[Reader-list] The COP 21 for dummies- Climate Stories from Indian Youth

[Kabir Khan]

The COP 21 for dummies <http://iycn.in/posts/2015/11/20/cop-21-dummies/>

Throughout November and December the IYCN and associates will be holding
your hand and leading you calmly through the maze of negotiations and
complicated concepts that is the COP 21. How can these negotiations that
will determine our futures be so poorly presented and understood?? Well
fear not! We are here to jargon bust, simplify, elucidate and generally
tell you all you need to know about climate change, the COP21 and why it’s
important for you.

This blog is for everyone who hears about the COP 21 negotiations in the
news and wonders: What’s all the fuss about? …how does it work?… why does
it matter.. And how can I get involved? You can find the blog -posts on What’s
with the Climate <https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/>.

Over the next two months we will explain everything from the overall
concept of climate change and the UNFCCC to the specific issues in India
and the role the youth of India have to play.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the disentangling of acronyms, the witty
titles, and the insightful commentary to come. You can also share your
opinions on climate change negotiations, reflections on climate discourse
by writing to kabir at iycn.in. Relevant ones will be published on What’s with
the climate <https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/>.



Please find two new blog posts here:

*COP 21 for Dummies- What is COP? What is UNFCCC?
<https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/cop-21-for-dummies-what-is-cop-what-is-unfccc/>*



*Pandora Batra and Christopher de Vreese*



It is important to go over the basics before we move onto the more complex
issues surrounding the international climate change debate. This blog post
aims to paint a broad picture of what the 21st Conference of the Parties
(COP21) is and explain; how it is important; what is at stake; and how it
is different to the past Climate Change Conferences.

The Conference of the Parties (COPs) serve as formal meetings that take
place within the mandate of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change ‘UNFCCC’, between all 196 member states of the United
Nations. (The UNFCCC is currently considered the only legitimate
international environmental treaty, due in part to its virtually universal
membership). The treaty itself did not set binding limits on greenhouse gas
‘GHG’ emissions (CO2, Methane, etc) for individual countries and contains
no enforcement mechanisms. Instead, it provides a framework for negotiating
specific international treaties (called ‘Protocols’ or ‘Agreements’), that
may set binding limits on greenhouse gases.

The Parties to the convention therefore meet annually since 1995, in COPs,
to assess the progress in dealing with climate change, and hopefully
establish legally binding obligations on reducing GHG Emissions. In the
mid-1990s, the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated to establish legally binding
obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions, however it did proved to be a failure due to lack of commitment
and enforcement. The COP15 in 2009 (a.k.a The Copenhagen Negotiations) also
attempted to create a worldwide legally binding Climate Change Treaty, but
lack of consensus between developed and developing countries on various
issues resulted in a non binding treaty called the Copenhagen Accord.

This brings us to the COP21, (or 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference),
which aims to bring together all the Member States, regardless of their
level of economic development, under a single climate change regime.
However this climate change treaty, if agreed, will be different in form
and nature from its predecessors. Continued here...
<https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/cop-21-for-dummies-what-is-cop-what-is-unfccc/>



*A Whole INDsea of Issues OR Incrementally Nonsensical Difficult
and Confusing
<https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/a-whole-indsea-of-issues-or-incrementally-nonsensical-difficult-and-confusing/>*



*Pandora Batra and Christopher de Vreese*



Seeing as large international organisations telling individual countries
what to do and how to do it hasn’t really worked so far, in the lead up to
the COP 21 countries have been asked to provide their own ‘Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions.’ (INDCs). These take the form of a
report from each of the UNFCCC parties (countries) outlining what they are
going to do to reduce CO2 emissions and help their populations adapt to the
impacts of climate change.

You may have seen mention of India’s INDCs in the news recently as they
were released on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday (2nd October, 2015) and have
created quite a stir in the Indian and global climate change community.

The main Indian INDCs in the report were:

To reduce the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by
33% to 35% by 2030 from 2005 level.

Translation: rather than making absolute reductions in emissions they are
pledging to reduce the amount of GHG emissions released per unit of GDP.
They are saying they will continue to develop but reduce the amount of
emissions that this development causes.

To achieve 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil
fuel based energy resources by 2030.

Translation: “installed capacity” means that lots of solar parks/ wind
turbines/ hydro and nuclear power plants will be built but that the actual
electricity generated from these non-fossil fuel technologies will be lower
due to transmission and and generation losses.

To better adapt by enhancing investments in vulnerable sectors.

To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of co2
equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. Continued
here...
<https://whatswiththeclimate.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/a-whole-indsea-of-issues-or-incrementally-nonsensical-difficult-and-confusing/>