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Japan: Cool Earth 50 or Scorched Earth?
13 Nov 2013
Rumour has it that that Japan, the third largest economy in the world, is going to announce its new 2020 target here in Warsaw. This would be Japan’s contribution to closing the gigatonne gap, right? But ECO is puzzled by the target number circulating in media reports. At first we thought Japan must have made […]
Fully Branded COP
13 Nov 2013
Everyone needs to take part in the battle against climate change, and we all agree that includes the private sector. Still, it was a shock to learn that the COP Presidency invited fossil industries to sponsor these climate talks, even while these very same companies do their utmost to fight against climate policies. Corporate sponsorships […]
IPCC: 1.5 Still Alive
13 Nov 2013
Parties in Doha requested expert advice to ensure the scientific integrity of the 2013-2015 Review. Well, yesterday they got it, fresh from IPCC Working Group I. In the first of two dialogues in Warsaw, IPCC experts provided advice on the adequacy of the 2oC goal in light of the ‘ultimate objective’ of the Convention. Working […]
Adaptation is the Soul of Agriculture
13 Nov 2013
Global food production and food security are threatened by the greater variability of the climate and increasing occurrence of extreme weather events. Yet the agriculture negotiations are not moving with the urgency required to support the world's poor, especially those engaged in agriculture and related activities, in adapting to these adverse impacts. A vast majority […]
The HOW of Equity
13 Nov 2013
At the ADP opening yesterday, ECO waited in vain for bold and innovative ideas to ensure each Party proposes its equitable share of the global effort. We are all agreed that equity matters (the WHY) – so let's figure out the HOW. The COP and ADP opened with clarion calls for ambition – and the […]
Fossil of the Day Award
12 Nov 2013
The First Place Fossil goes to Australia. Many would have thought that Australia’s position at COP19 couldn’t have got much worse after the dismantling of its climate change department, ridding itself of the burden of a climate change minister and intending to remove its carbon price during COP. But we thought wrong. Yesterday, the Australian […]
Ray of Solidarity
12 Nov 2013
Special recognition, the Ray of the Solidarity, goes to the Philippines. The lead negotiator called for urgent action to prevent a repeat of the devastating storm that hit parts of his country this past weekend. Super Typhoon Haiyan was nothing the world has ever experienced. His speech thanked civil society, especially those who are […]
Getting on the Right Track for Workstream 1
12 Nov 2013
The Warsaw city bikes are a good choice to explore this place which we call home for the next two weeks. The main task of ADP workstream 1 is to chart the course of work needed to deliver a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement no later than COP 21 in Paris. So we should […]
The Open Road for Workstream 2 Ambition
12 Nov 2013
As Parties pave the road towards the 2015 agreement under ADP Workstream 1, a crucial brick seems to have gone missing. According to the UNEP Emission Gap report, pre-2020 mitigation efforts currently fall 8-12 GtCO2e short of what is needed to keep global temperature increases below 1.5/2°C. ECO would love to hear how Parties intend […]
ECO Stands in Solidarity with the Philippines and All Vulnerable Countries
12 Nov 2013
Yesterday, we heard from the Philippines lead negotiator, Yeb Sano, who addressed the opening session of the UN climate negotiations, calling for an end to the madness and taking urgent action to prevent a repeat of the devastating storm that hit much of his country this past weekend. Super Typhoon Haiyan was nothing the world […]