On 12 December in Paris the inter- national community agreed a histo- ric deal. The world climate agree ment will ensure that global warming caused by human activity is limited. All 196 countries have approved the agreement. It was decided that global warming will be kept well below two degrees Celsius compared to levels at the end of the 19th century. (One degree has already been reached.) Efforts should be undertaken to limit the increase of ground- evel temperature to 1.5 degrees.
The CO2 emissions will soon reach their peak, according to the treaty. No great progress has been achieved with this according to Raimund Schwarze from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Developing countries in particular may need longer. In the second half of the century a balance should be achieved between greenhouse gas emissions and their absorption by the oceans and forests, or through technical means such as CO2 dumping. Formulations such as decarbonization, zero emissions or emission neutrality were hindered by the oil-producing nations, India and a few others.
What does all of this mean for the aviation industry ?
” Even though international aviation and shipping is explicitly excluded from the text of the climate treaty, we believe that it will be very significant for the upcoming General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in September 2016. The ICAO has decided that after the Parisian agreement – more than ever – the mandate is for international air traffic to adopt a mark-based system to reduce emissions from aviation. In 2013 the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had already made proposals to this effect. The ICAO is now required to bring about a corresponding agreement. We really hope that the Paris agreement will encourage governments within the ICAO to increase their efforts next year to adopt a corresponding – and further reaching – agreement. In the meantime, the Lufthansa Group – along with the entire aviation industry – will continue their numerous activities to further reduce aviation-related greenhouse gas emissions,” says Dr. Karlheinz Haag, Head of Environmental Concepts of the the Lufthansa Group.
The start date and the signing of the treaty
In April 2016 the global climate treaty will be ratified in New York by the heads of State so that it can come into effect in 2020. It will only be legally binding if at least 55 countries agree to account for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, climate protection should however be intensified immediately, according to scientists. The second part of the Summit, which the heads of State do not have to agree, concerns the time period before 2020. There it is stated that private stakeholders and authorities should become actively involved in climate protection measures in the short term.
The most important decisions:
Global warming should be limited to less than 1.5 degrees
It is a spectacular political success for the 1.5 degree target to be agreed in the climate treaty. There is a strong commitment to Island States most threatened by rising sea levels – which is supported by a coalition of countries, Germany among them. Actually achieving the target would require immediate radical changes in the global economy, which is rather unrealistic.
Greenhouse gas emissions should decrease as quickly as possible
The target to completely dispense with the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century was not included in the Treaty, nor was climate neutrality. The emerging nations of China and India, oil states such as Saudi Arabia, as well as European countries such as Poland whose economy is strongly linked to coal, were obstructive. A clear date by which the global greenhouse emissions should fall was also not part of the treaty. The obligation remained that all countries should seek to stop their greenhouse gas emissions from increasing any further “as soon as possible”.
The national climate targets will be reviewed every five years
This is an important success, because without a way to regularly to monitor the targets, the treaty would be worth very little. From 2023 onwards, independent experts should review to what extent individual countries have met with the agreed commitments and whether there is any scope to replace them with more ambitious targets every five years. Common rules are needed on how the emissions are measured. (As Dr Karlheinz explicitly pointed out in an interview in LINK – “We are investing billions”)
Greenhouse gas emissions should decrease as quickly as possible
The target to completely dispense with the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century was not included in the Treaty, nor was climate neutrality. The emerging nations of China and India, oil states such as Saudi Arabia, as well as European countries such as Poland whose economy is strongly linked to coal, were obstructive. A clear date by which the global greenhouse emissions should fall was also not part of the treaty. The obligation remained that all countries should seek to stop their greenhouse gas emissions from increasing any further “as soon as possible”.
The national climate targets will be reviewed every five years
This is an important success, because without a way to regularly to monitor the targets, the treaty would be worth very little. From 2023 onwards, independent experts should review to what extent individual countries have met with the agreed commitments and whether there is any scope to replace them with more ambitious targets every five years. Common rules are needed on how the emissions are measured. (As Dr Karlheinz explicitly pointed out in an interview in LINK – “We are investing billions”) https://ebase.dlh.de/ebase/home/de/misc/news/global/wir-investieren-milliarden.html
Developed countries should pay for the fight against climate change
Developing countries should receive generous support in their fight against climate change as well as for their adaptation to its impacts. Specific figures have not been given in the text. Until now the yearly target as a minimum contribution was $100 billion. What was kept in the agreement was the fact that developed countries are to take primary responsibility for the mobilization of finances for climate change. They should regularly account for how much money they will make available. Emerging nations do not have to make any specific financial pledges – against the demands for them by the developed countries. They can join in and support the developing countries voluntarily.
The Paris Treaty will be the first climate treaty that is binding for almost all countries in the world
Many observers believe the draft treaty has good chances for being adopted. The document is nuanced, fair and binding under international law. It meets the mandate for negotiations of the participating countries, said the chief negotiator Laurent Fabius, Foreign Minister of France. However it will only be legally binding if at least 55 countries ratify it and agree to account for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. jwm