About the campaign
The two-degree campaign has been set up to increase public pressure before the climate negotiations get underway in Copenhagen in December. There are high hopes that a global climate agreement will be drawn up, but there are difficulties in getting all the countries to sign up to an agreement.
Sweden has a tradition of playing an active role in environmental and climate work and this year Sweden holds the presidency of the EU. If we can show broad Swedish support in our climate work, we can help to ensure that the global climate negotiations go in the right direction. The Swedish example, where trade and industry, the environmental movement, the peace movement, churches, voluntary organisations and political parties, etc., work together for the benefit of the climate, may well play a significant role during the final negotiations.
On the two-degree campaign website you can add your name to the list of people from around the world to form a simple, but powerful voice that can help Sweden and the EU hold a strong position in the final negotiations in Copenhagen. You can also help by downloading the two-degree campaign kit and then using it to influence the opinions of others.
About the two-degree target
Emissions need to fall by 50-85% by the year 2050 if the world is going to keep control of the changes to the climate. According to the UN’s climate panel, the increase in the average temperature of the Earth should be no more than 2-2.4°C, while the increase in the water level should be no more than 0.4-1.4 metres, compared with pre-industrial levels.
During the G8 meeting in L’Aquila in Italy in July, leaders from eight of the world’s largest economies stood unanimously behind the two-degree target. We now need more countries to adopt the same line; this joint vision will then result in the necessary climate commitments at the climate meeting in Copenhagen in December.
Read more about the UN’s climate panel: www.ipcc.ch
About the UN’s climate work
The UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 in order to “prevent human induced interference with the climate system”. A total of 191 of the world’s 244 countries have now ratified this convention. In 1997, decisions were made on the commitments resulting from this convention through the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force in 2005. The Kyoto Protocol has so far been ratified by around 180 countries.
The Kyoto Protocol is the first legally binding agreement for the UN’s climate convention and aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the industrial countries by more than five percent between the years 2008-2012, compared with the levels in 1990. A new global climate agreement will be reached at the UN’s climate conference in Copenhagen between 7 and 18 December 2009.
Read more about the UN’s climate convention: www.unfccc.int
About the EU’s and Sweden’s climate work
Sweden’s national climate policy is primarily based on collaboration within the EU. The EU decided to reduce its emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020 compared with 1990. This target was increased to 30 percent in an international agreement where other industrial countries made similar commitments.
A united EU is essential to ensure that the union can be a driving force in climate negotiations. Sweden currently holds the presidency of the EU’s Council of the European Union, so we have to show leadership of the union and work effectively for an agreement. The meeting in Copenhagen and the negotiations before the meeting form one of the two areas that Sweden has prioritised during its presidency.
There is a tradition of active environmental work in Sweden, which has attracted attention on the international arena. This could prove decisive as the climate negotiations enter their final stages.
Read more about Sweden’s presidency of the EU: www.se2009.eu