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Moving forward from Copenhagen: avenues for cooperation and action Yvo de Boer Executive Secretary UNFCCC. The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. While disappointing to many, the conference was important because:
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Moving forward from Copenhagen: avenues for cooperation and action Yvo de Boer Executive SecretaryUNFCCC
The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009 • While disappointing to many, the conference was important because: • It raised climate change policy to where it belongs: the highest political level; • It advanced critical technical issues in the Bali Road Map negotiations • It produced the Copenhagen Accord (not legally binding): • A letter of political intent; 109 countries have associated • 2°C • short-term and long-term finance • a review by 2015 • targets; actions
What is not in the Copenhagen Accord • US targets for 2030 and 2050 • EU objective to reduce emissions by 80 -95% by 2050 • Mexico’s intention to halve emissions by 2050 compared to 2002 • China’s desire to change the direction of growth • Seizing the opportunity in the energy sector – IEA: halving emissions possible by 2050, but requires energy revolution • Targets for 2020 are modest; fundamental change is needed to achieve 2050 targets • Investments to 2020 vs. investments to 2050
Copenhagen: unresolved issues • Issues which came close to being concluded in the AWG-LCA and AWG KP • Unresolved issues on which the Copenhagen Accord may provide points of convergence, e.g.: • How to translate the long-term goal of 2C into emissions reductions • MRV • Remaining issues on which little progress was made • First negotiating session: 9 – 11 April 2010
Priorities during 2010 • Rebuild confidence and trust • Progress is needed on finance: • the 30 billion USD for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries need to flow - EU • Clarity on what “legally binding” could entail • Procedure to use points of convergence in the Accord to conclude the Bali Road Map negotiations
Different interests and concerns in the negotiations • Developed countries: fear the price tag of action, loss of competitiveness and carbon leakage • Developing countries: fear targets imposed through the backdoor • Small Island developing countries: fear that too little ambition will lead to their demise • Oil producing countries: fear the adverse effects of response measures • m • ALBA countries: fear that a solution based on capitalist principles will not translate into a solution
The view of developing countries • Developing countries are hesitant to engage because: • Targets have not been met by industrialised countries – developing countries not ready to abandon the Kyoto Protocol • Finance has not been provided • They fear that climate change action will constrain their economic growth • There is a lingering suspicion towards the industrialised world • The benefits of engagement are not clearly perceived
The UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico 2010 • Objectives for Mexico should be realistic; the needs of developing countries need to be addressed • Fully operational architecture that makes it possible for developing countries to act on climate change • Adaptation, mitigation, REDD, technology, capacity-building • Clarity on how to generate, administer the 100 billion USD • Avenues for cooperation to make it work
The UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico 2010 • 2. Clear leadership by industrialised countries – rich countries have not managed to reduce emissions per capita, so should not expect developing countries to do so • 3. Clarity on the Kyoto Protocol - developing countries • Progress could lead to consensus to turn the outcome into a legal treaty in the future.
Climate Change policy in a broader context • An opportunity for advancing sustainable economic development objectives: • Convergence of climate change and energy security agendas • Economic costs of impacts • Green growth • Climate resilience
Avenues for cooperation through the climate change regime with adequate finance • Mitigation, e.g.: • NAMAs; • Technology mechanism to boost technology transfer; • Capacity-building; • REDD; • Adaptation, e.g.: • Adaptation framework to support work at regional and national levels; • Mechanisms to manage loss and damage, including insurance;
Avenues for cooperation: private sector involvement • The private sector will be key in implementation • Directly through the climate change regime: • Existing market mechanisms; new mechanisms • Possibility of generating new funding • Outside the regime, but with benefits for the climate: • Business increasingly driven by sustainability issues which: • are increasingly greening growth, e.g. energy efficiency standards • boost cooperation on green innovation
Avenues for cooperation: the development community #1 • The development community needs to assist developing countries, especially LDCs, African countries and Small Island Developing States: • assist to respond to the most pressing adaptation needs • identify critical technology gaps for adaptation • assist in implementing long-term adaptation in the context of overall development strategies
Avenues for cooperation: the development community #2 • Assist in mitigation planning: • identify options to leap-frog emissions-intensive growth • identify investment needs and technology gaps for mitigation • assist in implementing mitigation actions