After the host of initiatives launched at COP 21 and developed in Marrakesh to hasten a global transition to a low carbon economy, the UN climate conference (COP 22) gave centre stage on Tuesday afternoon 15 November to the heads of state and ministers of the countries which are party to the Paris Agreement for the official launch of talks on how to translate the commitments made by 195 countries into firm action (see EUROPE 11667).
On Tuesday morning, the Moroccan Presidency of COP 22, Germany and the French COP 21 negotiator Laurence Tubiana launched a new platform between the countries of the North and those of the South to help developing countries meet their nationally determined contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement and achieve the universal sustainable development goals (SDGs) associated with these commitments as quickly and effectively as possible.
NDC partnership chaired jointly by Morocco and Germany. This new coalition of developing countries, developed countries and international institutions will allow the developing countries to receive the technical and financial support they need.
Germany, which last year allocated €2.7 billion in public funding to climate financing, intends to maintain this level of financing for the partnership and to take its support up to €4 billion by 2020. “The intention behind the NDC Partnership is that we can best tackle climate change and support climate adaptation by pooling our strengths and our knowledge”, said German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller. German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said: “The NDC partnership will play a vital role in coordinating and aligning efforts to support developing countries in achieving their domestic climate actions”, the implementation of NDCs now being “the urgent topic”. Morocco’s Minister Delegate in Charge of the Environment Dr Hakima El Haite said the partnership would be decisive in engaging more of the private sector, encouraging South-South cooperation and making donors more responsive to countries’ needs.
In his speech opening the high-level segment of COP 22, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed the “hope” that US president-elect Donald Trump “will realise the seriousness and urgency” of addressing the challenge of climate change and said he had confidence in the pragmatism of that “successful businessman”.
French President François Hollande pointed out that the Paris Agreement is “irreversible”, and called on the United States to “abide by the commitments made” by the Obama administration.
No Trump excuse for inaction. Unsure of what will happen, NGOs called on COP 22 to redouble efforts. “Climate change is not going to wait for US action and neither should the rest of the world. That’s why the world should respond to Donald Trump’s Presidency by moving forward and strengthening the weak Paris Agreement pledges. Trump’s election must not serve as an excuse for inaction”, argued Ben Schreiber, Friends of the Earth (FoE) US Climate and Energy Program Director, in a oppress release.
FoE International calls on COP 22 participants to deliver a definite plan for 2018 describing how all the elements of the agreement – emissions reduction, financing, technology transfer and adaptation measures – are to be achieved. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)