Negotiations Come to an End

A comprehensive summary of the outcomes in Doha now that everything has wrapped up can be found here.

Stuck in the Desert Sand

In Doha, I was closely following the negotiations related to technology transfers and development.  This topic area led me to one very enlightening negotiation session, or what is called a Contact Group, on technology during our second day at the conferences.  To give a bit of context: The body convening was discussing the technology agenda item under the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperation and action (AWG-LCA).  This working group, created in Bali in 2007, is tasked with negotiating a number of decisions to strengthen international action on climate change by all countries.  These decisions relate to mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, capacity building, and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).

The particular contact group I sat in on was dealing with technology matters under the LCA.  To give just a bit more background, these matters are concerned with the operationalization of the Technology Mechanism (TM).   This is the mechanism established to facilitate the transfer of key climate technologies to developing countries.  It is composed of two main bodies by which to do this: the Technology Executive Committee (TEC), charged with overseeing research, assessments, and making recommendations on policy needs and barriers to transfer, and the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN), a global network of nodes for implementation of technologies, or the "boots on the ground" of the TM.  

As the AWG-LCA is expected to wrap up in Doha, parties were negotiating the matter of what would happen to unresolved technology issues under the LCA.  Though it was not explicitly said in the conversation, these issues include International Property Rights (IPRs), additional functions of the TEC (to address IPRs) and CTCN (to be involved in capacity building and assessing new and emerging technologies), and the funding source for the TM.  

That is the overarching context.  But what unfolded in the room began with comments from the USA, Switzerland, EU, Japan and others over frustration about the process.  Parties were not clear on what type of meeting was taking place nor what the goals of the discussion were.  Many were also frustrated that the previous chair of the group had been removed from his role and replaced by the chair currently leading the discussion.  At one point, it was proposed that the previous chair had been removed because of racial biases.  The chair made clear that the removal was only due to scheduling conflicts and an attempt to distribute a manageable work load to group chairs.  That part of the negotiation proved to be quite tense and lively compared to others I had seen before it.

The conversation then moved into a question of what the group was attempting to get out of this discussion.  Essentially, why were they here?  While the chair was trying to lead the discussion directly into a conversation of those unresolved issues outlined above, there was push back from many parties (including the EU, US, Canada, Mexico, Norway) suggesting that those issues should no longer be discussed under the AWG-LCA but instead under the Durban Platform where they have new "homes".  An opposing group of parties consisting of Bangladesh, India, China, and Saudi Arabia pressed back, proposing to continue the discussions under the LCA of these unresolved issues and proceed as the chair had proposed.

The course of this discussion, from procedural confusion, to a call for transparency about the removal of the previous chair, to the debate over whether or not to actually hold the discussion in question, took over two hours.  Nothing was really discussed in the end.  

As an inexperienced viewer, this was one of the more interesting negotiations to attend.  Not only because the "heavy hitter" negotiators from many countries were in attendance (lead negotiators for the country party), but also because it was one of my first exposures to the realities of international negotiations.  This process is not fast.  It is in fact incredibly slow.  As I understand it, the same discussion (over whether or not to have the discussion) has been ongoing since a meeting in Bonn, Germany in May 2012 and continued in September in Bangkok, Thailand.  It did not lead me to believe that this process is useless, but gave me a better understanding of its challenges.

As the chair of the group, a native of Saudi Arabia, put it, sometimes in this part of the world vehicles get stuck in the sand.  Once unstuck, however, they move very very fast.  In closing the session (a session which really moved nowhere) he proposed this as a metaphor for the groups progress and trajectory over the upcoming days.  Perhaps they were stuck in the sand, but nevertheless the process is important, and the outcome of these seemingly inconsequent and time consuming negotiations are what add up to compose the results of this COP.  I can only hope that the group becomes "unstuck" and rapidly comes to agreement before the time allotted in Doha runs out.

On the Side

Each day, while negotiators deliberate and discuss in meetings, the COP offers side events on an array of topics related to climate change.  Some are officially hosted by the UNFCCC, but most are presentations and discussions with multiple panelists from observer organizations.  The panelists range from scientific researchers to NGO leaders to representatives of businesses and trade associations, each working to play their part in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Side events are well attended by both observers and members of the country parties.  They act as the forum for presentations by the executive committees working on specific topic areas being negotiated (e.g. the Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board, the Technology Executive Committee), thus directly informing the negotiations.

We were lucky to get the opportunity to attend many of these events in addition to sitting in on negotiations.  To give an example, the following is the list of titles of those events I attended in just four days at the conference:

• Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change 
• Host: Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN
• CCS Capacity Building and Global Status: Educational Opportunities and Lessons Learnt
• Hosts: University of Texas at Austin and Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA)
  
• China-Africa Partnership: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption through Bamboo Development
• Hosts: International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and China Green Carbon Foundation (CGCF)
  
• Climate Change and Education-Making the Future Work for You
• Host: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Enabling Environments for Catalysing Private Sector Finance
• Host: United Nations Development Programme
• Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
• Host: WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate CHange (IPCC)
• Technology Executive Committee: responding to developing countries’ needs for environmentally sound technologies
• Host: Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  
• Green Innovation: Examining Experiences in Low Carbon Technology Transfer & Green Patenting
• Hosts: Georgetown University (presentation by our Professor, Joanna Lewis) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)

As one can see from the above list, it is very easy to learn a whole lot at the COP about ongoing efforts  to both further understand the implications and to take action on climate change.

Stay tuned!

Negotiation tracking is in full swing, and there are certainly more posts to come!  In the mean time please excuse the lack of posts, we are a bit busy learning this new language.

Day 1- A (very) brief summary

The opening day of COP18/CMP8 in Doha showed signs of determination through the remarks of delegates. In the COP opening plenary, themes quickly emerged, perhaps providing a frame that will guide the efforts here. COP17/CMP7 President, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane, stressed the need for steps forward that would close the ambition gap and scale up financial support. The current COP18/CMP8 President, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, echoed these priorities, dedicating his role to “cooperation and communication” with the aim of achieving a second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres noted the unique aspects of this year’s conference, the first in the Gulf region. She acknowledged that Qatar faces threats to its water resources, while also having the opportunity to innovate a more sustainable future for energy growth. She encouraged progress on the Durban Platform “that both ensures equity and responds to the science.”

Overall, both delegates and chairs for the ad-hoc working groups signaled the need for greater ambition. The delegate from Nauru, speaking on behalf of AOSIS noted the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and expressed sympathy for the islands in the Caribbean, as well as for the U.S. She also encouraged the development of scaled-up financing. Other delegates focused on implementation of low-carbon technologies, a call that was echoed by Nicaragua’s urging for a regional center for technology transfer.

There seemed to be subtle acknowledgment that this year’s COP would be one of transition, rather than landmark agreements. However, many delegates and chairs stressed the need for cooperation and collaboration that would allow for the effective closeout of the LCA and the solidification of the path ahead.

Sea Level Rise

More climate news: three articles on sea level rise from the New York Times (24 Nov) including interactive graphics on what could disappear in the upcoming decades and centuries.

                                 Copeland et. al/New York Times

Infographic: The politics of climate change

Great infographic about the Kyoto protocol and how countries with the highest emissions are positioned going into Doha published November 18th by Al Jazeera News.

Here's a preview:

                                                    Ben Willers and Sophie Sportiche/Al Jazeera

To see the full graphic:
Infographic: The politics of climate change - Interactive - Al Jazeera English