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Long-Term Goal
1 Jun 2015
It is key that Parties agree on a vision for the future. ECO would like this vision to include phasing out fossil fuel emissions, as early as possible, and no later than 2050. This vision should also include phasing in 100% renewable energy with provisions of sustainable energy for all. Such a vision will help […]
Ratcheting Up Mechanism
1 Jun 2015
Paris should not lock in, unacceptably and dangerously, low ambition on mitigation and finance. Periodic upward revision of ambition based on changing circumstances should be built into the text to help close the pre–2020 emissions gap. The mechanism of ratcheting up would thus help reduce the risk of locking in irreversible emission trajectories. This mechanism […]
Differentiation
1 Jun 2015
‘Applicability to all’ has been agreed as a key feature of the Paris agreement, meaning every country needs to step up and play its part on climate action. The issue of responsibility still needs to be addressed, however, and governments need to allow time for healthy debate on this topic in Bonn. It is clear […]
Adaptation
1 Jun 2015
There needs to be stronger recognition that the effects of climate change will necessitate increased adaptation. ECO would like to see these negotiations advance the issue of a global adaptation goal that also makes the direct link between mitigation efforts and adaptation requirements explicit. Guidance for this pillar should build on the principles—premised on the […]
Loss and Damage
1 Jun 2015
Last, but not least, loss and damage within the 2015 agreement should be placed on equal footing with adaptation, especially since loss and damage comes into play when adaptation is no longer feasible. There should be provisions within the new agreement to anchor the Warsaw mechanism on loss and damage, give it real strength, and […]
Closing Thoughts
1 Jun 2015
These Bonn talks are critical, not just in shaping the Paris agreement, but also in achieving a common understanding on a range of important issues. Governments need to start fleshing out areas of convergence within the text, and points of divergence should be discussed at length. Negotiators should also keep in mind that these talks […]
Germany: You’ve Done It Again
1 Jun 2015
We get the impression that Germany likes being ahead of the curve, it appears that Germany is leading the pack when it comes to what developed countries are doing on climate finance. Last year, was the first country to pledge to the Green Climate Fund. This year, just two weeks ago, at the Petersberg Climate […]
Beyond the walls of the UNFCCC
1 Jun 2015
Adrian Yeo gives a presentation on his CAN Leadership Development Programme study tour in Norway. Norway is an obvious choice of location for the CAN Leadership Development Programme study tour. The level of environment awareness and sustainable responsibility in Norway is among the highest in the world. While 96% of their local energy source coming […]
Welcome to Bonn: The Home Stretch To Paris
1 Jun 2015
COP21 is approaching and the pressure of time is upon us to finalise the negotiating text and ensure the new agreement is legally binding, anchored within the requirements of science, and fair for everyone. Here in Bonn, Parties have to advance discussion on the essentials while streamlining the unwieldy Geneva text. To help with this […]
The city that (almost) never sleeps, Oslo
31 May 2015
Neoka Naidoo blogs from her CAN Leadership Development Fellow study trip to Oslo this week. The almost 23 hours of travelling welcomed a beautiful end in Oslo. I had chills of excitement and nervousness coursing through me. There were many hurdles to conquer. The first hurdle was addressing Norwegian civil society. Public speaking is not my forte […]