Report "Our Common Future".
It was tasked with, at appropriate intervals, collating and evaluating scientific literature about climate change, its effects, socio-economic aspects and the potential for adapting to or subduing climate change.
Click here to read more about the IPCC
What are the tasks of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat?
Administration of the Climate Change Convention is headed by the UN Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn. Some of the tasks that the secretariat manages are: monitoring which countries ratify the Kyoto Protocol and monitoring national communications from countries about their progress with greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the goal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?
The goals of the climate change convention are to stabilise the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous man-made climate changes.
This stabilisation must occur in such a way as to give the ecosystems the opportunity to adapt naturally. This means that food safety must not be compromised, and that the potential to create sustainable social and economic development must not be endangered. 189 countries have signed the Climate Change Convention.
Click here to read more about the UNFCCC.
What is CO2?
CO2 is a component of air, also known as carbon dioxide, which is formed by the burning of organic material. We emit CO2 when we burn coal, oil and gas in power stations to produce heat and electricity.
What do greenhouse gases do?
A greenhouse gas is a component of air that is able to absorb infrared rays (heat rays) that rise up from the Earth’s surface. Much of the air emitted into the atmosphere by modern industrial society is made up of greenhouse gases.
The most important one of these is carbon dioxide (CO2). But methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbon compounds (CFC gases) and ozone (O3) are also important.
How does the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) work?
The mechanism makes it possible for industrialised countries to supplement their CO2 reductions at home with investments in projects in developing countries that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase the rate of absorption of CO2.
The CO2 "gain" is converted into credits that can be deducted from the industrialised country’s national climate account.
How does the Joint Implementation (JI) work?
The mechanism makes it possible for industrialised countries to supplement their CO2 reductions at home with investments in projects in other industrialised countries, such as in Eastern Europe, that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase the rate of absorption of CO2.The CO2 "gain" is converted into credits that can be deducted from the industrialised country’s national climate account.