In 2008, the EU decided to extend the scope of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) to include emissions from the aviation sector. What was applicable only to stationary sources within the EU, starting January 1, 2012 applies to all flights that arrive in or depart from an EU airport.

The last conference of the Parties that took place in Durban in 2011 has put climate negotiations at the crossroads again. The decisions taken at Cancun in 2010 supported a bottom-up approach where countries agreed to take on voluntary emission reduction commitments that were not legally binding.

A report by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency says global CO2 emissions have increased 3.0 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010.

The Durban Platform talks, aiming for a new global agreement in 2015, present an opportunity to assess and strengthen the international climate change effort. Since launching the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change two decades ago, governments have tried both “top down” and “bottom up” approaches.

DOHA: US chief negotiator for climate change Jonathan Pershing rubbished the principle of sharing the atmospheric space with other countries in a closed-door meeting, whose clandestine recording ha

DOHA: Host Qatar plans to start a ministerial-level closed door meeting at the ongoing UN climate negotiations but outside the formal schedule, which could potentially short circuit and make redund

DOHA: Host Qatar plans to start a ministerial-level closed door meeting at the ongoing UN climate negotiations but outside the formal schedule, which could potentially short circuit and make redund

Evidence that global warming is man-made is getting stronger, the head of a U.N.

China criticized the EU and took a swipe at US President Barack Obama for their lack of ambition to address climate change and their unwillingness to take stronger emission reduction targets.

Last year’s Durban conference marked a breakthrough in global efforts to combat climate change. The EU and India played a key role in the final negotiations that unlocked the final agreement.

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