VIP Checklist
ECO
is delighted to hear that approximately 80 Heads-of-State and Ministers
made their way to Marrakech to show continued climate leadership in the
high-level segment
of the COP, the CMP and the CMA today.
Want
to know the level of leadership shown by your Heads-of-State and
Ministers? Keep track by completing this check list (tick all that
apply). Come on, you know
you want to…
Ministers Wanted
The Facilitative Dialogue on ambition and support will be held on
Wednesday at 10am. ECO knows this should be obvious to all, but we would
like to emphasise that the whole point of a high level “ministerial
deliberations” is the presence of Ministers.
This is particularly important when the topic is how to muster the
political will needed to significantly ramp up Parties’ ambition and
support!
ECO reminds Ministers that the planet is already suffering from a
climate-induced high fever. Unless Ministers are able to present a note
from their personal physicians justifying their absence, their countries
will stand an excellent chance
of receiving a Fossil of the Day.
Capacity Building Takes Off
ECO welcomes the capacity building decisions adopted yesterday.
Given
the increased expectations that have been placed on developing
countries by the Paris Agreement, capacity building—as well as other
means of implementation—will
be crucial to enable these Parties to successfully implement their
commitments. This is especially true for those Parties with the least
capacity, and for those most vulnerable to climate impacts.
Cooperation
on matters related to capacity building represents, perhaps, one of the
most promising avenues for accelerating implementation of the Paris
Agreement. Working
together can enable Parties to develop collective ambition, while
simultaneously providing important benefits for participating countries.
The adoption of the Paris Committee’s terms of reference will enable
the Committee to become operational as early as
next year, and to rapidly initiate its work.
The
decisions adopted yesterday also invite the Paris Committee to take
into consideration cross-cutting issues such as gender responsiveness,
human rights and indigenous
peoples’ knowledge. ECO welcomes this important mandate. It will enable
the Committee to support Parties as they implement climate actions in a
manner that is coherent with existing human rights obligations and
related international principles, such as the
Sustainable Development Goals.
ECO
hopes this commitment to consider cross-cutting principles in climate
action, as reiterated in Paris, will also be reflected in the
negotiations under the APA more
broadly. For instance, future Nationally Determined Contributions
should reflect this approach and highlight synergies with other related
international norms, such as human rights, the rights of indigenous
peoples, gender equality, just transition and food
security. Parties should not shy away from making the universal
attainment of human rights a reality through coherent implementation of
the Paris Agreement: we now know that the Paris Committee will be
supporting them along the way.
Be Trudeau To Your Word
The United States has dominated COP22 headlines with orange
becoming the new black. However, ECO noticed there is another corner of
North America that has a key role to play in negotiations. Yes, we are
looking at you, Canada. ECO waits with
bated breath to see how consistent Canada will be with their policy and
action.
It was thrilling to see Canada involved in hammering out the Paris
Agreement last year. Their efforts now mean that eyes are on them to
help ensure they get the details right at COP22, the time for
implementation. To date, the delegation has
been constructive in negotiations, aiming to get the necessary pieces
in place by 2018. Canada has also been heard on the boulevard of Bab
Ighli heralding a Pan-Canadian Climate Plan it is developing to meet its
2030 commitments.
While ECO is very pleased to see such progress, apparent
contradictions between Canada’s climate policy leadership and energy
infrastructure decisions dampen our joy quite a bit. Canada recently
approved a controversial liquefied natural gas
project, and rumour has it that other polluting projects are in the
pipeline.
No conference is complete without a heckler, and this one has been
no different: Earth Institute Director Jeffrey D. Sachs warned that it
is not acceptable for a country like Canada to dream of decarbonising
its own economy while making a living
from oil and gas exploitation. Although carbon sequestration is part of
the plan, it must be clear that offsetting and compensating will not do
the trick here. Canada must not behave like a “drug pusher of fossil
fuels to the rest of the world,” said Sachs.
ECO suggests it is time for Canada to do some soul searching.
Their leadership is needed now more than ever, and it can't be
destabilised by internal contradiction. Instead of merely offsetting
their emissions, ECO urges Canada to instead offset
the devolution proposed by their neighbouring North American country by
being consistent with their commitments. There’s no point in having a
cool and charming Prime Minister if you don’t deliver when it comes to
the real deal.
100% Renewable Energy for 1.5°C
When: November 15, 1830-2100
Where: Arctic Room, Area E
Hosted by the COP 22 Presidency, in partnership with the Climate
Vulnerable Forum, this exciting event brings together a diverse group of
leaders from civil society, governments, and businesses for an
unprecedented dialogue.
“100% Renewable Energy for 1.5°C” will make the case for a
transition to 100% renewable energy as the ethical, feasible,
financially sound, and logical approach to address climate change and
keep global warming below 1.5°C.
Full programme and speaker overview available at
www.climatenetwork.org
Access to the event is by RSVP only using this link:
http://bit.ly/2g8VaBM
Linh Do
Editor-in-Chief, The Verb
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