1. RESULTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCES IN
THE PAST FEW YEARS
Asiedu Frimpong (SCUBY)
964788
Module 9- Physics and Chemistry for the Environment
Dr. rer. Nat. Sibylle Leiner
17-12-2015

2. CONTENT
 HISTORY
 WHY CLIMATE CONFERENCES
 MONTREAL 1987 CONFERENCE
 THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE IN RIO 1992
 BASIC ISSUES ADDRESSED
 AGENDA 21
 THE RIO DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
 THE FOREST PRINCIPLES
 THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
 RESULTS
 MY VIEW
 REFERENCE

3. HISTORY

4. KEY TIMELINES
1800s
 Arrhenius calculated the human impact on global warming (AIP, 2015).
 Joseph Fourier 1824, suggested that the earth would be colder without
the atmosphere.
 In 1850s, earth started experiencing temperature anomalies.
 We began the record of temperature and the atmospheric warming
levels.

5. 1900s
 Hulburt in 1931 had warn of a possible 4⁰C increase in the world
temperature.
 Discovery of Anthropogenic emissions of GHG
 97 percent of scientists believe Global Warming is man caused.
 IPCC instituted in 1988.

6. CLIMATE CONFERENCES IN 1
MINUTE

7. WHY CLIMATE CONFERENCEs
Solution in stakeholders hands
There is the need for immediate action
Evidence of looming Global Warming

8. Montreal Conference
 Took place on 16th May, 1987 in Montreal- Canada
 Montreal treaty entered into force on 1st January, 1989

9. Issues Discussed
 The phase out and banning of the production and use of CFCs,
HCFCs and halon
 How countries could reduce or stop the production of Ozone Depleting
Substance
 Agreement on the phase out period based on the development levels
of the states.

10. Success Story
 The agreement has successfully reduced the global production,
consumption, and emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).
 Multilateral funding extended to developing countries helped them
meet their compliance targets.
 The compliance procedure was flexible, hence the success of the
treaty and the phase out

11. RIO ‘92
 Known as Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED)
 Held on 3rd to 14th June with the motto ‘IN OUR HANDS’
 Aim was to understand Socio-economic Development and
Sustainability

12. Issues Discussed
 Major scrutiny on the patterns of production, especially the
production of lead from the fuels
 Alternate energy sources other than fossil fuels, which include coal,
oil, oil shales, tar sands, natural gas, and peat
 The growing scarcity of water

13. Resulting Documents
Agenda 21 Declaration on
development
and
environment
Forest principles

14. Agenda 21
 It is a blue print policy on actions to be taken by all local and national
organisations of the UN.
 It sought to conscientize nations to “think globally ,act locally”.

15. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
 The Declaration defines the rights and responsibilities of States
regarding sustainability
 27 principles were proposed
 Intended to guide future sustainable development

16. 27 Principles
 Man’s role in a sustaining development
 Focused prevention of environmental degradation
 States sovereignty to use resources within environmental tenets
 Eradication of poverty
 The role of women
 etc

17. The Forest Principles-
 Consensus on sustainable management of forest resources.
 Nations should develop their forest resources needs sustainably.

18. Adopted Legally Binding Conventions
Convention on
Biological
Diversity
UNFCC
Convention to
combat
desertification

19. MAJOR SUCCESSES
New perspective on economic
development
Redefined the understanding on
change

20. KYOTO PROTOCOL 1997
 This agreement sought to stabilise GHG in the atmosphere and to
halt serious anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
 It simply envisioned cutting down on emissions of CO2 and
Methane gas.
 The organisation proposed a ten year implementation treaty that
would cut down on GHG emissions.
 USA and Australia, agitated largely for this weakness of the
protocol and insisted they will not ratify it if it doesn’t set targets for
developing countries.
.

21.  As wealthy countries started cutting down on these emissions, the
developing ones stood hands folded benchmarking the decision to
cut it on donations and compensations
 The Kyoto protocol failed in getting a full ratification by all world
governments. US for instance, standing as one major emitter of
these substances fails to ratify it because there is no binding
agreement.
 The major accomplishment of the Kyoto Protocol is bringing
awareness to the fact that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions and protect our environment

22. RESULTS
 The Kyoto Protocol - as it stands now – has not achieved a decisive
breakthrough in international climate policy.
 Created much awareness. Even if the goals of the Protocol are not
met, it will have been a great starting point.

23. MY VIEW
 Negative impacts of climate change on the economy of Ghana.
 Negative impacts on the survival of the African Region.
 Global estate, Global problems. Humans failed ecosystem
 COP21 attempts to solve Kyoto problems
Binding to reduce temperature to pre-industrial levels
Help developing countries (Kyoto protocol-centbill/anum)

25. REFERENCE
 Bohringer, C. (n.d.). THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: A REVIEW AND PERSPECTIVE.
Center for European Economic Research, (pp. 03-61). Mannheim.
 Mahama, J. D. (2015, November 30). STATEMENT AT THE LEADER'S EVENT:
UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENC-COP21. Le Bourget, Paris, France.
 Oreskes, N. (2004). Beyond the Ivory Tower: the scientific consensus on
climate change. Science, 306.
 Shishlov, R. M. (2015, May). EX-POST EVALUATION OF THE KYOTO
PROTOCOL: four key lessons for the 2015 Paris agreement. Paris, France.
 UNCED. (1992). Agenda 21. Rio de Janeiro : United Nations Division for
Sustainable Development.
 UNEP. (1987). The Montreal Protocol on Substance that Deplete the Ozone
Layer. Montreal.
 Weart, S. (2004, October). The Discovery of Global Warming.

26. THANK YOU