International action on climate change :Cross Stitch – Environment and greener living
Find out what organisations, businesses and projects around the world are doing to tackle climate change, and what action the UK government is taking. You can also make a difference by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2).
Governments around the world have signed up to a number of agreements to combat climate change.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries agreed to take action and reduce emissions. The Kyoto Protocol set laws requiring countries to lower emissions.
Many countries that signed the protocol agreed to reduce their greenhouse gases by 2012. European Union countries were given their own targets, and the UK committed to reduce its emissions by 12.5 per cent on 1990 levels.
The targets agreed at Kyoto expire in 2012. A United Nations (UN) conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 aimed to decide what the global targets and action will be after this time.
The Copenhagen conference resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, signed by the majority of countries. The accord includes:
- international backing for an overall limit of 2 degrees Celsius on global warming
- agreement that all countries need to take action on climate change
- financial help for the countries most at risk from climate change
Find out about these and other agreements from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) website.
Organisations and communities around the globe are taking action to combat climate change.
Powering Thai villages with water power
Villagers on the Thai-Burmese border have installed water power systems to get energy for buildings including schools, clinics, temples and households. Other villages are using solar power and biogas (energy from waste like manure) systems.
The island of Samsø has installed renewable energy technologies like wind turbines, and even sells energy to the mainland. Imports of fossil fuels have reduced significantly, and residents’ energy bills have gone down.
As well as setting targets and goals, the government is also:
- working with energy suppliers to help people make their homes more energy efficient
- getting energy suppliers to provide more electricity from renewable sources
- providing grants that encourage people and organisations to generate their own heat and power from renewable sources
- raising the tax on dumping to landfill sites – so it’s more financially beneficial to recycle
In the UK, the private sector is responsible for about 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses play an important part in reducing the overall carbon footprint.
Emissions trading
Under emissions trading schemes, the government sets a limit on the amount of greenhouse gases companies can release. Companies are given credits (or ‘allowances’) that represent their right to release greenhouse gases within the limit. Companies that release less can sell their unused credits to companies that go over the limit. Companies with higher emissions are persuaded to reduce them.
You can make a difference to climate change by making greener choices; from saving energy to choosing different transport options. ‘Greener living: a quick guide to what you can do’ is a good place to start.