The world has for some time now been exposed to some changes in the climate and its varying degrees of effects on both man and the environment. The environmental atmosphere has become poisoned with very dangerous gases which have made the attainment of a safe and sustainable environment difficult.
Through the unchecked and reckless activities of people all over the world, such harmful substances like carbon dioxide are introduced into the atmosphere and this has resulted in such gases having a major hand in the changing climatic conditions of the Earth. As man seeks for ways and means of making his or her work very easy to do, through the use of various kinds of machines which are known for their heavy reliance on the different types of fuels derived from fossilised materials, it has indirectly led to the destruction of the environment through global warming as the rate of release of very harmful gaseous substances has increased abnormally.
It has been the campaign for some years now from both individuals and organisations to find lasting ways and means of bringing such climatic changes under control. This has given rise to various policies being formulated by governments so as to restore some form of orderliness and sanity to how man treats the environment in order to achieve a sustainable environment for all.
In the year 1992, a consensus was reached by a number of countries to adopt the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in order to properly find solutions to the global warming issues that have been threatening the very survival of all living things on the Earth. Immediately after the adoption of the UNFCCC in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol was also initiated in the year 1997. These were all aimed at helping to keep the global warming problems under control. ‘’Addressing climate change in a timely and cost-effective manner is undoubtedly a remarkable challenge, but it is also the greatest opportunity we have ever had to design a safer, healthier and more sustainable world for all.’’ These are the exact words of Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary. Taking a critical look at the words of Christiana Figueres helps one to clearly understand how the United Nations view the global warming problems and how it keeps working tirelessly to find solutions to global warming so as to ensure that the environment becomes sustainable for now and later.
The Climate Summit
This is a Summit that was arranged by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon in September 2013 calling on governments and all civilians to join hands in the fight against global warming and the destruction of the environment and also to ensure that the world becomes free from the releasing of harmful gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This Summit also known as the Ban Ki-moon Summit took place on the 23rd day of September, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The Climate Summit was expected to usher in a year characterised by an increase in the policies and measures formulated to help tackle the problem of global warming. This meant that in addition to the number of policies formulated going up, actions to help achieve such targets were also going to be intensified.
Action Taken
The United Nations in its bid to help bring the changing climatic conditions and their associated effects under control convened a number of high level meetings where various policies were agreed upon by all member countries. Some of these policies agreed upon by leaders of member countries through the various United Nations meetings include;
- The UNFCCC which is a treaty agreed upon by various governments to help protect and safeguard the environment. This treaty was at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development which took place on the 3rd to the 14th of June, 1992.
- The Kyoto Protocol in 1997 also sought to legalise the need for all developed countries to abide by laid down policies in ensuring that the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere is greatly reduced.
Other notable actions taken by the United Nations to check global warming are the Bali Action Plan, Copenhagen and Caricun among others.
Agreeing to Climate Control Contract
Currently, negotiations are on going for an agreement on climate control that will bind all member countries. This agreement is to be formally adopted in the year 2015 and enforced in the year 2020 and it will have the full backing of the law to ensure that all member countries adhere to the terms and conditions of the Climate Control Contract.