Download Catalonia strives for climate agreement in Copenhagen

Catalonia strives for climate
agreement in Copenhagen
Barcelona, 20 October 2009
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Worldwide negotiations: Copenhagen Agreement
Calendar of UNFCCC meetings:
December 2007 Bali (COP13)
....
December 2008 Poznań (COP14)
February
Bonn
May
Bonn
August
Bonn
28 Sep. – 9 Oct.: Bangkok
2 – 6 November: Barcelona
7 – 18 December: Copenhagen (COP15)
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Context
 Climate change is a worldwide, man-made phenomenon
 An increase of more than 2ºC in the Earth’s mean temperature would
lead to high levels of risk for people and the economy
 The Kyoto Protocol is the first international instrument designed to face
up to it and is in force from 2008 to 2012
 Now, along with the Kyoto commitments, we are designing the
agreement for the second period 2013-2020
 Mitigation and adaptation policies have a very great geopolitical, social,
environmental and economic impact
 In the framework of the current economic crisis, the climate negotiations
seek to lead the way to a new economic model
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The main challenges
1. Setting quantitative targets for emissions reduction
2. Defining the economic framework
3. Technology transfer
1. Setting quantitative targets for emissions reduction in the medium term
(2020 or 2025). Responsibility shared but not equal. In the long term
(2050) the consensus is high.
 Internal disagreements in the USA about the scope and
quantification of the reduction in emissions. Law
blocked right now in the Senate by the Republicans,
with the likelihood of it not being passed till 2010.
 … (continued)
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The main challenges
 … (continued)
 Resistance of the emerging countries to
compulsory limitation of emissions not linked to
economic growth. (For example: China, India,
Brazil, South Africa, Mexico)
 The emerging countries first want to see a binding
commitment from the industrialised countries, to
cut emissions by 25 to 40% by 2020. At the
moment the individual proposals from the
industrialised countries do not reach 25%.
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The main challenges
2. Definition of an economic framework to guarantee financing
from the developed countries and of mitigation and adaptation
actions of the developing countries.
3. Assuring mechanisms for technology transfer from the
developed countries to the developing countries to guarantee a
low-carbon growth model
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Items for negotiation:
 The technical items are not an obstacle if a political
consensus is reached.
 There is strong, growing social pressure encouraging the
desire to reach an agreement.
 It is necessary for the negotiating parties to make
concessions on their own interests.
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Expectations for the Copenhagen Conference
 Reaching a general framework agreement. The question is:
1. How far the burden of economic efforts can be specified.
2. The level of the emissions limits for each of the parties.
This will be clarified in the coming months.
 Now is the time to reach some agreement. Intense negotiations
have been taking place for two years and we think that the world
would not accept a failure to find a way to consensus.
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Barcelona Talks
 From 2 to 6 November Barcelona will host the
last United Nations meeting before Copenhagen.
It could mark the start of a change of
perspective.
 There are expected to be between 4,000 and
5,000 participants from 180 countries.
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Barcelona Talks
 Organised jointly by the United Nations, the Spanish
Government, the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona
City Council.
 The expectation of the meeting is for the different positions
to mature and that disagreements can be lessened.
Agreement must be reached in Copenhagen.
 The social agents will have an active role.
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Barcelona Talks. Goals
 To strengthen Catalonia's position on the map of
commitment to the climate and as a centre for debate and
action.
 To promote a favourable environment for the negotiations.
 To encourage social participation.
 To manage the knowledge acquired during the Barcelona
Talks, sharing it with civil society and with the different
levels of government, all in the perspective of the Spanish
presidency of the EU.
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Barcelona Talks. Web: www.bcnclimatechange.org
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Barcelona Talks
 Contents of the website
 Parallel events
 Positioning of civil society
 Specialised news bulletins
 Information about the talks
 Logistics and additional services
 Other useful information about Barcelona
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Catalonia and the Copenhagen Agreement
 In Poznań Catalonia included an
amendment to the negotiation document,
through the International Network of
Regional Governments for Sustainable
Development (nrg4SD).
 The aim is for the Copenhagen
Agreement to recognise the important
role in dealing with climate change played
by the governments described by the
United Nations as subnational (US states,
Canadian provinces, German Länder,
Spanish autonomous communities) and
the local bodies.
Created in Johannesburg in 2002,
it currently has 34 members
worldwide
The Government of Catalonia has
participated since 2002 as a
founder member and is currently
a member of the executive
committee.
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Catalonia and the Copenhagen Agreement
 We want our role to be recognised and we want to be present in the
next few years when the expected Copenhagen Agreement will be put
into practice.
 The draft negotiation texts have included this amendment, but we
must ensure that it appears in the final text. We will see to it in
Barcelona and Copenhagen that this recognition is maintained in the
final text.
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Catalonia and the Copenhagen Agreement
 The Government of Catalonia is also a
member of The Climate Group, an
organisation
that
brings
together
governments such as those of California,
Scotland and South Australia, and also
companies, to make proposals and ask for
commitments.
Principles signed by each member:
“We recognise the urgency of
addressing human-induced climate
change and we declare our common
desire and commitment to work
diligently and creatively to adopt
solutions...”
Greater London Authority
The City of Chicago
The City of Los Angeles
The City of Miami
The City of New York
The Government of Catalonia
The Province of British Columbia
The Province of Manitoba
The Province of Ontario
The Province of Québec
The State of California
The State of New South Wales
The State of New York
The State of Queensland
The State of South Australia
The State of Victoria
The State of Western Australia
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Positioning of Catalonia
 Catalonia strives for an international agreement based on commitment
and effective action.
 In tune with the European Union, which agreed the energy-climate
package in 2008 by co-decision of the European Parliament (by a large
majority) and the European Council, the Government of Catalonia
showed its support for achieving the goal of a 30% reduction in
emissions by 2020 in the developed countries, and calls on the
emerging countries to shoulder their part of the responsibility.
 Likewise, the Government of Catalonia recognises the need to give
support to the developing countries in the field of adaptation and
mitigation, on the basis of network programmes, such as that run by
the United Nations Development Programme, in which Catalonia
participates.
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Positioning of Catalonia
 The Government sees climate change as a basic topic for action
in Catalan policy in the forthcoming years.
 The Interdepartmental Commission for Climate Change and the
Catalan Office for Climate Change are tools available to the
Government for promoting cross-cutting climate action that
includes energy, mobility, building, waste disposal, agricultural and
industrial policies among others.
 The Government accepts responsibility for
emissions in Catalonia and states its willingness to
act accordingly. The Framework Plan for Climate
Change Mitigation 2008-2012, approved by the
Government in October 2008, following a process
of participation, is a definite step in this
commitment.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Goals
The starting point
 Ensuring that Catalonia meets its share of responsibility in
accordance with the scenario for compliance with the Kyoto
Protocol, which Spain has agreed with the EU, that is, limiting
diffuse emissions to +37% on average between 2008 and 2012
 This 37% consists of:
 15% free under the Kyoto Protocol commitment
 2% compensated by the growth of forests (sinks)
 20% bought by Spain to compensate for the diffuse emissions of
Spain as a whole
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Goals
The starting point
 The figures for 2007 show that our emissions are 43% above the
emissions of the base year (1990). This figure represents 8 tonnes
per capita.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Mitigation
 The Framework Plan for Climate Change Mitigation in Catalonia
2008-2012 sets out the Catalan strategy for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions (GHG) and its deployment should achieve a
reduction of 5.33 Mt per year.
 It was approved by a Governmental Agreement in October 2008,
thus becoming one of the first non-state mitigation plans, based on
a process of public participation over nearly 5 months, with the
participation of more than 500 bodies and 1,000 proposals (Catalan
Climate Change Convention).
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Mitigation
 The Framework Plan for Mitigation 2008-2012 is structured
as follows:
• Programme 1. Reduction of emissions in the diffuse sectors
(Programme 5.33)
• Programme 2. Support for the installations covered by the
Emission Allowance Trading Directive
• Programme 3. Cross-cutting actions for mitigation
• Sector support measures
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Mitigation
Programme 5.33 is the basis of the Plan:
SECTOR
Mt CO2eq/year
Main sponsor
departments
AGRICULTURE
0.259
DARP,DEF (ICAEN)
HOUSING
0.447
DMAH,DEF (ICAEN)
SERVICES
0.314
DMAH,DEF (ICAEN)
INDUSTRY NOT SUBJECT TO THE DIRECTIVE
1.159
DEF (ICAEN), DIUE
WASTE
0.325
DMAH (ARC),
DEF (ICAEN)
TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY
1.860
DEF (ICAEN), PTOP,
DIRP
VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS AND PILOT
SCHEMES FOR DOMESTIC OFFSET PROJECTS
0.966
DMAH, DEF (ICAEN),
DIUE
TOTAL
5.33
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Adaptation
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN CATALONIA,
in accordance with the White Paper:
• 2009: Start of the series of basic studies for later definition of a climate
change prevention and adaptation strategy in Catalonia.
• 2010: In-depth study of the scientific evidence. Design of climate
scenarios regionalised for Catalonia. There is now a high degree of
scientific consensus on the global climate scenarios worldwide, but they
have yet to be regionalised.
• 2011: Assessment of the impacts of climate change in Catalonia. Special
attention paid to the most vulnerable territories and sectors.
• 2012: Proposal and analysis of the measures for adaptation to climate
change.
• Catalan plan for adaptation to climate change in Catalonia.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Adaptation
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN CATALONIA
• Setting up the Adaptation Working Group of the Interdepartmental
Commission for Climate Change
• Updating the Climate Change Status Study in Catalonia
• Series of basic studies on the impact of climate change in Catalonia
• Monographic studies on highly vulnerable territories or sectors in Catalonia.
• N1 Framework Study: Ebro Delta (December 2008).
• N2 Framework Study: Water resources (November 2009).
• Instrument for generating knowledge. Topic for organised and constructive
debate.
• Transparency: Website of the Catalan Office for Climate Change.
• Tool for dissemination and awareness raising.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia. Assessment
 The Office for Climate Change is currently analysing the application of
the Framework Plan in the first two years, 2008 and 2009, for the
Interdepartmental Commission to assess it for the Government. It will be
presented at the Catalan Climate Change Convention.
 The initial figures show that more than 85% of the actions programmed
to reduce emissions in the diffuse sectors have started running, and
100% of the sub-programmes have been set up.
 It also shows that some Departments have sponsored a series of
additional actions, which did not initially form part of the Framework
Mitigation Plan, and which are therefore expected to enhance its
effectiveness.
 The review of the Catalan Energy Plan is expected to include an
improvement in avoided GHG emissions.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia: some examples
 Setting up a credit line to finance packages of solutions for energy saving and
thermal comfort in dwellings through an agreement between the Government
of Catalonia, the Catalan savings banks, and financial institutions.
 Various actions in favour of sustainable mobility and public transport:
extending metro lines or creation of HOV-bus lanes among others.
 Improving or replacing street lighting through specific funding lines.
 Bringing into operation the second anaerobic co-digestion plant in Catalonia
using biogas energy at Torregrossa (Lleida).
 Creation of a line of subsidy aimed at local authorities for implementing
emission reduction projects.
 Creation of the Catalan Institute of Climate Sciences (IC3) as a centre of
excellence for climate research.
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Actions for dealing with climate change in Catalonia
 The Catalan Meteorological Service, the Catalan Institute of Climate
Sciences and the Group of Experts on Climate Change, along with other
universities and research centres are providing further knowledge of
the causes and effects of climate change in Catalonia.
 Increasingly, companies and social agents show their commitment to
climate action and this will be shown in Barcelona with more than 40
parallel events. We wish to invite Catalan civil society to take part.
 We have started work on setting up, as the EU White Paper requires,
a plan for adaptation to climate change before 2012. To date, studies
have been made of the Ebro Delta and the study on water resources is
expected to be complete by November 2009.
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Some reflexions
 While the road is long, Catalonia must be placed decisively on the path to the
transition to a low-carbon economy. Its international positioning, the action of
the country’s government and social and economic agents put us at an optimal
starting point to become one of the drivers of this transition.
 The innovating and entrepreneurial spirit of Catalonia has always been a key
factor for progress to a fairer society. Sustainability and action to tackle climate
change are two key issues for emerging stronger from the crisis, for the
competitiveness and the solidarity of Catalonia in the world.
 Catalonia will boost this perspective both at the Barcelona Talks and at the
Copenhagen Conference, aware of the importance of the current moment for
dealing with climate change.
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Catalonia strives for climate agreement
in Copenhagen
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