4. CONTINENTALS: (Nov 15-28)

Continental Meetings

UNFCCC

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty addressing climate change. It was negotiated and signed in June 1992. The ultimate objective of the treaty is the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system."

As of 2020, the UNFCCC has 197 signatory parties. Its supreme decision-making body, the Conference of the Parties (COP), meets annually to assess progress in dealing with climate change.

The treaty is considered legally non-binding - it set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms. Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international "protocols" that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases. For example,  the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in 1997 and which entered into force in 2005, was the first extension to the UNFCCC. It was superseded by the Paris Agreement, which entered into force in 2016

The Paris Agreement

2015 was a historic year in which 196 Parties came together under the Paris Agreement to sign a treaty that would transform their development trajectories, setting the world on a course towards sustainable development. 

The world is to approach this through three main goals:

  1. Hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels;
  2. Increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions development; and,
  3. Make finances available to lower GHG emissions and promote climate-resilient development. 

Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement. NDCs describe in detail each Parties' goals to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate, and report on nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties undertake in-country mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving their goals and targets. The Paris Agreement requires countries to deliver new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years that are informed by the latest advances in technology, science, and in-country economic realities. 

Why is 2020 Important?? It is a Reporting Year for the NDCs & Paris Agreement!!

In the Paris Agreement, Parties established five-year reporting cycles. At the end of each 5-year cycle, countries were expected to report back on their achievements to date, and then increase their work ("ambition") towards achieving their NDCs. 

What does this mean?

The Paris Agreement requests each country to outline and communicate their climate actions toward their NDC targets. Each climate plan reflects the country’s ambition for reducing emissions, taking into account its domestic circumstances and financial capacities. 

Together,  all climate actions determine whether the world achieves the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. We need global peaking of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as soon as possible and to undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with the best available science.

Task

During our meeting, students will have 5 min to present on the following 5 questions/ prompts below. I have provided a template slide deck HERE, to help outline the presentation.

Please discuss:

  1. Three NDCs of our country... (Name 3 large goals)
  2. Since 2015, the progress & actions of our country has been... (i.e. Has your country met its NDCs? Has it been successful? Unsuccessful? A mix of both?)
  3. We think the Top 2 Environmental Priorities for our government towards meeting the NDCs should be... 
  4. Role & responsibilities of our country in the continent... (i.e. We have a large political impact or small? We have many natural and economic resources or few? We are large GHG emitters or small? etc.) 
  5. We (and other YOUTH in our country) can best help meet the NDCs by
    1. One local action
    2. One regional or national action

***Template Slide Deck***


RESOURCES:

  1. All country NDC Registry: https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NDCStaging/Pages/All.aspx**
  2. Climate Action Tracker: https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/
  3. Climate Watch: https://www.climatewatchdata.org/

Learning Objectives

Meeting Times

Continentals


Local Time

GMT


North America

Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 9:00 am, Pacific Time

GMT (UTC +0), Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:00 pm

NA: Time Converter

South America

Thu, Nov 26, 11:00 am Pacific Time

GMT (UTC +0), Thu, Nov 26, 2020, 7:00 pm

SA: Time Converter

Asia

Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 9:30 am India Standard Time

GMT (UTC +0), Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 4:00 am

Asia: Time Converter

Africa

Tue, Nov 24, 2020, 6:00 pm, EAT

GMT (UTC +0), Tue, Nov 24, 2020, 3:00 pm

Africa: Time Converter

Europe

Wed, Nov 25, 2020, 3:00 pm GMT


Europe: Time Converter


Meeting Links

Continentals - see here as well

North America: 

South America

Asia/ Oceana

Africa

Europe

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