Separate Tracks of the Multilateral Climate. Change Discussions Kyoto Protocol track (AWG-KP) The Kyoto-track aims to discuss post-2012 obligations for Annex-I parties that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. As an executive body of this track an “Ad-hoc Working Group on Further Commitments under the Kyoto Protocol”(AWG-KP) was established. As a non-ratifying party to the Protocol, the United States did become only an observer here. Convention Track (AWG-LCA) The United States however did become a party in the second track, the so-called “Convention-track”. This track consists of a series of open and non-binding workshops about sustainable development, adaptation, technology and market-based opportunities. At the Montreal conference also deforestation appeared on the agenda. Discussions under the Convention Track after the Bali conference take place in the “Adhoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action”(AWG-LCA) “Third Track” Outside the UNFCCC context, several forums discuss climate change issues, including the Major Economies Meetings, the G8 and the Asia Pacific Partnership. This could be seen as a ‘third track’. With an intermediate conference in Nairobi in 2006 giving limited tangible results, it was the 2007 Bali conference that again managed to take a significant step in the post-2012 negotiation process. At this conference the so-called “Bali Action Plan” was adopted, according to which the informal discussions going on under the Convention-track were replaced by a formal negotiation process and a new negotiation body: the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA). The Bali Action Plan distinguishes between four main ‘building blocks’ of the post-2012 climate regime: • Mitigation, • Adaptation, • Technology and • Finance & investment.
