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The Arab World’s Diamond in the Rough
13 Dec 2018
So far, it is safe to say that the Arab Group has not covered itself with climate ambition glory in Katowice. With Saudi Arabia at its helm, the Arab Group has been fighting fiercely to strip the impending COP decision of ambition, notably by refusing to recognize the importance of the IPCC Special Report on […]
A Few Transparent Comments
13 Dec 2018
We’re nearing the end and we’re not quite sure how much progress you”ve made in advancing the transparency negotiations. So we won’t take so much of your time, we just want to provide a couple of comments on the important issues in the transparency discussions. ECO is quite concerned with the proliferation of “encouragement” in the […]
What the Health
12 Dec 2018
Monday was the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, including “the right to health” which now has a stable place in the Paris preamble. But, where is health at this COP? In spite of the significance of health to humanity, it has not been incorporated into the language of the Rulebook. […]
Talanoa Solutions: We Know What We Need to Do For 1.5
12 Dec 2018
As Ministers wrap up the Talanoa Dialogue discussions today, ECO hopes that the process will lead to an ambitious COP decision and real transformation back home, to meet the 1.5°C target. The IPCC Special Report has shown us the importance of the 1.5°C target. It has provoked a lot of new thought, prompting ECO to […]
Grab the Chance For a 1.5 Future
12 Dec 2018
Today ECO returns to the highly motivating, yet alarming findings of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C: to limit global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society €“ and in doing so we can bring clear benefits to people and ecosystems. According to the Report, limiting global […]
Happy Birthday UK Climate Change Act!
12 Dec 2018
The UK’s groundbreaking Climate Change Act is now 10 years old. This piece of legislation was a global first in setting up a legally-binding 2050 climate target €” broken down into five-year emissions budgets to allow for political accountability and responsiveness to new science. It also established an independent statutory advisory body: the Committee on […]
12 Years Left
12 Dec 2018
With this afternoon’s plenary, the Talanoa Dialogue will come to a close. After a year of listening to the stories, perspectives and solutions put forward by Parties and non- Parties alike, and absorbing the unsettling implications of the IPCC SR 1.5°C, ECO is convinced that the way forward is now clear. To have any chance […]
Don’t Forget Loss and Damage
12 Dec 2018
A lot is at stake at COP24 in the last days. The IPCC special report on 1.5°C made clear how urgent climate action is, and that impacts already occurring today require immediate measures to, in particular, protect the poorest and most vulnerable. It is abundantly clear that more finance is needed for loss and damage. […]
Will EU Finally End its WTF Approach to Forests?
12 Dec 2018
ECO is old enough to remember the forest accounting rules negotiated in 2011 for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. At the time, ECO warned the EU and other developed countries against the dangers of building their baselines on hypothetical projections that envisioned massive increases in emissions from the forest sector. Sadly, the […]
A Cry for Help For Adaptation
12 Dec 2018
Ministers, we need to talk. I know this might sound technical, but it’s not; this concerns you. There can be no ambition with so little support for adaptation. The Paris Agreement seeks to achieve a balance between adaptation and mitigation finance, as well as attending to the particular needs of least developed countries (LDCs) and […]