ECO Newsletter

Is the COP facing a déjà vu mom ent? As Typhoon Kammuri threatens the Philippines, are we about to see a repeat of the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013? It was Typhoon Haiyan’s impact on the people of the Philippines that mobilized global cooperation around the urgency to respond to irreversible loss and damage due to climate change. COP19 responded after lengthy negotiations with a decision to establish the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) on loss and damage, a political response to a human catastrophe caused by climate change.

Six years later at COP25, we are at another watershed moment. The review event of the WIM that took place the day before the COP began clearly recognised that the outputs of the WIM should be greater than the outputs of the Executive Committee (ExCom) alone. The review also recognised the lack of progress to date. Apart from some promising work under the Task Force for Displacement, the rest of the ExCom work plans are sadly far behind from where we need to be. So, what needs to change to unlock the potential of the loss and damage process in order to respond to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable?
... Read more ...

It can be all too easy to accuse UNFCCC negotiations of being somewhat lofty and distant from the issues on the ground. But we’re pleased to share that the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) is proudly bucking that trend with a workshop this week on a topic that goes in the opposite direction…

Yes, friends. We’re having a workshop on MANURE. Really.

Specifically, it’s on “improved nutrient use and manure management towards sustainable and resilient agricultural systems”. ECO knows this may sound hilarious to the urbanites among you. But folks with their hands in the soil know that this topic underpins the future of food security and climate stability. It may not be glamorous, but it’s incredibly important.

Half a century of industrialised agriculture has pushed our climate and ecosystems to breaking point. Energy is needed to produce synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. This is primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, and the resulting nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions when these are produced and applied to soils are contributors to the climate crisis. Soils degraded by application of these fertilisers hold less water and natural nutrients and leave crops more vulnerable to climate impacts. Industrial agriculture is no longer fit for purpose in an era of climate change, and it must be transformed.
... Read more ...

ECO can’t remember how often we have told Japan’s minister to stop coal.  The science is clear that new coal is not compatible with the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2°C, let alone 1.5°C.

Japan came to Madrid empty-handed with no policy change ⎯ again! Even worse, just yesterday, Mr. Kajiyama, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry said Japan wants to keep using coal power. Japan’s pursuit of coal expansion both domestically and internationally is totally insane. 

Japan is wasting billions of dollars on new coal plants overseas. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is considering financing Vung Ang 2 and possibly Vinh Tan 3 in Vietnam. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) continues to support coal projects such as Indramayu in Indonesia and Matabari in Bangladesh. Japan says it supports coal if it meets the conditions of using highly efficient technologies and at the request of host countries. The old narrative that these projects are cleaner than older coal plants does not stand. The projects that received Japanese public financing emit far more air pollutants than would be allowed in Japan. But, with ANY conditions, coal is coal and it is still bad.

Japan’s domestic coal expansion also poses serious problems.
... Read more ...

Dear Negotiators, you’ve seen your Article 6 shopping list, now ECO’s here to help you read the labels and understand exactly what it entails. Because you don’t want to buy the wrong thing – and knowing the details will help you make the right purchase. In Article 6, it is crucial to get everything right before going forward, otherwise it could all go horribly wrong.  

ECO wants to get you up to speed on human rights. “But why?” – you might ask – “when what we are discussing is markets?” Because ultimately, climate action is about people. And climate action, whether it’s through Article 6 activities or other climate finance projects, must not harm people and the environment. We know Article 6 activities can lead to harm, and often to those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, because we’ve seen it before (think Kyoto Protocol markets). Climate action shouldn’t lead to human tragedies. And climate action that displaces people, floods their lands, causes biodiversity loss, undermines ecosystem integrity, and infringes on their rights to food and water surely isn’t sustainable development. But don’t worry, ECO’s here to help you not repeat these past mistakes, and to ensure that you have all the necessary rules for Article 6.
... Read more ...

Today is the International Day of Disabled People, which revolves around the theme ‘Promoting the participation of Persons with Disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda’. The latter is an agenda that involves leaving no one behind. Yet, disabled people are already being left behind in the climate crisis and the irony of this is not lost to us.

As COP25 begins, there is no better time to recognise the rights of  the disabled – a community that needs to be at the forefront of our minds when discussing human rights under the UNFCCC process and the Paris Agreement, including, but not limited to Article 6, Loss & Damage, NDC development and implementation, COP location and relocation.

The disabled community is extremely knowledgeable and resourceful in designing adaptive solutions to complex problems: its experience and knowledge is thus extremely important as the world gathers to seek solutions to strengthen the resilience of our societies. Yet, the disabled community has no formal voices in the negotiations. 

At the national level, many of ECO’s members implore COP attendees to ensure that “disabled people cannot be the expected casualty of the climate crisis”. Thus reminding us all that “this fight belongs to disabled people too, but we don’t have a focal point.”
... Read more ...

‘For all life’ – this was the cry echoed across the opening of both the Indigenous People’s Pavilion and the Plenary on day one of COP25. ‘For the lives of our children, our grandchildren, and future generations.’ This seems a simple sentiment , but for those defending environmental justice and human rights on the frontlines, this sentiment continues to go unheard – and indigenous lives are the price being paid. Yesterday the Indigenous People’s caucus stood in solidarity with the Papuan people for the raising of the Morning Star Flag, a symbol of Papuan independence from the occupying state of Indonesia. On December 1st, four Papuan people were arrested for raising this flag in Papua, which is illegal in the Indonesian occupied territories.

In 1962 the United Nations facilitated the transfer of administration of West Papua from the Dutch colonisers to Indonesia. Following that, in 1969 the United Nations oversaw the so-called “Act of Free Choice” referendum, in which West Papuan leaders would vote for or against Papuan independence. Around a thousand tribal representatives were escorted at gunpoint and forced to vote in favour of Indonesian sovereignty. Since the 1970s, the extraction of minerals, especially gold, within Papua has been a key part of Indonesian economic growth.
... Read more ...

The Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) was set up to address the devastating loss and damage in the most vulnerable developing countries. But 6 years later, it is clear that this international mechanism has become little more than a talk shop with minimal  on-the-ground benefit to the most vulnerable. 

When Typhoon Idai swept through Mozambique, the WIM was not delivering for those on the   front lines, those keeping the storm shelters open and battling flood water to deliver lifesaving supplies to people. Instead, a few Executive Committee (ExCom) members and technical experts were planning their next meeting in Bonn to formulate workplans and review papers. 

The WIM review event of 1 December showed that the current flagship mechanism from the UNFCCC on loss and damage has not yet been fully operationalized and is far from being fit for purpose. In reality, the event confirmed that the WIM has performed very poorly.

The Loss & Damage review at COP25 is critical to ensure that we enhance the WIM to tangibly respond to climate impacts in the real world and support those most affected in vulnerable developing countries. The coming days of negotiations are intended to review how the WIM has performed since its inception, and decide on how it must be enhanced and strengthened. 
... Read more ...

Here at the “People’s COP” it is the people’s position that all Parties should be shooting for the stars by at the very least signalling their intention to increase ambition to their fair share, in line with 1.5ºC. With developed countries taking the lead. 

The scientific reality lit up the sky over Katowice last year with the IPCC’s special report on the impacts of 1.5ºC detailing the task ahead for reducing emissions. That task has become even more clear in 2019, with publications such as the 2019 UNEP Emissions Gap Report and The Production Gap Report detailing specific goals to meet, and actions to take. 

And what are those goals and actions? Next year, we must begin cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 7.6% per year through 2030, reaching 25 GtCO₂e. In 2030, global fossil fuel production, especially coal, must be at least 120% less than the amount governments are currently planning to extract and burn.

It’s time to shoot for the moon on ambition instead of burying ourselves deeper into the ground with fossil fuels. Submitting revised and enhanced Nationally-Determined Contributions by 15 September 2020 at the latest is the most effective way to blast off. Governments should develop enhanced NDCs that reflect their fair share of a 1.5ºC trajectory, and do so through transparent and participatory processes that respond directly to people’s demands for social and economic justice.
... Read more ...