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This year's UN Climate Conference takes place in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Helmholtz/Oliver Seim
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Prof. Dr Reimund Schwarze works at the UFZ in the field of "Economy of Climate Change" and is the spokesman for this subject matter in the context of the Helmholtz Association's Climate Initiative. At present he heads the department "Economy and Politics" at the Climate Service Centre (CSC), an institution of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, in Hamburg. He furthermore received a call to the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) to be appointed Chair of "International Environmental Economy".
Topical Newscasts:
During the UN Climate Conference, Reimund Schwarze and his colleagues regularly report in the blog under
http://blog.ufz.de/klimawandel
Joint Implementation (JI )
Industrialised countries invest in emission reduction projects in other industrialised countries. The project host country issues a marketable emission right to the investor, which can be used to fulfil the obligations in a national context or in the emission trade.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Industrialised countries can invest in climate protection projects in developing and emerging countries and in compensation receive marketable emission credits, which can be used in a national context or in the emission trade.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Reduction of emissions resulting from deforestation and deterioration of forests. Industrialised and emerging countries pay into a UN fund to pay for the development of forest protection programmes and forest protection infrastructures in developing countries. At a later stage, a market mechanism of marketable certificates is to be developed.
Kyoto Protocol
During the 3rd Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto in 1997 (COP 3), the country parties passed the so-called "Kyoto Protocol". In this protocol, the industrialised countries commit themselves bindingly to reduce their emissions of the six most important greenhouse gases - amongst others, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - by at least 5% to below the level measured in 1990 over the period from 2008 to 2012. In doing so, the individual countries have accepted different commitments for reducing emissions (e.g. Japan 6%, Russia +/-0%). The EU with its then 15 member states (EU-15) has redistributed its joint Kyoto obligation of 8% within the EU, so that, for instance, Germany has to achieve 21%, the United Kingdom 12.5% and France +/-0%.
What is the Point of the Durban Climate Conference?
The next UN Climate Conference will take place in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011. Expectations are low, it is presumed that the states will not arrive at a consensus towards a follow-up agreement for the Kyoto Protocol. With the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 the instruments for limiting emissions and financing the change in energy policy in the industrialised nations from out of the emission certificates trade will cease to apply. However, at least financial support and incentives for green growth in the developing countries could be agreed on in Durban, thinks Professor Dr Reimund Schwarze from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Climate Service Centre (CSC), an institution of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. The climate economist will participate in the UN climate negotiations in Durban in the capacity of an observer.
Schwarze reports, that during the talks in preparation for Durban, which were held on the Petersberg in Bonn in July 2011, the developing countries in particular displayed an interest in protecting the climate. "Some countries want a complete decarbonisation by 2050. They have realised that the future has to be low-carbon and they are preparing themselves for this future. Yet in order to do so, the developing countries require financial support from the industrialised countries." Conversely, emerging economies already can change over to the green growth model out of their own strength. "China now intends to introduce a pilot model for emission trade on its own territory. It is important to capitalise on these impulses", says Schwarze. In Durban it now will be important to develop instruments that function on a bilateral or multilateral basis and create economic incentives for a sustainable development.
"Even though the global emission trade remains a nice utopia for the time being, we can step by step get closer to this utopia by the further development of climate protection agreements between the industrialised and the emerging and developing countries, for example, by way of Joint Implementation or the Clean Development Mechanism", Schwarze argues. The protection of forests as carbon sinks and lungs of the planet Earth is to be effected by the REDD+ Agreement. "REDD+ can teach us that in future it makes sense to achieve sustainable management in entire sectors, such as here with regard to forestry management. This is about creating emission-low infrastructures, not about individual projects", says Schwarze. This must also be reflected in the design of the financial support schemes.
At best, the Climate Conference in Durban will result in the agreement on small but binding steps in the right direction. The interrelations in international climate negotiations are so complex that even experts have difficulties in understanding them, says Schwarze. "I shall go to Durban together with other scientists from the UFZ to help translate and render accessible the processes revolving around the forest protection agreement REDD+ for the public and for decision-makers in politics and the economy."
