//  UNFCCC

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sets an ultimate objective of stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations 'at a level that would prevent dangerous human induced interference with the climate system.' It states that such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

Over a decade ago, most countries joined the UNFCCC to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. Later, a number of nations approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has more powerful and legally binding measures.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme body of the Convention, its highest decision-making authority. It is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the Convention and comes together every year. The COP is responsible for keeping international efforts to address climate change on track.

//  Agriculture needs to be part of any post-Kyoto agreement

Overall global efforts to address climate change adaptation and mitigation are unlikely to be successful without agriculture. Agriculture needs to be part of any new mitigation mechanisms under post-Kyoto agreements.

Agriculture is a unique sector. It is one of the most sensitive to climate change and has essential roles in food security, poverty reduction and overall economic development, particularly in developing countries. It is also a major emitter of global greenhouse gas yet has the potential to sequester carbon.

Agriculture, therefore, has great opportunities to achieve co-benefits:

• Deliver substantial emission reductions through agriculture
• Store carbon in agricultural soils through better land and water management
• Improve food security in developing countries
• Ensure that poor people and smallholder farmers benefit from any agreements

The Platform is working towards this end through its Platform Working Group on Agriculture and Climate Change.

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