TOPIC: CLIMATE CHANGE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF DEVELOPED

COUNTRIES

Historical Background
Developed Countries Are Responsible for 79 Percent of Historical Carbon Emissions

The historical concentration of industry and wealth in developed countries means that they are
responsible for 79 percent of the emissions from 1850 to 2011. Source: CO2 emissions
excluding).United States, European Union, Japan, Russia, Asia Other high-income China, India
Middle East & North Africa Middle East & North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan
Africa Latin America Latin America Other developing Asia Center for Global Development

European Union: 40%

Developed countries are most responsible for climate change historically.
Historically, growing wealth has been closely tied to increasing industry, energy usage, and
carbon emissions. This relationship may only now be slowly starting to decouple. In 2014, for
example, the UK’s emissions fell by 8.4 percent while its economy grew by 2.6 percent; the
world’s economy expanded by 3 percent while global carbon emissions flatlined. Nevertheless
the historical concentration of industry and wealth in developed countries means that developed
countries are responsible for having produced 79 percent of the emissions from 1850 to 2011.

Back in 1992 when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
was established, emissions were even more concentrated; at that time developed countries had
produced 84 percent of historical emissions. This concentration of emissions by a handful of rich
countries is part of what has made international climate negotiations a finger-pointing standoff
for so many years. Under the Kyoto Protocol only developed countries were required to cut
emissions; the United States objected to the exclusion of fast-growing countries like China and
India.

At first glance the historical concentration of emissions in developed countries makes climate
change a textbook CGD issue a policy or practice of rich countries that affects poor countries.
But in recent years, the story has become more complex. While developed countries still produce
large amounts of carbon emissions, developing countries are increasingly doing so as well.

Developing countries are most responsible for climate change now

These days, 63 percent of annual emissions are produced by developing countries. The industry,
energy, and wealth that were long the preserve of a handful of developed countries are finally
expanding rapidly in the developing world, and that’s a very good thing. But this welcome
economic growth has a dangerous side effect carbon emissions.

Compared to developed countries, a much larger share of emissions in developing countries

comes from deforestation. Tropical deforestation made up more than one-fifth of emissions from
Latin America in 2011, nearly one-third of emissions from sub-Saharan Africa, and two-fifths of
emissions from Southeast Asia.2

Ironically, the broadening of the emissions base offers a sign of hope for international
cooperation. Now that more countries are contributing to the problem, more countries are
invested in finding cost-effective and politically palatable solutions. This doesn’t take rich
countries off the hook though wealthy emitters are still the ones best able to lead on carbon
pricing, technological innovation, and finance such as results-based payments for reducing
deforestation.
In the aftermath of failed climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, my colleague Arvind
Subramanian argued that international negotiations will only succeed when large developing
countries like China, India, and Brazil take the lead in international climate negotiations,
recognizing that they have the most to lose from inaction. All of these countries are making big
climate moves, often for domestic reasons. China is reducing its coal use in response to air
pollution concerns; India is promoting reforestation under the auspices of tax-revenue reform;
Brazil’s remarkable success in reducing deforestation may help combat its record-breaking
drought. These moves put wind in the sails of greater climate action by rich countries, as in the
United States where President Obama just strengthened the Clean Power Plan.
Responsibilities of developed countries:
Forego Fossil Fuels.

The first challenge is eliminating the burning of coal, oil and, eventually, natural gas. This is
perhaps the most daunting challenge as denizens of richer nations literally eat, wear, work, play
and even sleep on the products made from such fossilized sunshine. And citizens of developing
nations want and arguably deserve the same comforts, which are largely thanks to the energy
stored in such fuels.

Oil is the lubricant of the global economy, hidden inside such ubiquitous items as plastic and
corn, and fundamental to the transportation of both consumers and goods. Coal is the substrate,
supplying roughly half of the electricity used in the U.S. and nearly that much worldwide a
percentage that is likely to grow, according to the International Energy Agency. There are no
perfect solutions for reducing dependence on fossil fuels (for example, carbon neutral biofuels
can drive up the price of food and lead to forest destruction, and while nuclear power does not
emit greenhouse gases, it does produce radioactive waste), but every bit counts.

So try to employ alternatives when possible plant-derived plastics, biodiesel, wind power and to
invest in the change, be it by divesting from oil stocks or investing in companies practicing
carbon capture and storage.
Consume Less.

The easiest way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is simply to buy less stuff. Whether by
forgoing an automobile or employing a reusable grocery sack, cutting back on consumption
results in fewer fossil fuels being burned to extract, produce and ship products around the globe

Stop Cutting Down Trees.

Every year, 33 million acres of forests are cut down. Timber harvesting in the tropics alone
contributes 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere. That represents 20 percent of
human-made greenhouse gas emissions and a source that could be avoided relatively easily.

Improved agricultural practices along with paper recycling and forest management balancing the
amount of wood taken out with the amount of new trees growing could quickly eliminate this
significant chunk of emissions.

Providing Governments of developing and under developed countries with Critical Knowledge
for Climate Change Adaptation

The Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) equips government officials and key actors with
critical knowledge to design climate change adaptation measures, access finance and
technologies and build capacity to integrate climate change adaptation into national development
policies.

The APAN is run under the Global Adaptation Network, one of the UN Environment’s largest
initiatives on climate change adaptation. As a ‘network of networks,’ APAN takes a
collaborative approach to manage and disseminate climate change adaptation knowledge and
meet on-the-ground demands of climate change practitioners. It builds climate change resilient
and sustainable human systems, ecosystems and economies in countries across the region.

Supporting Least Developed Countries to Develop National Adaptation Plans.

This joint initiative of UN Environment and the United Nations Development Programmed,
funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-Least Developed Countries Fund, aims to
identify technical, institutional and financial needs to integrate climate change adaptation into
ongoing medium and long-term national planning and budgeting in Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) and strengthen their institutional and technical capacities for National Adaptation Plans
(NAP). The objectives of NAP are to reduce vulnerability to climate change and integrate
adaptation to climate change in national development plans and strategies.

Exemplifying the spirit of one-UN, the Global Support Programme (GSP) avoids duplication and
leverages technical expertise from more than 10 UN and bilateral partners by strengthening
institutional and technical capacities, as well as brokering knowledge. Over 25 LDCs have
requested support for their NAPs. In Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal are currently being
supported. The GSP recently expanded its support to include all developing countries with
financial support from the GEF-Special Climate Change Fund

Supporting Least Developed Countries to Participate Effectively in

Intergovernmental Negotiations.
With support from the Global Environment Facility-Least Developed Countries Fund, UN
Environment and the United Nations Development Programme are jointly implementing a global
support programme to help the Least Developed Countries Group better equip itself to
strategically engage in intergovernmental climate change negotiations of work-streams important
to the group such as National Action Plans and financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate
Fund.

The project helps develop adequate systems to manage, interpret and disseminate climate change
data, and provides face-to-face and virtual trainings on intricacies of diplomacy, terminologies,
formulating negotiating positions and understanding the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change processes.

Fast-Tracking Adoption, Deployment and Investments in Environmentally

Sound Technologies.
UN Environment and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are piloting a Climate Technology
Network and Finance Center to accelerate the adoption and deployment of climate technologies
and investments in environmentally sound technologies in 16 countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The climate technology network secretariat managed by UN Environment focuses on creating

capacity readiness and enabling conditions for market transformation interventions in the region
through fostering knowledge sharing, public-private partnerships, and the development of
institutional capacity and climate technology policies. The outcome and result of the activities of
the project also generate experiences and lessons learned for the Climate Technology Centre and
Network.
Agreements and conventions on climate change:
Paris agreement:

Paris Agreement: essential elements.

The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and
finance, signed in 2016. The agreement's language was negotiated by representatives of 196 state
parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Le Bourget, near Paris, France,
and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015. As of March 2019, 195 UNFCCC members
have signed the agreement, and 185 have become party to it. The Paris Agreement's long-term
goal is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial
levels; and to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, since this would substantially reduce the risks and
effects of climate change

The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and for the first time brings all nations into a
common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects,
with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in
the global climate effort.

The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate
change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5
degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal
with the impacts of climate change. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate financial flows,
a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity building framework will be put in place,
thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with
their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for enhanced transparency of action
and support through a more robust transparency framework. Further information on key aspects
of the Agreement can be found here.

Main points:

1. Limit temperature rise 'well below' 2 C

The agreement includes a commitment to keep the rise in global temperatures "well below" 2 C
compared to pre-industrial times, while striving to limit them even more, to 1.5 degrees.

Canadian officials agreed to this lower amount earlier this week, saying they would support a
long-term goal of limiting rising average temperatures to within 1.5 C of pre-industrial levels.

Scientists consider 2 C the threshold to limit potentially catastrophic climate change.

2. First universal climate agreement.

It's the world's first comprehensive climate agreement, with all countries expected to pitch in.

Under the previous emissions treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, developing countries were not
mandated to reduce their emissions. Canada signed on to Kyoto, but later backed out in 2011.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented the agreement's final draft on Saturday, noting
that it is legally binding

3. Helping poorer nations.

The deal also calls on developed nations to give $100 billion annually to developing countries by
2020. This would help these poorer countries combat climate change and foster greener
economies.

The agreement promotes universal access to sustainable energy in developing countries,

particularly in Africa. It says this can be accomplished through greater use of renewable energy.

In his appearance at the summit last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to helping
poorer nations cope with global warming.

In November, the Canadian government promised to spend $2.65 billion over five years to help
developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

4. Publishing greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Countries will be tasked with preparing, maintaining and publishing their own greenhouse gas
reduction targets. The agreement says these targets should be greater than the current ones
and "reflect [the] highest possible ambition."

These targets will be reviewed and revised every five years starting in 2023.

The agreement also says that each country should strive to drive down their carbon output "as
soon as possible."

5. Carbon neutral by 2050.

The deal sets the goal of a carbon-neutral world sometime after 2050 but before 2100.

This means a commitment to limiting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity
to the levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally.

Scientists believe the world will have to stop emitting greenhouse gases altogether in the next
half-century in order to achieve this goal.
Climate action summit 2019:
The Secretary-General will convene a Climate Action Summit in September 2019 to bring
climate action to the top of the international agenda. Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former
Mexican diplomat, will be his Special Envoy to lead its preparations.

The Summit will focus on the heart of the problem – the sectors that create the most emissions
and the areas where building resilience could make the biggest difference – as well as provide
leaders and partners the opportunity to demonstrate real climate action and showcase their
ambition.

To read about the commitments that regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society
pledged during the Global Climate Action Summit in California, September 2018

IPCC Climate Report 2018

Imiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in
all aspects of society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a new
assessment. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to
1.5ºC compared to 2ºC could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable
society.

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC was launched on Sunday, 7 October, in
Incheon, Republic of Korea. It will be a key scientific input into the Katowice Climate Change
Conference in Poland in December, when governments review the Paris Agreement to tackle
climate change.

What does these agreements require countries to do?

The agreement requires all countries to take action, while recognizing their differing situations
and circumstances. Under the Agreement, countries are responsible for taking action on both
mitigation and adaptation.

Countries officially submitted their own nationally determined climate actions. They have an
obligation to implement these plans, and if they do, it will bend the curve downward in the
projected global temperature rise.
The agreement not only formalizes the process of developing national plans, but also it provides
a binding requirement to assess and review progress on these plans. This mechanism will require
countries to continuously upgrade their commitments and ensure that there will be no
backtracking.

This agreement is a clarion call from governments that they are ready for implementing the 2030
Sustainable Development Agenda.