Climate Change Exchange

Climate talks back on track but problems remain

Agreement has been reached at the climate change talks in Cancun. Countries have agreed to establish a Green Climate Fund for developing countries and thrown a lifeline for a more comprehensive deal to be reached next year in South Africa.

'Copenhagen derailed the world's effort to solve the climate crisis but here in Cancun, negotiators have just about heaved it back on track,' said Mohamed Adow, Senior Adviser on Global Advocacy at Christian Aid.

However, it leaves the future of the Kyoto protocol still hanging in the balance and countries need to go much further if the world´s poorest people are to be protected against climate change.

Kyoto is the only international treaty that exists to ensure rich countries – those most responsible for causing climate change - cut their carbon emissions in line with what the science demands.

 

Dispute between countries on the its future has been the abiding theme of the conference after Japan announced they would not be signing up to a second commitment period after 2012. This caused wide spread condemnation here in Mexico and across the world.

A compromise was finally reached to continue discussions but the future of the Kyoto protocol remains in jeopardy.

Although countries recognise that emission pledges are not sufficient, another concern is that the Cancun conclusion is silent on how far global emissions must be reduced to keep the temperature rise within safe levels.

Although there has been agreement to establish a Green Climate Fund for developing countries, there are no details on where this money will come from and there is also concern about the role the World Bank might play because of its poor record of protecting people and the environment.

 

This is not the fair, ambitious and binding deal the world needs but agreement here sends a strong signal that the world is ready to move forward and is a stepping stone to a deal. It is now left for leaders to find the political will to ensure significant progress is made in the coming year.

Can Japan save Kyoto?

It's the final day of the UN climate change conference in Cancun.  Negotiations have continued throughout the night and it is agreement over the future of the Kyoto protocol and the legal form of any agreement which is still delaying progress.

As campaigners in the UK took part in a stunt outside the Japanese embassy, here in Cancun an attempt to stage another stunt was blocked by the organisers.  It is a symptom of the reduced access civil society has had to the negotiations this year, which has just prompted a protest by the Climate Justice Now network.  Campaigners are standing near the main hall with UNFCCC tape over their mouths - their message being that the global South is being silenced.

And the only thing that binds rich countries to cutting their emissions - the Kyoto protocol - is sick.  Can Japan, Russia, and other countries save it, and the world's people from an uncertain future? We still have a few hours to find out...

Cristal Ball?

Mariana Paoli writes... 

I can’t believe that I’ve been here in Cancun for almost 2 weeks. The climate negotiations will finish tomorrow and no major outcome is expected. Lack of political will? Yes, but maybe this was something we expected. To be fair, I think  that South Africa realised that and they have chosen (I hope) the right slogan for the COP17 in Durban next year: It is possible!

So my wish list is the following:

1) I hope decision makers achieve meaningful progress towards an agreement that is fair and protects the interest of the world’s  poorest

2) I hope to work together with a strong  climate justice movement and that civil society is given more space to interact and be heard by world leaders

3) I hope we do not have to travel in a bus for 20 minutes between the 2 buildings where the negotiations are taking place.

4)I hope I don’t have to work  late nights at the lobby of a hotel full of crazy American tourists on holiday who drink beer in green plastic cups!

 

Energy, the World Bank and social protest

Sarah Whittington writes...

At a side event co-sponsored by Christian Aid last night, speakers discussed the role of the World Bank in climate finance and energy provision in developing countries.

With the World Bank pushing to govern a new fund set up by the UNFCCC, this event questioned how an institution with such a high level of fossil fuel investment could be trusted to manage climate change mitigation in developing countries.

In the last five years World Bank funding for fossil fuels has increased 40-fold in developing countries.  Siziwe Khanyile from groundWork, South Africa, spoke about the social protest in her country against the Medupi power plant -  funded by a World Bank loan in spring 2010. She made it clear that this investment will not alleviate poverty or increase access to electricity for poor communities.  Instead, it will supply electricity only to heavy industry, increase the cost of supply for the local population and contribute to a doubling of South Africa's power sector carbon emissions. She pointed out that Africa as a continent is on the frontline of climate change and that we need a global campaign to oppose any future projects which exacerbate the problem.

Christian Aid partner Srinivas Krishnaswamy from India then spoke powerfully about the need for the World Bank to redefine its role and move away from fossil fuel investment towards a focus on equitable energy access. With so many people in developing countries currently suffering from energy poverty, renewable de-centralised energy systems could help address poverty and climate change concerns. These could also be cheaper to deliver, especially in rural areas. He said that the World Bank could be very influential in the transition to a low carbon model:

"The role of the World Bank should lead the way in funding low carbon energy generation even if technologies are costlier than traditional options."

Finally we heard from Yoke Ling Chee from Third World Network , another Christian AId partner. She spoke about the role of the World Bank in delivering climate finance and the link to the negotiations here in Cancun. Many developing countries do not trust the World Bank to govern UN climate funds because of a lack of accountability.  Climate finance is crucial to securing an international agreement, and therefore she said that while we should continue to push for the World Bank to be more accountable, the focus should now be on building consensus for a new fund under the UNFCCC.

While the World Bank continues to invest so heavily in fossil fuels despite ever increasing consequences, it is difficult for anyone to trust it can deliver what poor countries really need in the face of climate change.

Campaigners at the march in Cancun city on Tueday 7 December

Campaigning on the World Bank

Click to Play

Siziwe Khanyile from groundWork, South Africa, on why it's important there is a global campaign against fossil fuel investment by the World Bank

Feeling the heat

Sol Oyuela writes...

The negotiations are now starting to feel the heat as Ministers from all over the world have arrived and are actively engaging in discussions, both in formal and informal settings. While the atmosphere in the negotiating room, corridors and coffee shops is good, we are still to see how this will translate into actual substantive progress. We have been pushing delegations from all over the world to prioritise the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, the creation of a climate fund under the UNFCCC and a good result on REDD + and adaptation.

Today the Mexican Presidency asked parties to start drafting concrete text (we think that based on the official negotiating text) that will form the basis of an agreement at the end of the week. They invited a few parties to take part of this process, and currently there are two big groups discussing and drafting decisions on mitigation and MRV on one hand and on finance, adaptation, REDD, etc on the other. Bolivia however didn’t find this an appropriate process, called for these discussions to happen in a formal setting, where all parties are present, and refused to join the talks. In the next few days it will be important to see how discussions develop and whether Bolivia is joined by others in such calls for a different process to reach an agreement.

The negotiations on the legal form of the agreement continue to be the most challenging and controversial. AOSIS (Alliance of small island states) tabled a proposal to make the LCA track legally binding; many developing countries raised concerns about this, especially as they see little progress on the KP side of things. We need to see unequivocal progress on the KP negotiations (with developed countries tabling proposals regarding its continuation) to ensure that the discussions on the legal form of the LCA outcome become constructive.

Finance discussions continue to be held hostage by the other big political issues, and there is a clear risk that if (and only if) there is a decision to create a Fund, the crucial  details (for example, who does the Fund respond to, and who decides on the allocation of finance) is left for next year. The urgency for scaling up the money needed and for this money to be channelled through the Fund is so big, that we cannot allow for these decisions to be further delayed. Cancun must deliver real results for poor people and the creation of an ambitious fund is fundamental.

With only two days left of negotiations, we are expecting to see some progress on key issues. We are pushing negotiators and ministers not to allow all the big decisions to be left till the last minute. It is important that there is enough time left for working out some of the crucial details as well, so that Cancun delivers an outcome with enough substance to build trust between rich and poor countries so that negotiations into South Africa are constructive.   

Christian Aid partners in Cancun

Interview with Jose Emeterio Urbina Castillo, from Coletivo Poder y Desarolo Local – CPDL in Guatemala.

What does CPDL do?
CPDL stands for “collective power and local development”. We have been working in Guatemala since 2004. Our goals are to engage local people in advocacy dealing with issues related to participatory citizenship. We started by discussing with them the existing laws and the means to engage with the government.  Together with the community groups we identified opportunities for them to engage at the local level. Many municipalities started to listen and open up space for engagement.
 
Our organisation focuses on disaster risk reduction. In each municipality the problem and the possible solutions are analysed and as a result the development agenda of the municipality is prepared. We also have been doing a lot capacity building.

At the national level we are engaged at the MESA Nacional, a network of civil society organisations working in Disaster Risk Reduction, which helps our analysis.

What are some of the issues you are facing in your country?
Some of the key problems raised are related to droughts and floods. For example, there is a dry patch of land in the country where mineral extraction, dams and savannas have left communities without water. The expansion of sugar cane and palm oil monoculture also reduces land available to grow food and food insecurity has increased.
 
Multinational companies also want to explore mining on the south coast. Many people depend on the mangroves and fishing for their living. We are mobilising people to stop it and we did a march four days before I came here.
 
At the regional level we have been working in the Meso American Campaign for climate justice. CSOs from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala are working together. We have been trying to place Central American in the heart of the climate change discussions. The impacts in our region are severe and yet very few of our issues and concerns are raised at international forums. Other countries in the region tend to act individually or with other groups: Belize follows the UK, Costa Rica is usually more in line with developed countries, and Nicaragua is part of the ALBA countries.  We want to strengthen our countries and other CSOs and we have a joint regional capacity building programme. The group started working in 2008 but its campaign started only six months ago.  CPDL represents Guatemala in the campaign.
 
What are your expectations for the COP16?
I was not expecting any great outcome for the COP, given the current political situation. But events like the demonstration on Tuesday are very positive. They show that civil society is making an effort to mobilise and to be heard. This my first COP and it has been great to learn about the issues. This opportunity is like an open book enabling me to get more knowledge and to learn from experiences and actions in other parts of the world. 

Developed countries have to open their eyes to what is happening in poor countries. We do not have a planet B. People must change their lifestyle, that’s what has generated the climate chaos that we are heading towards. 

Climate Talks - Progress or a Hamster Wheel?

The pace is accelerating here in Cancun, although I find it hard to know whether the talks are moving forward or merely on some frantic hamster-wheel going nowhere.
 
The Moon Palace hotel complex where the talks are happening is ever more congested, with thousands of people all trying to get somewhere very fast - or being forced to stand still so that a President can pass. The countless TV cameramen actually run, if there's a famous negotiator or colourful stunt to film.
Things are also happening quickly on the negotiations front. Yesterday morning we feared the UK would recall climate minister Chris Huhne, whose presence here we think could be critical in the hoped-for rescue of the Kyoto Protocol. By early in the afternoon, we were delighted to hear is staying.

Two major new negotiating texts appeared yesterday - but they still contain many square brackets, which means that plenty of disgareements between countries remain. I'm waiting for my policy colleagues Mohamed Adow and Sol Oyuela to give me their expert verdicts.

The very latest development is that the Bolivians have - very politely - dennounced the way that a major part of the negotiations are being handled. They are so unhappy with the fact that a group of some 40 to 50 countries has been asked to draft one of the final agreements which may emerge from Cancun that they have refused to be part of the group.

Their argument is that all the countries represented here - almost 200 - must be involved in drafting this significant part of the final outcome of the talks. What happens now is wide open - other countries may join in agreement with Bolivia or they may persuade the Bolivians to keep quiet about their reservations. Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but the situation reminds me of the final night in Copenhagen, when a relatively small group of countries came up with the controversial, weak Copenhagen Accord.

In theory, there are just over two full days of negotiations left before everyone goes home, with or without a deal to tackle dangerous climate change. In practice, I'm expecting the talks will continue through Friday night and into Saturday. Will it be worth staying up? I am still hoping so.

 

Working in Cancun

We spotted this delegate taking a short break from the tough negotiations currently taking place inside the UNFCCC conference halls. It's very strange to see a five star holiday resort filled entirely with people in suits working frantically on laptops.

 

Deliver climate finance

We woke this morning to the news that Chris Huhne may very well be returning to London because of a crucial vote in the House of Commons. I'm not sure many of our partners from developing countries would understand why, when people are suffering in their countries because of climate change, the Minister tasked with guiding international discussions on the future of the Kyoto protocol is leaving Cancun.

It certainly doesn't do much to convince people that the "greenest government ever" has a clear sense of priorities.

And talking of priorities, it appears climate finance isn't very high on that list either.

Despite initial expectations that the one clear thing the UNFCCC could deliver this year would be agreement on climate finance, political progress has been slow here in Cancun. Instead discussions have concentrated on the broader issues of legal form and especially the future of the Kyoto protocol. In some cases the provision of climate finance is being used as a bargaining chip to secure other commitments.

However, agreement on climate finance is integral to building trust with developing countries.  It is the one thing that could really make a difference to poor people's lives on the ground and would demonstrate that rich countries were serious about helping the transition to a low carbon economy.

We want politicians to agree on establishing a climate finance fund within the UN which gives equitable representation to all parties. It is crucial that poor countries themselves are involved in decisions relating to how this money is spent.

This morning campaigners from across the globe gathered to hand out chocolate coins to delegates. Our message:  Deliver climate finance within the UN.