Climate change policy framework

Keeney, R. and McDaniels, T. (2001) A framework to guide thinking and analysis regarding climate change policies. Risk Analysis 6 989-1000. 

The Slovak Republic (SR), as one of the countries in the process of the EU accession is harmonising its policy with the other EU member countries. In the field of the environment protection the SR has accepted requirements for energy saving and for enforcement of measures to reduce the greenhouse gases emissions. Paralelly, in compliance with the Framework Convention on the Climate Change the SR is committed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 20% during 1988-2005 [1], which represents approximately 12 Tg of CO2. 

Ireland s National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) was first published in October 2000, in advance of the seventh conference of the Parties (COP7) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Marrakech. While this strategy contained references to the Protocol s flexible mechanisms and a commitment to develop a carbon tax by 2002, it focused on identifying actual measures to reduce emissions in each sector without identifying the policies to be used to ensure that such measures were taken. 

As all the other continental new Member States of the EU,1 Hungary is a country that is undergoing the process of transition to a market economy according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), and shares most of their characteristics with respect to climate policy. 

Besides the pressures mentioned in Table 3.2.2, aspects that cannot be steered directly (like climate change) and drivers (like shipping traffic, maintenance of flood control dams, fishery, etc. see Policy Summary on Pressures and Impact Analysis (2002) also influence the ecological quality of water bodies. These aspects have been considered indirectly in die pressures corresponding to the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact and Response (DPSIR) framework mentioned in the WFD CIS Guidance document on analysis of pressures and impacts (WFD, 2002). 

The impact of climate change on freshwaters will necessitate thorough re-evaluation of national, EU and UNECE policies related to enviromnental protection. For freshwater ecosystems there are potentially major implications for the EU Habitats Directive, the Urban Wastewaters Directive and the Water Framework Directive, and for the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLTRAP). 

According to Article 4, Paragraph 2(a) and (b) of the Framework Convention, parties falling under Annex I may implement policies on the mitigation of climate change jointly with other parties and may assist other Parties in contributing to the achievement of the objective of the Convention. 

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