COP19—Warsaw Local weather Convention — International Points

by Anup Shah
This web page Created Monday, December 02, 2013

This web page: https://www.globalissues.org/article/803/cop19-warsaw-climate-conference.
To print all info (e.g. expanded facet notes, reveals different hyperlinks), use the print model:

On this web page:

Introduction
Assembly final result
In context: frequent however differentiated duties
In context: Hurricane Haiyan
Lack of urgency
Extra info
Information tales from IPS

Introduction

November 11 – 23, 2013, Warsaw, Poland was the venue for the nineteenth annual United Nations Local weather Change Convention, also referred to as the nineteenth Convention of the Events — or COP 19.

The aim of this convention was to create a loss and injury pillar of a brand new local weather treaty to be finalized in 2015. The opposite two pillars mentioned in earlier conferences are mitigation (emission reductions) and adaptation pillars.

Again to prime

Assembly final result

The principle final result of the assembly was the institution of a world mechanism for a loss and injury related to local weather change impacts .

Predictably, the loss and injury facet of local weather negotiations introduced out the worst in some international locations. Some growing international locations have been going to withstand the concept of financing adaptation to local weather change, whereas others appeared to hate the concept of local weather reparations for poor international locations. A number of years earlier, industrialized nations had made a authorized dedication to a world local weather fund. Unsurprisingly, not a lot got here of it, as Inter Press Service summarized,

In 2009 on the semi-infamous Copenhagen talks, the wealthy international locations made a take care of growing international locations, saying in impact: We’ll provide you with billions of {dollars} for adaptation, ramping as much as 100 billion {dollars} a yr by 2020, in alternate for our mitigation amounting to small CO2 cuts as a substitute of constructing the large cuts that we should always do.

The cash to assist poor international locations adapt flowed for the primary three years however has largely dried up. Warsaw was alleged to be the Finance COP to convey the promised cash. That did not occur.

International locations like Germany, Switzerland and others in Europe solely managed to scrape collectively guarantees of 110 million {dollars} into the Inexperienced Local weather Fund. Growing international locations needed a assure of 70 billion a yr by 2016 however have been blocked by the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and others.

Stephen Lehey, South Scores Eleventh-Hour Win on Local weather Loss and Harm, Inter Press Service, November 24, 2013

It received to the purpose that tons of of representatives from numerous NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms to protest in opposition to developed international locations’ reluctance to decide to a loss and injury mechanism. And this was a day after the G77+China group of 133 growing international locations walked out of negotiations over the identical factor.

Trying by means of the briefing experiences from the revered NGO, the Third World Community, Evidently on the floor, whereas an final result was ultimately thrashed out, there are a lot of areas of weak spot of adequate vagueness to fulfill everybody that contentious points which are seemingly resolved can nonetheless be challenged and adjusted sooner or later.

Again to prime

In context: frequent however differentiated duties

A few years in the past all nations agreed that local weather change was largely the results of actions from right now’s industrialized nations, as carbon dioxide — the principle greenhouse fuel — stays within the environment for many years. But, the poorest would find yourself struggling probably the most for an issue they largely didn’t trigger. The approaches to mitigation (emissions discount) would due to this fact be totally different for these teams of nations — the frequent however differentiated duties precept.

It’s on this context that the dialogue for loss and injury has come about. And it’s one thing that wealthy international locations are eager to do away with .

The years of resistance on this difficulty (and plenty of others) means every time it’s mentioned once more the reactions appear to get much more hostile. Mixed with the shortage of detailed context within the mainstream media protection of this facet, it then turns into simpler every time to see culprits as China and India given their monumental greenhouse emissions lately, in comparison with the far larger quantity by the industrialized nations over the longer interval. See this website’s part on local weather justice for extra detailed background.

Again to prime

In context: Hurricane Haiyan

Hurricane Haiyan was the biggest cyclone on document to hit land

The assembly got here on the time when the devastating Hurricane Haiyan had simply killed hundreds within the Philippines and affected thousands and thousands extra. It was an ominous warning of what may very well be extra frequent as local weather change continues to take maintain.

It was additionally an instance of how poorer nations may very well be affected by an issue they’ve largely not been accountable for and that whereas all of the worldwide outpouring of assist and help was extremely welcome, that assist for stopping and adapting to such occasions is paramount and efforts are urgently wanted to curb emission will increase.

In an emotional speech the Philippines lead negotiator for the convention, Naderev Saño, obtained a standing ovation for asserting that he’ll go on a starvation strike till a significant final result is in sight.

Again to prime

Lack of urgency

Inter Press Service (IPS) famous the seeming lack of urgency given the years and years of delay and watering down of significant motion:

To have a great likelihood at staying below two levels C, industrialised international locations have to crash their CO2 emissions 10 % per yr beginning in 2014, stated Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Local weather Change Analysis on the College of Manchester.

We are able to nonetheless do two C however not the way in which we’re going, Anderson stated on the sidelines of COP 19 in Warsaw. He questioned why negotiators on the within are usually not reacting to the truth that it’s too late for incremental adjustments.

I’m actually surprised there is no such thing as a sense of urgency right here, he advised IPS.

Stephen Lehey, South Scores Eleventh-Hour Win on Local weather Loss and Harm, Inter Press Service, November 24, 2013

Again to prime