A History of the Science and Politics of Climate Change: The Role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

by Bert Bolin

• ISBN13: 9780521880824
• ISBN10: 0521880823
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

How did the global climate change issues emerge? The issue of human-induced global climate change became a major environmental concern during the twentieth century. In response to growing concern about human-induced global climate change, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed in 1988. Written by its first chairman, this book is an overview of the history of the IPCC. It describes and evaluates the intricate interplay between key factors in the science and politics of climate change, the strategy that has been followed, and the regretfully slow pace in getting to grips with the uncertainties that have prevented earlier action being taken. The book also highlights the emerging conflict between establishing a sustainable global energy system and preventing a serious change in global climate. This text provides researchers and policy makers with an insight into the history of the politics of climate change.

Author Biography

Bert Bolin is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
The early history of the climate change issue	p. 1
Nineteenth-century discoveries	p. 3
The natural carbon cycle and life on earth	p. 9
Glimpses of the historical development of our knowledge	p. 9
A simplified view of the present carbon cycle	p. 13
Global research initiatives in meteorology and climatology	p. 19
Building scientific networks	p. 19
Concern for the environment reaches the political agenda	p. 17
The Global Atmospheric Research Programme becomes engaged in the climate issue	p. 28
Early international assessments of climate change	p. 33
Initiation of assessments aimed at politicians and society	p. 33
The climate change issue becomes one of global concern	p. 41
Setting the stage	p. 43
The report by the UN Commission on Environment and Development	p. 43
How to create a forum for interactions between science and politics	p. 45
The IPCC is formed and a first assessment is begun	p. 49
The scientific basis for a climate convention	p. 53
Work begins	p. 53
Politicians are anxious to show their concern for the environment	p. 56
The IPCC works towards the completion of the First Assessment Report	p. 61
The acceptance and approval of the IPCC First Assessment Report	p. 67
Scientific input in the negotiations about a framework convention	p. 68
What has experience so far to say about the role of science?	p. 77
Serving the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee	p. 79
Changes in the IPCC structure and new members of the Bureau	p. 79
Cooperation with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee	p. 85
Predictions or scenarios of future changes of the global climate?	p. 87
Attempting to put Article 2 of the Climate Convention into focus	p. 93
Equity and social considerations	p. 94
Growing awareness of climate change and polarisation of opinions	p. 97
The approval of the 1994 IPCC special report runs into difficulties	p. 102
Preparing for the future role of the IPCC	p. 104
The IPCC second assessment report	p. 106
First party conference of the FCCC	p. 106
The IPCC Second Assessment Report	p. 111
Stabilisation of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations	p. 119
The synthesis report	p. 122
In the aftermath of the IPCC second assessment	p. 125
The post-Second Assessment Report discussions of an action programme to be agreed in Kyoto	p. 125
The IPCC assessment is challenged	p. 126
Preparations for the third conference of the parties to FCCC in Kyoto	p. 137
Increasing industrialisation and globalisation of the world	p. 143
Starting work towards a third assessment	p. 144
The Kyoto Protocol is agreed and a third assessment begun	p. 147
Central themes of the Protocol	p. 147
The interplay of science and politics	p. 153
Opposition to the Kyoto Protocol grows	p. 154
How to settle disagreements on the interpretation of the Kyoto Protocol	p. 159
A decade of hesitance and slow progress	p. 163
Work towards the IPCC Third Assessment Report	p. 163
Resistance towards taking action and political manoeuvring	p. 178
Other challenges of the IPCC conclusions	p. 181
The leadership of the IPCC is changed	p. 185
Ratifications of the Kyoto Protocol	p. 187
The eleventh conference of the parties to the Climate Convention	p. 190
Are we at a turning point in addressing climate change?	p. 193
Key scientific findings of prime political relevance	p. 195
The general setting	p. 195
The story of global warming told to politicians, stakeholders and the public	p. 196
Impacts and adaptation	p. 210
Science, media and the general public	p. 211
Climate change and a future sustainable global energy supply	p. 214
Delayed action in spite of trustworthy scientific assessments	p. 214
Past and future emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols	p. 215
Primary energy reserves and resources and their utilisation	p. 224
The supply of energy under the constraints of minimising climate change	p. 233
The need for a multidimensional approach	p. 238
The economy of a transition to a sustainable energy supply system	p. 242
Politics of securing a global sustainable energy supply system	p. 245
Some concluding remarks	p. 248
Notes	p. 251
References	p. 262
Name index	p. 273
Subject index	p. 275
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