Climate Organizations
UNFCCC
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the framework that developed the Kyoto Protocol, is currently undergoing a degree of formalization and goal setting that extends beyond the Kyoto 2012 timeframe. The recent Conference of Parties (COP 13) meeting in Bali, Indonesia, produced significant movement on the part of many countries to adopt the "Bali roadmap" for post-2012 agreements on climate change.
Taken from the UNFCCC website
"The UNFCCC sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. It recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The Convention enjoys near universal membership, with 192 countries having ratified.
Under the Convention, governments:
- gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices
- launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries
- cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change
The Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994."
Members of the EDCC participate in these historic meetings and, at the Bali meeting, held a side-event based on the ethical issues that arise out of the work conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
IPCC
As part of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore, was established to provide decision makers, and others, with objective peer-reviewed and internationally grounded information on climate change. The IPCC is mainly comprised of the research of three Working Groups: I) Working Group I (WG1) assesses the physical scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change; II) Working Group II (WG2) assesses the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for adapting to it; and III) Working Group III (WG3) assesses options for mitigating climate change through limiting or preventing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing activities that remove them from the atmosphere.
The IPCC mandate:
"The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Its role is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic literature produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be neutral with respect to policy, although they need to deal objectively with policy relevant scientific, technical and socio economic factors. They should be of high scientific and technical standards, and aim to reflect a range of views, expertise and wide geographical coverage."
PEW Center on Global Climate Change
The PEW Center on Global Climate Change in a U.S. NGO established in 1998 to provide non-partisan independent and credible information and advice on efforts to address global climate change. The PEW Center works between science, policy, and industry to develop viable solutions for addressing climate change, while continuing to allow for economic growth.
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is a U.K. organization that works to bring together scientists, policy makers, and business leaders to work together to develop sustainable responses. The Tyndall Centre identifies itself as having focused research efforts in: informing international climate policy; constructing energy futures; building resilience to climate change; international development; sustainable coasts; engineering cities; and integrated modeling.
Global Carbon Project
The Global Carbon Project (GCP) is the global scientific organization that focuses primarily on the understanding and management of the carbon cycle at various scales, from microscopic to global.
From the GCP website:
"The Global Carbon Project was formed to assist the international science community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base supporting policy debate and action to slow the rate of increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Global Carbon Cycle has a central focus on policy development for climate mitigation, sustainable development and the provision of ecosystem services, both at national and international levels. Research on the carbon cycle is an essential component of many activities addressing the environmental science of the whole Earth system and the International sustainable development agenda. The Global Carbon Project brings together carbon cycle resources, including information on national and regional carbon programmes and research agendas."
