Figueres hails new climate of optimism, NGO’s disagree

By Makereta Komai for Climate Pasifika in Bonn, Germany

09 June 2010, Bonn, Germany --- There is a mood of optimism here in Bonn as negotiations reach the mid way mark of the final week of the climate change talks.

One of the achievements, according to the incoming executive secretary of the UNFCCC Secretariat, Christiana Figueres, is the ability to get opposing Parties to ‘reach out’ to each other and talk.

Figueres, a Costa Rican with 15 years of distinguished career in climate change negotiations, said political will has been the key to advancing some of the ‘difficult’ issues.

“Nothing happens without political will. We have had important demonstrations of that political will in April and in this session.

“There is already a process underway here of rebuilding trust and constructive conversations are taking place. Negotiators are reaching out to each other to not only understand each other but to understand the interests behind that position.

“I call this process the miracle of negotiations. We welcome this process and we will certainly build upon it in Cancun, said Figueres.

She was addressing a media seminar for journalists from developing countries attending the Bonn climate change talks.

The new UN climate change chief is however apprehensive about the emissions reduction commitments of some Annex 1 (developed) countries.

“Certainly, the pledges we have on the table now are not sufficient to either meet the 2 degrees pledges in Copenhagen Accord as it will not guarantee the survival of those who are most vulnerable and the poorest.

And, she assured these rich countries understand their responsibility to improve on their commitments.

“I would not put a date on it but I would see it as a gradual incremental effort. I see it in the context of countries being aware of their responsibilities and living up to them in a timely fashion, Figueres said.

But civil society organisations following the negotiations here in Bonn hold a different view point.

Its joint assessment of the negotiations suggests that there appears to be widening gaps with developed countries working towards the dismantling of the Kyoto Protocol (KP), to escape a second commitment period.

“Rather than honour the Bali bargain, they are now seeking to move favoured elements of the Protocol (e.g. markets) into a new agreement under the ad hoc working group on long term co-operative action (AWG-LCA).

Under the Bali Roadmap, it was agreed that negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol would continue and developed countries (Annex 1) would adopt a second commitment period, commencing in 2013.

In addition, developed countries including the United States, which is not party to KP, would undertake comparable commitments under the AWG-LCA.

After more than three years of negotiations under the Protocol, the current pledges by developed countries would result in a reduction of only 17-25 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, according to the UNFCCC Secretariat. This is far lower than the 40-50 percent cuts demanded by developing countries.

Another ‘loophole’ exploited by developed countries is the ‘surplus allowance’ (earned by some countries, especially Russia, for emitting less than their allocated share) and land-use accounting rules, according to the international NGO’s assessment.

“So while foot dragging on their targets, developed countries are pushing aggressively in the AWG-KP to finalise weak rules on land-use, land-use change and forests (LULUCF).

Developed countries are also proposing that accounting for forest management remains voluntary thereby allowing the developed (Annex 1) countries to simply not account for any emissions increases.

Ms Komai will be covering the Bonn Climate Change negotiations from 31 May – 11 June 2010, thanks to support from Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). She will provide daily coverage of the negotiations via PACNEWS and the SPREP website www.sprep.org, the climate pasifika blogspot, http://climatepasifika.blogspot.com and the PINA Green page http://green.pina.com.fj/

Climate negotiators farewell Yvo de Boer, rich nations exhorted to show leadership

By Makereta Komai for Climate Pasifika in Bonn, Germany

09 June 2010, Bonn, Germany ---- After close to four years at the helm of the United Nations climate change body, Yvo de Boer has completed his term, six months after the failed talks in Copenhagen.

And before leaving Bonn on 01 July, the Dutch national shared his final thoughts with negotiators Wednesday at special joint session of the two technical subsidiary bodies.

Using what he called a World Cup imagery, de Boer said, “We got a yellow card in Copenhagen and the referee’s hand will edge toward the red one if we fail to deliver in Cancun and beyond.

A red card is definite if rich countries fail to commit to stringent pledges – an 80 percent goal for the middle century is not enough.

“I hope that I have not lost too many friends with this statement and will not lose more.

De Boer said deciding what each and everyone will contribute to this requires more than one round of negotiations. 

The current pledges from industrialised countries are not sufficient to bring us into the 25-40% range that the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects in its most ambitious scenario.

“Having said this, we cannot afford to postpone more stringent action much longer. As things stand now we will not be able to halt the increase of global greenhouse gas emissions in the next ten years.

With the 2 degree, the world is in danger, and as a result the door to a 1.5 degree world is rapidly closing, said de Boer.

There is strong consensus that a legally binding agreement is the preference of all the Parties but the outgoing climate change chief reminded negotiators that ‘legally binding’ mean different things to different people.

“This is good, because it offers an opportunity to define the concept in much broader terms than internationally binding rich country targets alone.

“Legal rigour and ambition are, in and of themselves, not a sine qua non. Rigorous sanctions combined with a lack of clarity on tools and incentives are more likely to engender caution than bravery.”

De Boer exhorted Parties to allow for room for discussion to complement negotiation.

“More often the focus is on interpretation of stated positions rather than debate to understand the nature of underlying interests.”

On the expected outcome for Cancun, the departing climate change diplomat said there needs to be clarity on ‘what is technical and what is political, what political decisions are needed to make technical work possible and how technical talks should be effectively organised.”

“These are not issues you can agree on with 15,000 people in the room. A clear mandate to work in a smaller setting and report back to the Conference of the Parties (COP) is enough. 

Maintaining his confidence in the UNFCCC process, de Boer told over 1,000 delegates that packed the conference room at the Maritim Hotel that, ‘I am confident - You did it in Rio. You did it in Kyoto. You did it Bali. You will do it again in Cancun.’

His departure takes effect July 1, five months before 193 nations are due to reconvene in Mexico for another attempt to reach a binding worldwide accord on controlling greenhouse gases. He is known to be deeply disappointed with outcome of the last summit in Copenhagen.

He is being replaced by long time Costa Rican climate change negotiator, Christiana Figueres.

Ms Komai will be covering the Bonn Climate Change negotiations from 31 May – 11 June 2010, thanks to support from Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). She will provide daily coverage of the negotiations via PACNEWS and the SPREP website www.sprep.org, the climate pasifika blogspot, http://climatepasifika.blogspot.com and the PINA Green page http://green.pina.com.fj/

New Zealand and U.S spearhead opposition to loss and damage provisions in negotiating text

By Makereta Komai of Climate Pasifika in Bonn, Germany

07 June 2010, Bonn, Germany --- New Zealand has joined the United States in opposing a proposal from many countries including the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) for the establishment of an international mechanism to address loss and damage under the United Nations climate change convention.

Also supported by Norway and Canada, our Pacific neighbour reiterates its position that it’s difficult to prove the link between climate change and any specific extreme event.

But recognising the importance of the issue to AOSIS, Norway said it’s open to discussing them, according to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

ENB follows the negotiations daily and publishes a four page summary for delegates, NGO’s and the media.

The United States, while acknowledging that all countries face adaptation challenges said an insurance mechanism is not appropriate to address loss and damage.

The U.S however, gave a proviso, saying ‘it would be willing to discuss a suite of risk management procedures and mechanisms to address loss and damage.’

This position runs contrary to the AOSIS position, said a Pacific Island delegate attending the negotiations here in Bonn.

Australia, on the other hand, reiterated its position saying that any institutional arrangement on adaptation must focus on co-operation, shared information, trend and gap analyses, technical advice and capacity building.

Bangladesh speaking on behalf of least developed countries (LDC) and supported by Cook Islands urged Parties to consider the establishment of an institutional structure to facilitate the implementation of adaptation actions.

AOSIS, which groups all islands in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean, is lobbying for an adaptation body under the Convention with a new funding window, similar to the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol.

While Pacific countries are fighting for recognition of their special vulnerabilities as a result of climate change, countries that belong to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are also lamenting their economic loss from the erosion of fossil fuel.

“Fossil fuel will be one of the victims of climate change and we should be included in any response measure in the Convention or any new agreement, said Saudi Arabia.

“Our countries should also be compensated for our loss.”

But Barbados supported by Grenada argued that ‘patients suffering from a common cold should receive a different kind of attention than those with a serious illness” implying that the needs of AOSIS are more urgent than those of other regions.

Outgoing UN climate change chief, Yvo de Boer agreed that the demands of OPEC countries are also legitimate.

“Their interests are just as legitimate. They are afraid that aggressive action on climate change is going to decrease the amount of oil they are producing and hurt them economically, said de Boer.

At the same time, the small island countries are saying if there is too little action on the part of industrialised nations and emerging developed countries, it will result in near extinction of some island countries.

“That will mean low level of ambition, which translates into the extinction of some island countries, de Boer added.

Indigenous People’s launch global network on climate change

By Makereta Komai for Climate Pasifika in Bonn, Germany

09 June 2010, Bonn, Germany --- An indigenous people’s network on climate change was launched in Bonn Tuesday, to coincide with the global climate change negotiations now into its second week.

Calling itself the Indigenous Peoples Global Network on Climate Change and Self Determination (IPCCSD), the new group hopes to push for the inclusion of the rights of indigenous peoples into any climate change deal.

“We want to contribute to finding solutions to climate change. We believe we can use our traditional knowledge to adapt and mitigate against the impacts of climate change, said Joseph Ole Simel, representing indigenous peoples in Kenya.

An issue of interest to indigenous peoples in the current negotiations is the reduction of emissions through deforestation and degradation (REDD).

“We are happy with the current language in the AWG-LCA text. The text recognises the need to respect the rights of indigenous peoples and allows for their full participation in any REDD activities, said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the interim chair of the new indigenous peoples group.

The new group will ensure the views and experiences of indigenous peoples on climate change impacts and solutions are made visible at the regional and global arenas.

The group represents seven regions of the globe, including the Pacific.

There is no membership from the Pacific yet and the secretariat, which is based in the Philippines, is urging indigenous people’s groups in the Pacific to join the global network.

Ms Makereta Komai will be covering the Bonn Climate Change negotiations from 31 May – 11 June 2010, thanks to support from Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). She will provide daily coverage of the negotiations via PACNEWS and the SPREP website www.sprep.org, the climate pasifika blogspot, http://climatepasifika.blogspot.com and the PINA Green page http://green.pina.com.fj/