United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Convention (UNFCCC)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a “Rio Convention” is one of three multilateral environmental agreements that were adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
The ultimate objective of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human induced) interference with the climate system.”
The UNFCCC Convention has laid out key guiding principles which continue to be relevant under the Paris Agreement, including the common but differentiated responsibilities guiding principle.
The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994 and currently has near-universal membership with 197 countries that have ratified the Convention. The countries that have ratified the UNFCCC are called Parties to the Convention. Saudi Arabia ratified the Convention on 28 December 1994.
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol imposes legally binding commitments on 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition where it establishes mandatory emissions reduction targets for seven greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The Kyoto Protocol does not impose emission reduction commitments on developing countries and takes into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities of Parties.
Several national measures and market-based mechanisms were introduced under the Kyoto Protocol to support the achievement of emission reduction targets of industrialized countries, as follows:
- International Emission Trading (IET)
- Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
- Joint Implementation (JI)
This Protocol was officially adopted on December 11, 1997, and entered into force on February 16, 2005. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the Kyoto Protocol on 31 January 2005. Currently, there are 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a carbon crediting mechanism established by the Kyoto Protocol. It provides a financial incentive for industrialized countries to invest in projects in developing countries that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions, such projects can be issued Certified Emission Reduction Units (CERs), which can be traded or used for offsetting. Some eligible project types include renewable energy, energy efficiency, fuel switching, and methane recovery from landfills. CDM projects go beyond mitigation of greenhouse gases to also contribute to sustainable development.
The National Committee for the Clean Development Mechanism (the “National Committee”) is the Designated National Authority (DNA) for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Paris Agreement (PA)
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty which aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. The agreement is guided by the principles of the Convention, including the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.
Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Under the Paris Agreement’s bottom-up approach parties “shall prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions” and pursue domestic efforts with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has submitted its Updated Nationally Determined Contribution in October 2021.
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The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. Saudi Arabia is a member to the Paris Agreement.