Contraction & Convergence or 'C&C' ® ©
STOP PRESS 30.05.10 - Please support & sign letter to Chris Huhne UK Secretary of State Energy & Climate at:
http://www.gci.org.uk/politics.html
In March 2007, The Society’s Board unanimously agreed that the ‘Contraction and Convergence’ framework provides an important step forward in helping all sectors of community, business and government to understand how we can move forward together, on a global scale, to tackle climate change. To download the press release please click here>>
C&C is an emissions management concept that relates to the 'objective' and the 'principles' of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]. C&C was formally tabled at the UN by GCI in 1996.
The Objective of the UNFCCC is to achieve a safe and stable greenhouse gas GHG concentration in the global atmosphere. Its Principles are precaution and equity.
Concentration of GHG is rising because of rising human emissions and changing rates of 'sink-efficiency'.
Contraction refers to the 'full-term event' in which the future global total of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions from human sources is shrunk over time in a measured way to near zero-emissions within a specified time-frame. The example shows 90% by 2100. Calculating future emissions contraction on the basis of concentrations and sink evidence is a non-random way of responding to the objective of the UNFCCC.
Convergence refers to the full international sharing of the emissions contraction-event, where the 'emissions-entitlements' for all countries result from them converging on the declining global per capita average of emissions arising under the contraction rate chosen. Converging at a rate to be agreed - the example shows 2030 - is a non-random way of responding to the principle of 'equity' in the UNFCCC, whilst still meeting its objective.
Transparently goal-focusing negotiations at the UNFCCC this way, recognizes its 'precautionary principle'. It makes compliance with its objective less unlikely than does the randomness of the negotiations there so far, as for example at COP-15
