Mexican President wants more formal role for civil society organisation in climate negotiations

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media in Cancun, Mexico

06 DECEMBER 2010 CANCUN ---- Mexican President, Felipe Calderon wants more civil society input into the Conference of Parties process, breaking with tradition to convene a special stakeholder’s engagement Monday.

Addressing both Parties and hundreds of non-governmental organisations accredited for COP16 in Cancun, President Calderon urged South Africa, the hosts of COP17 next year to include the ‘voices of the people’ in the negotiation process.

“There should be a more formal character for civil societies, said President Calderon, who chaired the two hour session.

“We need society participation. Clearly, there is a need for a more open and inclusive role for civil society at future Conference of Parties.

President Calderon said the climate change negotiations should not only focus on governments but include the views of the people, who represent nearly 7 billion of the world’s population.

“The negotiations must hear all voices, the indigenous peoples, the women and children, the business community etc.

“Combating climate change is everyone’s business and every step must be taken now to mobilise our societies to understand what needs to be done to fight climate change, said President Calderon.

After presentations from selected civil society groups, he opened up the floor for discussions.

A representative of the youth constituency praised Mexico for allowing the voices of young people to be heard.

“We beg negotiators to do their best and reach an agreement that will save the world for the future generation. You need to move mountains, ending with “Yes we can, Yes can and Yes we can!

The Mexican leader also urged more participation of women in the negotiations.

“Women are mostly the victims of climate change and yet they continue to maintain our household. They are the backbone of society, thus they need to have a voice also. I believe if more women are involved then we have a more human solution to the problem of climate change, said President Calderon.

Exhibition booth for Gender CC - Women for Climate Justice

His comments were supported by the former President of Ireland and honorary President of Oxfam, Mary Robinson.

“Not only are women disproportionately impacted by climate change, but they lack access to markets and essential tools including land and credit that would enable them to better adapt.

“Women are on the frontlines of climate change because they are often the main food producers and so susceptible to the increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather," said Robinson.

"But women are also leading the way in creating innovative solutions that can help us overcome these challenges. Negotiators must recognize the essential role of women this week to ensure decisions made in Cancun can succeed once implemented, said Robinson.

Scene@COP16:Love for the Kyoto Protocol

Civil society at Cancunmesse (one of the conference venues) demonstrated Japan's end of the 13-year love affair with the kyoto Protocol, after it announced that it did not want an extension to the Protocol.

Scene@COP16: UNESCO

Hans Dencker Thulstrup, a familiar face for many in the Pacific region:

“I worked in the Pacific for eight and a half years with UNESCOs office in Apia Samoa which is the regional office for the small islands states, Australia and New Zealand I worked for the science programme in Apia for nearly a decade and I left the region in 2008 and I miss it!”

“I am now based at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France. I work for the section on Small Islands Indigenous Knowledge we are here as part of the UNESCO delegation at COP16, partly to launch the new publication of a new manual called “Sandwatch: Adapting to climate change and educating for sustainable development”. It is an updated version of the “Sandwatch” manual that’s in use in some of the countries in the Pacific islands such as, Fiji, Palau, Cook Islands and, Kiribati. This is a new version that that has about 50% of additional new content and we’ll launch it on Friday which is a major event for us.”

Pacific churches raise climate change resettlement issue

By Stanley Simpson, Climate Pasifika Media Team

6 December, Cancun, Mexico - The Pacific Conference of churches (PCC) wants the issue of forced migration and the resettlement of vulnerable Pacific island countries and communities due to climate change on the agenda of any United Nations agreement on climate change.

The PCC’s Climate Change Resettlement Officer Peter Emberson says the issue is one of the most critical for the Pacific as many will be forced to move from their islands or be displaced internally as a result of sea level rise.

Emberson laments the fact that the resettlement issue is not being seriously taken on board in the negotiations here in Cancun.

“What PCC is trying to bring to the attention of the international community is that migration as a result of climate change is already happening in the Reef Islands of the Solomon Islands, in the Cataract Islands in Papua New Guinea, and very soon in the low lying atoll areas of Fiji, the Lau group, the Rewa delta region and Sigatoka - all these areas are vulnerable to sea level rise.”

“What the PCC is trying to bring to the attention here in Mexico is to ensure there is adequate language so that when the people are displaced even further in the future (5-10 years) that the pieces of legislation under international law will safeguard and protect the human rights of these people. “

Emberson is also urging Pacific governments to move strongly on the issue, and make it a priority.

“Pacific governments have been very slow on the issue. One of the few countries that has been very ambitious and progressive on the issue is Kiribati. They are moving the issue of resettlement and forced climate migration, but at the moment they are the lone voice,” Emberson says.

“What we need to do in the Pacific is to mobilize Pacific states to recognize and realize the urgency and to put these issues on the agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum, and then the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and bring it to the attention of the United Nations – whether it be United Nations Framework on Climate Change, or the General Assembly or the Security Council.”

“It needs to be on the UN agenda so that the whole community of states can act in concert to ensure there is adequate action done at the international level. “

Emberson says churches in the region wield a lot of influence within their constituencies and congregations – and its important they raise the issue and be part of the solution on something important like climate change that will affect peoples lives.

Mexican Presidency initiate more outreach at ministerial level to explore compromise in Cancun

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media in Cancun, Mexico

07 DECEMBER 2010 CANCUN ---- The search for a common ground is now in earnest as climate negotiators race against time to conclude a negotiating text ready for ministers and leaders later in the week.

And, Mexico, as chair of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) is exhausting all avenues to reach a compromise amongst Parties, with the hope of reaching a set of ‘balanced’ decisions at the end of the week.

In her effort to do so, COP16 chair , Patricia Espinosa has initiated a ‘pairing system’ between a developed and developing countries to further consult the views of parties on the two negotiating tracks currently on the table – long term co-operative action and the second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol.

The chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Grenada and Sweden will jointly consult on the long term shared vision, which covers the lowering of global temperature and the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere and the peaking of global emissions.

AOSIS members, covering 43 nations in the Pacific, Caribbean and the Indian Ocean have been at forefront pushing for global temperatures to stabilise well below 1.5 degrees and GHG gases concentration level to 350 parts per million.

“A 2 degrees increase will have devastating consequences on small island developing states resulting to sea level rise, coral bleaching, increased incidence of climate change related diseases and increasingly frequent and severe weather events, says the AOSIS position paper.

AOSIS feels that Parties must commit to ambitious target to reflect their endeavours consistent with a mitigation pathway that safeguards the survival of vulnerable nations.

The small island nations hope their ambitious targets will be conveyed in the consultations and reflected in the negotiating text to go before ministers and leaders.

Spain and Algeria will lead consultations on adaptation, Australia and Bangladesh on finance, technology and capacity building, New Zealand and Indonesia on mitigation and United Kingdom and Brazil on matters relating to the Kyoto Protocol.

“Ministers will not be expected to draft compromise language, but to help identify where balance is to be found, said Espinosa.

In addition, the ministerial pair will not convene informal sessions but will instead approach every delegation they believe ought to be consulted at each specific moment and remain accessible to all.

“Ministers will not limit their contacts to other ministers, but will be open to dialogue with all and they will reach out to the representatives that each party has decided to appoint, added Espinosa.

Espinosa said the engagement of ministers in the process is necessary to give political guidance to push forward several key issues.

“One week into the process, the conditions are in place to reach a broad and balanced package of decisions that leads to an era of increasingly effective global action on climate change. We must continue working with a renewed sense of urgency. I believe we can complete the package, or at the very least to make significant advances, before the opening of the high-level segment on Tuesday afternoon, said Espinosa.

“The process we have identified seeks to simultaneously take advantage of the positive results ministerial participation can bring and of the inclusiveness and technical capacity that the formal negotiating environment can provide.

“I am optimistic that we will move forward very quickly in the next two days. I will fulfil my responsibility of closely monitoring the state of our discussions and proposing the further steps that might be required so that we can reach our goals.

European Commissioner for climate change, Connie Hedegraad welcomed the Mexico’s initiative to pair up ministers to identify areas of compromise.

“It’s time to start tackling the key political questions, which emerged from the technical discussions last week. That is where the ministers can and should be a real asset.

“At the same time we are still concerned that the text is not ready to be used by ministers this week. There are still too long with too many options and much too complicated. This is the challenge for the next 24-48 hours.

“We have to seek compromise in the coming two days and I hope that ministers and leaders that are still on their way will bring compromise in their luggage for Cancun, said Hedegraad, who chaired COP15 in Copenhagen last year.

United States special envoy on climate change, Todd Stern, in his first appearance before the international media here in Cancun had only one message, ‘The United States will only move if there is a genuine and balance package across all key issues. This is the key to unlock an agreement.

Before leaving for Cancun, Stern made a similar comment to the foreign press in Washington.

"I actually think we're either going to see progress across the range of issues or we're not going to see much progress."

The U.S argues that all the components of the package need to move forward together, or else nothing is going to move.

The criteria, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper includes: developing nations committing to emissions cuts and the establishment of a verifiable system of accounting for these cuts. If these features were included in a treaty, the United States would agree to the provisions that are important to emerging economies such as climate finance, technology sharing, and deforestation.

AOSIS proposal to discuss legal architecture of new climate change deal referred to contact group

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media, Cancun, Mexico

05 DECEMBER 2010 CANCUN --- At an informal session of the stocktaking plenary of the Conference of the Parties, the proposal for a legal form to a new climate change agreement, was referred to contact group for more consultation.

The 43 members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) had asked for a contact group to discuss the legal architecture before any final agreement in Durban next year.

“Legal form is important as it provides certainty to the outside world – the governments, the markets, the private sector that we are trying to get involved in this process – all of them need legal certainty to effectively contribute to this process and to make the investments needed, said Ambassador Dessima Williams of Grenada on behalf of AOSIS.

During the informal stock-take session, the chair and President of COP16, Patricia Espinosa ruled that more consultation was needed before any decision was taken.

She appointed Malta’s climate change ambassador, Michael Zammit Cutajar to convene more consultation with Parties in the contact group and report back to the Conference of the Parties next week.

But Grenada on behalf of AOSIS expressed the group’s dissatisfaction for an informal meeting when the original proposal was for the legal form to be discussed in a contact group.

The COP chair later changed her ruling to a contact group after the AOSIS intervention.

Informal sessions are open to Parties only whereas the contact group allows for more participants, including observers.

Compromise order of negotiations, as Parties debate a proposed negotiating text

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media, Cancun, Mexico

05 DECEMBER 2010 CANCUN ---- There appears to be consensus amongst negotiators here in Cancun that the text introduced by the chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cop-operative Action (AWG-LCA), Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe that provides additional input into the outcome.

The informal session of the AWG-LCA was convened Saturday afternoon to gauge Parties views on the text, which was originally introduced as a conference room paper.

“There is a general feeling of a high degree of transparency from the chair and Parties appear to be happy. This is probably the spirit of compromise that Parties are moving towards, said Ambassador Luiz Figueiredo.

Most of the Parties in their intervention praised the chair for the transparent manner in which she has engaged with Parties in trying to reach an outcome that is acceptable.

“It’s now time to negotiate amongst Parties and not with the chair or co-facilitators, said a representative of Bolivia.

Tuvalu, the only Pacific Island Country to speak on the debate said after five days, Parties should ‘take the text and start negotiations.’

“The text represents a narrowing of perspective despite differences in opinions, said Ian Fry.

He acknowledged that some of the pushed for by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) are not reflected in the draft text, but that can be discussed in the negotiations.

AOSIS, like other countries is still considering the text that was received 30 minutes before the meeting, has not formulated its position on the draft text but indications are from interventions from Tuvalu, Grenada and St Lucia that at least three issues are missing from the text that need to be negotiated next week. These include the shared vision of limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees and limiting the concentration of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, the weakening of the adaptation language and a clear commitment on a legally binding agreement.

Papua New Guinea openly supported the proposed text as it outlines a new mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)

Introducing her text, Ms Mukahanana-Sangarwe said her draft was built on the outcome of Tianjin and from her consultations with the Parties.

“The paper hopes to identify further opportunities of compromise, where Parties can reach understanding, said the President of the COP, Patricia Espinosa.

She assured negotiators that under her presidency she will ensure that there will be “no parallel negotiations, no selective segmentation of issues and no lack of transparency.”

The draft text will be presented to the Ministers when they begin formal negotiations on Tuesday.

Climate change: The power of a label

Tuvalu delegation meeting after AOSIS

Cancun, Mexico - It’s the ‘label’ that is throwing a spanner in one of the works at the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. When it comes to climate change talks, the Pacific islands come under the label – “Small Island Developing States” (SIDS). It is a recognised grouping at the UN climate change conference alike the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) and countries in Africa prone to certain climate change impacts. These are the recognised terms under the Bali Action Plan formed at the 13th Conference of the Parties in Bali. That meeting unanimously agreed to give priority to developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, but to give special attention to the LDC’s and SIDS.

During the first week of the two-week climate change negotiations in Cancun, the discussions are also revolving around the introduction of new name groupings which are giving way to “unnecessary complications” in an already complicated and intense process.

“Some countries feel that unless their region or their particular concern - the impact that they are most concerned about is mentioned explicitly, then they feel that they are being excluded,” said Espen Ronneberg the Climate Change Adviser for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“Even though we are quite strong on the position that all developing countries that are vulnerable to climate change shall be assisted. The Bali Action Plan and the language is very clear on this.”

The consistent push for new ‘labels’ is a common link throughout many different threads of negotiations now underway in Cancun.

At the Bali Conference of the Parties in 2007, there was an amendment to the text of countries that qualify to be recognised as a grouping to include the countries in Africa that are particularly to climate extremes. However this amendment was supported by science and deemed justifiable during those negotiations.

With other groups forcing their own ‘labels’ upon the text, it gives way to new concerns and arguments.

“I don’t think it will be feasible to have an agreement with a long list and the alternative is a limited text that has been proposed which only refers to countries that are vulnerable to climate change without any sorts of conditions or particular parts being highlighted,” explained Ronneberg.

“This will probably mean that we get pushed aside as unless there is a particular attention being given to small islands, we never seem to get much from the financing process.”

Scene@COP16

Cherelle Jackson of Samoa writing for Eearth Negotiations Bulletin

 

Pacific writing in Earth Negotiations Bulletin

It’s another Climate Change meeting for Cherelle Jackson of Samoa.  Cherelle has covered a number of UN Climate Change meetings over the last few years including COP 15 in Copenhagen.  This year she has been asked to write for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) which is part of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.  The Bulletin has writers from all over the world and Cherelle says she is the first Pacific writer to write for ENB.

“I’m here to provide some background on the Pacific to them, while still reporting on international issues,” says Cherelle.  “They did not have anyone from the Pacific so the issues of SIDS and AOSIS were not being provided.”

“I’m finding the events this year - especially in regards from the NGOs and the private sector and IGOs - more on the long term perspectives whereas last year at COP 15 people were demanding immediate action.

“It was more aggressive in a sense last year – this year they are focusing more on remedial actions, long term mitigation and so forth.”

Cancun negotiations drifting apart says Nauru

Ambassador Marlene Moses, Nauru's Ambassador to the United Nations

By Stanley Simpson, Climate Pasifika Media Team

04 December Cancun Mexico - Negotiations for a new global climate change agreement is drifting apart in Cancun, says Nauru’s ambassador to the UN Marlene Moses, but Pacific nations are not going to give up the fight.

Ambassador Moses says the Pacific voice through AOSIS is being heard, but it is not being listened to.

“Being heard is one thing, being listened to is another. I don’t believe that we are being listened to here in Cancun. Even though we are active in raising our issues, I believe its just falling on deaf ears.”

“Our issues are drifting apart. “

Ambassador Moses says the last thing the Pacific wants is a collapse of the negotiations but she fears some past bad practices are going to occur again.

“What we don’t want to see is another non-inclusive, non-transparent and non-binding agreement.”

Like other island nations Nauru is earnestly seeking concrete decisions on climate change adaptation – particularly with regards to funding.

“Adaptation is critical for Pacific island countries, but if the provision for resources and finances are not there then it compounds the urgency of our situation,” she says.

“It is important that any text on adaptation feature the particularly vulnerable positions of small island developing states.”

“It must always be featured, it must always be addressed, and it must be prominent in any document.”

When asked what Nauru and other island nations should do if the Cancun negotiations fall apart – Ambassador Moses was emotional as she declared the need to fight on.

“We are fighting for our survival. This is an ongoing fight, and I believe that every Pacific nation that is represented here has to fight tooth and nail for the future of their country and their people.”

“So it does not stop when Cancun is over. That’s like saying that’s the end of the Pacific.  It’s not going to be Hasta La Vista baby for us.”

First consensus reached at the climate change talk in Cancun

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media in Cancun, Mexico

04 December 2010 Cancun --- The first draft conclusion to reach unanimous consensus at the Cancun climate change talks in Cancun was celebrated Saturday by Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

The two countries were able to convince the chair of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) to reach a conclusion on Article 6 of the UN climate change convention, which was supported by over150 countries who are parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Article 6 promotes education, training and public awareness as the main vehicle to foster action on climate change.

Many governments and intergovernmental organizations are already working in partnership with civil society to fulfil the commitments in Article 6.  However scale of challenges posed by climate change requires an engagement on outreach activities of a greater magnitude.

The draft decision, which will go before the Conference of the Parties (COP) recognises the participation of women, youth, indigenous peoples and civil society groups at all national, regional and international meetings that are sanctioned by the UNFCCC in relation to climate change.

It also supports formal and non formal education in schools and institutions on climate change and the development of educational and public awareness materials.

The draft decision also urged the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to increase access to funding for Article 6 related activities.

GEF is the financial mechanism of the UN climate change convention.

Youth have a voice at the climate change negotiations

Speaking at a media briefing to announce the first consensus SBI draft decision, a youth representative congratulated Guatemala and the Dominican Republic for showing leadership.

“Both countries need a golden star for their effort – for delivering a consensus decision in 90 minutes. We, the youth of the world hope to see the spirit of progress and compromise in other parts of the negotiations here in Cancun, said the youth representative.

Climate smart agriculture and Pacific views

Dr. Netatua Pelesikoti, Programme Manager, Pacific Futures, SPREP

"Needless to stress that we need further assistance and support to help address the many challenges of climate change and food security in a changing climate.  This is a key adaptation strategy not only at the national level but to the last man or woman at the community level struggling to put food on the table for his or her family." - Dr. Netatua Pelesikoti, Programme Manager, Pacific Futures, SPREP

Cancun, Mexico - Food security struggles of the Pacific islands caused by climate change, and how we are altering our way of life to meet them was showcased during the Cancun Climate Change Talks.

“Is climate-smart agriculture possible?” was the heading of the event organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Pacific examples of work were presented by Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Programme Manager for Pacific Futures of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). One of the main features of the popular event was the work done under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PACC) which focuses on three priority areas - food security, coastal processes and water.

"Although each participating Pacific island country focuses on activities in any one of the national priority areas, the three are inter-connected when it comes to food security in the context of climate change impacts. For example prolonged drought periods, changing rainfall periods or salt water intrusion require climate-smart methods of cultivation, water conservation and new crops that are more resistant to changing climate variables” said Dr Pelesikoti.

“Our Pacific countries have selected their priority areas and are now working on practical ‘on the ground’ projects to adapt”.

PACC is the first Pacific region project which has accessed the special climate change fund by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it is a pilot project that will end in 2012 and covers 13 Pacific island countries and implemented through SPREP.

Dr Pelesikoti acknowledges that while these are significantly important projects for the Pacific, long term continual of such programmes is very important to ensure that Pacific islands countries resilient are strengthened and lessons learned from these pilot projects are replicated in other sectors in the country.

“Projected ocean acidification and changing pattern of ocean circulation and warming will adversely affect marine food sources and livelihoods for all the people of the Pacific when inshore and offshore key subsistence and commercial species are impacted by climate change. Needless to stress that we need further assistance and support to help address the many challenges of climate change and food security in a changing climate.  This is a key adaptation strategy not only at the national level but to the last man or woman at the community level struggling to put food on the table for his or her family”

For more information on the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project please visit:

http://www.sprep.org/climate_change/PACC/country.htm

Tuvalu urges capacity building from Adaptation Fund Board

Deputy Prime Minister of Tuvalu (Right)

By Stanley Simpson Climate Pasifika Media Team

Cancun, Mexico - Tuvalu’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Enele Sopoaga has urged the climate change Adaptation Fund Board to provide greater capacity building for islands that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

“The issue of capacity is real and should be addressed seriously,” Sopoaga told Board chairman Farouk Khan.

“I urge the Board to conduct workshops training and awareness development at regional and national level to enable these countries to draft and come up with proposals that can be submitted for consideration. “

The Adaptation Fund Board approves funding to countries that meet the criteria for climate change adaptation projects.

However Sopoaga pointed out that Small Island States were struggling to fulfill the eligibility criteria to access funds.

“In order for entities to be accredited as National Implementing Agencies they have to prove capacity for sound financial management and sound reporting practices among others – many of our small island countries don’t have that capacity because of our limited human capacity, and also our limited infrastructure,” said Sopoaga.

He urged the board to bear in mind Article 12.8 of the Kyoto Protocol which calls for support for developing countries that are particularly vulnerable.

In response chairman Farouk Khan noted that has heard the issue for capacity building for some time now.

“We are very conscious of reducing the number of standards that are applicable in this case without undermining the integrity and fiduciary standards – but yes the capacity question is there,” Khan said.

“I have addressed that question to our bilateral donors and Multilateral Implementing Agencies encouraging them to help facilitate the developing countries – particularly the small island countries to help establish the National Implementing Entities.”

“The Board is conscious of the need for capacity. We are throwing our weight behind every other initiative that can boost that capacity in the developing countries.”

However he insisted the requirements they have listed are not as vigorous or not as extensive as those one would find in any other board.

“It is also important that countries work towards overcoming these barriers themselves. It is time for countries to take charge of that situation – ask your bilateral partners to help assist in implementing or promoting your National Implementing Agencies. “

Deputy PM Sopoaga says capacity building is needed not only drafting proposals but also for implementing them.

“When you are talking about international standards, fiduciary standards of the World Bank, these are terminology and standards that are quite foreign to countries like Tuvalu with small administrations. We really need assistance in understanding and satisfying these standards.”

“We also need capacity building in actually implementing the projects in accordance with the criteria of the Board.”

He says small island vulnerable states need access to funds for adaptation to build seawalls, water storage and similar projects but if these criteria stand in the way, they need to be addressed.

He further urged a wider scope in projects eligible for the Adaptation Fund.

“They need to also improve the capacity of the community to food security, even education to help our children cope with the impact of climate change – that needs to be part of the adaptation actions as well.”

“Adaptation is also about human development.”

Q and A with Ambassador Colin Beck, Solomon Islands

Ambassador Colin Beck, Solomon Islands Ambassador to the UN

3 December, Cancun, Mexico - After five days of negotiations, Solomon Islands Ambassador the United Nations in New York, Colin Beck shared with Climate Pasifika Media Journalist, Makereta Komai his thoughts on what has been achieved so far from the climate change negotiations currently underway in Cancun, Mexico.

Ambassador Beck: Things are moving but as you will appreciate, these are difficult issues and they have their own pace and time to deal with. These difficult issues have been there for the last three years and continue to hamper progress. But, there is progress. After all the talks this past few days, we are beginning to understand each other more, working on a common text. We should start delivering some decisions on Sunday. On Saturday (04 Dec) we will take a stock take so it will be an appropriate time to see things through.

Q: What are some of the issues that’s likely to be in these set of decisions that you hope will be ready Sunday?

Ambassador Beck: Most of the groups that have been broken up into smaller groups are basically working on these decisions. One of the important ones for the small island developing states is the legal form discussion which happened today (Friday). We keep talking about having a legally binding agreement but we need some sort of Work Programme to achieve that. This is being discussed in an informal manner in the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA). The AOSIS view was to have a decision on having a discussion leading to a legally binding agreement.

Q: So there is now a formal process to discuss legal form?

Ambassador Beck: From today’s consultations, the facilitator has heard AOSIS on this and will be taking the matter to the COP President to look into this and to try and include it as part of the outcomes from the Cancun negotiations. We hope that during the intercessional meetings leading to South Africa, we will have on-going discussions in a formalised way. At the moment, it’s being done in an informal manner in which a Mexican envoy is consulting with various negotiating groups. What we are saying is that we need to get everybody under one roof to start the process of looking at the form of a new legally binding agreement.

Q: What exactly is the legal form?

Ambassador Beck: We are talking about two things – one is the Convention, which we are proposing some legal form. It basically is to take stock of where things are, to have a vision, to effect technology transfer. It’s one thing to talk about finance and hear pledges and another thing to have a legal power to force donors to deliver. If a country has a commitment of $600 billion, they must be held accountable by a legally binding agreement that forces them to live up to their promise.

Q: Does that mean then, currently, whatever set of decisions that out of the LCA and KP negotiations will not be legally binding?

Ambassador Beck: What is happening now is all the different working groups are trying to have a set of decisions leading up to Durban in South Africa. There are a lot of unfinished business in terms of negotiations but we need a process to capture where we are and to have the process continue or otherwise we will be like Copenhagen. As soon as we finished, we have to start again and come up with new text and work their way back to the previous negotiations.

But under the Kyoto Protocol, there is a legal requirement that Parties need to go into a second commitment period. This is not voluntary but a legal requirement under the Protocol. Only the United States is not bound by the Protocol but other Parties will need to look at that second commitment period. For the Kyoto Protocol, it’s only going to be amendments where we basically put in new targets to achieve temperature that will ensure the health of the environment.

Q: In the AOSIS proposal, Ambassador Dessima Williams said this was not the first time that AOSIS has brought a proposal like this to COP – it also did for the Kyoto Protocol..

Ambassador Beck: Even if we look back in history, the Kyoto Protocol was a draft presented by AOSIS.SO it’s not something new to the AOSIS. But we have done in terms of the Protocol is put in some amendments to capture the current status of the negotiations and off course add in commitment numbers for industrialised countries to adhere to.

Q: Japan, Russia and China have now declared their interest not to enter into a second commitment period. What does this mean for the Pacific?

Ambassador Beck: What Japan and others are doing re just restating their positions. It is really unhelpful when we are all supposed to look for common grounds. If we restate positions it means we are not moving the process along. I think they are legally bounded by the Protocol to adopt a second commitment period. It’s not like a political declaration. We cannot treat this international treaty and use them at our convenience to serve our interest. They also need to observe their global commitment to reduce the global temperature as climate change will also affect Japan, Russia and Canada. They really have to be part of the solution rather than isolate themselves. This may be their negotiating strategy but it’s most unfortunate that it’s happening here in Cancun.

Q: The argument that Japan is advancing is that the Kyoto Protocol’s commitments are much less than what the Copenhagen Accord requires, thus the need not to continue with KP.

Ambassador Beck: Let us look at the second commitment period and make sure that the commitments are more than the Copenhagen Accord. Let me make it clear, the Copenhagen Accord is done voluntarily whereas the Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement. A recent report by UNEP revealed that even the Copenhagen Accord will not achieve the less than 2 degrees. It’s only a commitment, whether the countries will adhere to it is another thing. This is where for small island states we need the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol to give us certainty that we will survive. We don’t need to gamble our survival. What we are asking within the KP is to have ambitious targets. The first target was a first commitment and it has a period. And legally, that period will come to an end in 2012. So that is the reason why 2013 must be more higher than he Copenhagen Accord pledges. We should not try to look it by just comparing the two. Both of them are already dangerous. If we maintain business as usual, then certainly the impact for Pacific Island Countries would be worse. If we go along with what the pledges in the Copenhagen Accord, we will see temperatures rise by more than 3 degrees. So either way, it is still frightening. Therefore, we need a second commitment period with more ambitious targets than the first period.

Two more countries withdraw from extension to Kyoto Protocol

UN Climate Change Chief Christiana Figueres

“It is of deep concern that we can easily retract from this multilateral agreement. The question is how we deal with these countries who are trying to create an uncertain world" - Ambassador Colin Beck, Solomon Islands Ambassador to the UN

By Makereta Komai, Climate Pasifika Media in Cancun, Mexico

04 December 2010 Cancun --- Two more developed nations, Russia and Canada have declared their interest not to continue with the Kyoto Protocol, when it expires in 2012.

They follow Japan’s announcement not to renew another commitment period for the Protocol. Japan reiterated its decision this week during the global climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.

UN climate change chief, Christiana Figueres told a media briefing at the end of the weeklong negotiations, “these are decisions taken by sovereign Parties and nothing will change that.”

“Russia and Canada are known positions and there are few more developed countries with similar stated positions.

“The only way out is to find a common ground and compromised solution here at Cancun.

Figueres said there is no way Cancun will be able to deliver a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol.

“Parties need to find a compromise that will make everybody equally comfortable or equally uncomfortable with a view to addressing the issue at a later stage, possibly in South Africa in 2011, said Figueres.

On Japan, Figueres said it has been has been very clear about its position for a long time.

“This is no surprise. However Japan has stated that it will uphold its 25 percent proposal under the Kyoto Protocol, just as developed countries need to do so.

She clarified that Japan’s insistence of a new single legal framework was an attempt to rope in the United States to become part of an agreement that will mandate Parties to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently, the United States is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol.

But, under the Copenhagen Accord, the United States has committed a 30 percent reduction in 2025 and 42 percent reduction by 2030, in line with the goal to reduce emissions to 83 percent by 20150. This position was submitted to the UN climate change Secretariat in Bonn in January this year.

Given the divergent positions on the future of the Kyoto Protocol, Figueres said the challenge for Cancun is to find a way to formalise these positions within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

“We need to go beyond the stated positions, beyond national positions and look for areas of compromise so that they can meet each other on the other side.

“These are realities and these positions will not change dramatically here, said Figueres at the end of five days of negotiations.

On the question of avoiding a Kyoto Protocol gap after 2012, Figueres suggests that Parties come to a decision on the future of the Protocol first before the issue of the gap is resolved.

Solomon Islands lead negotiator, Ambassador Colin Beck in a brief response said the Pacific and small island nations are disappointed with the decision of Japan and other countries to withdraw from Kyoto’s second commitment period.

“It is of deep concern that we can easily retract from this multilateral agreement. The question is how we deal with these countries who are trying to create an uncertain world, said Ambassador Beck.

Executive Director of Ole Siosiomaga, an environmental NGO in Samoa, Fiu Elisara says Japan’s stance is unfortunate as many rich countries had not delivered on their commitments under Kyoto.

“It is a huge concern for us because that is the only internationally legally binding agreement that we can hold them to account in terms of commitments they made in Kyoto.

“To date, many of them have not delivered on those commitments and even the promises for a second commitment period are now, as we find in Cancun, very problematic", said Elisara.

At the end of first week of negotiations, a draft text approved in Tianjin in China is still being refined by negotiators, in addition to a Conference Room Paper (CRP) by a Zimbabwean government delegate, Margaret Mukahanana-Sagarwe, who was formerly chair of the Ad Hoc Working on Long Term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA).

“The CRP is a non paper and was prepared to gauge the status of the growing consensus and explore issues that negotiators will need to concentrate more time on, said Figueres.

Along with the LCA text, there is also an emerging text on Kyoto Protocol.

“There is no other secret text emerging from Mexico, as claimed by some. The only texts we have are the LCA, Kyoto Protocol and the non paper that will be tabled on Saturday.