Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, 25 October – 5 November 1999

The Fifth Session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP5) (to give the conference its formal title) took place in Bonn from 25 October to 5 November 1999. There is an official COP5 website.

UNFCCC stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: the Secretariat of the Convention has a website.

The Convention was signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 as the first major initiative by the international community to confront the challenge of global warming: the twentieth century has seen an unprecedented increase in the average temperature on the surface of the earth due to human activities, in particular increases in energy consumption, with potentially serious effects on the climate. The UN Earth Summit at Rio in 1992 led to more than 150 countries signing up to a framework Convention obliging them to take control of their greenhouse gas emissions (this has risen now to more than 170 countries). More specifically, Europe together with other developed countries, undertook to stabilise emissions at their 1990 levels by the year 2000. Since Rio there has been a succession of follow-up conferences (Berlin, 1995; Geneva, 1996; Kyoto, 1997; Buenos Aires, 1998; Bonn, 1999) to allow participating countries to evaluate progress and set revised targets for the years beyond 2000. For example, the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in December 1997 commits developed countries to reduce their collective emissions of six key greenhouse gases by at least 5% by the period 2008-2112. The Kyoto Protocol was opened for signature in 1998 and will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by at least 55 Parties to the Convention. It is not yet in force.

The European Commission adopted a Communication in May 1999 called 'Preparing for implementation of the Kyoto Round', which reviewed EU action so far and expressed considerable disquiet at lack of progress to achieving targets laid down. It stressed that many sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture and industry all have to play a part, as does the private citizen.

The EU Commissioner for the Environment, Margot Wallström made a statement at the Convention on 3 November 1999 called 'Progress made in dealing with climate change: lessons and challenges', the text of which can be found in: SPEECH/99/150 (3.11.99). Ms Wallström said that 'progress is very slow - probably too slow!. While in the European Union, we are still confident that stabilisation of emissions in 2000 at 1990 level is possible there is no doubt that the Kyoto target can only be met with additional measures'.

The European Commission's Directorate General for the Environment maintains a website on Climate Change, which provides access to the key documents reviewing the EU progress towards reaching the targets.

A further important site for information is provided by the International Energy Agency, which includes the IEA's preliminary analysis in June 1999 of the EU proposal on the controversial Kyoto 'flexible mechanisms' (emissions trading, project-based 'joint implementation' and the 'clean development mechanism' (CDM). These would allow countries which have pledged emission cuts over the next decade to fulfil their pledges in part by means other than domestic policies and measures. The goal of these measures is to reduce the overall price of meeting the Kyoto targets by allowing countries with high reduction costs to acquire 'emission credits' from countries where reductions are cheaper or free.

An article 'Climate change: Turning up the heat on global warming' previewing the issues discussed in Bonn can be seen in the European Commission's DG Environment new journal Environment for Europeans, No.0, October 1999, p7

Further information and results of the 1999 Bonn meeting can be seen in:
(long-term access to these links cannot be guaranteed)

BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_505000/505017.stm

Links to a selection of non-English sources, as well as further English-language sources can be accessed via POLIS: Polis Website: Homepage.

Ian Thomson
Executive Editor, European Sources Online
Compiled: 5 November 1999
Last revised: 13 November 1999