Climate Change

Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns. Unexpected changes in weather patterns make it difficult to maintain and grow crops in regions that rely on farming because expected temperature and rainfall levels can no longer be counted on. Climate change has also been connected with other damaging weather events, such as more frequent and more intense hurricanes, typhoons, floods, downpours, and winter storms. Climate change is largely caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. Carbon emissions from fossil fuels, methane, and nitrous oxide, among others, are called “greenhouse gases.” When released into the Earth’s atmosphere, these gases trap heat from the sun’s rays causing Earth’s average temperature to rise. This rise in the planet's temperature is called global warming. While the climate has continually changed throughout the Earth's history, it has usually been a slow process over thousands of years. Climate change caused by human activity is occurring at a much faster and more dangerous rate.

Events and Articles

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Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2013

As delegates assembled for the annual two-week climate change conference in Bonn, the meeting was overshadowed by external events. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations had surpassed the critical 400 ppm threshold, floods ravaged parts of Europe, and the new report, “Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map,” by the International Energy Agency, picked up widely by the international media, all highlighted the need for intensive action before 2020 to combat climate change. Many wondered whether governments are up to the challenge.
Event 3 June 2013 - 14 June 2013

Bonn Climate Change Conference - April 2013

The second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP 2) was structured around workshops and roundtable discussions, covering the ADP’s two workstreams on the 2015 agreement (Workstream 1) and pre-2020 ambition (Workstream 2). Many felt this format was helpful in moving the ADP discussions forward. Several delegates noted, however, the ADP needs to become more focused and interactive in future sessions.
Event 29 April 2013 - 3 May 2013

Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012

The Doha Climate Change Conference was about moving toward adopting a universal climate agreement by 2015—rather than immediately raising ambition as demanded by many youths and NGOs. Delegates also arrived at COP 18 with the objective of adopting a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol and finally closing the door on the two Ad hoc Working Groups: the AWG-KP and AWG-LCA. Doha was also very much about the cost of addressing climate change and making progress on long-term funding to support action in developing countries, which is supposed to reach a level of USD 100 billion a year by 2020, as agreed in Copenhagen in 2009.  
Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 November 2012 - 8 December 2012