Tag: Technology Executive Committee

Topics:

cansubmissiontechassessment4mar13.pdf

Organization:

Climate Action Network

CAN Positions

Climate Action Network International Submission to the 5th Meeting of the Technology Executive Committee: Technology Assessment in the Technology Mechanism: Suggestions on the Way Forward

Submitted by Sam Harris on March 4, 2013 - 1:57pm

Now that the components of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism – the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) – have been established and will become fully operational this year, there are areas of their respective mandates that could benefit from further elaboration. Among these is the ways in which the TEC and CTCNcould address Technology Assessment(TA), an area that will become increasingly crucial as the Technology Mechanism fulfills its mandate to facilitate and enable the actual development, transfer and deployment of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) for countries, particularly developing and least developed countries and small island states, to address the impacts of climate change.

Para 61(a) of the Agreed Outcome on the Bali Action Plan adopted in Doha Recommends the

Advisory Board of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, in considering the programme of work of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, to take into account. Providing advice and support to developing country Parties, including capacity-building, in relation to conducting assessments of new and emerging technologies, in accordance with decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 123(a)(i) and 128(e).

While the Doha Decision made reference only to the possible role of the CTCN in providing advice, support and building capacity in conducting assessments of new and emerging technologies, we would like to stress that there is an important role to be played by the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) in undertaking activities related to TA. As part of its mandate to consider and recommend actions to promote technology development and transfer with the goal of accelerating action on mitigation and adaptation,the TEC has already identified TA as a focus area. In its Rolling Workplan for 2012-2013, adopted at its second meeting, the TEC has identified possible guidance on technologies based on technology assessments as an outcome that is expected to result from its work in preparing an inventory of relevant technology briefs, technical reports and technical papers beginning in 2013. So far, there have been initial exchanges of ideas on TA within the TEC at its fourth meeting held in Bangkok in September 2012, with members seeking clarity on the nature and extent of the TEC’s involvement in TA and its value in the dissemination of ESTs.

As complementary components of the Technology Mechanism, the TEC should give policy limate Action Network International Submission to TEC, March 2013 guidance on TA while the CTCN provides support, operational guidance and capacity building to developing countries on the conduct of TA.

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Tags:

technology

Topics:

CAN_technology_Submission_28July2012.pdf

Organization:

Climate Action Network

CAN Positions

Tackling the Intellectual Property Elements of an Enabling Environment for Technology Transfer

Submitted by MBrockley on July 30, 2012 - 8:19pm

Executive Summary

Climate Action Network International (CAN) concurs with the apparent consensus at the third Technology Executive Committee (TEC) meeting (held on the 28th and 29th of May in Bonn) that intellectual property rights (IPR) is an issue in the transfer of climate technologies that could be an incentive, a barrier, neither or both. Furthermore, the determination of which role it plays can only be made at the national/sectoral level on a case-by-case basis. There are cases where IPR has been and can be a barrier and some parties are concerned that it will be a barrier to the transfer of key climate technologies to help mitigate their emissions and enhance their adaptive capacities. On the other hand, technology developers are concerned with the intellectual property enforcement risk in developing economies and potential negative impacts on innovation. In the absence of some guidance on key issues related to IPR from the Technology Mechanism (TM), countries and providers would be left to deal with each IPR issue that arises from scratch, stalling and even derailing much-needed technology deployment.

But the UNFCCC can play a critical role here to ensure that countries have the tools they need to find resolution in a case where IPR issues threaten to pose a barrier to the transfer of a key climate technology while ensuring that appropriate incentives for technology innovation are maintained. By providing appropriate guidelines on the use of existing tools and a platform to facilitate various forms of information sharing on IPR solutions among other initiatives, the UNFCCC has the opportunity to proactively prevent IPR from becoming a widespread barrier while building confidence in the TM among both demanders and suppliers of climate technologies.

Tags:

CAN Submission

IPR

Topics:

Bonn Climate Change Conference 2012

Organization:

Climate Action Network

CAN Positions

UNFCCC

Related Event:

Negotiating (iphone) Technology On The Way To Durban

Submitted by MBrockley on October 5, 2011 - 12:53pm

Manjeet Dhakal on the Technology Mechanism

Manjeet Dhakal
Clean Energy Nepal
Program Director
Nepal

One of my hobbies that I love is to use new and recently developed applications and technologies. On my last birthday, I was blessed with an 'iphone' from my colleague. I was very excited that day; I threw party on the same night when I got my iphone via DHL. Also credit goes to DHL for its service up to my far-flung apartment. And also I am grateful to my friend, that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me. Otherwise, I would have never got chance to use such a wonderful thing, which would have cost almost six months of my personnel expenses in Nepal. As I remember now, I don’t know how that 'full iphone-week' passed; it felt like I was flying-up above Himalayas most of the time. My excitement continued when by the weekend, when my younger sister, studying civil engineering, asked me to find a map of our town on my iphone for her project work. Another hit was when my laureate brother asked me to find the meaning of some familiar Nepalese words, however, either my iphone does not support my language or not I could type on it. The next day I went to a local mobile service center on my town and discussed my problem with them. They tried all the possible solutions they could think of: they connected it with other devices, they installed and uninstalled software, but all of their efforts ruined root and branch.

Now, while having discussions with the friendly delegates here in Panamá, I realize that the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) has become like my friend (who gave me the iphone) and Climate Technology Centers and Network (CTCN) is like the service center in my town. Sometimes when the technology discussion is about service delivery, these institutions also seem like DHL, who did the hard job of delivering my iphone up to my apartment.

On the other side, the Technology Mechanism at Cancun was established to set-up institutions, which will help to protect the vulnerable from climate change and to deploy the money and technologies that developing countries need to plan and build their own sustainable futures. The Technology Executive Committee is foreseen as the policy arm and the Climate Technology Centre and Network as the mechanism’s implementation component. Its overarching goal was to sharpen the focus, step-up the pace, and expand the scope of environmentally-sound technology development and transfer to developing countries in a highly qualitative way.

Whereas, here, in Panama when the parties are tossing about the criteria and host of Climate Technology Center, we should request DHL to apply for it. The service delivery is well appreciated and it has outreached to all parts of world. And the important thing is that it will not charge a flat 10% of it service like some of our home institutions (banks and other sisters of the UNFCCC). Oh, but it may not have a good understanding about what adaptation is and where as it has greatly contributed to mitigating the cause of climate change.

Then I realize, it's of no use to use those technologies which do not have local applications and applications that are not of your use. Take the example of my iphone; the company has filed more than 200 patent applications related to the technology, which seems to be preventing the over-reach of its own technology. Actually such right should have to retain a public balance in property rights and support its promotion. As decided in Cancun in order to make the Technology Mechanism fully operational in 2012, criteria and host of the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) need to be finalized here at Panamá or very soon, so that, after Durban, we can focus on activities related to implementation, and more specifically deployment and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies.

Tags:

Climate Technology Centers and Network

technology mechanism

Topics:

Leadership Development Program

Region:

South Asia

Related Campaign:

Related Event:

Panama 2011

Related Member Organization:

Clean Energy Nepal (CEN)

Important Lessons From My Tuk Tuk Driver on Technology Transfer

Submitted by Anonymous on April 4, 2011 - 11:04pm

1. Make sure you agree with your passengers from the outset on their destination. Otherwise everyone will end up unhappy and short changed.

Start by establishing the key issues and objectives for the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and their respective roles and interaction, including with national bodies. The priorities for the CTC and its location should be driven by developing country needs. A preliminary list of “To Dos” includes: capacity building; technical help for diffusing and deploying technologies; support for country-driven regulatory policies (e.g. FITs); guidance for countries developing funding proposals to submit to the Green Fund.

2. Work out the best route and agree on the fare.

The point of departure is a scoping exercise on the scale of resources (financial, technical, human) needed to help countries transition to a low-carbon pathway while addressing their development and energy needs. Overall, resources should be focused on filling gaps and not duplicating existing efforts.

3. Know which shops and restaurants offer the best deal for your customers.

What existing institutions are best suited to participate in the technology network? Are there any gaps in areas of technical expertise that may require the creation of new institutions? A database for mitigation and adaptation-related institutions/expertise should be established.

And finally, some handy hints from my tuk tuk driver to ease your journey on the road to Durban:

Be courageous! Deal with the big traffic jam like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) head on. There is no need to be afraid of those big trucks blocking your way.
Be decisive! If needed, weave through the traffic to arrive on-time and at the main destination you want in Durban, which is to establish a balanced and equitable representation on the TEC and other elements to speed up the deployment of low carbon energy in the developing world.

So do as my driver did and hit the gas!

Tags:

IPR

IPRs

International Property Rights

Climate Technology Centre and Network

CTCN

Topics: