Workstream 2 is getting fashionable: It’s about time
10 February 2015
Being in the country of clocks and watchmakers has put ECO in the mood for WS2 negotiations. WS2 is all about being efficient with the little time we have left, to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions peak well before 2020, and to start the transition to a 100% renewable energy world.
Negotiators are in dire need of a device to maximise their remaining time. While Parties have examined a wide range of potential parts, extolling the virtues of each, ECO believes the mechanics of a well-functioning device consist of only three pieces: renewable energy, energy efficiency and fossil fuel subsidy reform.
By narrowing discussion to these specific initiatives, Parties can save debate time and focus on concrete, implementation-orientated conversations with experts. The technical papers of 2014 and the technical expert meetings have identified the potential of these three tools, and we have clear examples across the world of Parties taking steps to develop them in meaningful ways.
Let us now look into the detailed work of how to scale up our preferred initiatives—the grease to make our time-maximising device work. Policy makers and those implementing these initiatives must frankly and plainly identify the challenges they face. Those providing support should then indicate how they can shift finance and technology to get the gears moving, while UNFCCC institutions and expert input can further smooth the workings.
ECO will be looking for proposals that build on work already done in 2014, have high mitigation potential, are immediately scalable or replicable, contain strong sustainable development objectives and co-benefits and — most importantly — are implementation-oriented.