COP19—Warsaw Local weather Convention — International Points

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September 17, 2024

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by Anup Shah
This web page Created Monday, December 02, 2013

This web page: https://www.globalissues.org/article/803/cop19-warsaw-climate-conference.
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On this web page:

Introduction
Assembly consequence
In context: widespread however differentiated duties
In context: Storm Haiyan
Lack of urgency
Extra info
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 injury 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 consequence

The principle consequence of the assembly was the institution of a global mechanism for a loss and injury related to local weather change impacts .

Predictably, the loss and injury side of local weather negotiations introduced out the worst in some nations. Some growing nations have been going to withstand the thought of financing adaptation to local weather change, whereas others appeared to hate the thought of local weather reparations for poor nations. Just a few years earlier, industrialized nations had made a authorized dedication to a worldwide 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 nations made a take care of growing nations, 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 trade for our mitigation amounting to small CO2 cuts as a substitute of creating the large cuts that we should always do.

The cash to assist poor nations adapt flowed for the primary three years however has largely dried up. Warsaw was imagined to be the Finance COP to carry the promised cash. That did not occur.

Nations like Germany, Switzerland and others in Europe solely managed to scrape collectively guarantees of 110 million {dollars} into the Inexperienced Local weather Fund. Growing nations wished a assure of 70 billion a 12 months by 2016 however have been blocked by the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and others.

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

It acquired to the purpose that a whole bunch of representatives from varied NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms to protest in opposition to developed nations’ reluctance to decide to a loss and injury mechanism. And this was a day after the G77+China group of 133 growing nations walked out of negotiations over the identical factor.

Wanting via the briefing stories from the revered NGO, the Third World Community, Evidently on the floor, whereas an consequence was finally thrashed out, there are lots of areas of weak spot of enough 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: widespread however differentiated duties

A few years in the past all nations agreed that local weather change was largely the results of actions from right now’s industrialized nations, as carbon dioxide — the primary greenhouse fuel — stays within the ambiance for many years. But, the poorest would find yourself struggling essentially the most for an issue they largely didn’t trigger. The approaches to mitigation (emissions discount) would due to this fact be completely different for these teams of nations — the widespread however differentiated duties precept.

It’s on this context that the dialogue for loss and injury has come about. And it’s one thing that wealthy nations are eager to do away with .

The years of resistance on this situation (and lots 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 huge 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 report to hit land

The assembly got here on the time when the devastating Storm Haiyan had simply killed 1000’s 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 answerable for and that whereas all of the worldwide outpouring of help and help was extremely welcome, that help 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 saying that he’ll go on a starvation strike till a significant consequence 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 probability at staying underneath two levels C, industrialised nations must crash their CO2 emissions 10 % 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 questioned why negotiators on the within will not be reacting to the truth that it’s too late for incremental adjustments.

I’m actually surprised there isn’t a sense of urgency right here, he advised IPS.

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

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