• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.47-67
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• 2009

In recent years, greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction has become high priority issue in international aviation. GHG emissions from the aviation sector only accounts for approximately 2 percent of total GHG emissions in the world. However, as with GHG gases in other sectors, it has been pointed out as a contributing factor to global warming and there is an ongoing conversation in the aviation community to establish international framework for emissions reductions. In the case of international aviation, effects of aviation activities of a State go beyond the airports and airspace of that State. This makes compiling of GHG emissions data very difficult. There are also other legal and technical issues, namely the principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR)” under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and “Fair Opportunity” principle of the Chicago Convention. For all these reason, it is expected that it will not be an easy job to establish an internationally agreed mechanism for reducing emissions in spite of continuing collaboration among States. UN adopted the UNFCCC in 1990 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 to impose common but differentiated responsibility on emissions reductions. In international aviation, ICAO has been taking the lead in measures for the aviation sector. In this role, ICAO held the High-level Meeting on International Aviation and Climate Change on 7 to 9 October 2009 at its Headquarters in Montreal and endorsed recommendations on reducing GHG from international aviation which will also be reported to the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15). Key items include basic principle in global aviation emissions reduction: aspirational goals and implementation options: strategies and measures to achieve goals: means to measure and monitor the implementation; and financial and human resources. It is very likely that the Republic of Korea will be included among the Parties subject to mandatory limitation or reduction of GHG emissions after 2013. Therefore, it is necessary for Korea to thoroughly analyze ICAO measures to develop comprehensive measures for reducing aviation emissions and to take proactive actions to prepare for future discussions on critical issues after COP15.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.75-94
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyze the major issues discussed among Parties and provide a framework for predicting the agreements on those issues, prior to the final negotiation on a new legally-binding agreement on climate change adaptation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The analyses of documents, adaptation actions, and work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) under the UNFCCC informed that the adaptation issue has primarily been focused on the support of developed country Parties for the adaptation of developing country Parties following the principle of the Convention, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). Three-year work of the ADP acknowledged the major issues on adaptation in the new climate agreement, which would be categorized as long-term and global aspects, commitments/contributions/actions, monitoring and evaluation, institutional arrangements, and loss and damage. A final agreement on each issue could be predicted by setting a zone of possible agreement in-between the two extremes of developing and developed country Parties and considering three major elements affecting the Parties' positions, national priority, adaptation action, and social expectation, which are proposed in this study. The three major elements should be considered in a balanced manner by Parties to draw a durable agreement that will enhance global adaptation actions from a long-term perspective. That is, the agreement needs to reflect adaptation actions occurring outside the Convention as well as social expectations for adaptation. It is expected that the new agreement on climate change adaptation, from a long-term and global perspective, would be an opportunity to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to climate change by incorporating global expectations.