cop15

Briefing paper: the road to COP16

WWF-International and GermanWatch have put together a briefing paper assessing the state of global adaptation discussions and the road forward to COP16:
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Video: Red Eyes in Copenhagen: Adaptation at COP15

Red Eyes in Copenhagen: Climate Adaptation at COP15
7 mins, December 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark

In December 2009, representatives of 192 nations met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. Most of these efforts focused on climate mitigation — reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in order to slow down the rate of climate change. These results received widespread analysis. But there were also heated if less publicized negotiations to help the poor and vulnerable of the world adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. Filmed within hours of the conclusion of the Copenhagen Accord on 19 December 2009, this film shows the sleep-deprived thoughts of WWF staff about the impacts and efficacy of the Accord for international climate adaptation policy. These staff have worked on these issues for many years.

7 minutes, produced and directed by John Matthews. Read More...
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A Final COP Postcard: The Longest Day

The COP is finally over, and I’ve had about 36 hours to begin to absorb its truths and promises. Written so soon after the negotiations have ended, I have no doubt my reflections will achieve at best a facile and tenuous first draft of history (or a poor excuse for journalism). But I must write something to describe where climate adaptation — our efforts to prepare ourselves and other species for the coming climate — is headed since the conclusion of the Copenhagen sessions.
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Video: More Water Asks at the COP

Quick update: a video on the UNFCCC COP15 site of me speaking last week on water and climate from an event sponsored by the Global Water Partnership, Stakeholders Forum, and the Stockholm International Water Institute. 3 mins, UNFCCC official footage. In case the link doesn’t work, you can find the entire event here. Read More...
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Joining the Strands at the COP

My interest in knitting probably marks me as one of the more visibly peculiar members of the WWF delegation to the COP, but knitting is a great asset in a high-stress setting. Some of the oldest knitting in the world was found in bogs in this part of northern Europe — perhaps five or six thousand years old. Knitting is essentially the ability of taking a single length of yarn and looping it back against itself in order to make fabric and clothing. It was a simple, brilliant invention. And it can be quite beautiful. The idea of taking strands of yarn and creating something new, functional, and strong is a calming image as I listen to the needles clicking in my room. Especially given how the COP has been developing.
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Video: The Language of Climate Change Is the Language of Water

At a recent event sponsored by TERI and the Yale School of Forestry, WWF-US CEO Carter Roberts spoke to a small distinguished group in Denmark’s Kronborg Castle about the vulnerability of freshwater species and ecosystems — and communities and their livelihoods — to climate change. His key message: the language of climate change is the language of water. Listen to the language of climate change. This message has largely been missing from current discussions about how to prioritize climate change adaptation actions. This video was produced over the weekend from the event. 5 mins. Read More...
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Video: Voices on water, biodiversity, and COP15

The Dutch government and its environmental assessment agency organized a great series of events over two weeks here at the COP on climate adaptation issues. If you’re interested in water, it would be hard to leave the Holland Climate House. I’m involved in a total of four side events there, with one remaining. A video was produced from one of the events I participated in last week focusing on water, climate adaptation, and biodiversity issues in the negotiations (background material on the event itself is described here). Some nice quotes from a wide range of people!
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Teenage Angst at the COP: At the Hinge

A week of prelude is over. The real work has begun in Copenhagen.

Last week was intense, fast paced, and frantic. Most people here are profoundly exhausted. But we’re at the hinge now. Negotiation teams are shifting from delaying and positioning to taking firm and often oppositional stands. More senior level staff are engaging in the government delegations — and more loudly. The hinge of the week has turned.
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Asks for the COP: More Water, Please!

Much of the practice of creating climate resilient, sustainable water management is already well known and described in policy statements such as the Dublin Principles of 1992, The Hague Ministerial Declaration on Water Security of 2002, the Brisbane Declaration of 2007, the Nairobi Statement on Land and Water Management for Adaptation to Climate Change of 2009, and the Stockholm Message to Copenhagen of 2009. I stand proudly with these documents and their authors. A comprehensive international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the rate of climate change is essential. But as we approach international efforts to reduce the negative impacts of climate change, especially the COP15, I ask negotiators and policymakers to focus their efforts on climate adaptation on these principles:
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Trust: Why We're Here in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is very open city. For instance, it’s really rare to see a bike in a stand that’s been locked. This is amazing, given the actual number of bicycles here in Copenhagen. There are counters at some of the major intersections that show the number of bikes that have passed by that day, and walking past one of these counters around noon I saw that over 10,000 bikes had passed. And this is in weather that has been hovering around freezing, very windy, and extremely wet for the past week.
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Arrivals: The Beginning of Copenhagen

My first morning in Copenhagen, and I haven’t yet seen the light. Most of our delegation is staying in a hostel that a reviewer wondered if this is what a prison might look like if it had been designed by Ikea. It’s actually not that bad — I’ve stayed in much worse. And the beginning of a long stay in any place far from home always focuses on securing essentials and dealing with practicalities: unpacking, making sure you have the right plugs for your electronics, and laundry. Read More...
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