CCP Climate Policy & International Agreements 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the long-term temperature goal established by the Paris Agreement?
- Limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
- Limit warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, pursuing efforts toward 1.5°C (Correct answer)
- Limit warming to 3°C above 1990 levels
- Achieve carbon neutrality by 2030
Correct answer: Limit warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, pursuing efforts toward 1.5°C
The Paris Agreement's Article 2 sets a goal of holding warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
Question 2: Under the UNFCCC, what are Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)?
- Mandatory emission reduction targets set by the UNFCCC Secretariat
- Voluntary climate action plans submitted by each Party outlining emission reduction commitments (Correct answer)
- Financial contributions made by developed nations to the Green Climate Fund
- Nationally approved carbon credit standards
Correct answer: Voluntary climate action plans submitted by each Party outlining emission reduction commitments
NDCs are voluntary national climate action plans submitted by each country under the Paris Agreement, detailing their intended greenhouse gas reductions and adaptation measures.
Question 3: Which international body serves as the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC?
- IPCC
- Conference of the Parties (COP) (Correct answer)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Correct answer: Conference of the Parties (COP)
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC, meeting annually to assess progress and negotiate agreements.
Question 4: The Kyoto Protocol established binding emission reduction targets for which group of countries?
- All UNFCCC signatories equally
- Only developing nations under the Clean Development Mechanism
- Developed (Annex I) countries (Correct answer)
- Only G20 member nations
Correct answer: Developed (Annex I) countries
The Kyoto Protocol assigned binding emission reduction targets only to Annex I (developed) countries, reflecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Question 5: What is the 'ratchet mechanism' in the Paris Agreement?
- A penalty system for countries that miss their NDC targets
- A requirement that each successive NDC be more ambitious than the previous one (Correct answer)
- An automatic carbon price escalation schedule
- A fund that increases contributions from developed nations every five years
Correct answer: A requirement that each successive NDC be more ambitious than the previous one
The ratchet mechanism requires countries to submit progressively more ambitious NDCs every five years, ensuring that climate commitments continuously increase over time.
Question 6: At COP26 in Glasgow, countries agreed to phase down (rather than phase out) which energy source?
- Natural gas
- Nuclear power
- Unabated coal power (Correct answer)
- Oil
Correct answer: Unabated coal power
The Glasgow Climate Pact called for the phase-down of unabated coal power, with 'phase down' replacing the stronger 'phase out' language after last-minute negotiation.
Question 7: Which principle underlies the UNFCCC's differentiation between developed and developing nations in climate obligations?
- The Precautionary Principle
- Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) (Correct answer)
- The Polluter Pays Principle
- Intergenerational Equity
Correct answer: Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)
CBDR-RC acknowledges that all countries share responsibility for addressing climate change, but obligations differ based on historical emissions and economic capacity.
CCP Climate Policy & International Agreements 1
What is the long-term temperature goal established by the Paris Agreement?