Category: Previous Issues Articles

When COP20 was starting, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was also realising its 2014 review of EU energy policies. The organisation clearly struggled to express a coherent viewpoint in the review. Their historical interest in ensuring energy supply from fossils and nuclear is evident, but at the same time it correctly identifies many elements in support of an EU clean energy transformation.

The IEA has a reputation for advocating stronger energy efficiency policies, so it’s no surprise that this latest report pleads strongly for a higher energy efficiency target when examining the EU’s emerging 2030 framework. It is less straight-forward about the potential of renewables: the review identifies the likely implementation problems caused by eliminating nationally binding targets. But it is light on solutions, preferring to put the emphasis on removing ‘market distorting’ subsidies.

As befits its historical role, the IEA claims that the EU needs the development of unconventional fossil energy; use of coal, and access to fossil imports to ensure its energy security. This seems a reflexive impulse rather than being grounded in assessment of the implications for our limited carbon budget; stranded assets as the EU decarbonises, or sustaining the political power of the fossil lobby.

The IEA’s narrow scope of analysis overlooks that the renewables revolution is happening at technical, market and social level.
... Read more ...

There’s a lot of ground to cover before we will see a draft negotiation text from the non-paper, but it’s encouraging to see the adaptation troops working hard. If only ECO could be as impressed by the content of countries’ proposals!

Paris offers a chance to undo the long-standing problem of the international community’s lack of sincerity in addressing adaptation and loss and damage. ECO has a few suggestions on how best to change course:

Adaptation as a Guiding Objective

A guiding objective of addressing adaptation (with a keen focus on building resilience) is key. Paris must acknowledge what we already know as common sense: insufficient mitigation will mean higher needs on the adaptation front, and inadequate adaptation will result in greater loss and damage.

Principles for Good Adaptation

People, communities and ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change must receive special attention when it comes to adaptation planning, implementation and finance. Governments must take a human rights approach, building on the work from COP16. Adaptation should be community-driven and guided by science. Both the LDC group and Norway suggest these principles be enforced by the new agreement.

Support for Adaptation

The need for means of implementation for adaptation can’t be brushed aside.
... Read more ...

“The stars are aligned for the world to take historic action to transform lives and protect the planet. I urge Governments and people everywhere to fulfil their political and moral responsibilities. This is my call to dignity, and we must respond with all our vision and strength.”

Did you think that was ECO speaking? No, it was actually Ban Ki-moon launching his Synthesis Report — ‘The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet’ — on the Post-2015 development agenda in New York yesterday.

The report marks the culmination of several strands of work that started at Rio+20 in 2012. It lays out the challenge of replacing the Millennium Development Goals with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ECO is pleased that he got it right by putting climate change action at the heart of his report. So pleased, that ECO would be willing to forget about the stubbornness of some countries not wanting a climate change goal in the Open Working Group document. If only we were sure that you, dear Parties, really understood the message this time: we want a climate change goal and mainstreaming in the SDGs. Please take note of that for the next year and the 9 months of negotiations to come!
... Read more ...

Switzerland earned yesterday’s first place Fossil of the Day for being a big bully. Anyone who listens to civil society or climate scientists will know that we have to do much more if we want to keep temperature rise below the internationally agreed threshold of 2°C. Predictable public climate finance that helps developing countries to scale up their climate actions is essential to get the ambition wheel turning. Switzerland, in an intervention on Tuesday, not only opposed any legally binding quantified commitments on finance, but also threatened developing countries that any such demands would jeopardise the outcome here in Lima. Other developed countries, including the EU and the US came close to earning a fossil too as they didn’t exactly paint themselves in glory either. To much disappointment, they also strongly rejected commitments on finance.

Brazil came in second after stating in the Framework for Various Approaches Contact Group that “there is no double counting in the CDM”(!!) As numerous scientists have documented, double-counting of emissions is a serious problem with the Clean Development Mechanism. New, robust accounting rules that stamp out such practices are seriously needed to ensure the integrity of our efforts to combat climate change. This statement undermines climate action and earned Brazil a second place fossil.
... Read more ...

Not only is spaceship Earth badly off the 2020 trajectory needed to stay below 2°C, it is just about to drift further away from the safe pathway. That was the message yesterday from UNEP in the Structured Expert Dialogue: the gigatonne gap looks to just grow as we approach 2025 and 2030. If you consider warnings by the IPCC and others that the 2°C limit may still be too high and risky, then the situation looks even worse.

But fortunately we do have the survival kit still within our reach.

As ECO learned from the IEA, 80% of the 2020 gigatonne gap in the energy sector could be bridged with measures that have no impact on GDP in all regions (!!). Energy efficiency and renewable energy are the most important survival tools in the short and longer term.

UNEP also emphasised the importance of energy efficiency, which in almost all cases is the option where you have many wins and no losses.

So really, Parties? What are you waiting for? To quote the IEA presenter yesterday: it really shouldn’t be that hard.

What’s the course we need to plot? Zero carbon, emissions phase out and decarbonisation were much-used vocabulary yesterday. Having this long-term goal in mind, the World Bank said that this should be the basis for policy.
... Read more ...

ECO apologies for printing an incorrect version of this piece yesterday. Please find the correct piece below.

Peruvian civil society organisations and grassroots movements are seizing the hosting of COP20 by Peru to join efforts in elevating environmental issues on the government’s agenda, particularly as part of the country’s development policies.

Climate change impacts have already reached Peru. People in Peru are already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change such as water scarcity, thus adding to existing environmental and social challenges.

While the Presidency of the COP20 should have been an opportunity for the Peruvian government to show leadership in environmental issues, its recent national policies show that the environment has become less and less of a priority. For example, in July this year the government approved the so-called Ley 30230 (also known as ‘Ley Paquetazo’), which reduces the importance of environmental standards with the aim to attract investment in the extractive industries.

The promotion of extractive industries has already led to cases such as that of Maxima Chaupe, a female farmer. She was sued by Yanacocha – one of the biggest gold mining companies – for living on the land where Yanacocha was planning its Conga extraction project. Maxima and her family were not only ordered to leave the land, they were also asked to pay Yanacocha a compensation fine of about US$2,000.
... Read more ...

Today is Young and Future Generations day. YOUNGO thought we’d provide you with some simple instructions on the fight of our lifetime. You are never too old to learn and never too tired/disgruntled/bored to fight for the future.

1) We are the citizens of your countries, and we demand that you make our nationally determined contributions ambitious. We can stand to bear the responsibility of your past mistakes, but your decisions about the future need to be just and fair: these decisions affect our homes, our communities, and our lives.

2) Our life’s work will be to phase out carbon emissions to zero. Your job is simple: make the commitment to a clean and just phase out of fossil fuels, and a phase in of 100% renewables starting now and to be achieved no later than 2050.

3) Don’t discount our future and that of future generations. You consistently tell us you can’t afford it, but we know you have your sums all wrong: you are not counting on us having a future at all. Invest today, which for industrial countries includes paying your climate debts. And get the message to your finance ministries.

4) We all know that 80% of theknown reserves of oil, coal and gas have to stay in the ground.
... Read more ...

The Structured Expert Dialogue (SED) of the 2013-2015 Review gained important Presidential attention yesterday. At the beginning of the meeting, COP President Vidal stated that the SED is the most important space to reconcile science and policy. He continued in mentioning the mandate of the 2013-2015 review – which is to consider the adequacy of the long-term goal and progress towards achieving it – meaning that clear answers must result from the review for the Paris decisions.

On the first task to consider, the adequacy of the 2°C limit, yesterday’s meeting gave clear answers from science. If temperature increases are limited to below 1.5°C, there are more chances for adaptation.

One example is the coral reefs provide crucial sources of protein in many peoples’ diets. Coping with warming of 1.5°C is already a severe challenge for corals, but they will struggle to survive with 2°C warming. Also, ‘below 1.5°C’ could mean a chance to protect the summer Arctic sea ice.

It’s not only ecosystems or sea ice in danger with 2°C warming, but people are also vulnerable. Cultures of Arctic communities and those on low-lying lands are endangered: for them the risk is high with 2°C.

It was good to hear yesterday that the US is interested in better understanding the differential risk of a world that is 1.5°C warmer and one that is 2°C warmer.
... Read more ...

Yesterday the ADP contact group finally got down and dirty on the potential finance content in the Paris deal when negotiators discussed the finance section of the co-chairs non-paper. There is no point in denying that ECO was shamelessly excited to finally start the discussions on what must be an integral part of the 2015 agreement. Whilst probably not surprising to anyone that has been following the UNFCCC for more than a few minutes, it was a bit of a let down to have the first half of the session wither away in a flurry of process confusion.

When the dust had settled sufficiently for substantial talks to begin, ECO’s enthusiasm was curbed further. The US led the charge by requesting all references to the adequacy, predictability and additionality of finance removed. ECO almost suspects the American negotiator was deliberately speed-talking to hide the desperately dismal nature of the suggestions.

With onset depression, ECO, listened to the Swiss delegate start off on a constructive note by pointing to the paragraphs they would like to see in the actual agreement, the ones that could be addressed in other decisions and the parts they didn’t agree with. However, without warning they suddenly launched a frontal attack against the idea of an ex-ante process leading to quantified finance commitments.
... Read more ...

Germany has a problem. Europe’s biggest economy currently risks missing its national 2020 mitigation target of a 40% reduction from 1990 levels. Despite the boom of renewable energies, Germany’s emissions have been on the rise again for the last two years. If you think this is due to the country’s nuclear phase-out, then think again. In reality, with 27% of German electricity production originating from renewables today,this clean technology represents a higher share than nuclear power used to have. The real reason for Germany’s rising emissions is the continuously low price for emission certificates in Europe’s creeping Emission Trading Scheme. With no credible CO2 price signal, the burning of coal remains highly profitable for energy suppliers in Europe. In Germany, this is causing not only higher emissions but also a huge surplus of electricity.

To address this, Germany’s Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, when traveling to Lima next week, will have some news in her baggage. Today, the government presents an “Action Plan”on how to fill the emission gap and reach Germany’s 2020 climate target. In this plan, following public debate, Germany is announcing an additional reduction of 22 million tonnes of CO2 from the electricity sector.Although ECO finds that the formulation is vague and the reduction too low, the facts behind the Action Plan are clear: For the first time ever, Europe’s biggest economy intends to remove a part of its coal power capacity from the grid.
... Read more ...