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The People’s President
12 May 2017
This week, following the impeachment of their former president, the Republic of Korea elected a new president: Mr Moon Jae-in, a veteran politician from the centre-left Democratic Party. President Moon said he would be a “president for the people”. He emphasized his direct communication with the people, a welcome contrast to his predecessor Park Geun-hye. President Moon also underlined that when it […]
Not Another Tropical Cyclone In Pacific.
12 May 2017
While the negotiations at the Bonn Climate Change Conference are moving at their usual pace, the upcoming UNFCCC COP 23 Presidency holder, Fiji, is about to be hit by tropical cyclone Ella. ECO notices that while the cyclone season in the Pacific ended in April, this off-season tropical cyclone is gaining momentum and likely to […]
Loss And Damage By Stealth?
12 May 2017
At these Subsidiary Bodies you could be forgiven for thinking that the issue of loss and damage was (you guessed it) living up to its name and lost irreversibly. The issue is discussed at a small, grossly underfunded body €“ and rarely, if ever, in an open negotiating session. The conspiracy theorists among you may indeed […]
T**nsparent Pr**ess
12 May 2017
ECO was shocked to hear that observers were asked to leave the SBSTA informal consultations of Article 6. In the spirit of all that was achieved in Paris, being open, inclusive, and transparent is key. Observers have insights, expertise, and different perspectives that can help move discussions forward in a constructive manner.
Where the Rubber Hits the Road on Accountability
12 May 2017
Accountability and verification of progress in meeting commitments are essential to increasing transparency, and creating confidence that countries are taking actions in line with their capabilities and responsibilities. In Cancun and Durban, Parties established the International Assessment and Review (IAR) and International Consultation and Analysis (ICA), as a two-phase verification process for developed and developing […]
ECO-lateral Assessment
12 May 2017
ECO is looking forward to the exchanges during the Multilateral Assessment, which will provide a great opportunity for Parties to quiz one another on the details of their progress on implementing their targets. What’s not on the table, though, is a discussion on the adequacy of those targets itself. Which, of course, is an important […]
Marhaba to our climate action talanoa!
10 May 2017
The 2020 pledges and the NDCs submitted in 2015 were a step forward for global climate action. But they still leave us with two unresolved problems: a huge emissions gap, and a huge gap in climate preparedness that is hitting vulnerable communities the hardest. Looking further into the future, with the Paris Agreement and Agenda […]
Time is of the Essence on Transparency
10 May 2017
Transparency, covered by Article 13 of the Paris Agreement, is crucial to make sure the Paris Agreement works. Without strong transparency provisions, how will we even know if we are on track to reaching the Agreement’s objectives and if everyone is implementing what they pledged. Transparency is also really complicated. For anyone not aware of […]
The one GAP we need
10 May 2017
As every avid ECO reader will know, ECO hates gaps. For years, ECO has called on delegates to do all they can to close the adaptation gap, plug the finance gap and reduce the ambition gap as fast as possible. But this time around, there is an in-session workshop to support the development of a […]