Hello everyone,
The week began looking back at the impact of a scientific champion. Mario Molina, the scientist who discovered the dangers CFCs pose to the ozone layer, passed away last month. He was commemorated by parties and observers alike at the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol - a treaty that exists (and is one of the most effective) in large part due to his work.
People also looked ahead, with excitement, to the news that John Kerry will be the special climate envoy in the next US administration. We saw him in Paris, working to bridge disagreements and, in a dramatic last minute flourish, ensuring every word of the treaty would allow the US to join quickly. His appointment bodes well for the “America’s back” message. Hopefully he can find a way to make sure America stays.
Individuals clearly matter. In an online world, they are now boxes on a screen. This week, a few delegates did wonder at the changes online multilateralism has wrought. And how to collectively convene difficult discussions and negotiate key decisions when individuals are sometimes thousands of kilometers apart.
The Week that Was
Leaders were at the forefront of global governance at the G20 Leaders Summit this week. Focused squarely on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, the leaders’ announcement included a Debt Suspension Initiative, which will be a crucial lifeline to many developing countries.
Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol met this week with a range of issues on the agenda. They conducted contact groups dedicated to discussing discrete issues, such as the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, and they managed to reach some decisions, enough to keep work moving forward in the world’s most successful environmental regime.
Also this week, the Climate Dialogues started, showcasing young leaders. Many of the open events are mandated, but this doesn’t mean participants just go through the motions. At one, the winners of a youth contest for adaptation projects were announced. The online platform gave these deserving winners truly global recognition.
Meanwhile, parties huddled in the virtual corner, in “informal dialogues” to discuss a few key negotiation issues. A bit like in-person “informal informals,” these events are closed to observers. Notably, the session on transparency was closed to the public. We may have to wait until Glasgow next year to see if they advanced discussions far enough to allow for decisions on contentious issues including numerous transparency issues, the Article 6 market and non-market mechanisms, common time frames, and response measures. Some issues, like the budget and a heads-of-delegation level discussion on finance would always have been held behind closed doors. Ultimately, the difference in this virtual world may be that we know these discussions are happening, unlike “informal informals” that take place in an undisclosed room somewhere in a huge venue.
Countries wondered how these tracks would feed into the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, with few answers evident so far. There was some hope that even virtual talks could lay the groundwork for quicker decisions when possible. But it was noted that without an official meeting, there would be no guidance given to the Green Climate Fund or the Global Environment Facility, the two key funding mechanisms for climate action.
Meanwhile, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s extraordinary meeting continued. It was scheduled to conclude its adoption of the budget with a “silence procedure.” But the silence was broken, another revision issued, and everyone waits to see if this budget will be acceptable.
The Week Ahead
We will be tracking more Climate Dialogues next week, with a strong focus on science, including the role of oceans and land in climate ambition. A roundtable on pre-2020 implementation and ambition will be the first of the work programme agreed to at the Chile/Madrid meeting last year. Several of these issues were contentious, and cautiously agreed to after much wordsmithing. It will be interesting to see if views are tempered in front of a global online audience.
The Global Environment Facility will kick off the 59th meeting of the Council with a consultation with CSOs on December 4. It faces a full agenda this time, after testing the waters of virtual meetings in June. Given the crucial role of the GEF to funding projects in developing countries, the ambition is very likely welcomed by many.
On the Horizon
Five years ago, on December 12, the Paris Agreement was adopted. The UK Presidency and the UN Secretariat view the anniversary as a time to celebrate that achievement as well as to press countries to do more. Ideally “more” would mean enhanced pledges to the Paris Agreement. Whether the Climate Ambition Summit delivers, we’ll all be able to see online in a couple weeks.
This is the last issue of the ENB This Week newsletter to be distributed through our soon-to-be-retired list system. Sign up for one or more of our Google Groups by 1 December to continue receiving it.
Anything we should be paying attention to? Do you have the secret handshake that gets you into some private zoom negotiations? We’d love to hear your thoughts, email us at enb@iisd.org. Follow ENB on Facebook and Twitter. Jen and Lynn can be found on Twitter as well.
Lynn Wagner, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Tracking Progress Program
Interim Director, Earth Negotiations Bulletin
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
SDG Knowledge Hub: sdg.iisd.org
ENB: enb.iisd.org
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