ECO hears a lot of talk about the ‘real’ world — that thing outside of the UNFCCC negotiations, remember? Don’t worry, it still exists. And to be fair, outside of our bubble, there are others too, like the post-2015 sustainable development goals or development finance ones. All three of these bubbles are in motion this year, and their paths will cross. And we all know what happens when bubbles collide, or worse, burst. And that makes Liechtenstein’s signpost to the sustainable development goals in the preamble of the Geneva text very welcome.
Locals calling for climate action in Geneva, Switzerland, Photo: Linh Do
With the post-2015 sustainable development process, the Heads of States Summit at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this year in September will set the tone for Paris.
So, shouldn’t the development framework for the next 15 years also deliver action on mitigation, adaptation, resilience, etc.? It only makes sense that the millennium declaration illustrates how climate-proof development and sustainable development are interlinked. This kind of support for the UNFCCC would be most welcome, especially in strong statements from world leaders in New York.
But, dear Parties, you don’t have to wait until September. You can start as early as next week, because there’s a UNGA session from 17-20 February. This is the opportunity to support the long-term vision of phasing-out fossil fuel emissions and phasing-in renewable energy.
And beyond that, there’s the process on finance for (potentially sustainable!) development. It would be great if the conference in Addis Ababa this July brings forward climate-proof development finance, and a bit more clarity on how it relates to climate finance. ECO suggests that climate finance experts peek into this bubble, and work to ensure that both climate and development needs are fairly and adequately met. And no double-counting!