Publications

CAN, YOUNGO and CJN! SBI Opening Plenary Intervention at COP18

Delivered by, David Gawith of YOUNGO, 27 November 2012

Thank you Chair, my name is David and I will be 60 years old in in 2050

Your task this week is a challenging one. The SBI is expected to complete its entire business this session by Saturday.  We stand ready to assist you in this task. Science is telling us that full and sustained implementation of the Convention's fundamental objective is slipping further and further from our grasp. This has disastrous implications for humanity and for its future, our future.

 Hurricane Sandy’s impacts in Haiti, Cuba, and the United States have reminded us that loss and damage is a reality. It’s happening now. Current low mitigation ambition is breaching the ultimate objective of the Convention. Opportunities for avoiding loss and damage are being wasted because of insufficient funding. We need to start thinking beyond adaptation. Based on the decision from Durban, we expect you to set up a comprehensive mechanism to address compensation and rehabilitation issues. Further, we expect you to develop the next phase of the work programme to detail the modalities of the mechanism. Almost 100 vulnerable developing countries have outlined the needs and potential elements of an international mechanism. Doha must not end without clear progress on addressing loss and damage.

On technology, for the Technology Mechanism to be considered "fully operational" at COP18 there must be a committed source of interim and long term funding for the Technology Executive Committee, the Climate Technology Centre and its Advisory Board. The architecture of the Technology Mechanism must also be highly responsive to developing Party clients in order to promote transparency and ensure equitable access to adaptation and mitigation technologies. Finally there must be robust engagement with stakeholders and civil society.
 
On Capacity Building, Parties should concentrate their work on paragraph 6 of 13/CP-17. By agreeing on an intensive 2 year work programme that creates an enhanced structure for effective capacity building in developing countries, by the end of 2014, the ground lost on capacity building could be regained here in Doha.

We hold you accountable for these outcomes.

 Thank you.

ADP Opening Plenary Intervention 

27 November, 2012

Given by, Rongtai (Marvin) Nala 

Thank you Chair. My name is Rongtai Nala and I'm speaking on behalf of
Climate Action Network.

As a young climate activist, I am gravely concerned about the impact of
climate change on the planet. Recent severe weather events are warning us of
the dangerous 4 degree path we are on. The ADP has an opportunity to turn
this around. We must not squander it.

At Doha, an ADP work plan to increase short term ambition must be agreed,
informed by a technical paper assessing the g It must ensure that developed country 2020 emissions reduction targets increase to at least 40% below 1990 levels. In order that developing
countries can increase their mitigation ambition and deal with climate
impacts, public finance must be at least double Fast Start Finance with
$10-15bn in new public finance for the Green Climate Fund over 2013-2015.

An equitable approach to sharing the costs of mitigation and adaptation
amongst countries will be a truly essential part of a 2015 agreement.  

And a clear workplan, with milestones and timeframes, will be essential for
the ADP to live up to its potential.  There is no atmospheric nor political
space for failure.

LCA Opening Plenary Intervention 

COP18, Doha

27 November, 2012

Photo Credit: IISD

Thank you Chairs. 

My name is Ben Namakin and I am from Kiribati speaking for CAN.

It is crucial that the LCA conclude here in Doha, however there is work to be done to ensure a meaningful outcome. 

Equity is a key component of the 2015 Protocol and needs to be in the discussion.

A new market mechanism and framework for various approaches must be based on international standards that guarantee real, permanent, additional and verified emission reductions, secure global net atmospheric benefits and avoid double-counting.

However, market mechanisms are useless without increased ambition. It is imperative that all developed countries:
-          Increase their 2020 pledges substantially
-          Express their 2020 targets as carbon budgets; and
-          agree on common accounting rules. 

Last year saw numerous climate related disasters. Climate finance for the 2013-2015 period needs to at least double that of Fast Start with a roadmap for scaling up to at least $100 billion per year by 2020.  It is crucial the outcome in Doha guarantees a high level political space for negotiations on finance to continue.  

One area that does not need further work is the scope of the review of the temperature goal, however Parties must decide on a strong body to conduct that review. 

Thank you. 

COP18 Opening Plenary Intervention

26 November, 2012

We have been given 30 seconds to express the views of CAN representing over 700 NGOs all around the world. It is impossible to say anything substantive about the most important challenge facing humanity in 30 seconds, so we are forced to limit ourselves in this intervention to place on record our protest about this exclusion of civil society voices in this vital process.