Climate change impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016

Policy context
2 Policy context
2.1 Global policy context
2.1.1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
The threat of climate change is being addressed globally
by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC, 1992). Its long-term objective is 'to
stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations
at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system. Such a level
should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to
allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change,
to ensure that food production is not threatened and
to enable economic development to proceed in a
sustainable manner.'
Mitigation
In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, which
legally bound the participating developed countries to
achieving greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets
by 2008–2012, the first commitment period. A number of
countries, as well as the EU, agreed to take on mitigation
commitments until 2020 for a second commitment
period running from 2013 to 2020 (UNFCCC, 2012).
In 2010, the international community agreed on the
need to reduce emissions in order to prevent global
temperature increases from exceeding 2 °C compared
with pre-industrial levels ('Cancun agreements', UNFCCC,
2010). This would require global emissions to be cut by
40 to 70 % compared with 2010 by 2050 (Edenhofer et al.,
2014).
At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December
2015 (UNFCCC, 2015), 197 countries adopted the
first‐ever universal, legally binding global climate deal.
The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020 or
earlier, depending on the process of ratification. The Paris
Agreement aims to be a bridge between today's policies
and climate-neutrality before the end of the century, and,
with regard to mitigation, the governments agreed:
• a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global
average temperature to well below 2 °C compared
with pre-industrial levels;
• to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C
compared with pre-industrial levels, as this would
significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate
change;
• on the need for global emissions to peak as soon
as possible, recognising that this will take longer for
developing countries;
• to undertake rapid reductions thereafter, in
accordance with the best available science.
Before and during the Paris conference, countries
submitted comprehensive national climate plans,
outlining their intended nationally determined
contributions (INDCs). These are not yet enough to keep
global warming below a 2 °C increase (UNEP, 2015), but
the agreement outlines the way to achieve this target.
The EU contribution to the international agreement is
detailed in the next section.
Adaptation
Even if the limit of a 2 °C increase (of the average global
surface temperature) is adhered to, many places on
Earth will experience a (much) higher temperature
increase, and climate change will have many impacts
across the globe. Adaptation to climate change has thus
been recognised within the UNFCCC as an important
policy pillar (with a primary focus on vulnerable
developing countries), which is complementary to the
mitigation of climate change. The current main agreed
actions within the UNFCCC regarding adaptation are
outlined below.
The UNFCCC requires all Parties to prepare and report
'National Communications' every three to five years. On
climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation,
the current guidance for developed countries includes
reporting on actions within the country, on assistance
provided to developing country Parties, and on
research and systematic observation. The guidance on
reporting, however, leaves much flexibility. EU Member
States as well as the EU as a whole (prepared by the
European Commission) have all reported their sixth
National Communication (UNFCCC, 2016). However,
there is limited quantitative and comparable (across
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Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016 | An indicator-based report