Durban 2012 COP17 Climate Summit Report

Charles Agboklu of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana and coordinator of the Religious Bodies network on Climate Change has written an informative report about the Durban conference for the All African Conference of Churches.

Excerpt:

Faith Based Organizations share in the sentiments and actions that will make equity, justice and ethical considerations central to future global negotiations. Alliances with independent bodies that share like minds on our common humanity are a sure way forward to impressing on the polluting nations that there is no substitute to planet earth. All actions must therefore be geared towards strengthening the VOICE for the demands of equity, justice and fair play during future Conference of Parties.

To download the full report (pdf file) click here.

Radio Interview about COP 17 Durban

Adrian Shaw form the Church of Scotland Climate Change project and Eco-Congregation Scotland spoke to Cathy MacDonald on her radio show last sunday about the Durban conference.

You can listen to the interview here:



Or download it here.

Durban Diaries 1

Filed From Durban By
Mr. Charles Agboklu
Coordinator
Religious Bodies Network On Climate Change. [RELBONET]
Ghana.


29TH NOV. 2011


COP 17 - DURBAN SNAPSHOTS
COP 17 kicked off in grand style on Monday, the 28th November, in Durban. The first day was used to sort out agendas and procedural matters for the start of real business among the Parties. Civil Society Action was also fully on display, calling attention of delegates and negotiators to the crucial issues that they need to pay attention to for the achievement of positive outcomes.
All the UNFCCC BODIES that are charged with the responsibilities to negotiate and deliver a fair, ambitious and equitable outcome in Durban were subsequently cranked into action.
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice [SBSTA] that is responsible for the Science of Climate Change and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation [SBI] responsible for the implementation of COP decisions went into session immediately.

SBI PLENARY
The Plenary Session of the SBI was chaired by her Excellency, Nkoana- Mashabane of South Africa who is the President of COP 17. The Plenary session was mainly devoted to seeking the opinion of the various political blocks represented in the SBI on the core issues of climate change that relates to them for consideration.
The President called out the PARTIES in turns to make very brief comments and submissions from their various countries and blocks on the issues.

• ARGENTINA representing the Group of 77 + China expressed concern about the increase in GHG [Green House Gases] by the industrialized countries [Annex 1] even as the debate on Climate Change rages on. She indicated that the shifting of goalposts by Annex 1 countries on to developing nations on mitigation actions and reduction of emissions is unacceptable.
• Argentina supports the maintenance of reports on technical reviews on the emission targets and also called on the Annex 1 countries to provide the necessary financial resources needed by developing countries to tackle their problems and also prepare their National Communications as demanded of them.
• THE GAMBIA representing the Least Developed Countries [LDC] supports the early completion of National Adaptation Plans and called on the Global Environment Fund [GEF] to expedite action on the funding of the plans, devoid of any discrimination.
• GRENADA speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States [AOSIS] supported the statements from Argentina and the Gambia and said time was running out for the AOSIS since they were already experiencing very extreme weather effects that needed immediate action.

PRESS BRIEFING BY THE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK [C.A.N.]
C.A.N. organized a press briefing to highlight concerns about the delay in signing up to the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol [KP]. The panel was made up of members representing the Green Peace, Oxfam, Christian Aid and C.A.N.

• The Representative from Green Peace said that the African soil should not become the graveyard for the Kyoto Protocol. He emphasized that the KP remains the only global model and roadmap which should be followed to its logical conclusion. The panel further called on the EU to show commitment and defend the KP, listen to the AOSIS states and re-launch onto the KP talks.
• Oxfam opined that it was crucial for COP 17 to see finality to the establishment of the Green Climate Fund as demanded by the Cancun Agreement.
• Christian Aid indicated that DURBAN should be the birthplace of a second commitment period of the KP

30TH NOV 2011
SIDE EVENT – GENDER AND REDD+ ROADMAPS
The International Union for Conservation of Nature [I.U.C.N.] and the Women’s Environment & Development Organization [WEDO] organized a side event to share the results of a study on Gender and REDD+ conducted in Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon.
The study indicated that Gender considerations are essential to the successful outcome of any REDD+ Initiatives. They indicated that as all countries move towards a Green Economy, it was crucial for all to move away from the previous attitudes of non-inclusiveness of women in decision making processes and create space for Gender Equality in programming and also balance the equation between men and women.

• There was the need to scale up women business enterprises from the micro to the macro level since studies reveal that when women create businesses and lead them they result into greater productivity.
• The study emphasized the need to engage women in the REDD+ preparedness initiatives from the very beginning and not later.
• The study recommended the involvement of women in policy issues from the local, national to international levels, build their capacity to become competitive, have access to finance, work together to achieve bottom – up approaches, participate in project design and implementation.

The study concluded that Gender Equality and Empowerment is critical to sustainable and economic development; therefore involving women in REDD+ Initiatives will increase productivity and close the Gender Gap.

AD - HOC WORKING GROUP ON LONG-TERM COOPERATIVE ACTION [AWG-LCA] ON ENHANCED ACTION ON ADAPTATION
The AWG – LCA which is one of the negotiation tracks according to the Bali Plan of Action held a meeting of the parties and observers.
The purpose of the meeting was to move the process for an Enhanced Action on Adaptation forward since their last consultations in Panama.
The facilitator opened the meeting by recalling the process they adopted in Panama  and recommended that if all parties agree, they could then adopt that methodology.
He called on the negotiators to consider harmonizing compatible texts in order to reduce the volume of texts without losing their original meanings.
Countries were then called one after the other for their comments on the way forward that would enable the committee come up with a draft text for the consideration of the PARTIES IN COP 17.
Mexico and Ghana, on behalf of the Group of 77 + China indicated that they were interested in moving the process forward, while negotiators should maintain an open mind to be able to recognize any new issues that might likely arise between Panama and Durban.
The negotiator from Georgia, reminded the Chairman about a previous submission that  there were some Nine ( 9) states in Eastern Europe that neither belong to the Group of 77 + China nor the [LDC’S] and that due recognition be taken of this fact that should not be forgotten during the consideration and consolidation of the text stages.
The representative from the Philippines advised that all the consultations should continue in the spirit they all exhibited in Panama to allow for an early accomplishment of their assignment.
The Parties are to meet again on Saturday to move the negotiations forward.

World Council of Churches calls for further action on climate change

A new UN Conference on Climate Change will take place in Durban in 28 November– 10 December. As part of this WCC general secretary, the Rev Dr Olav Fykse-Tveit has called for :

1. A Second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (the only legally binding instrument we have up to now setting clear targets for greenhouse gas emissions).
2. A clear mandate to conclude negotiations on a legally binding instrument or instruments by 2015. Under the Long term Cooperative Action steps must be made to ensure that a binding legal regime where the UNFCCC principles, especially of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities, future generations, and sustainable developments prevail.
3. A set of measures to operationalize the Green Climate Fund, realizing the promise of the Cancun Agreements in order that it can become an effective tool for adaptation in the most vulnerable regions.

Rev Dr Olav Fykse-Tveit said:

Although many of us were impressed by the churches’ and civil society’s mobilization in Copenhagen at COP15, where I had the opportunity to be present, the Conference failed to adequately respond to the climate challenges. Last year, in COP 16 in Cancun, governments came to an agreement that brought back the possibility of international negotiations on the climate regime. But this was not enough.

Churches are very involved in lobbying the conference. A student from Strathclyde University is taking part in the Justice Africa Mission. You can find out more about this here.

Article from Daily Graphic newspaper of Ghana

An article was published recently in the Daily Graphic newspaper in Ghana. Written by Charles Agboklu of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana it explains how the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance has sought to influence decision makers at COP17 in Durban.

........The major issues that are of great concern to Africa as represented in PACJA considerations  include the drastic reduction of Green House Gases (GHG)  that are responsible for global warming as provided for in the Kyoto Protocol,  unimpeded access to global adaptation and mitigation funds,  finance, technology transfer and capacity building . Other concerns include the structure and allocation of global climatefunds, unredeemed pledges made by the developed industrial countries, [Annex 1] since Copenhagen, composition of governing boards for the implementation of the Africa Green Fund and other ancillary issues. Regarding global warming, PACJA insists that global temperatures caused by polluting countries in the North be drastically reduced to well below 1.5 degrees as prescribed by climate scientists under the UNFCCC.  PACJA further argues that any increase beyond 1.5 is injurious to Africa which is already reeling under the current levels and will have dire consequences for agriculture, health and food security. Climate science has proved that any further increases in global mean temperatures will result in temperature rise which is one and half times more in Africa than any other continent. Africa is therefore in the frontline of the devastating effects of climate change as already being experienced through persistent floods, extensive coastal erosion, prolonged droughts, very low agricultural yields  and crop failures in some African countries even though it is the least emitting continent of Green House Gases. 

You can read the full article here (PDF file):

http://uploads.ecocongregationscotland.org/assets/roadmap-to-durban-final1.pdf

If you are interested in the Durban conference, one of our supporters called Claire is travelling with the Caravan of Hope. You can read about what she is doing here.

Guest post: Climate Justice Africa Mission

Dear EcoCongregation Scotland blog readers,

Gordon has kindly invited me to share my African Climate Justice Mission blog on this site, and I will be sharing posts from my blog here, as I travel with a caravan of 160 young Africans and young people from around the world, to take a message of Climate Justice and sustainability to our world leaders at the United Nations (UN) Climate negotiations in Durban this year.

I am currently in Nairobi, and the Regional African Youth Climate Conference, before the caravan leaves on Monday, for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and finally South Africa. The first sessions in the conference have been totally inspiring and empowering, as young people have stepped up to speak about their projects, share experience of Climate Change causing food and water shortages in their communities, and how they are trying to adapt. Our mission on the caravan is to share knowledge and spread conversation and awareness about Climate Change, and importantly collect an ambitious 250,000 signatures on our petition to call the UN world leaders to a fair binding treaty at Durban. The African voice needs to be heard, since these are the people who are feeling the impacts of Climate Change the hardest. Our campaign is "We Have Faith: Act Now for Climate Justice!"

Once we arrive in Durban, we will be joining thousands of other young people to lobby and campaign around the main UNFCCC negotiations. I will also be participating in a leadership training programme (Youth for Eco-Justice) by the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation for 28 young Christians from all over the world to initiate and build environmental and sustainability projects in our countries and around the world. I am hoping to work with EcoCongregation and other organisations in the UK, and form strong partnerships, particularly with young people, who must take charge of the future. For me, this journey is a study break in my Wind Energy PhD at Strathclyde University, and I am currently representing the UK Youth Climate Coalition in Africa, until I join the rest of the UKYCC delegation in Durban, once the caravan arrives.

There is an opportunity to support the African cause and the caravan on my blog, and I hope to keep in touch with all the UK networks and projects, while I am on this 6-week mission. I look forward to working with EcoCongregation and many other organisations and initiatives on my return to the UK.