unfccc
UNFCCC Bonn water and climate change session
10/06/11 05:53
Side Event at the climate change conference in Bonn: Water, Climate and Development: Towards COP 17
Time: 13 June 2011, Monday, 18:15-19:45 pm Place: Room METRO (MoT)
To meet the commitments related to water resources in the Convention and the Cancun Agreements, concrete actions by the Parties are urgently required. The projected impacts of water related hazards due to climate change include: sea level
rise; melting of snow and ice; changes in the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts; and changes to ecosystems and biodiversity patterns.
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Time: 13 June 2011, Monday, 18:15-19:45 pm Place: Room METRO (MoT)
To meet the commitments related to water resources in the Convention and the Cancun Agreements, concrete actions by the Parties are urgently required. The projected impacts of water related hazards due to climate change include: sea level
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UNFCCC update from Bonn: Substance in the SBSTA?
09/06/11 09:46
Recent entries here have described a process which has been in preparation for some time but is now, finally, under active debate in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): the development of a coherent “water program” under a group called the SBSTA to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation activities. Background entries can be found here and here.
Alex Simalabwi is the UNFCCC negotiator at the Global Water Partnership and he was a fellow rapporteur on the “coping with climate change” theme last year at Stockholm World Water Week (you can see us pictured together in the report we put together). Alex is now in Bonn at the UNFCCC meeting and has been sending reports to a small group of colleagues about the SBSTA meetings over recent days.
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Alex Simalabwi is the UNFCCC negotiator at the Global Water Partnership and he was a fellow rapporteur on the “coping with climate change” theme last year at Stockholm World Water Week (you can see us pictured together in the report we put together). Alex is now in Bonn at the UNFCCC meeting and has been sending reports to a small group of colleagues about the SBSTA meetings over recent days.
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Water & Climate Coalition: How do we get water into the UN Bonn meeting?
31/05/11 12:32
As a folllowup to the broad issues I describe in another recent entry, I’ve included below the text from a briefing document prepared by the Water and Climate Coalition (http://waterclimatecoalition.org) that describes how water should be targeted during the upcoming UN Framework Climate Change Convention meeting in Bonn, which begins next week. While somewhat legalistic and formal, this is an excellent means of describing how water can be approached in a practical framework from both mitigation and adaptation perspectives in global climate change policy. Read More...
The UN's Climate Policy: Integration at Last?
29/05/11 12:34
While sitting on a panel at the international Dialog for Water and Climate, I stated something along the lines that one of the reasons the water community was really interested in the UN’s climate policies was that we were afraid of the UN making our work around water management even harder than it was. It’s hard to get water right, and the UN’s climate change convention has historically been posed to hurt water and all that water touches — agriculture, energy, the environment. Thus, our primary reason to be involved was to minimize the negative impacts of climate policy. On the other hand, I said, there is actually a small chance that the UN could play a positive role and really bring a lot of coherence and integration to water management.
Well, the chance for doing something good is about to come up. In a few short weeks, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC) will have one of its intersessional meetings in Bonn, Germany. The global water community is focusing hard on a critical vote that will occur during this meeting -- the outcome of over a year of hard lobbying and coordination between a large group of organizations, particularly the Water and Climate Coalition. Read More...
Well, the chance for doing something good is about to come up. In a few short weeks, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC) will have one of its intersessional meetings in Bonn, Germany. The global water community is focusing hard on a critical vote that will occur during this meeting -- the outcome of over a year of hard lobbying and coordination between a large group of organizations, particularly the Water and Climate Coalition. Read More...
UN must act soon to address threats on water in Africa, globally
22/03/11 19:04
As water in Africa is under grave pressure from climate change, and these threats will become more severe and complex in coming decades, the United Nations climate change body (UNFCCC) must formally address the need to integrate water issues with development aid, adjustment to climate change impacts, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This was the joint message from African ministers and water experts attending a three-day UN-Habitat World Water Day conference in Cape Town.
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Guest blog: "Loss & damage" and adaptation at COP16
09/12/10 09:11
Sandeep Chamling Rai, WWF-International, lead climate adaptation negotiator for WWF
Even with ambitious mitigation and adaptation efforts take us off business-as-usual trajectory with 4+ degrees Celsius there will still be residual loss and damage resulting from climate change impacts due to existing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Impacts such as sea level rise, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, land and forest degradation in many or all cases cannot be prevented. An international mechanism on “Loss and Damage” would address the question of how to compensate for climate impacts that simply cannot be avoided and those that are irrevocable.
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Even with ambitious mitigation and adaptation efforts take us off business-as-usual trajectory with 4+ degrees Celsius there will still be residual loss and damage resulting from climate change impacts due to existing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Impacts such as sea level rise, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, land and forest degradation in many or all cases cannot be prevented. An international mechanism on “Loss and Damage” would address the question of how to compensate for climate impacts that simply cannot be avoided and those that are irrevocable.
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Guest blog: Bridging the water & climate divide
08/12/10 08:49
Hannah Stoddart, Head of Policy and Advocacy, Stakeholder Forum
The closing plenary of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on Saturday 4th December represented a major breakthrough for water in relation to the UNFCCC. Six countries, from across three continents, proposed that water be addressed as an agenda item under the next session of the SBSTA in June 2011.
The proposal was put forward by Ecuador and Sudan, and supported by Chile, El Salvador, Sierra Leone and Syria. This is the first time that countries have called for water to put on the global climate agenda, and should be seen as a major achievement.
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The closing plenary of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on Saturday 4th December represented a major breakthrough for water in relation to the UNFCCC. Six countries, from across three continents, proposed that water be addressed as an agenda item under the next session of the SBSTA in June 2011.
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COP16: Minsterial-presidential high-level panel on water & climate
07/12/10 11:09
Program of the High-Level Panel on Water and Climate Change
Mexican Pavilion, Cancunmesse, Cancun, Mexico Wednesday December 8, 9:00 – 11:00
Aims and objectives:
Present the key messages coming from the first week of the Dialogs for Water and Climate (D4WCC), for them to be debated between a select group of decision-makers made up of representatives of national governments, intergovernmental organizations, IFIs and NGOs.
Reinforce the political commitment needed for water-based adaptation to climate change to be formally recognized as a necessary measure to face the growing consequences of climate change, which will further help the climate change adaptation debate.
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Mexican Pavilion, Cancunmesse, Cancun, Mexico Wednesday December 8, 9:00 – 11:00
Aims and objectives:
Present the key messages coming from the first week of the Dialogs for Water and Climate (D4WCC), for them to be debated between a select group of decision-makers made up of representatives of national governments, intergovernmental organizations, IFIs and NGOs.
Reinforce the political commitment needed for water-based adaptation to climate change to be formally recognized as a necessary measure to face the growing consequences of climate change, which will further help the climate change adaptation debate.
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COP16: A little progress on water
06/12/10 09:23
On Saturday night, a Chilean negotiator saw me at a party and ran over and gave me a huge, celebratory hug. I handed him a huge margarita. We toasted in the name of el Agua. Why would this happen? I can promise it was not my svelte, smooth sense of fashion and style.
The reason is that on Saturday, after long lobbying, Ecuador moved that water be added to the SBSTA under the UN climate group (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC). Six nations stood up with Ecuador. About 10 others were prepared to follow up with that. And, tacitly, many others supported the motion too.
Why does that matter? Read More...
The reason is that on Saturday, after long lobbying, Ecuador moved that water be added to the SBSTA under the UN climate group (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC). Six nations stood up with Ecuador. About 10 others were prepared to follow up with that. And, tacitly, many others supported the motion too.
Why does that matter? Read More...
Guest blog: Water begins to enter the UN climate negotiations
06/12/10 09:15
Countries Call for Water to be Addressed in the Climate Negotiations
by Lovisa Selander, SIWI
Over the weekend, six countries from around the world at COP16, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, called for water to be put on the climate agenda. The countries highlighted the fact that climate change stands to have a significant impact on water resources, and stressed the need for further discussions on how this issue can be addressed within the climate framework. Read More...
by Lovisa Selander, SIWI
Over the weekend, six countries from around the world at COP16, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, called for water to be put on the climate agenda. The countries highlighted the fact that climate change stands to have a significant impact on water resources, and stressed the need for further discussions on how this issue can be addressed within the climate framework. Read More...
COP16: GWP climate-water session
05/12/10 16:11
Side Event at COP16, Cancun, Mexico on 6 December 2010
Water, Climate and Development: Linking up Development Agendas and Putting Water Security First
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COP16: Dialogs for Water & Climate Change in Cancun
30/11/10 09:14
Please accept an invitation to take part in the Dialogs for Water and Climate Change (D4WCC) on the occasion of the COP 16, a series of events organized between December 1st and 6th by a group of partners, led by the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA), and including specific segments organized by the Mexican Federal Government, the World Bank, UN Water, IDB, and other partners. You will find more information on the events on www.d4wcc.org.mx.
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COP16: Water & Climate Coalition events
29/11/10 12:48
Welcome to the Water and Climate Coalition’s Events at COP-16, Cancun
Coalition session as part of CONAGUA Dialogues on Water and Climate Change
Time: Friday 3rd December, 2.15pm
Place: Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Hotel
This session, hosted by the Water and Climate Coalition, will make concrete proposals on how the issues raised and addressed in the CONAGUA Water and Climate Dialogues can be translated into political commitments under the UNFCCC. Speakers include:
• Hannah Stoddart/Karin Lexen – Water and Climate Coalition Secretariat
• Hugo Von Meijenfelt, Climate Envoy, Netherlands
• Adrián Fernández, Mexico’s National Ecological Institute
• South Africa Delegation Representative (tbc)
• Civil Society representative (Progressio)
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COP16 and Global Adaptation Policy: Feliz Navidad for Opportunties in 2010?
09/11/10 19:22
The global climate change policy landscape is littered with acronyms and insider language that’s not friendly to newcomers. Additionality, technology transfer, COPs, REDD versus REDD+ (and REDD++)… the terminology is messy and has a steep learning curve that often obscures the actual issues at stake. But these issues are quite important to understand for interested citizens. Here, I’d like to focus on an upcoming opportunity around the international climate change policy meetings scheduled for December in Mexico. This is a long entry, but the issues are complex and non-intuitive. I beg for patience. For those new to climate change policies at a global level, I have provided a simple background paragraph to frame some of the necessary terms.
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Briefing paper: the road to COP16
13/06/10 12:50
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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A Cold Controversy: Himalayan Glaciers
05/01/10 16:17
A controversy has been brewing over glaciers and climate change, especially the glaciers of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, a vast region that spans India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, the Tibetan region of China, and other parts of China too. The conflict began last November after the Indian government produced a report on their part of the Himalayas, focusing on how the leading edges of their glaciers (called the snout) have been trending over the past century or so. Were the snouts advancing? Retreating? Using many lines of evidence, the report stated that the snouts of their glaciers were mostly retreating, but some were advancing. The most important conclusion of the report was that the movement of the snouts did not seem to be related to climate change.
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Video: Red Eyes in Copenhagen: Adaptation at COP15
27/12/09 08:26
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.
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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.
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A Final COP Postcard: The Longest Day
21/12/09 08:07
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
17/12/09 06:47
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. Read More...
Joining the Strands at the COP
16/12/09 09:15
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
14/12/09 04:04
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. Read More...
Video: Voices on water, biodiversity, and COP15
14/12/09 00:35
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. Read More...
Teenage Angst at the COP: At the Hinge
14/12/09 00:02
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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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!
08/12/09 04:06
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
08/12/09 03:55
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
07/12/09 00:04
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...
The Watery Road to Copenhagen: Video Interviews from World Water Week
26/08/09 05:38
The water community gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 2009 to discuss emerging and critical issues, and adapting to climate change was easily one of the most prominent topics discussed. Read More...
The Watery Road to Copenhagen: Podcast with Three Groups
18/08/09 06:58
Lets take two scenarios. On the 18th of December, the world walks away with a new global deal on climate change. The agreement includes progressive emission targets for rich countries, nationally appropriate mitigation strategies for developing countries, financing for adaptation and a good institutional framework. Read More...
Guest Blog: An Urgent Update and Message on Waxman-Markey
24/06/09 14:38
The Road to Copenhagen 1: Setting the Agenda in Bonn
03/06/09 09:50
The next stage in the process leading up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Copenhagen meeting (usually referred to as a “cop” or council or consultation of the signatory parties) began this week in Bonn, Germany. I’m not able to attend, but the process is important and I’ve been receiving almost hourly updates from colleagues there. You can see some of their progress and concerns on a video blog in order to get an idea of what being there is like. The most obvious issues are US climate mitigation policy, such as the Waxman/Markey bill (discussed in previous entries). But climate adaptation finance — the “adaptation fund” — is showing up a big second topic as well. Some background on adaptation finance was covered as well in previous entries here indirectly and here for more general issues. However, a “side event” has been planned to continue the process associated with the Nairobi Guiding Principles for freshwater adaptation and the water sector. What are those goals? And why does Bonn matter? Read More...
