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UNFCCC: COP 18 opened gateway to greater climate action, ambition

Michael Simire
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The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has said that, at its Eighteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) held recently in Doha, Qatar, governments took the next essential step in the global response to climate change.

Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary

According to the UN body, countries have successfully launched a new commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, agreed a firm timetable to adopt a universal climate agreement by 2015 and agreed a path to raise necessary ambition to respond to climate change. They also endorsed the completion of new institutions and agreed ways and means to deliver scaled-up climate finance and technology to developing countries, it added..

“Doha has opened up a new gateway to bigger ambition and to greater action – the Doha Climate Gateway.  Qatar is proud to have been able to bring governments here to achieve this historic task. I thank all governments and ministers for their work to achieve this success. Now governments must move quickly through the Doha Climate Gateway to push forward with the solutions to climate change,” said COP President Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, called on countries to swiftly implement what has been agreed in Doha so that the world can stay below the internationally agreed maximum two degrees Celsius temperature rise.

“I congratulate the Qatar Presidency for managing a complex and challenging conference. Now, there is much work to do. Doha is another step in the right direction, but we still have a long road ahead. The door to stay below two degrees remains barely open. The science shows it, the data proves it,” said Ms. Figueres.

“The UN Climate Change negotiations must now focus on the concrete ways and means to accelerate action and ambition. The world has the money and technology to stay below two degrees. After Doha, it is a matter of scale,
speed, determination and sticking to the timetable,” she said.

In Doha, governments also successfully concluded work under the Convention that began in Bali in 2007 and ensured that remaining elements of this work will be continued under the UN Climate Change process.

The next major UN Climate Change Conference – COP 19/ CMP 9 – will take place in Warsaw, Poland, at the end of 2013.

The results of COP18/CMP8 in more detail:

1)     Amendment of the Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol, as the only existing and binding agreement under which developed countries commit to cutting greenhouse gases, has been amended so that it will continue as of 1 January 2013.

A)    Governments have decided that the length of the second commitment period will be 8 years.

B)    The legal requirements that will allow a smooth continuation of the Protocol have been agreed.

C)    The valuable accounting rules of the protocol have been preserved

D)    Countries that are taking on further commitments under the Kyoto Protocol have agreed to review their emission reduction commitments at the latest by 2014, with a view to increasing their respective levels of ambition

E)    The Kyoto Protocol’s Market Mechanisms – the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Joint Implementation (JI) and International Emissions Trading (IET) – can continue as of 2013

F)     Access to the mechanisms will be uninterrupted for all developed countries that have accepted targets for the second commitment period

G)    JI will continue to operate, with the agreed technical rules allowing the issuance of credits, once a host country’s emissions target has been formally established

H)    As part of accounting rules, provisions relating to carry-over of assigned amount units from the first to the second commitment period were further developed, aiming to strengthen the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol regime. In addition, Australia, the EU, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland clarified, through declarations attached to the Doha decision on the second commitment period, that they will not purchase such surplus units from other Parties.

2) Time table for the 2015 global climate change agreement and increasing ambition before 2020

Governments have agreed to speedily work toward a universal climate change agreement covering all countries from 2020, to be adopted by 2015, and to find ways to scale up efforts before 2020 beyond the existing pledges to curb emissions so that the world can stay below the agreed maximum 2 degrees Celsius temperature rise.

A)    A significant number of meetings and workshops are to be held in 2013 to prepare the new agreement and to explore further ways to raise ambition.

B)    Governments have agreed to submit to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, by 1 March 2013, information, views and proposals on actions, initiatives and options to enhance ambition.

C)    Elements of a negotiating text are to be available no later than the end of 2014, so that a draft negotiating text is available before May 2015.

D)    In Doha, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced he would convene world leaders in 2014 to mobilize the political will to help ensure the 2015 deadline is met.

3) Completion of new infrastructure

In Doha, governments significantly advanced the completion of new infrastructure to channel technology and finance to developing nations and move toward the full implementation of this infrastructure and support.

Most importantly, they have:

A)    endorsed the selection of the Republic of Korea as the location of the Green Climate Fund and the work plan of the Standing Committee on Finance. The Green Climate Fund is expected to start its work in Sondgo in the second half of 2013, which means that it can launch activities in 2014.

B)    confirmed a UNEP-led consortium as host of the Climate Technology Center (CTC), for an initial term of five years. The CTC, along with its associated Network, is the implementing arm of the UNFCCCs Technology Mechanism. Governments have also agreed the constitution of the CTC advisory board.

4) Long-term climate finance

A) Developed countries have reiterated their commitment to deliver on promises to continue long-term climate finance support to developing nations, with a view to mobilizing 100 billion USD both for adaptation and mitigation by 2020.

B) The agreement also encourages developed countries to increase efforts to provide finance between 2013-15  at least to the average annual level with which they provided funds during the 2010-2012 fast-start finance period. This is to ensure there is no gap in continued finance support while efforts are otherwise scaled up.

C) Governments will continue a work programme on long-term finance during 2013 under two co-chairs to contribute to the on-going efforts to scale up mobilization of climate finance and report to the next COP on pathways to reach that target.

D) Germany, the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and the EU Commission announced concrete finance pledges in Doha for the period up to 2015, totalling approximately $6 billion.

Other key outcomes of COP18/CMP8 in Doha

Review

A)    Governments have launched a robust process to review the long-term temperature goal. This will start in 2013 and conclude by 2015, and is a reality check on the advance of the climate change threat and the possible need to mobilize further action.

Adaptation

A)    Governments have identified ways to further strengthen the adaptive capacities of the most vulnerable, also through better planning.

B)    A pathway has been established towards concrete institutional arrangements to provide the most vulnerable populations with better protection against loss and damage caused by slow onset events such as rising sea levels.

C)    Ways to implement National Adaptation Plans for least developed countries have been agreed, including linking funding and other support.

Support of developing country action

A)    Governments have completed a registry to record developing country mitigation actions that seek recognition or financial support. The registry will be a flexible, dynamic, web-based platform.

B)    A new work programme to build capacity through climate change education and training, create public awareness and enable the public to participate in climate change decision-making has been agreed in Doha. This is important to create a groundswell of support for embarking on a new climate change regime after 2020

New market mechanisms

A)    A work programme has been agreed to further elaborate the new market-based mechanism under the UNFCCC, and also sets out possible elements for its operation.

B)    A work programme to develop a framework for recognizing mechanisms established outside the UNFCCC, such as nationally-administered or bilateral offset programmes, and to consider their role in helping countries to meet their mitigation targets, has also been agreed.

Actions on forests

A)    In Doha, governments have further clarified ways to measure deforestation, and to ensure that efforts to fight deforestation are supported.

Carbon Capture and Storage

A)    Governments meeting in Doha have looked at ways to  ensure the effectiveness and environmental integrity of projects under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism that capture and store carbon emissions

Development and transfer of technology

A)    Countries have taken forward work on enabling the development and transfer of technologies that can help developing countries adapt and curb their emissions.

Avoiding negative consequences of climate action

A)    In some cases, the implementation of actions that reduce emissions could result in negative economic or social consequences for other countries. In Doha, governments discussed measures to address such consequences in a special forum.

With 195 Parties, the UNFCCC has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 193 of the UNFCCC Parties. Under the Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

‘Doha deal is as empty as a desert mirage’

Michael Simire
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The UN climate talks in Doha, Qatar, Saturday failed to deliver increased cuts to carbon pollution, nor did they provide any credible pathway to $100 billion per year in finance by 2020 to help the poorest countries deal with climate change, according to the 700 NGOs who are members of Climate Action Network-International (CAN-I).

Conference venue: The Qatar National Convention Centre

Two weeks ago, just prior to the start of these negotiations, numerous credible reports were published by an array of well respected scientists, economists and climate change experts, all with essentially the same conclusion – we are currently on an unsustainable path which virtually guarantees the world will be faced with catastrophic effects from climate change, according to Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo.

“Two weeks of negotiations have not altered that path and that politicians need to reflect the consensus around climate change through funds, targets and effective action.”

WWF head of delegation, Tasneem Essop, said Doha was supposed to be an important element in setting up for a fair, ambitious and binding deal in 2015 and therefore needed to rebuild trust and instill equity.

“These talks have failed the climate and they have failed developing nations,” Essop said. “The Doha decision has delivered no real cuts in emissions, it has delivered no concrete finance, and it has not delivered on equity.”

Governments have delivered a very vague outcome that might lead to increased ambition but only if the politics shift to working for the people, our future, and not the polluters.

In particular, countries including the US, who have continually blocked progress in the talks, need to fundamentally change their positions in line with their obligation to lead on the solution to this crisis that they created.

Tim Gore, International Climate Change Policy Advisor for Oxfam, said Doha had done nothing to guarantee that public climate finance would go up next year, not down.

“Developing countries have come here in good faith and have been forced to accept vague words and no numbers,” Gore said. “It’s a betrayal.”

Wael Hmaidan, director of CAN-I, said ministers needed to go back to their capitals and work hard to put concrete proposals on the table for the next talks so that progress could be made towards to secure a fair, ambitious, and binding deal in 2015.

“The path forward is actually quite clear: we have the technology and know-how to reduce dangerous carbon pollution, protect vulnerable communities, and grow sustainable, resilient, economies.”

“But we also need people in all regions of the world to demand leadership from their governments on climate change – just like the new youth movement in the Arab region has done.”

The Doha Decision:

  • An extraordinarily weak outcome on climate finance which fails to put any money on the table or to ensure a pathway to the $100 billion a year by 2020 target. The decision asks for submissions from governments on long term finance pathways, calls for public funds for adaptation but does not mention a figure, and encourages developed countries to maintain funding at existing levels dependent on their economies.
  • An eight-year second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with loopholes that allow carry over, use and trading of hot air
  • A call – though not an official ambition ratchet mechanism – for Kyoto Protocol countries to review their emissions reduction target inline with the 25-40% range by 2014 at the latest. While it could have been stronger, the decision reinforces clear moral obligation for countries to increase their emission reduction targets prior to 2020 and provides opportunities for them to do so
  • An agreed work program on loss and damage to help victims of climate change will start immediately and a decision “to establish institutional arrangement, such as an international mechanism, at COP19”
  • Developed countries failed to agree a way to account for their carbon in a comparable way

Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth International has strongly condemned the governments of industrialised countries for blocking action on the climate crisis at a failed UN climate summit in Qatar.

Asad Rehman, Friends of the Earth International spokesperson in Qatar said: “The Doha deal is as empty as a desert mirage. Despite the official spin, these talks delivered nothing: no real progress on cutting greenhouse gases and only an insulting gesture at climate finance.

“The blame lies squarely with the rich industrialised world, most notably the US. The Obama administration is succeeding in its efforts to dismantle the UN global climate regime and other wealthy nations have joined in, paralyzing the climate talks and forcing the world¹s poor to pay the price.”

“We demand justice for the people of developing nations who suffer the most from the crisis, a crisis caused mainly by the rich industrialised world.”

“Hope for a solution lies with the people. We must demand action from our governments and reject them if they fail to deliver.”

The 18th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change saw no substantial progress on the promises made by the industrialised world to address its historic role in causing the climate crisis.

Under the Convention, developed countries are committed to deliver strong and binding emissions cuts in line with climate science and equity, and adequate climate finance to compensate developing countries and support their sustainable development.

Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International energy coordinator said: “The fossil fuel lobby won the Qatar desert climate battle, where we witnessed dirty industry elites still holding the reins of our governments. Meanwhile the climate crisis worsens and the window for action shrinks day by day. Developed countries did not even try to solve the climate crisis at these talks. Instead, they continued to protect the interests of fossil fuelled corporations and helped financial elites grow their latest cash cow: the global carbon market scam.”

Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International climate justice coordinator said: “We need a strong and binding international agreement to curb the global climate crisis. But as the talks in Doha show, people around the world cannot wait for our governments to see sense and deliver the solutions. Working together in our communities, people are already resisting fossil fuels and dirty energy, building clean energy cooperatives, transforming our food systems, and protecting our forests, land and water from multinational corporations. Only people-and-planet-centred solutions will solve the climate crisis and create a better future for us all. We must make our governments listen and demand climate justice now.”

Threats to small-scale food production in Nigeria, by IIED, Oxfam

Michael Simire
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A new report released on Thursday has identified large-scale land acquisitions and other commercial investment in agriculture in Nigeria and three other countries as threats to small-scale food producers.
A smallholder farmer

Prepared by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Oxfam, the report is titled: “Tipping the Balance: Policies to shape agricultural investments and markets in favour of small-scale farmers.”

Apart from Nigeria, the study also surveyed Guatemala, Tanzania and The Philippines.
“Small-scale farming in Nigeria is characterised by unequal access to key resources and low levels of investment. The policies shaping investment include expansion of outputs through agricultural projects, subsidies on inputs, agricultural insurance, and policies on investment promotion, agricultural finance, land tenure, and tax, which are designed to shape investment in a positive direction.
“However, discrimination is widespread in three areas: land, finance, and input supply policies.”
The report stated that one important policy element that could help increase women farmers‘ access to extension services entailed a commitment to recruit more female agricultural extension staff.
 “In recognition of this, the Nigerian government‘s Women in Agriculture Programme is trying to ensure that the extension service in each of the country‘s states has female extension workers at every level of operation, from state headquarters down to the field level,” it added.
It identified the non-involvement of representatives of smallholders and women in agricultural policy decisions, such as the Association of Small-Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN) and the Nigerian Women Agro-Allied Farmers Association, especially considering their centrality to employment and income generation.
According to the report, ASSAPIN and the Voices for Food Security coalition in Nigeria have developed a framework for engaging in the design (review) and implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.
The report also stressed that a participatory framework for agricultural policy design and implementation should extend to small-scale traders and processors, such as the National Association of Nigerian Traders and women involved in marketing associations.
While highlighting the difficulties that small-scale farmers face in accessing finance, the report stated, “The Ogun State Government is to manage the sum of N1 billion ($6.3 million) for on-lending to small-scale farmers, but until now no money has been disbursed, and the state has been busy trying to identify genuine farmers.”
It disclosed that some commercial investments in agriculture are undesirable under any circumstances, for example if investments lead to large-scale clearances; or have no connection to or multipliers with the domestic economy; or privilege just a small group of the rural population; or make no contribution to domestic food security.
The report stated further, “But there is a strong economic rationale for a disaggregated approach to investment that caters for the three rural worlds, to bring better market opportunities, technology, and – of particular importance to the landless and women – jobs, as well as reforms that increase their access to and control of natural resources.
“The nature and relative importance of policy levers will vary in different contexts – such as the extent of landlessness. But if agriculture is to support investment in the smallholder sector, then policy will need to do more than attract corporate investment. It will need to recognise smallholders themselves as the main investors in agriculture. Policy biases and structural exclusion of smallholders and of women will have to be tackled with less tokenism and more vigour, going beyond policy formulation to implementation.
“As we head into an uncertain era of extremes in commodity prices, climate change, and generation change, with disillusionment with farming livelihoods deterring young people from going into farming, getting this policy environment right for investments and markets is more important than ever.”
By Akinpelu Dada

NEMA slams states, LGs’ attitude to disaster management

Michael Simire
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Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sani-Sidi, has said the inability of most states and local governments in Nigeria to establish emergency management agencies is hindering quick response to natural and man-made disasters in the country.
Sani-Sidi

Sani-Sidi said on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar, venue of the ongoing 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that the inability of the states and local governments to set up their respective emergency management agencies was frustrating responses to emergency situations and coordination of such efforts.

He said, “NEMA has received tremendous support from all stakeholders during the recent flooding in many parts of the country; this is the first time we would have good collaboration with stakeholders during emergency response period. However, the law establishing NEMA states that there shall be state and local government emergency management agencies; but unfortunately, not many states have functional and effective institutional framework to manage disasters. What are the state governments doing?
“We all know that disasters happen in certain communities and local governments; therefore, the first set of people to respond should be the local people themselves. Given the necessary training and equipment, they should be able to be the first to respond. But unfortunately, most of the states do not have functional emergency management agencies.”
Sani-Sidi said within the limits of its resources, the agency had responded well to the recent flood disaster, which affected about 25 percent of the country by mobilising its personnel to provide rescues and relief services to victims.
He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for releasing N17.6 billion to the affected states to provide relief to the victims of the floods, adding that the disaster had led to the death of many and the displacement of millions of people, while others lost their means of livelihood.
On what should be done to mitigate the impact of flooding in the country, Sani-Sidi said, “We must be environmentally conscious, where we need to build buffer dams, we must build; and people in flood plains should move to higher grounds.
“State governments must be serious about emergency management and local government authorities must also be serious; we need to create awareness and build capacity so that we can reduce our people’s vulnerability.”
On NEMA’s participation at COP 18, the director-general said that, as disaster managers, the agency finds the conference relevant, especially with the country’s recent experience of natural disasters attributed to climate change.
By Akinpelu Dada

Mailafia seeks global effort to tackle climate challenge

Michael Simire
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Minister of Environment and head of Nigeria’s delegation to the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) holding in Doha, Qatar, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia, on Wednesday called on the global community to tackle the challenge of climate change.

Mailafia

Specifically, she called on the developed nations to show more commitment and the necessary political will to reduce their carbon emissions, even as she alluded to the agreement on post-2012 commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.

Mailafia, who stated this in her address to the President of COP 18, stressed the need for concerted and collaborative efforts of all Parties to meet their respective commitments and obligations while operationalising the Copenhagen Accord, the Cancun Agreement and the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action.

According to her, climate change has become one of the greatest threats to the socio-economic wellbeing of Nigerians and indeed the survival of the country, noting that the country has consistently witnessed, across its length and breadth, the disastrous and harmful impact of extreme and weather-related events on human lives and livelihood.

She stated: “This convinces us the more that climate change is real, climate change is disruptive to lives and livelihoods and climate change needs to be urgently tackled by the global community. The massive and widespread floods we experienced in Nigeria this year were unprecedented, given the historical record of climate events in the country. Many of my fellow citizens were rendered homeless and the destruction of infrastructure and agricultural farmlands were attendant consequences of the flood which ravaged Nigeria between September and December of this year. It is sad to note, Mr. President, that several lives were lost and hundreds of thousands displaced.”

The minister disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria has put in place a strategy to tackle the challenges of climate change through a holistic and coordinated national approach.

“In this regard, a number of national initiatives and institutional reforms have been undertaken, including the approval of Nigeria’s National Policy on Climate Change and the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action (NASPA). Furthermore, we have completed the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel and we have commenced implementation of our REDD+ Programme. Both initiatives are aimed at addressing deforestation, retarding the southward advance of the Sahara and contributing to climate change mitigation.”

She said efforts to achieve substantial outcome at previous meetings, particularly in Copenhagen, Mexico, and Durban, have failed to yield the expected outcome. She, however, called on all Parties to commit themselves to transparency and openness in the process.

Mailafia added: “On our part, we are firmly committed to seeing that current areas of contentions with respect to the financial mechanism, adaptation framework, institutional arrangements, technology transfer and capacity building are resolved to the benefit of all Parties.

“The Nigerian delegation is convinced that we have the collective ability to ensure that the outcome of this Conference will be comprehensive, adequate and equal to the task of addressing the fundamental challenges of climate change. What is required is just the requisite political will to act accordingly by doing what is right for our planet. Our expectation is that an ambitious emissions target must be set and met by the developed country Parties. They should also support efforts by African developing countries to adapt to the negative impact of climate change.”

 

By Kayode Aboyeji

Nigeria, others to benefit from $6.4bn AfDB climate fund

Michael Simire
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Nigeria and several other Africa countries facing the climate change challenge will benefit from a $6.4 billion fund to tackle the global menace, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB), which is providing the financing.

Nyong

Anthony Nyong of the AfDB, who made the disclosure on Monday in Doha, Qatar, stated that the money would support low-carbon and climate-resilient development in the continent over a five-year period starting from 2012.

Nyong spoke at a forum on ‘’Financing climate change: Africa’s access to convention funds” at the ongoing 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) holding in the Qatari capital city.

Nyong said the dedicated fund would be used to address climate change challenge in the continent, build resilience and green economy for the countries because of their high vulnerability to the negative impact of the phenomenon.

This disclosure came as the bank launched a report titled: “Getting Africa ready for the Green Climate Fund (GCF)”. The GCF will enable African countries to access significant flows of climate finance from multilateral funds.

He said recent assessments show that Africa received only $132 million between 2004 and 2011 from dedicated climate financing instruments to support adaptation, noting that this amount is paltry when set against Africa’s needs of $40 billion per year until 2030 to tackle the challenge.

The new report however made a series of recommendations for the GCF board, African Nations and the AfDB aimed at increasing the likelihood that African nations would be able to directly access significant flows of climate finance from the GCF.

Huvisa

President, African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) and Minister of Environment of Tanzania, Mrs. Terezya Huvisa, stated at the event that financing climate change is the major challenge of Africa. She noted that continent, with her low emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), is facing the negative impact of climate change such as devastating floods, diseases and numerous other environmental challenges.

According to her, the numerous conditions attached to climate funds make them difficult to access, adding that while countries in the continent are crying foul for funding, the developed countries are claiming that they are supporting the continent financially to tackle the challenge.

“Something is wrong in between and we must find out,” she said, adding: “We need this environmental fund so much to meet the challenges of climate change.”

Ms Saliha Dobardzic of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) disclosed that significant investment of the organisation is in Africa, adding that $900 million has been spent on mitigation while about $350 has also been spent in terms of grants on adaptation.

The AfDB also presented a brochure that highlights the bank’s response to climate change in Africa. The document illustrates successful programmes and projects managed by the AfDB together with development partners in key economic sectors including energy, transport, water and sanitation, agriculture and health.

 

By Kayode Aboyeji

COP18: Carbon emission agreement still a long way ahead

Michael Simire
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As the Eighteen Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) enters its final week, the dissenting positions by the different countries and blocks are threatening a possible agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts.

Predictably, the ongoing climate talks, taking place in Doha, Qatar, has highlighted the gulf in thinking about the phenomenon and how to tackle its attendant effects between the rich industrialised nation, which incidentally are the greatest contributors to carbon emission, and the poor nations.

Many observers are not so optimistic of a favourable outcome, which will be pleasing and fair to all.

While the Least Developed Countries – most of sub-Saharan Africa – and the Association of Small Island States both want a five-ear extension to the Kyoto Protocol, most developed nations want an eight-year extension Commitment Period 2 (KP2) from 2013 to 2020 to drastically cut down on greenhouse gases.

The European Union, Norway, Switzerland and Australia have all announced that they will sign up, nothing has been agreed yet. Poland initially deviated from the EU position, before appearing to reverse itself.

However, New Zealand, Japan and Canada have said they will not sign up; Ukraine appears undecided yet, while Russia is playing hard to get.

Major carbon emitters like China, India and Brazil have all indicated that they will sign up to KP2, but because they are categorised as “developing countries,” they will have no binding emission commitments.

For the LDCs and AOSIS, eight years means lower emission pledges for a longer period with their proposal likely to ensure higher emission cuts, but the EU is sticking to its gun.

Half way through the first week of the major climate talks of the year, a number of worrying fault lines have emerged, which have the potential to derail the Doha negotiations if they are not resolved, NGO experts have warned.

The Polish government, which will host next year’s major climate talks, is playing a unique blocking role towards further climate action in Europe.

Other potential flash points have emerged around the successful closure of the LCA track and climate finance.

Anja Kollmuss, from Carbon Market Watch, said the Polish government was trying to win respect as a climate leader by hosting the COP19 next year, but the truth was it was single-handedly preventing the European Union from raising its emissions reduction target to 30 per cent and from finalising a long term strategy to deal with climate change.

“The president of the climate talks needs to be able negotiate deals between parties and seal deals, but the Polish government has shown it is not capable of this, as it has repeatedly been against the wishes of the other 26 EU member states,” she said.

But the Polish government is also blocking progress in the negotiations in Doha by refusing to agree to the tightening of the rules around pollution permits in the second commitment period of the only legally binding climate deal till date, the Kyoto Protocol.

The Polish government wants to use pollution permits it did not spend in the first commitment period of Kyoto because it chose a target that was already met several times over, but allowing this would make a joke of Warsaw’s commitment to the treaty.

Also under a cloud is the question of whether rich countries will scale up their funding of climate action to developing countries to reach the $100bn commitment by 2020 and to capitalise the now empty Green Climate Fund.

Oxfam International’s Tim Gore said despite economic problems facing many rich countries, there were many options still available to them to fund climate action, such as a Financial Transactions Tax (due to be implemented in 12 EU countries next year) or a fair carbon change on the emissions from international aviation and shipping.

Mohamed Adow, from Christian Aid, said at the early stage of the talks, countries were already adopting unhelpful negotiation tactics around the successful closure of the long-term cooperative action track which came out of Bali in 2007 where finance was a key issue.

Before the talks began, international experts in the Climate Action Network said the Doha negotiations presented a turning point for world with much that needed to be achieved for COP18 to be branded a success.

CAN specifically, called not only for developed countries to sign on to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, but for the nations involved to increase their emission reductions within the treaty and to close the loopholes that existed within it, which would let 30 billion tonnes of carbon escape into the atmosphere.

It said developed countries also needed to increase their emissions reductions commitments as current pledges were so far inadequate to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees as well as to lock in finance to support mitigation action by developing nations.

Tasneem Essop of the International Climate Policy Advocate for WWF said the inadequate performance by developed countries was eroding trust, which would have implications for the negotiations.

“While developing countries can take on more action, they can only do so if developed countries meet their commitments to provide finance,” she said.

Martin Kaiser, head of the Greenpeace delegation, said the way countries approached the Kyoto Protocol would set the tone for the talks.

He said, “EU leaders need to reject pressure from the coal and oil industry, and strengthen its legal limitation of atmospheric pollution without loopholes.

“This send out a challenge to US President Barack Obama and other world leaders to restart their international engagement in the interests of their citizens and millions people around the globe.”

The re-election of President Obama should allow more concrete action from the United States, according to Alden Meyer, Director of Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists.

He said, “We need the US to hit the reset button on their existing negotiating positions and to make a real commitment to keeping temperatures below 2 degrees.

“Specifically, the US negotiators should be more forthcoming in Doha on just how the US will meet its pledge to reduce its emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020, as well as how it will achieve the near-total decarbonisation of the US economy needed by mid-century to meet the 2 degree goal.”

A first of its kind event was also recorded at the negotiations on Saturday when thousands of activists from the Arab region and around the world staged a historic march in Doha calling for climate action.

The march is thought to be the first ever event of its kind in the history of modern-day Qatar.

Activists from more than 15 Arab countries such as Qatar, Mauritania, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain also called on their own leaders to pledge to reduce their emissions by 2020.

 

By Akinpelu Dada

Lagos WASH radio programme makes a debut

Michael Simire
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“Access to WASH,” a radio programme discussing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues in Lagos State, makes a debut on  Radio Nigeria 1 Lagos, 103.5 FM (formerly Choice FM)  on December 4, 2012; and every Tuesday afterwards.

Babalobi

The 30-minute programme which will run for six months, will discuss Policy, Institutional, Legal  and Regulatory challenges in the delivery of safe drinking water and sanitation services to residents of Lagos State, particularly the urban poor and marginalised groups, according to Babatope Babalobi, the WASH Media Network chairman.

According to him, the programme will also focus on how the civil society could engage with duty bearers/service providers to ensure more efficient service delivery. He listed the objectives of the programme to include: adequately strengthening urban water supply and sanitation sector institutions in the state to provide the enabling policy, legal, institutional, and  regulatory framework to ensure universal coverage of WASH services; ensuring urban WASH services are prioritised and provided adequate budgetary allocation and implementation plans; ensure civil society groups in Lagos State are able to engage in the reform of the urban water supply and sanitation sector, hold government accountable, and securing the rights of the urban poor to these essential services.

Issues to be discussed every Tuesday 4.30pm on Access to WASH include: the urban water sector reform process in Lagos state, such as policy, regulatory, institutional, and legal reform; activities of the Lagos State Water Corporation and opportunities for citizens engagement; challenges of accessing WASH services in urban slums; and prioritisation of urban WASH services delivery by tiers of government in the state.

Access to WASH, Babalobi noted,  is targeted at providers of WASH services, particularly government agencies; as well as consumers of water supply and sanitation services in Lagos State, especially the urban poor, vulnerable groups, women, children, and disabled groups.

It is produced by the Water and Sanitation Media Network, Lagos State Chapter, with the support of WaterAid through UKAID Governance and Transparency Fund programme.

To contribute or participate in the programme, contact: Water and Sanitation Media Network,

13/15 Ekoro road, Abule Egba, Lagos.

Follow on Twitter:  @WASH_nigeria

Vedvyas at COP 18: Young people vital in climate change decision-making

Michael Simire
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Simran Vedvyas, a youth ambassador with Eye on Earth, has said that young people are vital to decision-making on climate change.

Vedvyas

She spoke in Doha, Qatar, at the ongoing UN climate change talks.

Vedvyas stated that, as a 14-year-old, she cannot help but think about the future. She described young people as ‘tomorrow’s heroes’, arguing that they can and should raise their voices.

Vedvyas expressed regret that young people are only given one day in which to participate at the COP 18, but is clear in her affirmation of the strength of the youth voice.

She asserted that young people can and should strive to create the change they want to see in the world. She explained that, by creating a strong international network, young people have increased their power and enabled themselves to develop a better understanding of global issues.

A breakdown in COP 18 negotiations in Doha?

Michael Simire
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The ongoing UNFCCC COP 18 climate change negotiations in Doha, Qatar, broke down early Saturday (December 1, 2012) morning as Brazil reportedly blocked progress in last minute discussions to provide billions of dollars in finance to save rain forests  Observers believe that this failure in talks could potentially jeopardise the trajectory of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), an already wounded UN effort to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) in Doha, main venue of the COP 18

Brazil objected to the requests of many nations by refusing to allow verified emission reductions for reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD+). Earlier, other stubborn nations stalled talks for hours based on a different interpretation of the word “the”.

Culley Thomas of the Tropical Forest Group, a leading US research and conservation organisation, stated: “Donor nations sent the signal loud and clear that finance to save forests would require verification. Catastrophically for our planet, Brazil refused to listen.”

These led key environmental talks breakdown despite a promising agreement on Friday between major REDD+ donor countries: the UK, US, Germany, Norway and Australia, which have invested billions of dollars in efforts to save rainforests despite a global recession, key elections and record unemployment. In London on Friday during talks headed by HRH Prince Charles, these large donors privately resolved to maintain momentum for the UN efforts on REDD+. The donors made it clear that if rainforest countries want help, they will need to go through some form of international verification process.

Some parties suggested that Brazil’s abstinence during SBSTA resulted from its objections to REDD+ text in a separate track, the AWG-LCA (Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action). Since SBSTA closed on Saturday, negotiations on key provisions including monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) and reference levels will be punted to the intercessional SBSTA meeting in Bonn in midyear 2013.

Observers fear that the REDD financing could potentially collapse as nations lose faith in the UNFCCC’s ability to limit the increase in global temperature to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.

The Tropical Forest Group is a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation that catalyses policy, science and advocacy to conserve and restore the planet’s remaining tropical forests and is an accredited observer to the UNFCCC.

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