Download Climate Negotiations towards Copenhagen

Climate Negotiations towards
Copenhagen
“165 days to Copenhagen”
Overview
• Build up of GHGs in atmosphere,
much of it driven by human activities is
affecting the global climate
• current projections, concentrations of
GHGs will continue to increase into
the indefinite future
• lack of action entails a cost already
being experienced that is great
particularly in developing countries
and differentiated impacts point to
developing countries especially
LDC/small island states bearing this
cost.
– Mitigation /adaptation key Actions
needed to stabilize GHGs
Negotiation streams
• Negotiation streams 4
areas:
• SBI
• SABSTA
• AWG-KP
• AWG- LCA
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Shared vision
Mitigation
Adaptation
Financing and technology
(agreed in Bali COP 13)
The Convention
• The convention was the 13 session of UNFCCC
subsidiary bodies – SBSTA and SBI
• The 6th session of the AWG-LCA and the 8th session of
AWG-KP.
• The sessions took place from the 1 June – 12 June
2009, at the Maritim, Hotel Bonn, Germany.
• The main objective of the Bonn II meeting was to discuss
negotiating text which would serve as basis for an
ambitious and effective international climate change
deal, to be clinched in Copenhagen in December, 2009.
• Significant was that it was a process to prepare for the
crucial Copenhagen conference in December, 2009
Key Areas
• The AWG- KP established 2005 - Ad Hoc
Working Group on Further Commitments for
Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWGKP).
– objectives was to discuss future commitments for
industrialized countries under the Kyoto Protocol, set
to complete its work by the end of 2009.
• AWG-LCA - Working Group on Long-term
Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWGLCA). Launched at COP 13, Bali
A comprehensive process to enable the full,
effective and sustained implementation of the
Convention
Climate Change Negotiation
• Were we are:
• Negotiations ended with submissions in all
key negotiation areas:
– Currently submissions have been tabled on
website of UNFCCC (out yesterday the
compiled document – 200 pages)
– Task for next meetings will aim to converge all
submissions to concise and shortened
versions
– There is still opening for negotiation
Negotiations
.
• From the proceedings in Bonn II, there were a
number of sectors that really were echoing that
the climate talks were in crisis.
– The reason was at the end of 2 weeks there was a
feeling that a gap was being created between
developed and developing countries is widening.
– many developing countries were setting very low
emission- reduction targets, far below what is need to
address the climate crisis and moving away from
recommendation based on sound-science from
IPCCC report.
Contd…
• For example, the Japanese Prime Minister
announced just before the end of the second
week that Japan is ready to cut its emission level
by 2020 to a level 8% below its 1990 level.
• This was not very well received by the Bonn II
meetings
• It was echoed that it was a shameful emission
cut commitment, a mere 2% addition to it earlier
commitments targeted for 2013 to 2020.
Us/Japan Issue
• The US too, seems to make no tangible move to
officially declare it targets.
• It was however, shared in the corridors that the
US climate bill was putting figures at 4% below
the 1990 levels.
• It was also made known by experts that both
Japan and US were under pressure from their
corporate lobby within their own countries – will
see how they respond to this pressure.
EU
• The EU was more ambitious as it declared it
would commit to cut its emission by 20%, and
will raise if other developed countries join in.
• Japanese and US - EU’s target shaky – wait and
see game –
• Their ambitious target may be unlikely – I do not
know.
• Contention for dev. Countries was the blanketing
of dev. Countries that included some of the high
polluters (China, India, SA) – methodology of
their inclusion in the group of developing
countries
Africa G77 & China
• Figures that does not show hope on what is to
be done for lowing global emissions by at least
half by 2050.
• Most developing countries particularly OASIS
countries showed their deep disappointment
with the move by the rich countries – deep
concern over future of island states (tidal waves
had greatly increased etc) (very strong Grenada, commorros, Phillipines)
• Especially that they had done so much
preaching about the need for climate actions yet
their actions spoke the opposite.
Agriculture sector
• Agriculture issues are being embedded
within the forestry debates
• REDD Plus
• Agriculture side events were few but many
issues were around REDD+
• Need to push agriculture especially for
developing countries
Way Forward
• 4 key outstanding meetings
– Bonn III, Bangkok, Barcelona then
Copenhagen
– Actions – Need to hold a side event with
influential voices around Africa + Agriculture
• Contacts have been created and should be
strengthened
– Need to capacitate a new team of African
negotiators in CC – mentored by the older
negotiators – beyond Copenhagen
– Proper mechanisms of reporting
– Need for position papers to be developed
before Bonn III (1 pager with the correct
language)
– Begin youth mobilization for climate for the
region
Thank you