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COP9 : An Overview
Kalipada Chatterjee
The
Ninth Conference of the Parties (CoP9) of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held at Milan,
Italy, during 1-12 December, 2003. The Nineteenth session of the
CoP Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)
and Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) was also held along
with it to provide support on ST&I.
Over 5000 delegates
from 170 governments, Observer States, 312 intergovernmental, non
governmental and other observer organisations and 197 media attended
the Conference.
Souths Growing Share of Global
Emissions
The Climate Change
Convention recognized that the largest share of historical and
current global emissions of greenhouse gases has originated in
developed countries. The per capita emission in developing countries
is still relatively low and the share of global emissions in
developing country will grow to meet their social and development
needs. The Convention also acknowledged the global nature of
climate change, which calls for the widest possible cooperation of
all nations, in accordance with their common but differentiated
responsibilities.
The ultimate objective of the Convention is stabilization of
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
This goal has to be achieved within a time-frame that is sufficient
enough to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change and
ensure that the food production is not hampered and economic
development proceeds in a sustainable manner.
The UNFCCC entered into force on 21st March,1994 and has
now 188 Parties (as on CoP9).
A serious threat to sustainable
development
Climate change is
considered one of the most serious threats to sustainable
development. The assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel Climate
Change (IPCC) and other relevant studies in many countries have
expressed their concern over the adverse impact of climate change on
human health, food security, economic development, water and other
natural resources, coastal habitat and infrastructure. In fact,
signals of climate change are already visible around the world as
could be witnessed from the devastation by the super cyclone
(October 1999) of Orissa (India); one of the worst droughts hitting
India, during the summer of 2002;and severe heat waves over some
parts of Europe during the summer of 2003.
The Kyoto
Protocol
The Protocol to the Convention on Climate Change was adopted during
CoP3 in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. The Protocol was opened for signature
on 16 March 1998, to come into force 90 days after its ratification
by at least 55 Parties (member countries) to the Convention,
accounting for at least 55% of the total 1990 carbondioxide
equivalent emissions from the developed countries. To date, 120
Parties have ratified the Protocol, including 32 Annex I Parties
representing 44.2% of the emissions. The Protocol commits developed
countries and countries in an economic transition to achieve
quantified emission reduction targets.
These countries (Annex I) agreed to reduce their overall emissions
of the six greenhouse gases (carbondioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
HFCs, PFCs and SF6) by at least 5.2% below 1990 levels,
during the first commitment period between 2008 and 2012. This
reduction of emissions is to be achieved mainly through strong
domestic actions by the developed countries. To make the process
cost effective, three flexibility mechanisms have been introduced in
the Protocol. They are: Joint Implementation (JI) among Annex I
countries; Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) between developed and
developing countries; and Emission Trading (ET) between developed
countries.
The CDM is of specific importance to the developing countries to
assist these countries in achieving sustainable development and in
contributing the ultimate objective of the Convention, as well as
assisting Annex I countries in attaining compliance with their
qualified emission limitation and reduction commitments (QELRCs).
Miklos Persanyi, Minister of Environment and Water, Hungary was
elected as CoP9 President by acclamation. The CoP9 President
highlighted the efforts in developing countries to implement
climate-friendly production patterns. He stressed that although the
Protocol has not yet entered into force, its ratification by so many
Parties demonstrates its significance and importance. In fact,
regardless of lack of significant progress, vigorous efforts to
address the adverse impacts of climate change are already underway
and are gaining momentum.
Round-Table
Discussions
SBI in its 18th
Session recommended organising round-table discussions to serve as a
vehicle for the ministers and heads of the delegations to exchange
their views during CoP9.
CoP9 decided upon three round-table discussions on the following
themes:
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Climate Change
adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development on 10
December, 2003; |
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Technology,
including technology use and development and transfer of
technologies, on 11 December 2003; and |
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Assessment of
progress at the national, regional and international levels to
fulfil the promise and objectives enshrined in the Climate
Change agreements, including scientific policy and financial
aspects on the 11 December, 2003. (See Box for Round Table
details)
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Some Interesting Conclusions of
Round Table Discussions |
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Round Table I:
Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development
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Climate Change remains the most
important global challenge for humanity. |
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Adverse effects of climate
change are a reality in all parts of the world. |
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Urgent and coordinated action
is needed by all nations, taking into account their special
circumstances and common but differentiated responsibilities. |
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The implementation of
mitigation and adaptation measures, in the context of national
policies for sustainable development, involves the realization
of synergy and complementarity between economic growth, poverty
alleviation and environmental protection. |
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The importance of the clean
development mechanism as an instrument for capacity building was
clearly brought out. |
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A coherent mitigation strategy
over time would require measures to improve energy efficiency,
application of renewable energy technologies and development of
new technologies for the next decade. |
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Importance of capacity of local
communities to cope with adverse effects of climate change. |
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Scarcity of
resources in developing
countries
is putting severe restrictions / limitation on
the implementation of adaptation & mitigation measures. |
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Developing countries need more
funding from developed countries to develop capacity and
incentives to successfully implement the Convention and its
Protocol. |
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Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)
must be operational at the earliest with priority for
Adaptation. |
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Round Table II: Technology,
Technology Development & Technology Transfer
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The Round Table highlighted the
need for sustainable economic growth to alleviate poverty and
promote social development. |
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Developed countries were asked
to provide precise information on the technologies being
transferred to developing countries to build an inventory of
technologies and the need for focus on areas such as
agriculture, water, coastal zone and public health. |
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Technology transfer,
development and cooperation cannot be left only to the dynamics
of the private sector. |
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Expert Group on TT (EGTT) needs
to be actively involved in analysis, success and failures in TT
in order to replicate success stories. |
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Round Table III:
Fulfilling the Promise and Objectives Enshrined in the Climate
Change Agreements
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Much more needs to be done in
order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of GHGs at a level
that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system |
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We need (all nations) to
develop a road map to achieve this |
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Policies and measures to
decouple economic growth and growth in emissions in addition to
achieving social and environmental benefits |
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More financial assistance is
required by developing countries to support their efforts to
address climate change |
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There is still a huge gap
between what is needed and what is available, particularly in
the areas of adaptation |
National
Communication from Parties
Analysis of the national
communications from Annex I Parties showed the aggregate GHG
emissions of the Annex I Parties in 2000 were below their 1990
levels, largely because of the decrease in emissions from country
with economies in transition. Further, the analysis showed that in
the absence of additional measures, the aggregate emissions from
these countries (including emissions from the country with economies
in transition) are expected to increase in the period 2000-2010.
Forests and CDM
An important decision taken in CoP9
is to include carbon sequestration through afforestation and
reforestation as CDM project activity and non-Annex I Party may host
such a CDM project if it has been selected and reported to the CDM
Executive Board. Such small scale project activities are there that
are expected to result in net GHG removals by a sink of less than 8
Kt of Co2 per year and are developed and implemented by
low-income communities and individuals as determined by host Party
excess removals will not be eligible for the issue of tCER
(temporary CER). Such tCERs expires at the end of the commitment
period following the one during which it was issued.
CoP9 also decided that SBSTA will prepare a draft on simplified
modality and procedures for small scale afforestation and
reforestation project activity for consideration of CoP10 for the
first commitment period of the Protocol (2008-2012).
Project boundary geographically delineates the afforestation or
reforestation project activity under control of the project
participants it may contain more than one discrete area of land.
For such CDM projects, baseline net GHG removals by sinks is the sum
of the verifiable changes in carbon stock in the carbon pool (above
ground biomass, below ground biomass, litter, etc.) within the
project boundary that would have occurred in the absence of project
activity. In such CDM project activity long term CER is issued
which expires at the end of the crediting period of a
forestation or reforestation project activity for which it was
issued.
Side Events
CoP9 had over 100 side events.
These side events provided considerable food for thought, innovative
thinking and are likely to influence climate change negotiations in
future. It is worth mentioning that a large number of these side
events were on CDM and related issues emphasizing the importance of
the Clean Development Mechanism in addressing the sustainable
development issues in the developing countries as well as benefits
that would accrue in term of transfer of technologies, foreign
direct investment, and an opportunity for capacity building in
dealing with issues on climate change and internalizing such issues
in their development programmes. For this article, only few of
these side events have been chosen and their outcomes have been
briefly discussed.
Conclusion
Due to the uncertainty of Russian
ratification of the Protocol and the Protocol entering into force,
there was dampening of the sprit but yet the deliberations in CoP9,
including side events, once again demonstrated without doubt that
climate change is considered as one of the most serious threats to
sustainable development, human health, food security economic
activity, water and other national resource and infrastructure.
Such a threat of global dimension must be addressed globally by all
the Member nations in accordance with their common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and
their social and economic conditions.
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