How to answer questions at the high-level facilitative dialogue on enhancing ambition, a 101.
Where should Parties be with regards to mitigation ambition by 2020, and what should the factors for success be?
- All Parties—particularly developed countries—need to take more action by 2020, including providing more support to developing countries.
- Many Parties are on track to over-achieve their 2020 targets, which should be welcomed by the COP, but it should also be noted that over-achievement opens the door for more ambitious targets in the future.
- In addition to stronger near-term efforts and future targets, Parties should be participating in meaningful initiatives e.g. on renewable energy.
- Stronger political will and a spirit of cooperation are important factors for success. They have enabled the Paris Agreement’s early entry into force, and now need to be applied to enhance action pre-2020.
What immediate domestic steps should countries take to raise overall ambition, and how can these be facilitated?
- Announce at least one of these: fossil fuel subsidy reform, public funds divestment from fossil fuels, coal phase out, new fossil fuel infrastructure cancelling, efficiency standards increases, renewable energy support, affordable and attractive public transport, natural forest retainment and restoration, agricultural practice improvements, or reduction in wasteful consumption.
- Domestic action in developing countries can be facilitated by stronger support through the technology mechanism, the GCF and other sources of funding, as well as capacity building.
- A better understanding of the domestic actions that result from technology and economic developments, the successful achievement of myriad initiatives and the over-achievement of pledges would facilitate more ambition. Call for a report analysing these opportunities to be ready by 2018.
What cooperation mechanisms could be used to raise ambition, and what role should the Convention and its bodies have?
- Ratification of the Doha Amendments: 2020 commitments for a number of Parties are under the Kyoto Protocol, and it is about time the second commitment period becomes law.
- New partnerships between developed and developing countries on concrete actions, for example by providing support to the many NAMAs that remain un- or under-funded.
- The Framework for Global Climate Action proposed by the Champions could help raise ambition, particularly if there are good criteria to ensure that only truly ambitious and sustainable initiatives are included.
- The Champions should pay careful attention to opportunities that will unlock new climate finance, by matching good ideas with available funding.
- The technical examination process needs to be improved, with a stronger focus on enabling Parties to implement more ambitious action, such as by organising it as a continuous process that follows and tracks action initiatives over time.
Adaptation FUNd
ECO
is concerned about the survival of the Adaptation Fund. Created in the
old times of the Kyoto Protocol, it was given the chance for a new life
through the Paris Agreement. However, the way developed countries are
“revisiting” its existence has us really worried about all those issues
we thought we had clarified in Paris.
“We
fully support adaptation finance”, they say. “But we don’t see how the
Adaptation Fund itself is 'technically and legally' ready to serve the
Paris Agreement. The Fund was created to be supported by Clean
Development
Mechanism (CDM) revenues. Since that has failed, we will have to
rethink the Fund itself”.
Readers,
can ECO remind our dear negotiators to re-read some old decisions they
took right here in Marrakech back in 2001 when the Fund was established?
Let’s
remind each other that 15 years ago we decided to establish the
Adaptation Fund, period! We also agreed that the CDM would fund it,
along with other sources, including finance provided by Annex I Parties
(developed
nations).
We
truly hope that these rhetorical battles will end soon and Parties
acknowledge once and for all the importance of the Adaptation Fund
serving the Paris Agreement.
Financing Adaptation, the Struggle is Real!
On
Monday, while we were busy following the negotiations, the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced that preliminary data shows
that 2016’s global temperatures are approximately 1.2° Celsius above
pre-industrial
levels. They warned that 2016 will very likely be the hottest year on
record, with global temperatures even higher than the record-breaking
temperatures of 2015.
Many
parts of the world are becoming less habitable due to the effects of a
warming climate. As developing countries face the wrath of climate
change at their doors, the need for adaptation finance to help people
cope
with floods, droughts, sea level rise and other climate extremes is
urgent and growing. This year's El Niño has opened our eyes to the
kinds of impacts that extreme weather events can have on vulnerable
populations, leaving over 400 million people affected.
El Nino has led to record droughts in a year that has also seen record
levels of CO2 and the highest temperatures ever. In Africa alone, an
additional 40 million people face hunger because of climate change and
El Niño. The struggle to adapt is real, and financing
solutions to build resilience and adapt is fundamental and urgent - and
a lifeline for many of the world’s poorest countries and communities.
At
today’s Adaptation Finance Ministerial, ECO urges all developing
country Ministers to be strong, loud and clear in demanding an increase
in allocation of adaptation finance from developed countries.
The
recently published Finance Roadmap to $100 Billion, a proposal to
double adaptation finance from developed countries, is simply not
enough. If this proposal becomes a reality, adaptation finance will only
amount
to 20% of the $100 billion by 2020. This is a long way from the
objective of Article 9.4 of the Paris Agreement, namely that allocation
of adaptation and mitigation finance would be "balanced".
A
number of developed countries and institutions have yet to follow
through on their commitments to provide finance for adaptation–and in
actuality could go beyond their adaptation finance commitments. These
include
major donors such as Japan, the European Commission Institutions and
Norway, amongst others. ECO urges all developed countries to LISTEN to
the adaptation financing needs of developing countries and ACT.
Finally, Fossils!
Yesterday not just one, or two, but three Fossil of the Day awards!
The
first went to the European Commission for its mean-spirited “winter
package”. Leaked copies of proposed renewable energy legislation reveal a
real lack of ambition. The proposed target is to increase renewable
energy a mere 27% of total energy by 2030… only 7% more than its 20% by
2020 target. The Commission is failing to send the strong signal to
investors necessary to boost clean energy investment, in line with the
Paris Agreement. Moreover, if European Commission
President Juncker is serious about fulfilling his promise to make the
EU “number one in renewable energy" then the proposals in the package
need to be substantially improved before they are approved.
Indonesia
won second prize for making really, really bad plans to boost power
generation 35GW by 2019 (which is good), but 60% of this is to come from
coal (very, very bad!). Coming just days after new UNICEF research
showed that more than 300 million children worldwide, particularly in
South-East Asia, are exposed to air pollution with detrimental health
impacts. Indonesia included ‘clean coal’ in its NDC, but this is no
solution to premature deaths from choking smog or
global warming.
And
the third Fossil of the Day award went to New Zealand for talking big
on reducing fossil fuel subsidies at COP22, but failing to live up to
its own (good) advice at home. Yesterday, New Zealand's Climate Change
Ambassador, Mark Sinclair, stressed the need to cut fossil fuel
subsidies—hooray! However, back at home New Zealand isn’t walking the
walk. Instead, it supports the oil and gas industry through tax breaks
and funding scientific research for these industries—boo!
All of which amounted to NZ$46 million in 2012/2013. In fact, despite
the general understanding that 80% of fossil fuels need to remain
unburned if we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the New
Zealand government “aims to increase the value of
New Zealand petroleum exports ten-fold, from $3 billion to $30 billion a
year by 2025.” Oh dear. Well done New Zealand, a Fossil well earned.
Insurance – No Silver Bullet
Parties
will be leaving Marrakech with plenty of work ahead to enhance action
and support in order to address loss and damage. With key decisions now
reached, let's take a moment to look at the main
tool in the loss and damage toolbox: insurance.
The
ability to cope with loss and damage from climate change is going to
involve financial mechanisms, including insurance. ECO hopes and expects
that many more vulnerable communities will be supported in their
efforts
to cope with the losses and damages they are already facing. Such
support must be guided by pro-poor principles including accessibility,
participation of affected communities in designing the support, and the
integration of insurance within a comprehensive
risk management approach. Importantly, those who have contributed fewer
emissions to global carbon pollution cannot and should not be expected
to pay for protection against mounting climate risks. In other words, an
equitable and rights-based approach to insurance
must include financial support to make premiums affordable.
But let us get one thing straight: it’s not possible to insure ourselves out of the climate change problem!
So
whilst ECO strongly welcomes efforts to expand climate risk insurance,
we urge Parties to waste no time in developing a comprehensive approach
to loss and damage that includes raising finance, addressing slow-onset
events and non-economic losses, and a long-term, rights-based approach
to migration, mobility and displacement, in the context of climate
change.
The
framework for the WIM's five-year work plan shows us where we need to
start. ECO urges Parties to give the WIM the resources and support it
needs to expedite its work, and become an effective tool for addressing
loss and damage in all its dimensions. 2016 very sadly gave us many
examples of loss and damage, so it's now vital for the world to get
cracking!
Linh Do
Editor-in-Chief, The Verb
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