Climate Negotiations Glossary

The Climate Negotiations Glossary provides concise definitions of key terms, acronyms, and procedural mechanisms used within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and related agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

• The Paris Agreement establishes two primary temperature goals: limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and holding the increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
• The UNFCCC process is 'party-driven,' meaning that the countries that ratified the agreements, rather than the Secretariat or Presidency, determine the outcomes of negotiations.
• The Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) requires parties to submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) every two years, with the first submission deadline set for December 31, 2024, though flexibility is provided for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• The UNFCCC recognizes nine official observer constituencies for non-state actors: BINGO (business and industry), ENGO (environmental), Farmers, IPO (Indigenous Peoples), LGMA (local government), RINGO (research and independent), TUNGO (trade union), WGC (women and gender), and YOUNGO (children and youth).
• The Financial Mechanism of the UNFCCC, which serves the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, includes operating entities such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the latter of which is mandated to split its resources equally between mitigation and adaptation.
• The Kyoto Protocol operationalized the UNFCCC by committing 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition to emission targets, with a first commitment period (2008–2012) averaging a 5% reduction compared to 1990 levels and a second period (2013–2020) targeting at least 18% below 1990 levels.
• The Paris Agreement Article 6 establishes different cooperation frameworks: Article 6.2 for direct cooperation using internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs), Article 6.4 for a supervised international carbon crediting mechanism, and Article 6.8 for non-market cooperative approaches.
• The Global Stocktake (GST) is a process occurring every five years to assess collective progress toward the Paris Agreement; the first GST concluded in 2023, finding that the world is not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C.
• Developed countries committed to mobilizing USD 100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries; while this goal was not met in 2020 and 2021, preliminary data suggests it was met in 2022.
• The UNFCCC utilizes two permanent Subsidiary Bodies: the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), both of which meet twice annually, including once in Bonn, Germany.

APA

(Dr.),, J. B. A. E.-I. (2024). Climate Negotiations Glossary. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/climate-negotiations-glossary

Chicago

(Dr.),, Jennifer Bansard,Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun. Climate Negotiations Glossary. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/climate-negotiations-glossary.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=(Dr.), |first1=Jennifer Bansard,Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun |title=Climate Negotiations Glossary |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=31 May 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/climate-negotiations-glossary |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dr2024climate, author = {(Dr.),, Jennifer Bansard,Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun}, title = {{Climate Negotiations Glossary}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/climate-negotiations-glossary}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }