17 Dec 2009

COP 15 Daily Summary

As the heads of state continued with speeches in the main plenary throughout the day - some inspiring, some disappointing and some a little strange - negotiations continued in smaller working groups and progress was made on several fronts.

ADAPTATION

After another day of negotiations in contact groups, the adaptation contact group under the COP reached a partial success. While the group reached a close agreement of the Copenhagen Adaptation Framework/Program, its objectives, principles, and actions, it failed to agree on response measures, polluter pays principle, and the concept of historical responsibility. These issues were left to be addressed at the ministerial level.

Hillary Clinton took much of the attention on the 11th day of the COP15 announcing that the US will work with other developed countries to mobilize USD100 billion a year by 2020 for adaptation and mitigation actions of the developing countries. However, four core elements must be fulfilled: national actions, an operational agreement that internationalizes those actions, assistance for the most vulnerable countries and those that are the least prepared to meet the effects of climate change, and transparency that provides credibility to the process.

REDD+

Six developed countries have committed $3.5 billion USD (EUR2.4bn) in early funding for the REDD+ mechanism; this marks the first concrete financial commitment at the Copenhagen climate talks. The USA, UK, France, Japan, Australia and Norway have pledged the money over the next three years to REDD+. This funding, though a major step forward is about three levels of magnitude lower than that sought be developing nations overall.

The six-nation REDD+ funding pledge seems to be made in an attempt to inject some momentum into the stalled talks on overall funding from developed nations to developing nations. The USA has continued to stress that the funds are contingent on a full, comprehensive climate agreement.

Also at the core of the stand-off on agreement has been focused around ‘long-term cooperative action’ (LCA) between nations and, specifically, committing the US and China to action. The early funding for REDD attends to one small part of an overall LCA agreement.

A REDD scheme would begin in earnest in 2013, with early funding through 2012. Moves toward establishing the full-fledged system is covered in a draft sub-agreement on REDD within the overall the LCA agreement. In its current form, it requires longer term funding for REDD up to 2020, one of many areas yet to be agreed.

The REDD agreement text, however, appears to be one of the areas of talks where most progress has been made. But, to the frustration of many developing nations, a proposed global target to cut deforestation by 50 per cent by 2020 has been removed from the text.

With one more official day of negotiations and the expected arrival of USA President Barack Obama, there seems to be some hope of a REDD+ agreement framework.

FINANCE

With the start of the Joint High level segment, the technical working group’s work have been suspended. Ministers and Heads of States who have addressed the Plenary since Wednesday have strongly stated their positions on finance. In particular, African leaders, such as the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, have underlined their mistrust in existing financial channels and in developed countries’ will to pledge new money. Remarkably, Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia speaking on behalf of the African Group moved away from the traditional African position, which was to demand full compensation for damage caused by climate change. PM Meles would accept a start-up fund of $10bn a year for the period 2010-2012 to address urgent adaption and mitigation, of which 40% was to be earmarked for Africa. This fund should be increased to $50bn a year by 2015 and $100bn a year by 2020. This position was strongly opposed by other African leaders who stated that Meles was not speaking for them all.

JI/CDM

During day 11 of the talks, q contact group on issues relating to joint implementation was held.

As part of the Marrakesh Accord, afforestation and reforestation mechanisms were adopted under the CDM. However, environmentalists argue that this aspect of the CDM would only eliminate 0.03 per cent of global emissions. They argue that protection of tropical and sub-tropical forests is essential for a global climate change regime, and must therefore be better integrated in the mechanism. Brazil, is especially concerned that including carbon capture and storage in the CDM would undermine funding and efforts for forest protection.

Further debate about the inclusion of carbon capture and storage continued, with countries such as the UK, US, and Australia, who are large coal users and producers, stressing that carbon capture and storage is the only means by which coal can be rendered ‘clean’. However, the UN and its bodies, as well as other delegates, have been reluctant to consider the inclusion of carbon capture and storage into CDM projects.

To date, there is no agreement as to how carbon finance under the existing USD 6.5 billion CDM ought to be increased. Further, states have not yet agreed to include forest preservation in the CDM. Talks do however, indicate that a measure allowing developers to appeal CDM project rejections will be agreed upon in Copenhagen.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

The issue of technology transfer received relatively little attention during day 11, as discussions were focused on the more controversial aspects of the new deal.

Coincidentally, the EU’s European Institute of Innovation and Technology launched three innovation clusters on Thursday as part of its own technology strategy: these kinds of networks might be a model for innovation networks under the technology transfer provisions of the post-2012 arrangements.

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Slideshow

Video Highlights

Yvo de Boer briefs the media on the second to last day of the conference.

Highlights of Day 11: 17 Dec 2009