One Climate Blog

International, Multilateral Agreements: How they started and where they’re at now.

As the climate crisis becomes seemingly impossible to ignore, it’s important to understand what climate efforts are being pursued from a non-consumer level. For years we’ve heard of pledges to go “net zero” in the far future, talks of fossil fuel divestments, seen countless summits and witnessed global agreements being signed. Have you ever stopped to wonder where those pledges have gone and how those agreements are going? Let me break it down for you with some of the most significant international climate agreements. 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):

How it started: In 1992, 197 countries came together and ratified the UNFCCC, pledging to continue the talk about climate change and encouraging the platform to create global agreements on the matter. 

Where it’s at now: The UNFCCC in absolute form didn’t bring any concrete progress in terms of specific pledges or action, however this was a major milestone in global climate agreements because of the pathway it opened for discussion and change. 

The Kyoto Protocol: 

How it started: In 2005, a majority of the globe came together to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Developed countries were “legally bound” to reduce their emissions by 5% compared to pre-1990 levels from 2008-2012. I put legally bound in quotations because countries are completely sovereign and not obliged to answer to anyone else – we live in an anarchic system. In simpler terms, we don’t have an “international government,” participation in these agreements is completely voluntary and if violated, there’s no higher law to reprimand the state.

Where it’s at now: In the end, the US refused to sign on and withdrew from the protocol. Not only that, with the industrial giant that is Russia signing on, their emissions were so much lower than their 1990 levels due to a periodic boom in industrialization that no significant changes were made, actually leaving extra units of “emissions” to sell to other countries. India and China made no significant changes either despite being large emitters, stating that they fell into place with other developing countries that did not have any pledges to fulfill. Overall, the Kyoto Protocol has hit a dead end, with multiple countries including Canada completely dropping out of the agreement. 

Montreal Protocol: 

How it started: Regarded as one of the most successful climate agreements to date, the Montreal Protocol hones in on the threat of o-zone depletion. 24 countries, including Canada, came together to phase out the production and consumption of harmful ozone depleting substances (ODS) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). 

Where it’s at now: The Montreal Protocol successfully resulted in a major reduction of ODS and HFCs in the atmosphere, slowly repairing the o-zone layer ever since. More countries have now joined in to cut out these harmful substances and a Multilateral fund has been set up for countries to use to help transition to an economy that phases these substances out. 

Paris Agreement: 

How it started: Noted as the biggest, legal climate agreement to date, the Paris Agreement came to fruition in 2015 at the COP21 conference. The major goal of this Accord is to reduce global temperatures to 1.5 degrees celsius below pre-industrial levels. To help implement this goal and hold countries accountable, the agreement is set in 5 year intervals, and countries must produce nationally determined contributions (NDCs) at the end of these cycles. These reports are then studied by scientists and give the public a transparent view of individual countries’ progress towards this goal. It also puts more pressure on developed countries to take on an equitable share of climate finance and mitigation, helping developing countries to transition into a greener economy at a pace suitable to their needs. 

Where it’s at now: As a whole it’s easy to say the Paris Agreement is not on track as predicted, with global temperatures continuously rising as time goes on. 2020 NDCs showed promising momentum towards climate mitigation through net-zero emission goals, however showed little immediate action taking place to make those goals come to life. With the agreement being fairly new it’s harder to say whether it’s a success or failure.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to conclude that international agreements are not as helpful as they are advertised to be, and in turn promote false hope. It makes you question whether millions of dollars and hours of time are spent to appease public concern, or genuinely make moves towards a cleaner Earth. However, these pledges take time. The climate and global economy are extremely intersected; it’s no longer a simple road to climate change mitigation. These pledges continue to encourage economies and the public to press for industrialized change despite their slow nature. It’s evident that change is at a snail’s pace and it must quicken to create significant impact. With Montreal Protocol’s success, should countries learn that creating smaller, more specific goals creates positive gain in the long run? Should we ditch large multilateral agreements and hone in on municipal change? 

Let me know your thoughts!