Brussels 29/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - In Geneva on 24 July, the horizon cleared a little for the international climate negotiations to resume decisively at expert level, in Bonn (Germany) from 31 August to 4 September.
In the wake of the informal meeting of the Environment Council of the EU, which called on the negotiators to pick up the pace so as to seal the progress made at political level (see EUROPE 11365), the co-presidents of the UN group responsible for securing a universal agreement on climate change in Paris (21, 30 November - 11 December), Ahmed Djoghlaf (Algeria) and Daniel Reifsnyder (United States), provided a few clarifications.
The consolidated version of the formal negotiating text, which they published on 24 July, covers the main elements of the agreement - attenuation, adaptation, financing, technology, reinforcing capacity, the transparency of actions and support. However, for the first time, it clarifies what could be the final content of the legal agreement of Paris and the decisions which could be made with immediate effect. It also starts to identify the decisions which could be taken at a later date to make the Paris Agreement fully operational before it enters into force in 2020.
New commitments to feed into the response to climate change could be included in the agreement, whilst the details on the terms for implementation and any new measures to support this implementation will be laid down in a joint decision. This option which is taking shape is believed to be in line with the dynamic nature of the future Paris Treaty, which aims to reinforce actions over time.
A COP like no other. Many countries are waiting for October to submit their intended nationally determined contributions (INDC) to the UN. Certain emerging countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Indonesia are expected to table their contributions over the next few weeks, the Commissioner for climate action, Miguel Arias Cañete, told the informal meeting of the environment ministers on 23 July. “If the Marshall Islands can do it, others can do it too”, he commented, urging all countries to submit their INDC “without delay”. “We cannot fail”, the Commissioner warned, calling on all parties to “get out of their comfort zone”. He went on to stress that “the progress will also depend on how the historical divisions, we might even say clashes, between the developed countries and developing countries can be overcome”.
So far, 46 countries plus the EU have submitted their intended nationally determined contributions. These countries represent 56% of global emissions. This is a major departure from the Kyoto Protocol, the second commitment period of which covered just 13% of global emissions, the Commissioner took pains to stress.
“We need to raise the level of ambition and everybody is prepared to make efforts. In Paris, we need a binding, universal, dynamic and extremely ambitious agreement. There is much work left to do, but COP 21 will be a COP like no other: we need to achieve a satisfactory result”, he told EUROPE in Luxembourg. As for whether non-binding individual targets, as the United States is calling for (see EUROPE 11363), will be enough, the Commissioner replied: “The EU wants binding targets to show its citizens that we are prepared to stick to our targets. We have no wish to repeat the Kyoto experience. We need everybody on board. From the Marshall Islands to China”.
After Bonn, a further negotiating session between 196 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has been scheduled for October, ahead of the Paris conference. The EU will adopt its negotiating position at the extraordinary Environment Council of 18 September. (Aminata Niang)