FOSSIL FUELS IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD: A CASE OF FRACKING IN THE UK.

By: Jamie Peters

Fracking, the “new blue eyed boy”

In the UK there has been a climate change related story that has dominated headlines this month. The controversial method of obtaining gas from rocks has brought heartache to communities around the world and is now the pet project of the UK Government who have proudly announced that they will give fracking companies the ‘most generous tax breaks in world‘.

THE QUESTION OF LAND TENURE: A “REDD” AREA

By: Reuben Makomere

Setting out Links…..!!

Even as the focus on REDD+ and Forest Carbon mechanisms continues and the issue of enhancing and strengthening the safeguards for the mechanisms continues, Land Tenure and forest property rights continues to be extremely important. Since the issue of rights to land is directly linked to the mechanisms, a clear and safeguarded tenure system is key in looking into the implementation of REDD+ and forest carbon mechanisms particularly with regard to equitable distribution of rights and benefits.

LOST AND DAMAGED IN THE UNFCCC

 

 

 

 

 

By: Luke Kemp

Deadlines

The 2015 deadline for the next climate agreement is providing the opportunity for the emergence of controversial political time bombs.   One of these potentially destructive issues is that of financially addressing loss and damages attributed to climate change.

The Three siblings

The idea is that countries suffering from the impacts ofclimate change can be aided through one of three interconnected mechanisms: international insurance; compensation and reparations; and risk management.   International insurance would cover impacts such as extreme weather events while compensation would be for slow-onset and progressive damages such as sea-level rise.  The idea is dear to both the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), but it has not been easily discussed in the UNFCCC.

TOWARDS A 2015 AGREEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Amanda Asiago

Opportunity for the ADP??

It is often said that life gives all of us an opportunity to improve ourselves, make ourselves better than we were. As the curtains on the 2011 UNFCCC Conference of Parties came down, one of the key outcomes was the launch of the Ad-Hoc working group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, or simply (ADP). The time frame for the same was expressly set out….no later than 2015. Indeed the limb of negotiation has two key objectives in mind which are:

PARTICIPATION IN REDD: A KEY INGREDIENT TO SAFEGUARDING REDD….

By: Amanda Asiago

Inclusion and involvement

Participation from all stakeholders in implementing REDD and forest carbon projects is a vital component to safeguarding the integrity of the whole mechanism. This involvement trickles down to all levels, from the very top echelons to the local communities at the very grassroots level.

 In mainstreaming participation at all levels of decision making and implementation, particularly at the national, regional and local level, effective management of the benefits attached to implementation of REDD and forest carbon mechanisms. In doing so, key risks that might attach to such implementation can be effectively avoided including corruption in REDD and Forest Carbon projects

ADP in Bits

By: Kennedy Liti Mbeva

The Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action , otherwise known as the ADP  is a subsidiary body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) It was established at COP 17  in 2011, with the following main objectives:

• To develop a Protocol or
• Another legal instrument or
• An agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention

The ADP is divided into two work streams :

1. The 2015 global climate agreement
2. Pre-2020 ambition

 

REDD AND CARBON MECHANISMS: FOCUSING ON INDIGENOUS FOREST COMMUNITIES’ RIGHTS

By: Reuben Makomere

Way of life….

Indigenous people have always depended in the forests. They regard them home, depending in them for survival, food, shelter and much more. The Aborigines, the Native American Indians, among others have enriched the ecosystem and improved the biodiversity deployed centuries old using centuries old techniques However with the advent of REDD, indigenous community rights has been a key area of concern particularly regarding implementation of the same as evidenced by protests against REDD from Chiapas to California among other areas

Doha positions…

During the COP18 climate negotiations , one could not fail to notice people walking along the corridors of the Doha Convention Center (QNCC) dressed in traditional regalia bringing into focus the key issue of indigenous rights regarding REDD and carbon markets mechanisms. While the mechanism was part of the core discussions during the 18th COP, it is worth noting that little progress was made on the same with other issues such as finance for REDD taking center stage.

 

Long-term finance: focus areas for the 2013 work programme

By Reuben Makomere

Long term finance for climate change has long been a critical issue in confronting climate change. It was given much more priority since the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 17 in Durban in the year 2011 when a decision was made to undertake a program on the issue. This was one of the ways to enhance efforts towards mobilizing climate change finance from the year 2012.

This was the key agenda in the First Meeting of Experts on Long Term Finance held on the 16th-17th July 2013. Various avenues were explored and utilized in order to realize the desirable levels of climate change financial resources.

Several sessions have been held on the issue with the first session held from the 9th-11th of July 2012 in the German city of Bonn.

 

Towards a 2015 Agreement: Elements of the Durban Platform

By: Kennedy Mbeva

The current focus of the international climate change negotiations is on delivering a new climate agreement by 2015. This is due to the exacerbating effects of climate change, while efforts to tackle them are often deemed not sufficient.

However, with the flurry of discussions, workshops, conferences and studies going on, it is easy to lose track of the process. It is in this light that we will have a series of articles breaking down the nitty gritties of the negotiations towards a global climate agreement.

Setting the stage

The stage for working towards a global climate agreement was set at COP17 , in a package of decisions known as the Durban Platform. In essence, this package outlined four key areas that would form the roadmap for a global climate agreement by 2015, with the overarching term being ‘ambition’.  These are:

1. Global Review of the global temperature goal

There has been a raging debate as to whether the target of keeping global atmospheric temperatures, of 2 degrees, is appropriate. Thus a global review was proposed with the aim of using data and science so as to establish the appropriate temperature rise ceiling.

 

Fixing Climate Finance

 

By: Jamie Peters

In the lead up to COP19 in Poland, Parties and Observers will be setting
their objectives and their game plans to strategize on what they can take
from the talks in their own best case scenarios. Fair and adequate climate
finance must be central to those plans.

The developing world, who are now being thrown into a global climate deal,
will have to not only adapt to the dire consequences of climate change but
also have increased mitigation efforts under the a 2015 treaty. To do this,
as has been made clear already in UNFCCC, they need increased climate
finance to facilitate adaptation and mitigation efforts.