ECO 10, SB58: It is time to #EndFossilFuels #FastFairForever!
15 June 2023
The Just Transition Work Programme’s Mission
Our world is in crisis, extreme weather conditions are skyrocketing, and the climate emergency is wreaking havoc in our communities and ecosystems across the globe. To date, fires ravaging Canada to catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, back to back cyclones in the Pacific islands and record heat and droughts in Africa haven’t been enough to trigger action.
While governments here at the SBs are still backtracking and avoiding talking about the root cause of the problem, there are those who today are suffering the consequences of inaction in many places in the world.
Every ton of carbon pollution brings us closer to crossing the 1.5°C threshold, generating irreversible climate impacts. Coal, oil, and gas are the biggest causes of climate change and the leading source of CO2 increases in the atmosphere over the last decade.
The fossil fuel industry is responsible for the climate crisis and also drives a predatory and destructive economic system that harms people and the planet. Fossil fuels are bad for the climate, for our people, for our health, for our democracies and for our economies.
For decades, peoples and communities across the world have campaigned tirelessly to sound the alarm of the dangerous and destructive realities of the coal, oil, and gas industries. The fossil fuel industry has known for decades about the harm they are causing and have used every trick to keep their profits flowing.
Across the world, people are fighting back against the fossil fuel industry: we’re resisting the development of new pipelines, mines and infrastructure; we’re demanding that financial institutions stop funding fossil fuels; we’re pushing for a rapid, just and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels; we are fighting back against unproven technologies that don’t address the root cause of the climate crisis; and we’re demanding that big oil, coal and gas companies are held accountable and pay for the harm they cause.
The science is clear: what the world needs now is a rapid and just transition to an energy system that is efficient, fair, and universal – based on clean energy sources, and produced with respect for nature and the sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples.
To have any hope of addressing the root causes of the climate crisis, leaders of the biggest polluting countries must deliver a fast and fair phase out of fossil fuels and fund it globally.
The climate crisis is escalating and in response so is the global movement for climate justice. We will kickoff a Global Fight to end Fossil Fuels in Bonn and scale up our actions through to September and onwards. We will use the collective power of our movements to escalate our fight to #EndFossilFuels #FastFairForever. People are fighting for change and their voices must be heard. Our demand is clear: a rapid, just and equitable phase out of coal, oil and gas – fast, fair and forever.
Don’t let the GGA slip away
Oh goodness gracious! Anybody would think there are Parties at these negotiations whose mandate is to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct.
The GGA assembled at the last moment to find a way to present a text for the SBs.
One text was shared but there was no engagement. The other didn’t even get an airing.
Parties speaking on their own behalf were desperate. Did the room even listen when one country said they were at that moment enduring a life-taking storm? Did they hear as another explained that “disappointment” in the room means devastation for the most vulnerable if the GGA talks fail? What else needs to be said to convey how ruinous these delays are?
Nobody wants this impasse.
Or do they?
Tick tock, tick tock… WAKE UP GST! Time to Get Political!
ECO: GST, it is time to wake up!
GST: Nooo waaaay… I had such a nightmare yesterday. I dreamed that Parties could not even agree on a structure for my CMA decision and proposed many confusing alternatives…it was horrible!
ECO: Yeah well actually they agreed, but with many alternatives in the text indeed. That is no reason to stay in your bed!
GST: Really I feel weak, I do not want to wake up and get political… it is just too hard, I prefer to stay in my comfortable technical zone.
ECO: This is not acceptable, you had two years to enjoy your technical phase! You want to be useful? You want to be more than just a technical exercise? You HAVE TO GET UP!
GST: I wish I could honestly… but I am too weak, I can’t do it, ECO.
ECO: Why? Why do you feel that weak?
GST: Because there are too many expectations on me, and nobody is supporting me in solving them. Look, even the High-Level Committee did not dedicate any high-level meeting for me until COP28. How do you expect me to wake up without any political space before November?
ECO: I must say I am shocked about your absence in the 2023 calendar for Parties…
GST: I know, I could be a superhero saving animals, human lives, ecosystems and our planet more generally… but no one cares.
ECO: You can’t say that, look how much we worked together.
GST: That is not enough, and I might not even be fair!! There are some discussions where I feel like I should not assess the past too much, I should not raise ambition too much on all issues, I got so many contradictory messages right now. I am just tired.
ECO: Alright you know what?! There is still hope for you to get up.
GST: I don’t see how. Leave me alone.
ECO: No look! COP28 is in a bit less than 6 months, that gives us time to change the context. The High Level Committee might listen to us. The UAE Presidency might listen to us. Some Parties might raise the issue and support GST high-level events during their summits, in New York in September or during the G20 for example.
GST: Hhm…I am not 100% convinced.
ECO: Come on, I’ll help you. I’ll be there to shout out for you, to put pressure everywhere I can so that you have the ambitious outcome you deserve.
GST: If I can muster the energy to try again, what is my next step?
ECO: Let us use the GST submission phase over the summer to express our demands. Let us talk to the media and explain how great you could be. And also, let’s ask Parties and the High Level committee to do their jobs!!
GST: Right yes…well okay, I might try again. But this will be my last chance.
ECO: We’ll see. The Paris Agreement was not done in a few days. Come on, wake up now!
GST: I’ll give it my best, but I want to say that not everything is in my hands. I could have the best technical outcome ever, but if I have no support from the committee or a decision text from Parties, I won’t be ambitious. I hope they will wake up too. They must!
The Renewable Revolution Course: special module on guardrails for renewables
Hello there, here comes the last module of your 10-days course on how to limit global warming to 1.5°C from an energy perspective!
Just a friendly reminder, daily readings of ECO are mandatory assignments, but for those who couldn’t keep up with their homework, here’s a quick recap: there will be no just and equitable phase out of fossil fuels without a rapid scale up of sustainable renewables! We also hope that you were able to complete your math assignment: to the question, ‘How much wind and solar do we need according to various recent scenarios’ The answer is “at least 1.5 TW of wind and solar deployment per year by 2030 (Climate Analytics, 2023)”, and to the question, ‘By how much should we scale up yearly energy efficiency gains?’ The answer is “doubling the rate by 2030 compared to last year” – well done to all of you who answered correctly!
Today’s exciting homework for the Energy module is to design a new energy system based on renewable energy only. It must not repeat the mistakes of our present extractivist and neo-colonial system! To help you with your homework, we have come up with a few guidelines.
First of all, your system should be based on wind and solar mainly, and only rely on limited and sustainable use of bioenergy and hydropower, which can both create significant trade-offs for land-use, biodiversity, and more. You should ensure that your system prioritizes the protection of all people and ecosystems and includes policies for land and water use to prevent conflicts and avoid competition with agriculture and food security. Indeed, in some instances, the harms to communities, ecosystem integrity, and biodiversity could outweigh the benefits to the climate – we need to commit to the right projects in the right places. Your system should be combined with complementary land uses like agriculture, but it should be planned with meaningful local participation to ensure that it will benefit the local communities.
When discussing “critical” minerals, you should ensure that their mining adheres to the highest social and environmental standards, respects human rights and minimizes the amount of minerals required as well as air, land and water pollution.
Your system should include distributed, decentralized, democratic and community-owned renewables with transparent governance. Energy sufficiency and circularity measures should be included along with grid infrastructure and energy storage solutions. Lastly, do not forget that the system’s objective shouldn’t be focused on mitigation only, but should be able to provide universal energy access by 2030! Particular attention will be given to projects highlighting the numerous co-benefits of clean renewables, notably in relation to air pollution and health (please refer to the Health module of this course).
Our dedicated team of instructors is sorry to inform you that the Finance module is not ready yet, due to a lack of participants and unpaid fees. But we know that your system will require large sums of finance, and that investment in renewables is very unevenly distributed globally. So get the finance right and make sure that your system does not result in increased debt in the Global South.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to ECO if you have any questions or need assistance in designing your new 100% Renewable Energy System! We’re here to help.
The GCF Needs Love and Attention
Finance seems to be everywhere, yet while all the focus seems to be on the NCQG and 2.1c (both of which ECO thinks are important), ECO is starting to wonder, where’s the Green Climate Fund (GCF)?
Just as a good parent, ECO loves ALL its climate fund children equally–fully grown, growing and yet to be born under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement –, and knows they all need support in the outside world full of finance laggards. We remember celebrating the GCF’s birth and are looking to celebrate this key milestone in its development as the GCF has been working hard at growing, becoming a responsible young adult and is itching to fulfill its full potential – if it is given more responsibility for climate action and the means and money to share with the world. ECO knows the GCF’s pipeline is filled, not with oil or gas, but with mitigation and adaptation projects and only more on the way. Human rights-based locally led mitigation and adaptation doesn’t happen magically–it needs real finance.
In October the GCF is facing another milestone here in Bonn: the Pledging Conference for its Second Replenishment. Let’s make it a celebration launching the GCF fully into financial adulthood – enough with the pocket money!!
Financial support for developing countries to implement the Paris Agreement is necessary and a matter of climate justice. Those most responsible for the climate crisis owe money to those least responsible and most vulnerable. ECO looks forward to welcoming back those who missed the GCF-1 Party (we’re looking at you Australia and the US). And we’re ready to party with Austria, Germany, and Czechia who have already pledged–though, don’t worry, there is still time to commit more so we can all have a bigger party for climate action.
As you leave Bonn, remember the promises made to the GCF when it was much younger, how you said you would love and support it, and how much it has grown into a strapping climate fund ready to deliver on its potential. Let’s remember that the GCF was born to fulfill its destiny to channel ambitious human rights-based and gender-responsive climate finance, and celebrate its growing capacity to do so by giving it some real funding to manage.
A Recipe to Save the COP: Can sausage rolls and onions motivate new ambition on North-South climate finance?
This week, participants at the Sixth Technical Dialogue on the post-100bn new goal (NCQG) listened to Party delegates suggest food-related metaphors for the design of the goal, noting lessons learned from the half-baked US$100bn.
Some countries suggested the NCQG should be like an onion, with layers. Others suggested it would better be considered as a (vegan) sausage roll, with a meaty core. One negotiator even compared it to an avocado … (a metaphor which ECO is just going to ignore).
Developing countries are struggling with a lack of finance, and these SBs have shown how hard it is to advance negotiations on the Mitigation Work Programme and 2.1c, without also focusing on COP outcomes to expand support for means of implementation for the entire spectrum of climate action, especially in the NCQG.
So if developed countries are going to use the food metaphors, ECO wants them to get serious and follow recipes properly. To build an NCQG that can heal the COP process and deliver for the planet and people in developing countries, the NCQG must truly learn from the onion and the sausage roll.
Things the NCQG could learn about from onions:
Have layers, like an onion: A good NCQG, like an onion, comprises layers. The NCQG should respond to the intricate challenges of climate change through multiple layers of quantified sub goals – for mitigation, adaptation, and to address loss and damage – this adds depth and robustness to the NCGQ compared to the 100bn goal, just like an onion adds depth and robustness to dishes.
Able to withstand time, like an onion. Onions also persistently withstand time and carry within themselves the seeds for rejuvenation and growth. Similarly, the NCQG’s commitment is long-lasting, persistently striving to achieve quantified goals and address climate change over time.
Things about onions the NCQG must avoid:
Do not make people cry. Onions make people cry, whereas the NCQG must build hope that we can collectively address the challenges of climate change and provide sustenance for those that need it the most.
Do not lack a well-defined core. Peeling layers off onions is a tedious and time-consuming task to finally get to the core only to find that it is not that well-defined – but the core of the NCQG must be public finance that is both sufficient and easily accessible.
What can the NCQG learn from sausage rolls?
Having a filling center. Like a good vegan sausage inside a sausage roll, the core of the NCQG is a standalone meal whether or not the pastry is there, just like public finance is both the heart of the NCQG and is required whether or not the pastry of private finance ever materializes given higher costs of capital in developing countries.
And a half-baked sausage roll?
Attention to outer layers. Some of your golden air-filled pastry might be too flaky to provide real nutrition to your eaters, promising a lot of taste but only delivering empty calories. We don’t want the pastry on a vegan sausage roll to overpower the filling, i.e. the public finance heart placed at the core of the NCQG.
As we know from mosaics of solutions, metaphors can be used and abused. So ECO asks, what food metaphor would you extend, or suggest? It may sound funny, but the matter is very serious. Without a good NCQG, we will not achieve the aims set in Paris.
A Recipe to Save the COP: Can sausage rolls and onions motivate new ambition on North-South climate finance?
This week, participants at the Sixth Technical Dialogue on the post-100bn new goal (NCQG) listened to Party delegates suggest food-related metaphors for the design of the goal, noting lessons learned from the half-baked US$100bn.
Some countries suggested the NCQG should be like an onion, with layers. Others suggested it would better be considered as a (vegan) sausage roll, with a meaty core. One negotiator even compared it to an avocado … (a metaphor which ECO is just going to ignore).
Developing countries are struggling with a lack of finance, and these SBs have shown how hard it is to advance negotiations on the Mitigation Work Programme and 2.1c, without also focusing on COP outcomes to expand support for means of implementation for the entire spectrum of climate action, especially in the NCQG.
So if developed countries are going to use the food metaphors, ECO wants them to get serious and follow recipes properly. To build an NCQG that can heal the COP process and deliver for the planet and people in developing countries, the NCQG must truly learn from the onion and the sausage roll.
Things the NCQG could learn about from onions:
Have layers, like an onion: A good NCQG, like an onion, comprises layers. The NCQG should respond to the intricate challenges of climate change through multiple layers of quantified sub goals – for mitigation, adaptation, and to address loss and damage – this adds depth and robustness to the NCGQ compared to the 100bn goal, just like an onion adds depth and robustness to dishes.
Able to withstand time, like an onion. Onions also persistently withstand time and carry within themselves the seeds for rejuvenation and growth. Similarly, the NCQG’s commitment is long-lasting, persistently striving to achieve quantified goals and address climate change over time.
Things about onions the NCQG must avoid:
Do not make people cry. Onions make people cry, whereas the NCQG must build hope that we can collectively address the challenges of climate change and provide sustenance for those that need it the most.
Do not lack a well-defined core. Peeling layers off onions is a tedious and time-consuming task to finally get to the core only to find that it is not that well-defined – but the core of the NCQG must be public finance that is both sufficient and easily accessible.
What can the NCQG learn from sausage rolls?
Having a filling center. Like a good vegan sausage inside a sausage roll, the core of the NCQG is a standalone meal whether or not the pastry is there, just like public finance is both the heart of the NCQG and is required whether or not the pastry of private finance ever materializes given higher costs of capital in developing countries.
And a half-baked sausage roll?
Attention to outer layers. Some of your golden air-filled pastry might be too flaky to provide real nutrition to your eaters, promising a lot of taste but only delivering empty calories. We don’t want the pastry on a vegan sausage roll to overpower the filling, i.e. the public finance heart placed at the core of the NCQG.
As we know from mosaics of solutions, metaphors can be used and abused. So ECO asks, what food metaphor would you extend, or suggest? It may sound funny, but the matter is very serious. Without a good NCQG, we will not achieve the aims set in Paris.
Human rights in climate action: time for ALL – yes: all – Parties to demonstrate domestic leadership
A long-overdue conversation about the safety, security and dignity of participants, and respect for their fundamental rights and freedoms during UNFCCC meetings has been taking place at the AIM meetings during these SBs. There were widespread calls for the Secretariat to do more, and for the host country to abide by international human rights standards before, during and after the COP. Seems like a no-brainer to ECO, and we are glad that many, many Parties spoke up about this.
But now that we are all about to leave Bonn and to roll up our sleeves to deliver climate action at the local and national level, ECO expects that all countries will now work to fully respect and protect civic space including in the context of climate action at the national level. As was said in the AIM discussions: human rights – including the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly – is critical before, during and after the UNFCCC session. Yet – on all continents we witness governments cracking down on civil society and Indigenous Peoples organizers and curtailing these real freedoms discussed in AIM.
Building on the strong decision finalized last night on AIM, we call upon ALL delegations: lead by example and, starting today, demonstrate your true commitment at the national level to ensuring that all can exercise their human rights without fear of intimidation and repercussions. Put an end to the criminalization of protest and the repression of dissent. Now is the time to demonstrate your credibility on these issues.
Good travels and see you safely in Dubai
ECO wishes all SB participants safe travels back home and is pleased by the commitments made by parties to make UNFCCC sessions and mandated events a place where human rights and fundamental freedoms are promoted and protected in the text for Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings (AIM).
Based on the spirit of AIM outcomes and to aid in your timely preparations, ECO would like to present this packing list for your consideration and actions at this upcoming COP and all future COP’s as well as all other UNFCCC events:
- easily accessible, discriminatory-free and affordable visas, like the electronic system proposed.
- accessible and affordable accommodation.
- safe and secure conference venues, including (but not limited to)
- ensuring the safety and security of all participants, both inside and outside the venue;
- prioritized disability-friendly accessibility and engagement opportunities in and outside the venue, including transportation.
- food inclusivity and accessibility;
- gender balanced security team;
- protection of basic civic rights such as free speech and peaceful assembly; and
- participation free of harassment and discrimination.
- a signed and printed copy of the code of conduct.
ECO reminds everyone that every participant, irrespective of their badge colour has committed to a code of conduct that prohibits harassment in any form because of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, physical appearance, ethnicity, race, national origin, political affiliation, age, religion or any other reason at all UNFCCC events.
ECO believes that any participant who has been affected by any form of harassment must be able to speak up about this, and expect to be treated with respect, dignity and care. Robust systems for prevention and reporting of incidents together with satisfactory response measures is critical. The space must be inclusive and accessible, especially for persons facing intersecting forms of discrimination.
ECO looks forward to the implementation of the AIM outcomes.
WANTED: Parties willing to pay attention to two thirds of the planet
The Dialogue though was very open and inclusive, allowing for wide-ranging input from civil society, scientists, academics, and other stakeholders. With so many topics to cover in the ocean space, there is never enough time to cover them all. We do however, hope for increasing visibility and action on areas such as ocean acidification and deoxygenation. There were calls from those ocean Parties present to bring resources and finance to tackle these issues. Several voices in the room also strongly noted the potentially hugely destructive practices on the horizon, such as ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) and deep-sea mining, and the need to not give ourselves more problems to deal with than we already have.
ECO hopes to see clear messages towards COP28 from the final report of the Dialogue, calling for clear biodiversity recovery objectives, ocean inclusion in the GST and above all else, ACTION.
Co-firing with woody biomass casts a lifeline to fossil fuels and undermines a just transition
Unfortunately, as some Parties seek to wean themselves off of coal, they’re turning to dangerous distractions. One of those is electricity from solid biomass, mostly coming from forest wood. Thanks to antiquated IPCC guidance on reporting and accounting for emissions from combustion of internationally traded biomass, co-firing coal and biomass (and burning biomass on its own) can allow for immediate emissions reductions on paper – despite the fact that biomass produces more CO2 per unit of energy than coal. This undermines climate action – for as the IPCC has said in no uncertain terms, biomass cannot be considered automatically carbon neutral. Replacing coal with biomass is increasing emissions and , prolonging the life of fossil fuel infrastructure.
As a result, instead of relief, fenceline communities (overwhelmingly representing people of colour) near polluting energy plants continue to bear the brunt of our addiction to combustion: dangerous emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants that cause sickness and shorten life spans. Indeed, solid biomass can burn even dirtier than coal, and even the treatment of raw biomass before use releases health-harming pollutants. This is the opposite of a just transition.
Wind and solar power prices continue to plummet, but bioenergy remains pricey, emissive, and dirty. (And don’t even get us started on the impacts on ecosystems or the shocking expansions of cultivated land that would be required by even “modest” bioenergy use scenarios – requiring nearly one to two-and-a-half times the extent of India.)
Let’s not overcomplicate things: we need clean energy and a just transition that safeguards human health and nature alike. Don’t let biomass delay this transition. Quit burning!