limitations by developed countries have on atmospheric concentrations? What
technologies, policies and measures might be available for mitigating climate
change? How vulnerable are different regions of the world to possible climate
change? IPCC Technical Papers have addressed the detail of some of the issues
involved in answering these questions.
An issue which has been highlighted by the third session of the COP at Kyoto
in 1997 is that of the contributions which are made by deforestation, aforestation,
reforestation and changes in land use to the sources or sinks of greenhouse gases,
especially of carbon dioxide. This is an area where what is meant by different
human activities (e.g. de-, a-, or re-forestation) requires very careful definition,
where there is much scientific uncertainty and where there are significant
possibilities for the propagation of perverse incentives. The IPCC is already very
involved in this area through its work on the development of detailed
guidelines for the production of national inventories of greenhouse gases which
include both sources and sinks. It is these IPCC Guidelines to which the Kyoto
Protocol refers. The IPCC has also developed further analysis and assessment
regarding the interpretation of the Protocol and the use of the Guidelines.
An important basic principle that underlies any appropriate response to the
possibility of climate change is the Precautionary Principle. This is stated clearly
in Article 3 of the FCCC where the Parties to the FCCC are instructed to
‘take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of
climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Where there are threats of serious
or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a
reason for postponing such measures, taking into account that policies and
measures to deal with climate change should be cost-effective so as to ensure
global benefits at the lowest possible cost.’
The FCCC, in this statement of the Precautionary Principle and in its
Objective, places action concerning climate change clearly in the context of
sustainable development. The balance that this implies between environmental
protection on the one hand and economic development on the other must be
based on the best possible scientific, economic and technical analyses of all the
factors involved. This requirement provides a strong impetus for the wide range
and the high quality of the work that goes into the IPCC assessments.
Technologies, Policies and Measures for Mitigating Climate Change (Tech Paper No 1, 1996); An
Introduction to Simple Climate Models Used in the IPCC Second Assessment Report (Tech Paper
No 2, 1997); Stabilization of Atmnospheric Greenhouse Gases: Physical, Biological and Socio-economic
Implications (Tech Paper No 3, 1997); Implications of Proposed CO 2 Emissions Limitations (Tech
Paper No 4, 1997).
IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC Secretariat, World Meteorological
Organisation, Geneva.
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry, ed. R. T. Watson, I. R. Noble, B. Bolin, N. H.
Ravindranath, D. J. Verardo and D. J. Dokken. IPCC Special Report, published by Cambridge
University Press, 2000.
J. Houghton
10
technologies, policies and measures might be available for mitigating climate
change? How vulnerable are different regions of the world to possible climate
change? IPCC Technical Papers have addressed the detail of some of the issues
involved in answering these questions.
An issue which has been highlighted by the third session of the COP at Kyoto
in 1997 is that of the contributions which are made by deforestation, aforestation,
reforestation and changes in land use to the sources or sinks of greenhouse gases,
especially of carbon dioxide. This is an area where what is meant by different
human activities (e.g. de-, a-, or re-forestation) requires very careful definition,
where there is much scientific uncertainty and where there are significant
possibilities for the propagation of perverse incentives. The IPCC is already very
involved in this area through its work on the development of detailed
guidelines for the production of national inventories of greenhouse gases which
include both sources and sinks. It is these IPCC Guidelines to which the Kyoto
Protocol refers. The IPCC has also developed further analysis and assessment
regarding the interpretation of the Protocol and the use of the Guidelines.
An important basic principle that underlies any appropriate response to the
possibility of climate change is the Precautionary Principle. This is stated clearly
in Article 3 of the FCCC where the Parties to the FCCC are instructed to
‘take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of
climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Where there are threats of serious
or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a
reason for postponing such measures, taking into account that policies and
measures to deal with climate change should be cost-effective so as to ensure
global benefits at the lowest possible cost.’
The FCCC, in this statement of the Precautionary Principle and in its
Objective, places action concerning climate change clearly in the context of
sustainable development. The balance that this implies between environmental
protection on the one hand and economic development on the other must be
based on the best possible scientific, economic and technical analyses of all the
factors involved. This requirement provides a strong impetus for the wide range
and the high quality of the work that goes into the IPCC assessments.
Technologies, Policies and Measures for Mitigating Climate Change (Tech Paper No 1, 1996); An
Introduction to Simple Climate Models Used in the IPCC Second Assessment Report (Tech Paper
No 2, 1997); Stabilization of Atmnospheric Greenhouse Gases: Physical, Biological and Socio-economic
Implications (Tech Paper No 3, 1997); Implications of Proposed CO 2 Emissions Limitations (Tech
Paper No 4, 1997).
IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC Secretariat, World Meteorological
Organisation, Geneva.
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry, ed. R. T. Watson, I. R. Noble, B. Bolin, N. H.
Ravindranath, D. J. Verardo and D. J. Dokken. IPCC Special Report, published by Cambridge
University Press, 2000.
J. Houghton
10