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Loss, Damage and Survival
8 Jun 2010
The failure of industrialized countries to reduce emissions and provide support for adaptation means that some countries on the frontline of climate change are facing unavoidable impacts on their economy and for some, their survival as nations. In the face of this threat, small island states and other developing countries have tabled a loss and […]
Woe, Canada!
8 Jun 2010
Everybody knows that Canada has walked away from its Kyoto targets, but you may not have heard yet just how fast they’re sprinting in the other direction. In recent weeks, a chorus of leaders – including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the EU’s Jose Manuel Barroso, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon – have pointedly called on […]
The Time to Find a FAB Deal
8 Jun 2010
ECO is very dismayed to hear that Parties, particularly the US, are considering shortening the duration of negotiating sessions in 2014 and 2015. While ECO is all for more efficient negotiations, there is more than a hint here that there are alternative motives. Could it be that this is a way to shift attention to […]
What is the Real Price for that Petrol Fill-Up?
8 Jun 2010
If there were any lingering doubts about the danger of continuing the addiction to fossil fuels, the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico must surely be crushing them. The oil spill, fouling an ocean and threatening the prosperity of millions, has been accurately described as the greatest environmental disaster in US history. […]
Fossil #1: Saturday United States
8 Jun 2010
The US earns the Fossil of the Day for blocking the common space discussion on mitigation in the Ad Hoc Working Group for Long-term Cooperative Action yesterday. Failing to pass a strong climate and energy bill is keeping them from participating in cross-cutting discussions, like the one AOSIS proposed, to build a post-2012 agreement to […]
Fossil #1: Monday Canada
8 Jun 2010
Canada was awarded First Place. Canada earns a Fossil of the Day for reducing its mitigation commitment after Copenhagen to the same level pledged by the United States of America. This January, Canada scrapped a 2020 target equivalent to 3% below 1990 in favour of one equivalent to 3% above 1990, using the rationale of […]
Fossil #2: Monday Saudi Arabia
8 Jun 2010
Saudi Arabia was awarded Second Place. Saudi Arabia earns a Fossil for being the only country trying to block discussion of bunker fuels. Speaking in this morning’s LCA contact group on sectoral approaches, Saudi Arabia asked the chair not to bring forward any text on reducing emissions from international aviation and shipping fuels and warned […]
Ludwig
7 Jun 2010
Ludwig is dismayed to hear that Parties are considering shortening the length of the sessional periods for 2014 and 2015 by up to 4 out of 11 work days. Ludwig has long maintained that all that is needed is political will to get the job done, not time. However, if political will actually materializes, Ludwig […]
Next Steps for the LCA Text
7 Jun 2010
Parties, observers and the media alike are avidly awaiting the unveiling of new LCA draft text this week. ECO has hopes that the amendations really will be ‘new and improved!’ and, more saliently, to the text being adopted by Parties as the basis for negotiations. In the spirit of starting negotiations with the best foot […]
Elements toward a High-Performance MRV Framework
7 Jun 2010
Welcome to this special supplement to ECO. After a lively debate the first week of this session, we would like to present elements of a balanced and comprehensive overview of the issues regarding MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification). While some would like to use the debate around MRV as an opportunity to obscure their lack […]