Germany will increase its financial aid for developing countries in the fight against climate change, German Environment Minister, Svenja Schulze, said on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

Germany will increase its financial aid by €70 million (479 million), in what Schulze said is “a symbol of solidarity.”

“Those who suffer most under climate change are the ones who have contributed the least to it happening,” she said.

She was speaking at a UN climate conference in Katowice, during which delegates from around 200 states are focusing on fleshing out a rulebook for financing and implementing the 2015 Paris agreement.

The Paris pact provides an outline for countries working together to limit the Earth’s warming to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

Most efforts to prevent the planet heating up relate to stopping the release of greenhouse gases as soon as possible.

The rulebook is set to be agreed upon by Friday – however, if necessary, the climate conference could end up taking longer than planned.

Germany is the main contributor to the fund for developing countries faced with dealing with climate change.

So far, it has invested €240 million overall.

Schulze was due to hold a speech at the conference on Tuesday afternoon, in which she would highlight Germany’s further efforts to combat climate change.

Independent public research and advocacy think tank based in New Delhi, India, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), believes that the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that is ongoing in Katowice, Poland, is heading towards a weak outcome.

CSE analysts attending the global negotiations say there are major disagreements between Parties on a wide range of major and minor issues, and that there is little time left to bridge those disagreements.

“Considering that the Paris Agreement itself is a weak regime, having a weaker rulebook will make it inconsequential. This is something that the world cannot afford. It would be a better choice to have no rulebook here at Katowice than have a weak, ineffectual rulebook,” said Chandra Bhushan, the CSE deputy director general, who is heading the group’s delegation at the COP.

CSE, COP-watcher and analyst organisation, is recommending that countries should work for another year to develop a consensus on a robust and meaningful rulebook and then finalise it by 2019.

Contested terrains

The disagreements at Katowice run across the entire rulebook. Major points of contest relate to the issue of differentiation between developed and developing countries:

Equity

There are a few elements under the Paris Agreement where equity between the countries must get operationalised. These include communication on NDCs, ex-ante provision and review of financial commitments, and global stocktake on collective progress to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The process of operationalising equity has become a serious bone of contention between developed and developing countries. Developed countries are opposing an ex-ante review of their financial commitments and operationalisation of equity in GST. In fact, there is not even a consensus on what “finance” should mean.

Transparency

How would flexibility (less stringent reporting requirements) be reflected in the transparency framework is another issue of concern. While the US and EU have pushed for selective flexibility meant only for least developed countries and island states, India and China are demanding flexibility for all developing countries.

Reporting on NDCs

The current set of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are heterogenous. There is a need for clarity and guidance on standards to make the NDCs standardised for easier assessment and comparability. However, there has been no agreement on common time frames, baselines, scope or technical duration of NDCs.

Adaptation and loss and damage

Developed countries have opposed provision of finance in implementation of adaptation communications, while developing countries have sought parity of mitigation and adaptation finance. Developing countries are fighting hard for inclusion of loss and damage as sources of input under the Global Stocktake process, as also its inclusion under the transparency framework for reporting of action and support; developed countries are opposing it.

The discussions on other issues including new market mechanisms are likely to be pushed down to next year owing to greater technicalities and complexities in different countries’ stances.

The IPCC Special Report on 1.5^oC makes it clear that the 2^oC threshold referred to in the Paris Agreement is more dangerous than previously thought, and that unprecedented economic transformations are needed in the next decade to keep warming under the 1.5^oC benchmark. This requires rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and drastic curtailment of wasteful consumption.

According to the recently released UN Emission Gap Report, the level of ambition needs to be multiplied five-fold to stay under 1.5^oC. Even then, at Katowice, countries like US and Saudi Arabia are fighting over whether to welcome the IPCC Report or just take note of it under SBSTA. Further, there is not even a discussion happening on how to raise ambition, say CSE analysts.

“There is no discussion on how countries will revise and update their NDCs by 2020, which is critical to keep temperature increase within liveable limits,” says Vijeta Rattani, programme manager-climate change, CSE.

“The bottomline is that countries are sparring even on procedures. For example, they failed to reach a consensus on the adoption of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5^oC, which was commissioned under the Paris Agreement. All this shows that countries are not ready and willing for a meaningful negotiation. In such a situation, forcing a weak rulebook in the name of consensus would be very harmful for the world,” added Bhushan.

The sports sector and UN Climate Change on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 launched the Sports for Climate Action Framework to gather sports organisations, teams, athletes, and fans in a concerted effort to raise awareness and action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Representatives of the diverse global sports industry, working with UN Climate Change over the past year, created the Framework to drive emission reductions of sports operations and tap the popularity and passion of sport to engage millions of fans in the effort.

The launch event, which took place on the margins of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, featured founding signatories: International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA, International Sailing Federation, World Surfing League, Forest Green Rovers Football Club, and the French Tennis Federation (Roland Garros), Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, and Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

“The IOC is proud to have taken on a leadership role in the Sports for Climate Action Initiative,” said HSH Prince Albert II, Chair of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission, speaking at the event. “With its global reach, universal appeal and the power to inspire and influence millions of people around the globe, sport is uniquely placed to drive global climate action and encourage crowds to join in. As countries here in Katowice prepare to turn their climate commitments into reality, we stand ready to leverage the power of sport to support their efforts.”

The Framework has two overarching objectives: achieving a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change and using sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action among global citizens.

Sports organisations recognise in the Framework that they need to take an active part in achieving the goal of the Paris Agreement, climate neutrality by mid-century, and they see their climate efforts also contributing to the broader Sustainable Development Goals.

“You recognise that because you’ve built significant global trust and moral leadership, and because sports touches on every cross-section of society, you can drive positive change throughout the world,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. “I’m here to encourage you to use your significant global leadership position to help us address the greatest challenge of our time: climate change.”

Sports produces climate-changing emissions in many ways, through associated travel, energy use, construction of venues, catering, and other ways. Work has in fact already begun. The International Olympic Committee and UN Climate Change have cooperated in the production of a climate action guide – “Sustainability Essentials: Sports for Climate Action” – for use by sports federations and others, which was released at the event.

As part of IOC’s contribution to the initiative, IOC also released at COP24: “Carbon Footprint Methodology for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games”, which provides detailed guidance to the Organising Committees on how to measure the carbon footprint of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Together, these publications provide essential guidance for how to make sports more sustainable and climate smart and are an essential initial input to the new initiative.

The sports sector accepts its responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goal of the Paris Agreement – limiting global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for the safer 1.5-degree target. Sports for Climate Action now invites sports organizations, governing bodies, federations, leagues, and clubs to join this initiative by uniting behind a set of principles to get on track for the net-zero emissions economy of 2050.

“Our commitment to protecting our climate remains unwavering. We recognize the critical need for everyone to help implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate the change needed to reach greenhouse gas emission neutrality in the second half of the 21st century,” said FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura. “FIFA welcomes the UN’s development of the Sports for Climate Action Framework, and I am pleased to confirm that FIFA will support the vision outlined in the new framework.”

Sport also recognises its unique, indeed unparalleled, ability to inform and mobilise millions of people around a love of sport and admiration for their sport heroes.

“Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the planet. UEFA firmly believes that football, with its strong and ever-growing environmental conscience, in particular in areas such as sustainable event management, has a duty to play a role in addressing this issue. This is why we are happy to have the opportunity to sign the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

The 17 signatories who signed on to the framework are: International Olympic Committee, AC Fukushima United Co. Ltd., FIFA, Forest Green Rovers Football Club, Formula E, French Tennis Federation – Roland Garros, International Sailing Federation, Kamakura International Football Club and Gangsters, Kyoto University American Football Club, Kyoto University Football Club, Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Rugby League World Cup 2021, Sano High-School Rugby Club, Tokohu Ice Hockey Club Co., Ltd (Free Blades), Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, UEFA and World Surf League.

The sport sector believes it can do more by working together, according to the principles and objectives laid down in the Sports for Climate Action Framework.

In early 2019, the adopters of the Framework will be invited to form working groups to plan, pursue and enhance work under each of 16 principles laid out in the Framework.

Ministers arriving in Katowice this week for the UN climate talks have been called on to demonstrate their understanding of the current climate emergency through words but more importantly through actions.

Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace, who made the call on Monday, December 10, 2018, said ministers must anchor messages of the IPCC 1.5 report, ensure that the Paris rulebook drives ambition, and pledge greater financial support to aid the developing world calling on countries like Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and the EU countries to deliver on financial pledges.

Morgan expressed concern over the present COP Presidency, saying: “There is no working group on ambition. How can you be a COP President of all the countries in the world after the IPCC report and not set up a group to figure out a signal that needs to be sent here on ambition? We call on him to open up such a negotiating group and to get real about what’s happening on climate change.”

Apart from persistently blocking the current negotiations, the United States is said to be hosting a sideshow at COP24 supporting fossil fuels – and reportedly undermining its credibility in the negotiations. Observers expect the American ministers to struggle to find strong footing in the political discussions as a result of their ongoing disruptions of constructive climate dialogue.

However, the USA is also represented through the “We Are Still In Coalition”, which represents half of the domestic population and over $9.4 trillion in economic activity.

“The leadership that you can see at the US Climate Action Centre more accurately reflects the transition that is underway in the United States and should be the symbol that other ministers and the political leaders this week use to guide their own ambition for the future of the Paris Agreement,” said Lou Leonard, Vice President, Climate Change, WWF-US.

Saturday’s failure to acknowledge the IPCC 1.5 report in Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) should send a clear message to the arriving ministers that delivering a full ambition package is crucial in this week’s negotiations.

“Without ambition, without concrete actions to deal with the climate crisis, the most wonderful rulebook in the world wouldn’t make a difference,” said Jennifer Tollmann, Researcher, Climate Diplomacy, E3G.

“With regards to the rulebook we have seen progress being made, but we are now at a crossroads. Ministers may now strengthen it and add ambition as a concrete element or they can water down the rulebook, thus undermining the Paris regime. Today’s start on finance consultations is equally crucial in developing the rulebook groundwork on which ambition can be built. Further, Tollman highlighted the existing loopholes, transparency framework, and loss & damage and land use accounting which could undermine ambition. These need to be addressed in ernest to streamline options before presenting text to Ministers.”

Svitlana Romanko, EECCA Regional Coordinator, 350.org, spoke out against the Polish authorities attempts to silence civil society through arrests, detention and deportation. Several civil society activists have been detained and deported as they tried to reach Katowice for COP24. These events are starkly contrasted by today’s 70th anniversary of the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights. Romanko asked the UN to set clear and strict guidelines for hosts countries to prevent such repression and stop the arbitrary detention of civil society activists.

The first week of negotiations have reportedly failed to develop a backbone for climate finance. Kashmala Kakakhel, Climate Finance Specialist and Advisor, set expectations for week two by describing the four key elements that need to be discussed.

Kakakhel said: “Firstly, we need to acknowledge the rising costs of climate change and the imperative to put the needs of the people in the forefront. Secondly, although there are existing arguments that several hundred billion dollars are already being put into climate related initiatives, we need to consider the net value and the actual assistance seen on the ground.

“Thirdly, developed countries must stop blocking dialogue on post 2025 financial targets. If we ask countries to lay out plans till 2030 how can we not have a discussion on support for post-2025? Lastly, finance is the key driver for ambition and we need to see greater commitments to the Green Climate Fund. Real money will lead to real climate action.”