Parties’ communications
National Communications on Climate Change
National communications describe
what a Party is doing
to implement the Convention
The sharing of information by governments is central to how the Climate Change Convention works. The Convention requires its members to submit “national communications” to the Conference of the Parties (COP) on a regular basis. This information about national greenhouse gas emissions, international cooperation, and national activities is reviewed periodically so that the Parties can track the Convention’s effectiveness and draw lessons for future national and global action.
National inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and removals are updated regularly. In the case of developed countries the data reporting cycle is now annual. Inventories detail the sources of emissions for each gas, the “sinks” (such as forests) that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and the quantities involved. The information should be collected using agreed methodologies to ensure that national data are consistent and comparable and can be incorporated into global data sets.
National communications describe what a Party is doing to implement the Convention. Relevant issues could include policies for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, climate research, monitoring of climate impacts on ecosystems and agriculture, voluntary action by industry, integration of climate change concerns into long-term planning, coastal-zone management, disaster preparedness, training, and public awareness.
Developed countries and countries with economies in transition provide additional details on their efforts to limit emissions. These so-called Annex I Parties must describe the policies and measures they are adopting in an effort to minimize and reduce their emissions. Their first submissions were due no later than six months after becoming a Party. The initial communications were single documents, normally with annexes and a brief executive summary. Almost all of these countries have submitted their second communications, which were due starting April 1997.
National communications from Annex I countries are subjected to a three-step review process. The first step is to compile and synthesize the information contained in all the submissions. A team of experts from developed and developing countries and from international organizations is assembled by the Convention’s secretariat for each review. The second national communications were reviewed in 1997 and 1998.
The second step is the in-depth review of individual communications. The experts conduct a comprehensive technical assessment of each submission on the basis of on-site visits. In addition to providing a more rigorous analysis, this approach has the benefit of building capacity in developing countries through the participation of their experts.
The process concludes with an overall review by the COP. A “compilation and synthesis” report is prepared for each session of the Conference of the Parties. This third step of the review focuses on the big picture of how the Convention is influencing international action on climate change.
The 1998 compilation and synthesis report revealed that greenhouse gas emissions in the richest (essentially OECD) countries had risen by 3.5% since 1990. Meanwhile, emissions in the economies in transition (Central/Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union) had declined by 28% due to economic restructuring. As a result, overall emissions from developed countries had declined by 4.6% since 1990. Comparing data from the 1990 inventories with projections for the years 2000 and 2010 suggests that emissions will be some 3% lower in 2000. They will rise by 8% by 2010 if additional control measures are not adopted.
Carbon dioxide accounted for 82% of total greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries in 1995. The 1998 review confirmed that fuel combustion is the most important source of CO2, accounting for 96% of 1995is emissions. Since the 36 Parties included in this review account for a major part of 1990 global carbon dioxide emissions, this seems to confirm carbon dioxide as the most important greenhouse gas resulting from human activities. Governments generally believe that their data on carbon dioxide have a high confidence level (with the exception of land-use change and the forestry sector).
Methane and nitrous oxide accounted for 12% and 4% of total emissions, respectively. Confidence levels for data on these gases are medium to low, depending on the sector. For methane, all but five Parties project that their emissions will decline or stabilize. Nitrous oxide trends will also decline or stabilize in the majority of developed countries. These countries’ combined emissions of HFCs, PFCs, and SF6 represented 2% of the 1995 total.
Developed countries are exploring a wide range of climate change policies and measures. The policies governments choose are generally dictated by national circumstances such as political structure and the overall economic situation. Many are “no regrets” measures that have environmental or economic benefits while responding to climate change concerns. In addition to regulatory and economic instruments, Parties are promoting voluntary agreements with industry and public authorities. Other measures involve research and development, and information and education.
Specific measures are being used for most of the major economic sectors. Policies for the energy sector (the largest source of emissions for many countries) include switching to low- or nocarbon fuels, energy market liberalization, and removing subsidies on coal. Industry-related policies include voluntary arrangements, efficiency standards, financial incentives, and liberalized energy prices. The focus in the residential, commercial, and institutional sector is on energy-efficiency standards for new buildings, higher energy prices, and public information campaigns. Agricultural measures include reducing herd sizes and fertilizer use and improving waste management. While most governments project an expansion of the transportation sector, relatively few measures for controlling its emissions were reported.
Developing countries started making their initial submissions in 1997. Their due date is 36 months after becoming a Party or having access to the necessary financial resources. Parties that are least developed countries may make their initial communications at their discretion. In 1996, the COP adopted the guidelines and format that developing countries should use for these initial communications. It has also emphasized to the Global Environmental Facility the need to expedite the approval and disbursement of financial resources so that developing countries can make their submissions on time.
The frequency of future communications by all Parties will be determined by the COP. In 1998, the COP asked developed countries to submit their third national communications by 30 November 2001. The COP will also continue to work towards improving the quality and usefulness of the national communications. In particular, many methodological and practical problems concerning data collection and the calculation of inventories must still be resolved. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is therefore working to refine the methodologies used for national communications.