Catégorie : Previous Issues Articles

Climate Action Network (CAN) has slammed blocking moves by Russia which have stalled progress during the first week of the UN climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany.

CAN – a network of over 850 NGOs all working together to combat climate change –  voted to give Russia the nation the weekly fossil award for the country which does the most to block progress in the talks a day early.

Kaisa Kosonen, senior political adviser from Greenpeace International, said so far five days have been wasted as Moscow insisted the rules on agreeing laws in the UN climate process be discussed  – meaning many negotiation sessions could not begin –  and all efforts at compromise so far have been blocked.

“It’s in everybody’s interest that the rules of the game are respected, but frankly, the Russians broke the rules first by pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol and by not taking any climate action even though they are a major emitter,” Kosonen said.

Moscow’s actions seem to stem from their anger over the way their objections to the Doha Decision – which quite rightly removed tons of poor quality emissions permits from the system –  at last year’s major climate talks was ignored.   
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Distinguished Delegate,

The ECO Presidency is pleased to invite you to a special High-Level Observer Reception in the presence of ADP Chairs Dovland and Mauskar.

The ECO Presidency and ADP Chairs will have the pleasure of presenting you with views, creative ideas and concerns by non-governmental experts closely following negotiations here in Bonn.

The event will begin at 1.15 on Saturday the 8th of June 2013 at the Twilight Ballroom of the Maritim Grand Hotel in Bonn.

* This special event was organised in response to the numerous complaints received from delegates frustrated with the fact that NGOs are not allowed in closed meetings AND limited to short or no interventions in open meetings, due to time constraints. While we love to see delegates reading and quoting ECO, we don’t believe it makes up for these shortcomings in NGO participation under the ADP
* Cocktails will be served to delegates who write down and report on NGO views. Fossils will be distributed to delegates who do not show up to this event (courtesy of ECO).
* Dress code: black tie

OK, we get the point. You are an important erstwhile superpower and won’t be pushed around. But you should know that petulance and hissy fits are signs of weakness, not of strength and global leadership.

One of the reasons Copenhagen was such a mess was that countries’ commitments came at the last minute and weren’t available for any scrutiny beforehand. Some of these pledges are still unclear. Hence estimating the actual reductions that Copenhagen pledges have delivered has been a nasty and complicated chore.

Therefore, ECO has been pleased to hear about Parties’ proposals to set a 2014 deadline for targets and commitments for the 2015 agreement. We think this is important in order for us to be able to assess well before Paris whether targets and commitments represent countries’ fair shares and will deliver a pathway for staying below 2°C, let alone 1.5°C. It would also increase confidence and trust in the process leading up to Paris.

Parties take note! These initial commitments cannot be just whatever – they must be credible and fair. In order for us to ensure the 2015 agreement is equitable, covers all emissions and keeps us on a safe pathway, some basic rules need to be set before Warsaw to guide the national target-setting processes.

In Warsaw you need to spell out some rules for what kind of commitments are acceptable and unacceptable, including ways of ensuring transparency, quantification and comparability.
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This chart shows the average hours of sunlight in COP host countries in comparison to the productivity of the COP hosted there. Given this, ECO is excited for next year’s negotiations, especially considering the response to its job application yesterday, and hopes to give some Rays of the Day at future negotiating sessions to brighten up even cloudy days (but only if Parties earn them). More northern hosts should not despair, however – what matters most is the sunny disposition you can foster in the negotiating rooms, since none of us ever have time go outside during COP, anyway. And if Parties object to our less-than-scientific calculations, might we remind you that some of you often make policy in this process with less than the best available science in mind.

Infographic Credit: Sébastien Duyck

It is one thing to neither have a domestic climate policy nor to accept a legally binding target at the international level. It is certainly worse to prevent 191 other countries from discussing and advancing their own implementation plans for climate solutions.

The shiny walls of the Maritim have a history of isolating negotiators from the troubles of the real world. While record floods have been devastating parts of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, forcing thousands to leave their homes, business as usual has continued undisturbed in this calm and cosy UNFCCC bubble.

But yesterday ECO caught the scent of a fresh breeze of science and reality! It was when the 2013-2015 science and adequacy review kick-started with a reality check workshop. While scientists were at the podium, civil society was on the microphone and on the wall through Twitter. Thumbs up for the Secretariat and the Chair! Here’s the good news: According to the Hadley Centre, meeting a 1.5 degree C limit is still possible. Sure, there is a low probability, OR it could be a rebound after a temperature overshoot of at least several decades. But despite these caveats, it’s still possible.

The bad “news” is that reality is closer to worst-case scenario put forward by the IPCC in 1990, which is why this adequacy review is crucial. ECO recognizes there is a risk Parties will end up reviewing everything from the first UNFCCC document they ever read to the adequacy of the Maritim sandwiches (not adequate).
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Today, Parties will put forward ideas for advancing adaptation in the 2015 deal under the ADP.

As dangerous climate change looms closer and closer, and with little sign of increased mitigation ambition, millions of the poorest people in the world will face impacts that threaten their lives and livelihoods. Response to climate change through a new agreement must see adaptation as an essential component.

The roundtable will have inputs from the technical bodies, Adaptation Committee and LEG into the ADP to avoid duplication of efforts and to learn from ongoing work. This is important, so as to understand where the current architecture can be improved. However, it is even more important to identify major gaps that need to be addressed. Here, ECO sees an important role in the ADP process in correcting some of the shortcomings of past agreements.

The most important gaps are related to finance. Hardly any donor country has achieved the balance between adaptation and mitigation in the fast start finance period that was agreed in Copenhagen and Cancun. Adaptation finance lags far behind mitigation finance. Both are crucial and both need to expand rapidly.

Secondly, ECO also highlights the problem that currently only donors determine what kind of projects might be counted as fast start finance, without a voice for the recipient countries in determining whether the reported finance is really climate finance.
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Location: Latin America

Duration: one year

Deadline: until suitable candidate is found

The Climate Change International Policy Process is looking for an Active, Positive and Constructive COP Presidency with ambition as high as the Andes mountains, who will facilitate transparent work amongst Parties in 2014 to achieve crucial milestones for a global Fair Ambitious and Binding deal in 2015.

The successful candidate will be part of an multicultural environment and will conduct several meetings throughout the year.

The candidate will build consensus among Parties, promoting camaraderie and good will.

Commitment to engage actively with Civil Society Organisations is a must. A proven record of greenhouse gas pollution reductions at home and contributing to a strong global climate regime is a definite plus.

Specific Skills and Characteristics:

• Constructive attitude
• Impartial
• Able to moderate difficult discussions
• Problem solver
• Good anger management
• Ability to overcome obstructions
• Leads by example

Compensation: The adoration of millions, possibly billions, for contributing to a deal in 2015 to prevent climate change catastrophe. Free subscription to ECO for life.

To apply: send self-nomination to your Corresponding Regional Group ASAP

ECO would like to congratulate Sweden for pledging to the Adaptation Fund (AF) for the 4th time, in a (as yet) lonely attempt to save it (and small island states) from going under.

Pledging to the Adaptation Fund has never been this urgent as CER revenues have never been this low, dropping from 100 million USD in 2010 to an estimated 7 million in 2013. ECO has done the maths: it’s barely enough to fund ONE project under the Adaptation Fund.

Without new pledges, the Adaptation Fund will have to stop financing projects next year at the latest. ECO wonders, do Parties realize what this means for vulnerable countries facing rising seas and extreme events?

In case the message is not yet clear, ECO would like to reiterate: the one and only Adaptation Fund is drying up at the same time as fast start finance winds down, and needs an urgent round of pledges. In case anyone doubts the value of the AF, it is ranked as the most transparent climate fund and is signatory to the International Aid Transparency Initiative. It prioritises benefits for the most vulnerable communities and promotes institutional progress through direct access.

Dveloping countries need assurance that their adaptation needs will be met and the negotiations need to see some trust building if we really want that deal in 2015.
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