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Addressing the (Im)balance
10 Nov 2016
It’s impossible not to notice that developed countries are very pleased with themselves for publishing their “Roadmap to the US$100 billion” this past October. This is even more apparent from yesterday’s joint statement on the roadmap. ECO too is pleased to have the roadmap, don’t get us wrong. It enhances transparency on how developed countries […]
That is Not the Question
10 Nov 2016
Do delegates remember when the Adaptation Fund was created in Marrakech back in 2001? Do you know much about the Fund at all? ECO thinks perhaps not, at least if judged from what various Parties said at the informal APA meeting. They claimed they did not know enough about the Fund and thus would need […]
America
10 Nov 2016
Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president was a [unexpected][climatic][shocking] ending to a turbulent campaign that tapped into the anxiety felt by many American voters over globalisation, immigration, stagnating incomes and shrinking economic opportunities. The election revealed a deeply divided electorate: while Hillary Clinton received the most votes nationally, overwhelmingly won the youth, women and people of […]
CDM Pitfalls: The Facts
10 Nov 2016
Before negotiators convened, Panama sent a signal to the carbon market world on how essential robust stakeholder consultation is. Following years of protest and controversy, Panama withdrew its approval from the Barro Blanco Clean Development Mechanism hydroelectric power project, effectively preventing it from issuing offset credits. Barro Blanco, not only had little environmental integrity, but also […]
Ah, Sweet Reunion
10 Nov 2016
ECO felt the sweet tinge of elation, like when you meet a good old friend, when several Parties made a strong case for common 5-year commitment periods in yesterday’s APA informal. It was probably no coincidence that it was some of the most climate vulnerable countries (AOSIS, CARICOM and the Africa Group) that led the […]
The Danger and Opportunities of 1.5°C for Smallholder Agriculture
9 Nov 2016
The decision to limit global warming to 1.5°C is vital for small scale family agriculture, which is especially climate-vulnerable. However, as the UNEP emissions gap report highlights, there is still too much distance between the Paris Agreement targets and Parties’ NDC commitments. This gap reveals a clear imperative for countries to reaffirm and set an […]
Challenging Sacred Cows
9 Nov 2016
It’s great that today is Farmers’ Day! That way, ECO gets to celebrate and protect the 2 billion smallholder farmers who feed most of our fellow planet dwellers, using less than a quarter of the world’s farmland. Large-scale industrial agriculture drives the majority of emissions from the agriculture sector. Synthetic fertilisers create high levels of […]
[____]: What this holds for the world?
9 Nov 2016
Don’t worry, ECO gets out of the (UNFCCC) house every now and then. Or at least enough to know that there’s something going on in America right now, and it could mean good or bad news for the climate. The Paris Agreement was a watershed moment for the world: it signified a global commitment to […]
Conditional NDCs Must Unlock Ambition
9 Nov 2016
Every single assessment of the NDCs has indicated that Parties are not on track to meet the 2°C goal of the Paris agreement, let alone 1.5°C. Fortunately, some Parties have already put forward the seeds of a possible solution to this problem. Some have used their contributions to specifically indicate additional mitigation potential that could […]
Let’s Make Inclusiveness the Norm
9 Nov 2016
ECO heartily applauds the move by Parties negotiating loss and damage yesterday to deviate from the bad practice of closing informals to Observers after the first session. ECO was inside the second informal meeting (after being there for the first), and neither did the sky fall in nor did Observers disrupt any conversations. The work […]