At todays press briefing in Pozna? , Yvo de Boer gave an update on a number of areas under discussion, including Adaptation. An important issue was how to increase funding for Adaptation, particularly for Least Developed Countries, he said, adding that many countries had expressed their frustration over difficulties in accessing funding from the Least Developed Countries Fund.
During negotiations on mitigation potentials, Mr. de Boer said the need for developed countries to show leadership on reducing emissions was voiced strongly, amid criticism of the low level of ambition being shown by these countries.
With regard to a shared vision on long-term cooperation, he spoke of emerging convergence in a number of areas. There was agreement, for example, that it should be based on scientific findings; that it should involve specific targets for industrialized countries; and that the main building blocks should be mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology.
Delegates were also moving forward on the issue of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD); an important element of a strengthened climate change agreement.
At the press briefing on the first day of the second conference week, Yvo de Boer gave an update on a number of issues under discussion. He said that in general negotiations are going well and that countries are trying to identify new avenues instead of re-stating traditional positions.
On Adaptation countries have been sharing success stories in dealing with impacts of climate change but were also identifying barriers in this area. Mr. de Boer informed about a proposal on the table to establish a new expert group on adaptation to enhance action on the ground.
He also highlighted the importance of risk and disaster management and
insurance for the Copenhagen agreement. He said that this area is a
fundamental requirement to meet adaptation objectives and that AOSIS is
proposing an insurance mechanism to address loss and damage from climate change impacts.
The debates on REDD are focusing on conversation versus market incentives via credits to avoid deforestation. There was also discussion on how deforestation and degredation affect indigenous people. The suggestion has been raised to organize special consultations on this issue during next year.
Yvo de Boer remarked on the good work under the Kyoto Protocol. The so
called spillover effects are now more discussed as potential consequences of policies to address climate change.
Briefing the media on day five of the Conference, Yvo de Boer said that serious discussions were emerging to launch the intensified negotiations needed to reach the 2009 deadline in Copenhagen.
Many delegates were highlighting the need to move to a low-carbon society, citing the emission reduction range of -25 to -40 by 2020 over 1990 levels for industrialized countries, and asking these countries to show ambition and leadership with regard to these targets.
There was agreement that financial mechanisms, including insurance, can play an important role within a strengthened response to climate change, and that financial mechanisms for risk management in developing countries needed to be scaled up.
Parties were also considering how to increase funds for adaptation through the carbon market, with discussions focusing on extending the current 2% levy on mitigation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to the other Kyoto mechanisms, Joint Implementation and Emissions Trading, Mr. de Boer said. He added that the inclusion of a limited number of Carbon Capture and Storage pilot projects under the CDM was also under discussion.
The market-based mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol were highlighted by Yvo de Boer at todays press briefing; Parties in Pozna? are considering ways to enhance the existing mechanisms and looking at the role mechanisms will play in the future.
Discussions continued yesterday on a shared vision on long-term cooperative action. Mr. de Boer said that during the discussions, developing countries gave a strong call for industrialized countries to show leadership and ambition in emission reductions.
On the issue of technology, he pointed to the strategic programme of the Global Environment Facility to scale up technology transfer, with many countries calling for its quick implementation. Underling the importance of both financial and technical support for all developing countries, Mr. de Boer said delegates in Pozna? were also assessing how to scale up financing, including the role of both public and private financing.
The reporting of climate change actions by developing countries was also taken up at todays briefing. On this important issue, Mr. de Boer said that delegates were discussing ways to support the preparation of these reports.
POZNAN (Pologne) – La première semaine de négociations climat qui s’achève à Poznan (ouest) laisse un sentiment d’amertume aux pays en développement, qui attendaient des nations les plus riches qu’elles abattent leurs cartes et annoncent des engagements clairs contre le réchauffement.
Quelque 10.000 délégués de près de 190 Etats signataires de la Convention de l’ONU sur les changements climatiques (CNUCC) sont réunis à Poznan jusqu’au 12 décembre pour lancer la négociation du futur traité international contre le réchauffement et ses conséquences dévastatrices.
Ils doivent notamment s’accorder sur une “vision partagée” du combat à livrer au-delà de 2012 et des premiers engagements du Protocole de Kyoto. Mais le débat en reste pour l’heure à la guerre de tranchée.
“Les pays en développement expriment une sorte de frustration face aux ambitions des pays industrialisés qu’ils jugent encore très faibles. Ils auraient souhaité que les nations riches montrent la voie”, a reconnu le patron de la CNUCCC, Yvo de Boer, qui préfère d’ordinaire jouer l’optimisme.
Suivant les recommandations des scientifiques pour garder un climat gérable à la fin du siècle, les pays industrialisés doivent réduire leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre de 25 à 40% d’ici 2020.
“La Chine a réclamé jeudi, un peu brutalement, un engagement ferme ici même à Poznan sur cette fourchette. Avant même l’arrivée de l’équipe Obama”, qui prendra ses fonctions à partir du 20 janvier, rapporte un expert européen.
“Cette attitude agressive ne sera pas acceptable pour les Etats-unis qui ont toujours insisté pour que les engagements des industrialisés s’accompagnent d’efforts significatifs des pays en développement”, ajoute-t-il.
Dans l’accord de Bali adopté l’an passé, les nations du sud – dont les grandes économies émergentes devenues tout aussi polluantes – étaient invitées à réduire la croissance de leurs émissions de “façon significative”.
Soit, traduit par les scientifiques du Groupe international d’experts sur le changement climatique (GIEC), une réduction de -15 à -30% de la croissance des émissions d’ici 2020.
“Pour le moment, ce n’est pas une demande”, rappelait cette semaine un représentant de la Commission européenne, Artur Runge Metzger.
Mais l’Union européenne a fâché les grands pays du sud en conviant cette semaine le GIEC à exposer ses travaux sur le sujet. Même Brice Lalonde, ambassadeur français pour le Climat dont le pays préside l’UE, a admis qu’ils n’étaient “pas contents”.
L’UE pour sa part, engagée unilatéralement sur un objectif de -20% d’ici 2020, peine à faire adopter son plan climat qui lui permettrait d’y parvenir.
“Nous ne voyons pas renaître son leadership de l’année passée”, a regretté en conséquence vendredi Hans Verolme, consultant du Climate Action Network. “L’UE est tout simplement absente la plupart du temps…”.
Pour Pierre Radanne, expert français et pionnier des négociations climat depuis l’adoption de la Convention en 1992 à Rio, la colère des pays en développement est “assez légitime”.
“Après tout, ils n’ont pratiquement rien vu venir depuis le début: les pays industrialisés ont signé des engagements (à Kyoto) mais une bonne moitié ne les tiendra pas”, explique-t-il.
Il fait par ailleurs état d’une “crise de confiance” des plus démunis en raison de la crise financière: “C’est la conséquence principale, une perte de crédibilité des industrialisés qui disaient depuis des années qu’ils n’avaient pas d’argent et sortent subitement des milliards pour sauver leurs banques”…
At a press briefing on the second day of the Conference, Yvo de Boer expressed satisfaction with the results of the opening day, with all major groups having launched their work and the formation of contact groups now underway.
The group on long -term cooperative action got off to a positive start, he said, although there was a sense that Governments must speed up work, also on the issue of a shared vision for long-term cooperative action. He added that Governments were keen to move forward.
The working group under the Kyoto Protocol also got off to a good start. Many countries have emphasized that the focus of this groups work at Pozna? should be on the commitments of industrialized countries.
The large assembly document of proposals made by Parties was welcomed by many countries, Mr. de Boer said. Different chapters of this document will be discussed in various contact groups. He pointed out that during discussions on the first day, many Parties expressed the need to boost technology transfer and to focus on removing the obstacles to technology transfer.