Kenya on Friday, May 11, 2018, launched its first locally produced satellite into space, hoping “to go into the books of history.”
Kenya has launched its first locally produced satellite into space
The nano satellite precursor flight (1KUNS-PF) will be the first outer space object registered by Kenya, the University of Nairobi, whose team developed the satellite, said in a statement.
The team was hoping “to make history” by venturing into space science, said the university’s vice chancellor, Peter Mbithi.
The satellite, which is only 10 centimetres high and able to provide limited earth observation and audio broadcast, was launched by the Japan Space Agency in Tokyo at 1000 GMT.
If the flight is successful, the scientists of the university plan to develop bigger, high-resolution satellites “with serious scientific and technological value for the country,” according to the statement.
Kenya is now hoping to launch its own space programme at the cost of between 500,000 dollars and one million dollars per year, the university said.
Commercial satellites have considerable economic potential for Kenya, including earth mapping, land use, weather forecasting, food security mapping, disaster management, coastline and border monitoring, forest management and wildlife monitoring.
Kenyan scientists are already collaborating the with United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and University of Rome in Italy to boost innovation in Kenya.
As talks wrapped up in Bonn, Germany on Thursday, May 10, 2018, observers believe that countries must have a laser focus on advancing discussions towards a strong Rulebook.
Delegates huddle during informal consultations
According to them, a fair, robust and transparent Rulebook must inspire confidence among countries to step up and commit to enhanced national climate targets by 2020.
To unlock the ambition cycle, which is at the heart of the Paris Agreement and tackle climate impacts, meaningful progress and clear commitments on finance is said to be vital and what is needed.
While discussions are said to have been substantive, tangible progress on specific areas need political intervention. The Polish presidency has a great responsibility to steer this through in the coming months along with other countries, delegates say, adding that high-level ministerial meetings such as the G7 leaders’ summit, MOCA and the Petersberg Dialogue can unblock political differences ahead of the additional session in Bangkok in September.
The Talanoa Dialogue is described as a promising start towards fostering trust and breaking down boundaries in an unconventional setting, showcasing the substantial commitments from cities, businesses and community organisations on climate action. Observers want it translated into a clear political process, stressing that it has been and continues to be about raising ambition. The format, it is said, inspired discussion
between countries not as negotiating blocs but as one of people to people. Listening to each other and assessing the situation is the first step towards finding common ground for solutions to ramp up ambition and the support that
is needed to do so.The Fiji Presidency has reportedly kickstarted the innovative process, which observers say the Polish Presidency must take up the baton and work with all countries towards a political outcome for stronger national targets by 2020.
The adoption of the IPCC report on 1.5°C this October, they opined, will be an important moment accelerate political momentum. They want the report to inform the Talanoa Dialogue process in 2018 and drive in the urgency of action that is needed: to ramp up ambition by 2020 and to deliver on finance.
Even as the impacts of climate change become increasingly devastating, the outcome from Suva Expert Dialogue to discuss finance to address loss and damage is said to be disappointing. They insist however that the next round of discussions must outline a clear path to mobilise money to address loss and damage ahead of the Warsaw International Mechanism review in 2019.
Sven Harmeling, Global Lead on Climate Change Advocacy, CARE International Climate Change & Resilience Platform: “Despite some technical progress in Bonn, climate change impacts will not wait for slow-paced government negotiations. Without stronger political leadership, it will be an uphill battle to achieve the major milestones envisaged for COP24 in Katowice, Poland, particularly on the Paris Rulebook.
“The heat is on for developed countries to increase finance for vulnerable people in developing countries to minimise and address loss and damage. Countries with high CO2 emissions need to undertake additional measures to reverse continued emissions’ growth and limit climate disruption to 1.5°C. It is essential that climate ambition not fall behind commitments made in the Paris Agreement.”
Mohamed Adow, International Climate Lead, Christian Aid: “This gathering in Bonn was always going to be a very technical meeting and the technical negotiations around the rulebook have actually progressed largely as expected. But what has become clear has been the need from poorer countries for much stronger signals that the funding they have been promised to implement their emissions reductions plans will be delivered.
“The radio silence on money has sown fears among poor countries that their wealthier counterparts are not serious about honouring their promises. This funding is not just a bargaining chip, it is essential for delivering the national plans that make up the Paris Agreement. For the Paris Agreement to be a success we need the Katowice COP to be a success. And for the Katowice COP to be a success we need assurances that sources of funding will be coming.”
Li Shuo, Senior Global Policy advisor, Greenpeace: The Paris Agreement cannot be a one-off achievement which is left like a trophy in a box to be admired but never acted on. The box needs to be unlocked, it needs to happen in 2018 and the key to that is trust. Trust has to be built at a ministerial level through exchanges on important issues such as differentiation and finance. In the months before Bangkok, ministers must engage to start a dynamic process that leads to a robust rulebook and much greater ambition.
“The architecture is there for ambition to be raised, the Talanoa Dialogue, which has led to a real spirit of cooperation, getting beyond the finger-pointing to remind everyone that we all share the same planet and we all need to do more to protect it. The mood created by Talanoa has to start delivering tangible results in the form of enhanced national targets, and we look forward to the EU and China taking an early lead on this.”
Mark Lutes, Head of Delegation, WWF: “We have seen steady, if uneven, progress in the negotiations. Pieces are falling in place for the full implementation of the Paris Agreement. This is evident both with the rules, and closing the emissions gap. But finance is key to getting a good outcome in Katowice. Meeting the $100 billion commitment and getting a signal by COP24 for the upcoming Green Climate Fund funding round will be vital if countries are to collective agree to present more ambitious climate plans by 2020.”
Krishneil Narayan, Climate Change Consultant, Fiji and the Pacific Islands Region: “As a Fijian, it was wonderful to see the Talanoa Dialogue off to a positive start. The important task, however, is to now translate these stories into a meaningful way that ramps up ambition for turning around the climate impacts. With the addition of another round of talks scheduled for Bangkok in September, countries and all involved in the climate talks, including the non-state actors must focus to ensure that we are able to deliver a strong and effective Paris Rulebook at COP24 in December. The Paris Agreement recognised Loss and Damage as the third pillar of climate action but it is still facing difficulty in finding a space for itself in these talks.
“Implementation of the entire Paris Agreement in a holistic manner means also addressing loss and damages. Countries must ensure the meaningful inclusion of Loss and Damage in textual negotiations at Bangkok. Perhaps more Fijian kava-fueled zest needs to be injected into the formal negotiations sessions itself to help negotiators guide the future course of action.”
Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada said: “Negotiators came here to work and have achieved measured progress in Bonn. The addition of a session in Bangkok signals Parties’ intention to get the job done in 2018. Doing so will require not only a tremendous amount of technical work in the coming months; getting the job done also necessitates strong political will that capitalises on a series of upcoming moments to secure the Paris Agreement and show that countries are committed to implementing and strengthening it. These moments include Canada’s G7 leaders’ summit, the Petersberg Dialogue, and the Ministerial on Climate Action – hosted by the EU, China, and Canada.
“The global community will be looking to Canada here to back up its narrative of climate leadership with tangible results. Through these events, Ministers will have to deepen their understanding of how to land an outcome at COP24 that best serves the implementation of the Paris Agreement and sends the political signals necessary to work through sticky and complex issues. It will also mean a concerted effort to demonstrate that donor countries will deliver the financial support required to unlock ambition. We talk a lot about leadership in this space and leadership will always be necessary. But what I’m looking for in 2018 is conviction. Conviction from countries to do what it takes to hold true to their Paris promise of protecting the world’s most vulnerable and holding average temperature rise to 1.5oC.”
Hannah McKinnon, Director, Energy Futures and Transitions, Oil Change International, said: “What is currently on offer in these negotiations isn’t cutting it. Countries have been negotiating for decades without ever getting serious about tackling fossil fuel production. It is time to embrace climate leadership that says ‘no’ to approving and financing new fossil fuel projects, and demand that the wealthy fossil fuel producers who have committed to action, begin an equitable and just managed transition off of oil, gas, and coal production.”
On climate finance, Harjeet Singh, Global Climate Lead, ActionAid International said: “The issue of finance underpins so many different parts of climate negotiations, because poor countries simply can’t cover the triple costs of loss and damage, adaptation and mitigation on their own.
“But with developed countries refusing to move on finance, lots of pieces are still unfinished. This is holding up the whole package, which is supposed to be finalised at the end of this year. Issues are piling up, and it’s a dangerous strategy to leave everything to the last minute.
“Finance is too important to be used as a bargaining chip. If we’re to see any progress on the so-called ‘Paris rulebook’, wealthy countries need to provide real money for climate action.”
On the Talanoa Dialogue, Teresa Anderson, Climate policy officer, ActionAid International said: “What was special about the Talanoa Dialogue was that it allowed people to engage with each other as humans with hearts, rather than as governments with agendas. People genuinely cried at eachothers’ stories of climate impacts. This was a powerful first chapter in the Talanoa story.
“But we need to remember that the original purpose and mandate of this process was not emotional release. The world agreed that a process to take stock of efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C would take place in 2018. Now all eyes are on the Fijian and Polish presidencies to map out the political phase over the course of the year.
“The next round of negotiations in Bangkok, as well as the upcoming IPCC special report on 1.5°C is key opportunities for countries to assess the need for action and finance, so that they can announce increased climate commitments at COP24 climate talks in Poland at the end of the year.”
Camilla Born, Senior Policy Adviser, E3G: “Negotiations went better than expected. Parties showed they are serious about delivering the Paris Agreement so in Bonn they got down to serious business. The next challenge is to mobilise the political will to get the COP24 outcomes over the line in Katowice. This won’t be easy but the Polish Presidency has the chance to up their game and make the most of moments like the Petersburg Dialogue, MOCA and the UN General Assembly.
“With negotiations now moving to text the pressure is on the likes of EU, China and Canada to come good on the universality of the Paris Agreement at the MOCA even whilst the US is for now missing in action.”
Tracy Carty, Climate Policy Lead, Oxfam International: “Bonn sent a concerning message on finance – the options on the table are not enough, and the risk of gridlock at COP24 is high. For developing countries raising mitigation ambition, NCD implementation, and dealing with increasingly ferocious climate impacts all come back to finance. Finance they need and have been promised. Developed countries need to get serious about the need to improve predictability of climate finance, and put new commitments to real money on the table by COP24, including for adaptation and for the Green Climate Fund. They also need to be prepared to commit to fair and robust rules for the $100 billion commitment that are due to be agreed in Katowice.”
Paula Caballero, Global Director, Climate Program, World Resources Institute: “Climate negotiators kept up a good pace this week, but will be leaving Bonn with a lot more ground to cover to get to the finish line in Poland this December. At the next negotiation session in Bangkok delegates will need to maintain that same focused approach to turn the corner on the politics and policy.
“The UN climate summit in Katowice will be the most consequential political moment for climate action since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015. By the time the final gavel is struck, all countries should adopt an action and support package that will put the Paris Agreement fully into motion. Success must be three-fold: finalise guidelines for implementing the Paris pact, make clear that countries will strengthen national climate commitments by 2020 and signal that support for developing countries will also continue to ramp up.
“All eyes now turn to the Polish COP presidency, who must show the forward-looking leadership necessary to drive the world to an outcome that reflects the urgency, seriousness and scale of effort necessary to tackle the climate challenge.
“The Talanoa Dialogue session was a collective reality check on the state of climate action, highlighting how far we have left to go but also the transformational solutions the world needs. The inclusive discussion was a reminder that governments cannot tackle climate change alone – they need the extra muscle of businesses, civil society and cities to turn the promise of the Paris Agreement into a reality. As a number of delegates made clear, now the Talanoa needs to lay the foundation for COP24 to signal that countries will enhance their national climate plans by 2020.
“Leaders must demonstrate political leadership at a number of key moments this year to get where we need to go, including the Petersberg Dialogue, UN General Assembly, and the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings.”
Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney, Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), said: “Progress towards a comprehensive set of guidelines to implement the Paris Agreement was slow but paves the way for productive negotiations towards a successful outcome at the COP-24. We welcome the fact that the draft guidance for national commitments retains an invitation for Parties to consider the relevance of human rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality and a just transition. These guiding principles are necessary for reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius. Also, we have heard during the Talanoa Dialogue many governments and stakeholders highlight opportunities for increasing mitigation action. We now look forward to a strong political signal at the COP-24 calling for Parties to enhance their commitments in line with the imperative of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C.”
Rixa Schwarz, Team Leader International Climate Policy at Germanwatch: “We were positively surprised how clearly the most crucial issue was discussed in Bonn: we need more ambition in order to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The Talanoa Dialogue showed that more ambition in the next years is both necessary and possible and that the countries by 2020 need to submit enhanced NDCs for 2030. A solid rulebook on implementation guidelines for comparability and transparency must provide for NDC enhancement starting next year. Progress was made on the implementation guidelines but at the following meeting in Bangkok in September a decision text must be negotiated with greater pace in order to reach decisions on robust guidelines in Katowice in December. The lack of sufficient climate finance became evident at Bonn. Climate finance is required for developing countries’ ambition on mitigation and on managing the non-avoidable climate impacts.
“The success of 2018 in international climate policy also depends on the German chancellor Merkel: she will host ministers from across the world at the Petersberg Dialogue on 18 June – a great chance to prepare a success of COP24 in Katowice. For this, Germany needs to deliver: Merkel must make sure that German greenhouse gas emissions decrease again and that the national mitigation targets are met. Also, she must take concrete steps towards realising her promise to double Germany’s contributions to international climate finance by 2020.”
Alden Meyer, Director of Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists: “All countries must come to Katowice prepared to adopt a robust, comprehensive rulebook to fully implement the Paris Agreement, and send clear signals they intend to increase the ambition of their national actions, as is required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Developed countries must provide greater confidence on how they’ll meet their commitment to mobilise $100 billion in annual support for developing country actions by 2020, and actively develop strategies to ramp up assistance to the most vulnerable countries already experiencing devastating climate impacts.
“While some headway was made in Bonn on several more technical topics, sharp political differences remain on a handful of issues, especially on climate finance and the amount of differentiation in the Paris Agreement rules for countries at varying stages of development. These issues are above the pay grade of negotiators in Bonn, and will require engaging ministers and national leaders to resolve them. The Petersburg Dialogue in Berlin and the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting in Brussels, held back-to-back in mid-June, are excellent opportunities for ministers to start providing some of that leadership.
“As the incoming presidency of COP 24, Poland also needs to step up its game in providing firmer guidance on ways to resolve the crunch issues, ensuring a successful meeting in Katowice. Having hosted two previous climate summits, Poland knows what the role requires; now they need to play their part.”
Ulriikka Aarnio, International Climate Policy Coordinator at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe: “Throughout this round of UN climate talks the EU has been giving positive signals about the need to revise current climate targets by 2020. The constructive role that the EU has played in Bonn needs now to be turned into a clear political statement by ministers meeting at the Petersberg Dialogue and the Ministerial on Climate Action next month. The ministers need to provide the much-needed political guidance on how to increase climate pledges, overcome political differences over the Paris Agreement rules and deliver clarity on finance by COP24. We maintain hope that the Polish COP Presidency will raise to the challenge and secure a successful outcome at COP24, despite their negative approach to climate policy at home and at the EU level.”
Jesse Bragg, Media Director, Corporate Accountability: “Over the past two weeks, the issue of Big Polluters’ corrosive interference in climate policymaking once again dominated the talks. Over the course of five days, Global South governments representing nearly 70 percent of the world’s population stood steadfast and determined to reach a mandate for a conflict of interest policy.
“Developing countries led by Ecuador and Cuba put forward draft recommendations which would initiate a process to address the growing problem of polluting industries undermining the talks. However, the U.S. led other developed countries in opposition. The issue will be revisited next year.
“Once again, the United States and its pro-fossil fuel allies are on the wrong side of history, putting Big Polluters before people and the planet. But this week’s results prove that no amount of obstruction from the U.S. and its Big Polluter allies will ultimately prevent this movement from advancing.
“And while Global North obstructionism mired these talks in delays, obstruction and censorship, Global South leaders prevailed in securing a clear path forward for the conflict of interest movement, ensuring the issue will be front and centre next year.”
United Nations climate change talks edged slightly closer to completing the Paris Agreement Work Programme, including guidelines on how to put the agreement into practice, despite rich countries persistently blocking progress on key issues like finance.
Participants during the in-session workshop on gender and climate change in Bonn
Without advances in the talks over the commitment of future financial support from rich countries to developing nations, who are already facing devastating climate impacts, it became difficult for other areas of the negotiations to progress.
Harjeet Singh of ActionAid International explained: “The issue of finance underpins so many different parts of climate negotiations, because poor countries simply can’t cover the triple costs of loss and damage, adaptation and mitigation on their own.”
“But with developed countries refusing to move on finance, lots of pieces are still unfinished. This is holding up the whole package, which is supposed to be finalised at the end of this year. Issues are piling up, and it’s a dangerous strategy to leave everything to the last minute,” he added.
Speaking to a growing trust deficit in the talks, Christian Aid’s Mohamed Adow said “the radio silence on money has sown fears among poor countries that their wealthier counterparts are not serious about honouring their promises.”
“This funding is not just a bargaining chip, it is essential for delivering the national plans that make up the Paris Agreement.”
The meeting also saw the Fijian COP23 Presidency launch a process, dubbed the “Talanoa Dialogue,” to assess and – crucially – improve those national plans. Even if fully implemented, the nationally determined contributions would still result in a global average temperature rise of around 3℃.
However, civil society expressed some dissatisfaction with the dialogue, which adopted a storytelling approach and explicitly discouraged singling any one country or group of countries out for putting forward inadequate plans.
“The time for stories has long since passed,” said Meena Raman of Third World Network. “We live in a world with over 1℃ warming and the devastation is already severe. We cannot allow for that warming to go beyond 1.5℃ and we need a political process to prevent that.”
“The story of climate violence is full of villains who for decades have grown rich off their polluting activities. They bear a historical responsibility – and they owe the rest of the world a debt.”
Raman continued, “Going forward, Fiji must ensure that the Talanoa Dialogue fulfils its mandate by leading to an improvement in the climate mitigation and finance plans put forward by countries. Developed countries have broken their commitment to revise their pre-2020 pollution cuts – they must not do the same with their post-2020 efforts.”
With countries slow to reduce their emissions, more attention is turning to the area of “loss and damage” which refers to the impacts of today’s climate change. An expert dialogue was held in Bonn and saw many vulnerable nations and campaign groups make the case for greater attention to finance to deal with these impacts“There has been a strong call for the badly needed finance for loss and damage this session, but little movement to deliver it,” said Rachel Kennerley of Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
“The longer it takes to provide dedicated financial support for loss and damage, and the slower emissions cuts, the greater impacts of climate change will be and the bigger the bill in the end.”
Another emerging major issue in the talks was the role of non-governmental observers and particularly those who may have a conflict of interest. Developing countries led by Ecuador and Cuba put forward draft recommendations which would go some way towards inhibiting polluting industries from weakening climate policy. However, the U.S. led other developed countries in opposition. The issue may be revisited next year.
Jesse Bragg of Corporate Accountability expressed both frustration and determination on the part of campaigners, saying: “Once again, the United States and its pro-fossil fuel allies are on the wrong side of history, putting Big Polluters before people and the planet. But today’s results prove that no amount of obstruction from the U.S. and its Big Polluter allies will ultimately prevent this movement from advancing.”
“And while Global North obstructionism mired these talks in delays, obstruction and censorship, Global South leaders prevailed in securing a clear path forward for the conflict of interest movement, ensuring the issue will be front and centre next year.”
At the conclusion of the session, Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, Mr. Gebru Jember Endalew, said: “The LDC Group came to Bonn ready to shift gears and make concrete progress on the numerous issues that need to be addressed this year to translate the Paris Agreement from concepts to actions. The Group hoped that the negotiations would advance further at this meeting, and we are disappointed that many vital topics are still at conceptual stages. The Group is concerned by the lack of urgency we are seeing to move the negotiations forward. It is time to look at the bigger picture, see the severe impacts that climate change is having across the world, and rise to the challenge.
“Finance is key to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. In the face of climate change, poor and vulnerable countries are forced to address loss and damage and adapt to a changing climate, all while striving to lift their people out of poverty without repeating the mistakes of an economy built on fossil fuels. This is not possible without predictable and sustainable support.
“Countries have failed to deliver on pre-2020 commitments and global temperatures are dangerously close to 1.5 degrees. Countries need to shoulder their fair share of the effort to increase ambition and support in line with their responsibilities for this climate crisis and their capabilities to respond.”
On the Talanoa Dialogue, Mr. Endalew said, “The LDC group valued the opportunity to engage with governments and civil society to share our stories through the Talanoa Dialogue. To be meaningful, this Dialogue must deliver concrete outcomes that drive an increase in ambition and support to put us on track to achieving the 1.5 degree temperature goal set in Paris, guided by equity and science.
“A robust, balanced and comprehensive package of guidelines to implement the Paris Agreement must be delivered at COP24. The LDCs will arrive in Bangkok prepared to engage in concrete, textual negotiations, and expect other countries to do the same. Steady progress needs to be made throughout 2018 on all issues so that poor and vulnerable countries can engage effectively. A last-minute rush at COP24 risks leaving developing countries behind.”
Talks resume from September 3-8, 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, where negotiators will pick up “informal notes” forwarded by this session. They will attempt to turn these notes and various inputs from countries into the basis for a negotiating text ahead of COP24 in Katowice, Poland.
The Our Water Our Right Coalition has expressed misgivings on the visit of World Bank Executive Directors to Nigeria supposedly to study the challenges and expectations of partners in West Africa, saying the visit was just a whitewash to consolidate on its plans for wholesale privatisation of Nigeria.
World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim
World Bank Executive Directors that were part of the visiting team were from Switzerland, France, Italy, Nordic, Peru, Germany and South Africa (representing Angola, Nigeria and South Africa). Others are from Burkina Faso (representing Francophone sub-Saharan Africa), Zimbabwe (representing Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa), United Kingdom and Indonesia.
The Our Water Our Right Coalition which comprises the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Corporate Accountability, Child Health Organisation, among others, frowned at the timing of the visit and the secrecy surrounding it.
In a statement issued in Lagos, the coalition raised red flags on the bank officials’ visit to Lagos on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 and statements credited to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on how various budget support initiatives of the bank in the water sector had supposedly resulted in “stronger ties with the institution” and the need for more funding for key projects in the sector.
ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “Not only was the World Bank visit concealed until the team arrived, the caliber of directors on the entourage showed that they were only in Nigeria to consolidate on schemes contrived behind closed doors to financialise critical sectors of the economy, including water.”
Oluwafemi pointed out that the timing of the visit would seem to explain why the World Bank and its private arm – International Finance Corporation (IFC) – were in heavy attendance at the recent Global Water Summit held in France where discussions with the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) helmsman, Mumuni Badmus, supposedly tilted towards financialising Lagos water.
Vicky Urenma, Executive Director of Child Health Organisation, explained that civil society and grassroots groups are particularly unconvinced about the sincerity of the visit by the World Bank team going by past examples of how its private arm, the IFC, had undertaken a secret advisory contract to take control of Lagos water.
Urenma explained that pressure from the Our Water Our Right Coalition forced the IFC in 2016 to distance itself from the contract, but went on to add that, “We are now circumspect about a not-too-open romance between the Lagos government and the IFC on possible investment opportunities in the Lagos water sector.”
The coalition reiterated calls urging the federal and state governments to reject contracts designed by, involving, or influenced by the IFC, which operates to maximise private profit, among others.
“We have said it time and again that Lagos and other states of the federation can fund water sustainably if they build the political will to prioritise water for the people and come up with a comprehensive plan that invests in the water infrastructure necessary to provide universal water access, create jobs, and improve public health,” the coalition insisted.
Against the backdrop of a record hot April 2018 in the host country of Germany, governments on Thursday, April 10 concluded two weeks of talks aimed at preparing the Paris Agreement’s operational guidelines for adoption at the annual climate conference to be held in Katowice, Poland in December.
A session during the Bonn conference
The guidelines are essential for determining whether total world emissions are declining fast enough to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. These include boosting adaptation and limiting the global temperature increase to well below 2°C, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.
“I am satisfied that some progress was made here in Bonn. But many voices are underlining the urgency of advancing more rapidly on finalising the operational guidelines. The package being negotiated is highly technical and complex. We need to put it in place so that the world can monitor progress on climate action,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change.
The presiding officers of the three working bodies have been coordinating discussions on a wide range of items under the Paris Agreement Work Programme. Delegations in Bonn are tasking these officers to publish a “reflection note” to help governments prepare for the next round of talks.
The preparatory talks will continue at a supplementary meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from September 3 to 8. This meeting will consider the reflection note and the views and inputs by governments captured in various texts in Bonn.
The Bangkok meeting will then forward texts and draft decisions for adoption to the annual session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) taking place in Katowice, Poland, in December.
“We have made progress here in Bonn, but we need now to accelerate the negotiations. Continuing intersessional streamlining of the text-based output from Bonn will greatly assist all governments, who will meet in Bangkok to work towards clear options for the final set of implementation guidelines,” Ms. Espinosa said.
“The UN Climate Change Secretariat stands ready to support governments in this critically important work,” she added.
Talanoa Dialogue
In parallel to the formal negotiations, the Bonn meeting hosted the long-awaited, Fiji-led Talanoa Dialogue.
Following the tradition in the Pacific region, the goal of a “talanoa” is to share stories to find solutions for the common good. In this spirit, the dialogue witnessed some 250 participants share their stories, providing fresh ideas and renewed determination to raise ambition.
“Now is the time for action. Now is the time to commit to making the decisions the world must make. We must complete the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement on time. And we must ensure that the Talanoa Dialogue leads to more ambition in our climate action plans,” said Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji and President of COP23.
The dialogue wrote history when countries and non-Party stakeholders including cities, businesses, investors and regions engaged in interactive story-telling for the first time.
“The Talanoa Dialogue has provided a broad and real picture of where we are and has set a new standard of conversation,” said the President-designate of COP24, Michał Kurtyka of Poland. “Now it is time to move from this preparatory phase of the dialogue to prepare for its political phase, which will take place at COP24,” he added.
All input received to date and up to October 29, 2018 will feed into the Talanoa Dialogue’s second, more political phase at COP24.
Additional Bonn outcomes
Farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as prolonged droughts and shifting rainfall patterns, and agriculture is an important source of emissions.
Recognising the urgency of addressing this sector, the Bonn conference made a significant advance on the “Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture” by adopting a roadmap for the next two-and-a-half years.
The roadmap responds to the world’s farming community of more than one billion people and to the 800 million people who live in food-insecure circumstances, mainly in developing countries. It addresses a range of issues including the socio-economic and food-security dimensions of climate change, assessments of adaptation in agriculture, co-benefits and resilience, and livestock management.
The Bonn conference also saw an early boost to education and public awareness (called Action for Climate Empowerment – ACE) to support the Paris Agreement. A draft outcome, to be adopted at COP24, calls on Parties to appoint national focal points and develop national strategies for promoting ACE. It also calls for the integration of ACE into all emission-reduction and resilience-building activities.
The Bonn conference saw expert meetings on strengthening both adaptation and emission reduction actions before 2020, and the functions and aims of the newly created Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples’ Platform.
Up-coming events
The UN Climate Change talks are an integral part of a broader, worldwide debate on climate change. Other key international conferences taking place over the next year include:
The Global Climate Action Summit taking place in San Francisco, California in September will bring a range of stakeholders together from around the world to showcase climate action and inspire deeper commitments from national governments, and each other, in support of the Paris Agreement. The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary will co-host the event. An announcement was made in Bonn of 11 new commitments from one of India’s largest business houses, Mahindra. This pushes the number of major global companies with science-based targets to over 400.
Climate Week takes place in September alongside the UN General Assembly in New York. It will bring together international leaders from business, government and civil society to showcase the unstoppable momentum of global climate action.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will adopt its Special Report Global Warming of 1.5°C on 8 October at its meeting in the Republic of Korea.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced that he will hold a Climate Summit in New York in September 2019 to review the Paris Agreement commitments.
The climate change negotiations in Bonn wrapped up on Thursday, May 19, 2018 with little progress made on developing the guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The window for the negotiation of an ambitious outcome at COP24 appears to be narrowing, with little time left between now and December to finalise the process.
Closing sessions in Plenary at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn. Photo credit: Joanna Patouris/ACT
“We can no longer afford to lose more time on climate inaction. It is unfortunate that the international community is missing the opportunity to step-up and to take real and bold action to address climate change and its impacts on the most vulnerable,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.
The lack of leadership amongst countries to commit to supporting ambitious climate action in the negotiations has proven to be a stumbling-block in making meaningful progress. The issue of financial support is closely tied to the issue of trust between parties and trust in the process. This is extremely important because trust will ultimately affect the outcomes of the negotiations on the Paris Rulebook, and on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
“In order for people and communities who are living in vulnerable conditions to transition to clean and reliable energy, while also adapting to the effects of climate change, financial support is imperative. Yet developed countries continue to not take the issue of financial support for climate action seriously,” says Martin Vogel, head of the ACT Alliance delegation at the UN climate conference.
The Suva Expert Dialogue which was held last week to advance work on Loss and Damage is a clear example of how the process is lacking adequate ambition to develop solutions with the most vulnerable.
“Those that are hit the hardest by climate change impacts continue to be ignored in the climate talks. It is not a question of whether the issue of Loss and Damage fits within the agenda of the negotiations, the real issue is the willingness of the international community to support those who are and will continue to face the enormous financial burdens imposed by climate impacts,” Vogel continues.
Looking ahead, the next round of climate talks will be taking place in Bangkok in September, where Parties will convene for one week and will hopefully move from an exercise of note-taking to actual negotiations and commitments to improving the future of our planet.
“Advancement on the Talanoa Dialogue will now be essential to turn the negotiation process into political goodwill to strengthen the climate commitments of Parties at the next COP and to shift away from the focus on national interests, mistrust and shrewd tactics, as witnessed here in Bonn,” says Vogel.
“ACT Alliance is committed to continue to work to ensure that the outcomes moving forward will be embedded in principles of justice, human rights and solidarity,” says Bueno de Faria.
As the Bonn climate talks came to a close on Thursday, May 10, 2018, civil society and non-party stakeholder groups have reiterated their call for urgent climate action.
Participants at the Rakiraki Room, one of the sessions of the Talanoa Dialogue
The groups demand that governments follow-up the Paris Agreement with increased urgent action to prevent average global warming from rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
At an action event at the Bonn climate change talks in advance of the closing session of the Talanoa Dialogue, groups highlighted that Parties must reinforce the Paris Agreement goal and commit to enhanced action as a matter of survival for vulnerable countries.
“Perception on climate change has changed over the years,” said Olivia Adhiambo, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance. “Though we may differ on what action to take, the consensus across the world is that the climate has changed, and that someone somewhere has caused the problem. Climate change is no longer an isolated scientific and environmental issue, it has dimensions in all human development indicators.”
Adhiambo says PACJA believes that climate change is a poverty issue because it has exacerbated poverty in the world; an equity issue because it disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable countries and sectors of the society, and a justice issue because it was caused by rich people and the poor are mostly affected. For the last nine days, delegates have been negotiating the various technical issues under the UNFCCC technical and implementation bodies, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).
Key among the issues discussed include climate finance, a key enabler to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, importance of Agriculture to developing country parties in terms of adaptation, the finalisation of the Paris Rule book for implementation, and increasing climate ambition through the Talanoa Dialogue regarding emission cuts.
This is in view of the fact that the current collective pledges made under the Paris Agreement, are not enough to meet the target of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5oC.
In fact, according to the analysis, even a full implementation of current unconditional and conditional Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) makes a temperature increase of at least 3oC by 2100 very likely.
“In a world that is already warmer by about 1ºC, people and communities around the world are already facing serious threats to their human rights,” said Sebastien Duyck, Senior Attorney, Centre for International Environmental Law, during a climate action event organsied by both the north and south civil society groups. In line with a human rights approach, Duyck said the survival of the most exposed to the impacts of climate-related natural disasters is already at risk while the growing temperature undermines the rights to food, water and livelihood of millions.
“These human rights impacts will only grow in magnitude with the increase of temperatures – undermining the ability of the most vulnerable States to protect their own people. Keeping the increase of temperatures below 1.5ºC is a necessity to protect human rights,” he added. The gender face of climate change impacts is not a debatable issue anymore.
There is consensus that women are at the frontline of climate change impacts, and Luu Thi Thu Giang, Climate Change Specialist, CARE International, was categorical about this matter.
“Today climate change impacts already hit many poor people in developing countries, like in my own country Vietnam,” she said. “Climate change impacts women and men differently. Often, it is poor and marginalised women and girls who are most affected.”
However, they are essential agents of change to build resilience against climate change impacts and to achieve the rapid shift to renewable energies necessary for limiting climate disruption to 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Gender equality and climate action must go hand in hand.”
According to available climate science data, the impacts of climate change are already being felt, especially in developing countries. One way in which this is happening is through destruction to sensitive ecosystems that support millions of people’s livelihoods.
And Sandeep Chamling Rai, Senior Advisor for Global Climate Adaptation Policy, at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF,) believes the best way to protect against the already suffering millions of people, is to keep global temperature rise as low as possible.
“As the earth’s temperature rises, so does the threat of permanent loss of ecologically sensitive places and species,” he said. “Biodiversity loss at the scale we could be seeing over the coming decades will cause profound changes to the sensitive ecosystems that sustain the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, mainly in vulnerable countries. The best way to protect against this is to keep global temperature rise as low as possible.”
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the sustainability of urban cities has emerged as an important aspect of the climate discussions considering the role cities play in environmental management and protection. Therefore, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)’s Local Governments for Sustainability is leading the agenda for sustainable cities.
The aim is to help the ICLEI Network of up 1,500 councils to become sustainable, low-carbon, resilient, eco-mobile, bio-diverse, resource-efficient and productive, through green economic and smart infrastructure, impacting over 25% of the global urban population.
And Yunus Arikan, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy, ICLEI said: “Failure to meet the 1.5-degree goal will hurt inhabitants in all human settlements, from poles to islands and from coastal zones to dry lands, in particular the urban poor. Climate neutrality is the backbone of the success of Paris Agreement, and it cannot be achieved without climate neutral cities and regions.”
In its efforts to promote sustainable cities, through the Talanoa Dialogues in more than 50 cities and regions, ICLEI is working with local, regional and national governments to seize the opportunity of the Urban World to turn the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal into a reality.
It is without question that the vulnerable people are at the centre of climate talks, mainly because they are suffering for something that they have not caused. And Mohamed Adow, International Climate Lead, Christian Aid, believes that keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees for the world’s most vulnerable people is not just a “nice to have”, but rather essential to ensure they maintain and improve their way of life.
“The world warms at different rates and in Africa where I am from, a global average rise of 2 degrees equates to much more extreme temperatures,” he said. “For low-lying island states, a 2-degree rise will mean being wiped from the map as sea level rise threatens to wash them away. If rich countries are to be believed when it talks about solidarity with the poor then they need make sure we’re on track for a world that these people can live in.”
The message from civil society groups is loud and clear – urgent and ambitious climate action to keep the planet safe. However, while the clear picture of what has been achieve at the Bonn talks is yet to be established, UNFCCC Executive Secretary indicated a positive outlook during a media round table on Monday.
“The reports I am getting so far, are positive, including on the Talanoa Dialogue,” Espinosa said. “As you know the discussions about how to capture and derive from the Talanoa dialogue, general conclusions, is only starting now, it’s only a new process, it’s the first phase which happened yesterday, and delegations are starting now to think about what they would like to see as the outcome of the dialogue.”
A popular slogan with climate activists in global climate negotiations is “kick polluters out”. But fossil fuel companies are still welcome at the UN climate talks.
Greenhouse gas increases are leading to a faster rate of global warming. Photo credit: earthtimes.org
The influence of the fossil fuel industry and other polluting industries has become a central topic of concern for governments.
The issue of conflicts of interest and how to best ensure the integrity of the UNFCCC process once again dominated the climate talks in Bonn, Germany as governments launched what is meant to be a formative year for climate policy.
Talks on developing a conflict of interest policy ended with a mandate to talk more next time.
The African Group, Ecuador and Cuba and the Africa group had advocated such a policy which is opposed by the US, EU, Canada, Norway and Australia.
Both sides have agreed to identify opportunities “to further enhance the openness, transparency, inclusiveness of the effective engagement of non-party stakeholders”.
“Once again, the United States and its pro-fossil fuel allies are on the wrong side of history, putting Big Polluters before people and the planet. But today’s results prove that no amount of obstruction from the U.S. and its Big Polluter allies will ultimately prevent this movement from advancing.
And while Global North obstructionism mired these talks in delays, obstruction and censorship, Global South leaders prevailed in securing a clear path forward for the conflict of interest movement, ensuring the issue will be front and centre next year,” said Jesse Bragg of Corporate Accountability.
Delivering the Goals of the Paris Agreement
This year 2018 can make it or break it for climate change as the Paris Agreement passes through its first test.
Front-runner countries and civil society representatives have presented a concrete road-map of how they are enhancing climate plans by 2020 in an attempt to push other states to commit to doing the same at the upcoming UN Climate negotiations (COP24) that will be held in Katowice, Poland.
Countries need to send a clear signal in COP24 that they will enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020 if the goal to keep warming below 1.5C is to be reached.
“I would say that COP24 in Katowice is probably the most critical meeting since Paris,” said Alden Meyer, Director, Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists. “The world will be watching to see if countries are serious about implementing and strengthening the Paris Agreement. We have a mandate to adopt a package of rules to implement the Paris agreement across a range of issues”.
Civil Society Action
A day to the end of the Bonn talks, major civil society and non-party stakeholder groups demanded that government’s follow-up the Paris Agreement with increased urgent action to prevent average global warming from rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Groups highlighted that Parties must reinforce this Paris Agreement goal and commit to enhanced action as a matter of survival for vulnerable countries.
“For the world’s most vulnerable people keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is essential to ensure they can maintain and improve their way of life,” said Mohamed Adow, International Climate Lead at Christian Aid.
The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) also noted that climate change should no longer be isolated to environmental and scientific issue.
It stated that the issues of poverty, justice, equity, economic, humanitarian, food security and political dimensions of climate change must not be overlooked.
“It has stunted the growth of some economies while big economies fear cutting emissions will affect them,” said Olivia Adhiambo, Policy and Advocacy Manager at PACJA.
As the 2020 implementation date of the Paris Agreement draws close, it is expected that big oil and coal interest groups and climate deniers do not succeed in their struggle to undo the progress made in the fight against the climate crisis.
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Bikoro in Equateur Province on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The outbreak declaration occurred after laboratory results confirmed two cases of EVD.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. Photo credit: pbs.twimg.com
The Ministry of Health of Democratic of the Congo (DRC) informed WHO that two out of five samples collected from five patients tested positive for EVD at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa. More specimens are being collected for testing.
WHO is working closely with the Government of the DRC to rapidly scale up its operations and mobilise health partners using the model of a successful response to a similar EVD outbreak in 2017.
“Our top priority is to get to Bikoro to work alongside the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and partners to reduce the loss of life and suffering related to this new Ebola virus disease outbreak,” said Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General, Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Working with partners and responding early and in a coordinated way will be vital to containing this deadly disease.”
The first multidisciplinary team comprised of experts from WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières and Provincial Division of Health travelled on Tuesday to Bikoro to strengthen coordination and investigations.
Bikoro is situated in Equateur Province on the shores of Lake Tumba in the north-western part of the country near the Republic of the Congo. All cases were reported from iIkoko Iponge health facility located about 30 kilometres from Bikoro. Health facilities in Bikoro have very limited functionality, and rely on international organisations to provide supplies that frequently stock out.
“We know that addressing this outbreak will require a comprehensive and coordinated response. WHO will work closely with health authorities and partners to support the national response. We will gather more samples, conduct contact tracing, engage the communities with messages on prevention and control, and put in place methods for improving data collection and sharing,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa.
This is DRC’s ninth outbreak of EVD since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976. In the past five weeks, there have been 21 suspected viral haemorrhagic fever in and around the iIkoko Iponge, including 17 deaths.
“WHO is closely working with other partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières, to ensure a strong, response to support the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to prevent and control the spreading of the disease from the epicentre of iIkoko Iponge Health Zone to save lives,” said Dr Allarangar Yokouide, WHO Representative in the DRC.
Upon learning about the laboratory results today, WHO set up its Incident Management System to fully dedicate staff and resources across the organisation to the response. WHO plans to deploy epidemiologists, logisticians, clinicians, infection prevention and control experts, risk communications experts and vaccination support teams in the coming days. WHO will also be determining supply needs and help fill gaps, such as for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The WHO has also alerted neighbouring countries.
WHO released $ 1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support response activities for the next three months with the goal of stopping the spread of Ebola to surrounding provinces and countries.
Building on the 2017 response
Ebola is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The last Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo occurred in 2017 in Likati Health Zone, Bas Uele Province, in the northern part of the country and was quickly contained thanks to joint efforts by the Government of DRC, WHO and many different partners.
An effective response to the 2017 EVD outbreak was achieved through the timely alert by local authorities of suspect cases, immediate testing of blood samples due to strengthened national laboratory capacity, the early announcement of the outbreak by the government, rapid response activities by local and national health authorities with the robust support of international partners, and speedy access to flexible funding.
Coordination support on the ground by WHO was critical and an Incident Management System was set up within 24 hours of the outbreak being announced. WHO deployed more than 50 experts to work closely with government and partners.
The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated. The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
Some 290 Nigerian contractors have received loans worth more than N472 billion under the Shell Contractor Support Fund, which was set up by Shell companies in Nigeria to help vendors and suppliers in the oil and gas industry secure funds at reduced interest rates, relaxed collateral requirements and quicker processing time. Also, Shell Companies in Nigeria awarded contracts worth over N230 billion to Nigerian contractors in 2017, representing 94% of the total contracts in that year.
L-R: General Manager External Relations of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Igo WelI; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Engineer Bayo Ojulari; Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Companies of Nigeria Limited and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Gas, Mr. Ed Ubong and SPDC Stakeholder Relations Manager, Dr Alice Ajeh at the Launching of the 2018 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes
“We’re pleased to support Nigerian contractors to play greater roles in the oil and gas industry,” said Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd, while launching the 2018 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes in Lagos on Thursday, May 10, 2018. “As pioneers in the industry we have taken deliberate steps to award contracts to Nigerian vendors and worked with them to grow their capacity, cost efficiency and delivery timelines. We discovered however, that access to finance has been a challenge, and the search for a solution led to the Shell Contractor Support Fund.”
Shell companies started their intervention in 2011 with the Shell Kobo Fund which gave way to the Shell Contractor Support Fund the following year with seven participating financial institutions which have since set aside more than N690 billion for contract execution by Nigerian companies. The banks are Access Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, and Guaranty Trust Bank.
Nigerian ownership of key assets such as rigs, helicopters and marine vessels is also a focus, with Shell Companies providing technical and financial support to companies across a range of sectors including transportation, manufacturing and research and development.
On social investment, Mr. Okunbor said Shell companies had continued to work with government, communities and civil society to fund and implement projects and programmes that have a lasting impact on people’s lives in the Niger Delta and Nigeria as whole. For example, since 2006, the SPDC JV has disbursed more than N 41 billion to 37 active Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) clusters in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa and Abia states. A GMoU is an agreement that brings a group (or cluster) of communities together with representatives of state and local governments, SPDC and NGOs, with the SPDC JV providing five-year funding for communities to implement development projects of their choice.
Social investment activities of Shell companies focus on community and enterprise development, education, health, access-to-energy and, since 2016, road safety. In 2017, SPDC JV, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company and Shell Nigeria Gas spent more than N 18 billion on direct social investment projects. Nigeria is the largest concentration of social investment spending in the Shell Group.
