Sunday, October 6, 2024

COP19—Warsaw Local weather Convention — International Points

Creator and Web page info

  • by Anup Shah
  • This web page Created

On this web page:

  1. Introduction
  2. Assembly final result
  3. In context: frequent however differentiated obligations
  4. In context: Storm Haiyan
  5. Lack of urgency
  6. Extra info
  7. 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.

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Assembly final result

The primary final result of the assembly was the institution of a global 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 international locations. Some growing international locations had 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 12 months by 2020, in change for our mitigation amounting to small CO2 cuts as a substitute of constructing the large cuts that we must always do.

The cash to assist poor international locations adapt flowed for the primary three years however has largely dried up. Warsaw was purported 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. Creating international locations wished a assure of 70 billion a 12 months by 2016 however had 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 acquired to the purpose that lots of of representatives from varied NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms to protest towards developed international locations’ reluctance to decide to a loss and harm 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 the briefing reviews from the revered NGO, the Third World Community, Evidently on the floor, whereas an final result was finally thrashed out, there are numerous areas of weak point of adequate vagueness to fulfill everybody that contentious points which might be seemingly resolved can nonetheless be challenged and adjusted sooner or later.

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In context: frequent however differentiated obligations

A few years in the past all nations agreed that local weather change was largely the results of actions from at this time’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 subsequently be completely different for these teams of nations — the frequent however differentiated obligations precept.

It’s on this context that the dialogue for loss and harm 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 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 web site’s part on local weather justice for extra detailed background.

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In context: Storm Haiyan

Storm Haiyan was the most important cyclone on file to hit land

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

It was additionally an instance of how poorer nations could possibly be affected by an issue they’ve largely not been chargeable for and that whereas all of the worldwide outpouring of help 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, acquired a standing ovation for asserting that he’ll go on a starvation strike till a significant final result is in sight.

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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 superb likelihood at staying beneath two levels C, industrialised international locations must crash their CO2 emissions 10 p.c per 12 months 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 best way we’re going, Anderson stated on the sidelines of COP 19 in Warsaw. He puzzled why negotiators on the within aren’t reacting to the truth that it’s too late for incremental modifications.

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

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

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Extra info

Because the convention continues to be underway as this web page is written, extra info might be added right here after the occasion is over.

For extra in regards to the points from different organizations, listed here are some beginning factors:

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Information tales from IPS

Beneath is a listing of tales from Inter Press Service associated to the Warsaw local weather convention and its aftermath.

  1. Forests face growing danger of wildfires and pests as a consequence of local weather change