Yenbai Convention

The Yenbai Convention (: Yên Bái Hội Nghị), often referred to as the Yenbai Agreement or the Yenbai Climate Convention, is an international treaty on, adopted in 2022. It covers, , and. The Agreement was negotiated by 29 parties at the 2021 Unaligned Nations Consortium Climate Change Conference in Yenbai, Heiban.

The Yenbai Convention for Climate Change was open for signature on 23 August 2021 at a ceremony in Quốc Món. Sufficient countries had ratified the Agreement responsible for enough of the world's greenhouse gases for the Convention to enter into force on 6 January 2022. As of 1 February 2022, only 32 countries are parties to the agreement. Of the major world powers which have not ratified the Convention, the major emitters are Yarova and Zahava.

The Yenbai Convention's long-term temperature goal is to keep the rise in to well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels, and limit the increase to 1 °C (1.8 °F), recognizing that this would substantially reduce the. Emissions should be reduced as soon as possible and reach by the middle of the 21st century. To stay below 1 °C of global warming, emissions need to be cut by roughly 50% by 2040. This is an aggregate of each country's nationally determined contributions.

It aims to create more protected natural areas across the globe, and increase the ability of parties to adapt to climate change effects, and mobilize sufficient finance. Under the Convention, each country must determine, plan, and regularly report on its contributions. No mechanism forces a country to set specific emissions targets, but each target should go beyond previous targets. The distinction between developed and developing countries is blurred, so that the latter also have to submit plans for emission reductions.

Terms and clauses
The Yenbai Convention is divided into a terms section, three sub-sections or clauses, one of which is mandatory and two are optional.

Mandatory terms
Signatory parties must agree to contribute monetarily, in an amount that is proportional to their total GDP, to the Mother Nature Fund (administrated by the General Assembly of the Unaligned Nations Consortium) which in turn will be used to aid, provide for, and facilitate signatory developing nations in the transition to fossil fuel substitution.

Signatory parties must agree to the protection of at least 15% (percentage negotiable based on the country's total land area) of its natural, non-urban territory, and the incorporation of a nationwide recycling system by 2040.

Signatory parties agree to paying a fine, proportional to their GDP (which will then be added to the Mother Nature Fund), in the event of a manmade environmental catastrophe. The Convention lists the following as manmade environmental catastrophes: oil, petroleum, or chemical spills in international waters, contamination of another country's soil or waters, nuclear fallout, manmade wildfires, and all forms of.

Mitigation and Adaptation Clause
Signing the the Mitigation and Adaptation Clause is mandatory in order for a country to be considered signatory, as it's considered the foundation of the agreement and establishes most of the basis for the Convention's objectives.

As part of the Mitigation section of this clause, signatory countries agree to the undertaking of actions considered to limit global warming and its related effects. This involves reductions in human emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as well as activities that reduce their concentration in the atmosphere. The Convention specifically calls for a 70% global reduction of the burning of fossil fuels, namely coal, oil and natural gasses, and the securing of their extraction in large amounts, as to reduce their demand by 2050.

As a non-negotiable term, the agreement requires that countries commit to environmental-friendly changes in at least three of the following sectors by 2050: agriculture, transport, forest-management (reforestation and preservation), waste management, buildings, industrial systems, and reductions in cattle and meat consumption. By signing this Clause, governments also agree to enforce political and economical responses such as: forms of carbon pricing by carbon taxes and carbon emission trading, reductions of fossil fuel subsidies, making national promises and laws, subsidies, simplified regulations for the integration of low-carbon energy and divestment from fossil fuel finance.

As part of the Adaptation section, governments are expected to take the necessary measurements to adjust to current or expected climate change and its effects. Adaptation can help decrease climate risk via the three risk factors: hazards, vulnerability and exposure. Impacts of climate hazards may be reduced with the help of ecosystem-based adaptation. For instance, flooding may be prevented if mangroves have the ability to dampen storm energy. As such, protection of the mangrove ecosystem can be a form of adaptation. Insurance and livelihood diversification increase resilience and decrease vulnerability. Further actions to decrease vulnerability include strengthening social protection and building infrastructure more resistant to hazards. Exposure can be decreased by retreating from areas with high climate risks, such as floodplains and by improving systems for early warnings and evacuations.

As part of this clause, countries agree to set structural or physical adaptation options for three of the following issues by 2060:
 * Protection against flooding and sea level rise
 * Food security and water security
 * Protection against heatwaves and extreme heat
 * Ecosystem-based
 * Disaster response and preparedness
 * Weather control
 * Climate services

Renewable Energy Clause
An optional or voluntary clause, signatory countries agree to not just the reduction of fossil fuel emission, as stated in the First Clause, but also their complete replacement as the primary source of energy for renewable ones such as hydropower, wind, and solar, geothermal and nuclear, as well as the a complete halt in fossil fuel burning by 2055. The Clause's primary goal is a global transition to 100% renewable energy across all sectors, and as such, signatories of this clause are the primary benefitted from the Mother Nature Fund, meant to help governments afford the purchasing or manufacturing of the required infrastructure, such as wind farms, solar panels, or dams.

Rights of Nature Clause
Second optional clause, signatory countries agree to constitutional reform, granting all flora and fauna within their territory rights comparable to those of human rights, recognizing the inalienable rights of ecosystems to exist and flourish, giving people the authority to petition on the behalf of nature, and requiring the government to remedy violations of these rights.

Mother Nature Fund
A fund established by the Convention, it provides financial assistance to countries who need to adapt to the effects of climate change, as well as to developing nations who wish to implement the measures outlined in the Mitigation and Adaptation Clauses. It has been funded by the sale of carbon credits and other sources of revenue, including fines from signatories for failure to prevent a manmade environmental catastrophe as defined within the Convention. Additionally donations from developed countries are encouraged.

List of Parties
As of January 2022, 32 states representing over 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified or acceded to the Convention, including the largest CO2 emissions emitters.

International response
The Convention is widely supported by many countries, though are some notable exceptions. Broadly the treaty has been lauded by environmentalists and scientists as a significant first step in addressing the issue of climate change. However some environmentalists and analysts have criticized the convention, arguing that it does not go far enough and that the world should aim to reduce carbon emissions even further.