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 aspect notes, reveals various hyperlinks), use the print model:

On this web page:

Introduction
Assembly final result
In context: widespread 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, often known as the nineteenth Convention of the Events — or COP 19.

The aim of this convention was to create a loss and harm 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 high

Assembly final result

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

Predictably, the loss and harm side of local weather negotiations introduced out the worst in some nations. Some growing nations have been going to withstand the thought of financing adaptation to local weather change, whereas others appeared to hate the thought of local weather reparations for poor nations. Just a few years earlier, industrialized nations had made a authorized dedication to a worldwide 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 nations made a take care of growing nations, saying in impact: We’ll offer you 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 an alternative of constructing the large cuts that we must always do.

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

Nations like Germany, Switzerland and others in Europe solely managed to scrape collectively guarantees of 110 million {dollars} into the Inexperienced Local weather Fund. Growing nations wished 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 Injury, Inter Press Service, November 24, 2013

It bought to the purpose that tons of of representatives from varied NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms to protest towards developed nations’ reluctance to decide to a loss and harm mechanism. And this was a day after the G77+China group of 133 growing nations walked out of negotiations over the identical factor.

Trying via the briefing studies from the revered NGO, the Third World Community, Evidently on the floor, whereas an final result was finally thrashed out, there are various areas of weak spot of ample vagueness to fulfill everybody that contentious points which are seemingly resolved can nonetheless be challenged and altered sooner or later.

Again to high

In context: widespread however differentiated duties

A few years in the past all nations agreed that local weather change was largely the results of actions from at present’s industrialized nations, as carbon dioxide — the primary greenhouse gasoline — 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 widespread however differentiated duties precept.

It’s on this context that the dialogue for loss and harm has come about. And it’s one thing that wealthy nations are eager to eliminate .

The years of resistance on this situation (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 side, it then turns into simpler every time to see culprits as China and India given their monumental greenhouse emissions in recent times, in comparison with the far better quantity by the industrialized nations over the longer interval. See this website’s part on local weather justice for extra detailed background.

Again to high

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 1000’s within the Philippines and affected tens of millions 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 help and help was extremely welcome, that help 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, acquired a standing ovation for saying that he’ll go on a starvation strike till a significant final result is in sight.

Again to high

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 an excellent likelihood at staying beneath two levels C, industrialised nations must crash their CO2 emissions 10 p.c per yr beginning in 2014, stated Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Local weather Change Analysis on the College of Manchester.

We will nonetheless do two C however not the way in which we’re going, Anderson stated on the sidelines of COP 19 in Warsaw. He puzzled 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 informed IPS.

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

Again to high