An initiative aimed at expanding access of local communities to modern energy services (such as solar energy) under the Sustainable Energy for All (Se4All) programme being promoted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has been transforming the livelihood and lifestyle of rural communities affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in Hong Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa State, Northeast Nigeria.
After experiencing deadly attacks last year by rampaging Boko Haram militants that resulted in considerable human and material casualty, returnee residents of the communities are now picking up the pieces of their lives. Solar-powered fridge-freezers in health centres, solar water boreholes fitted with 10,000-litre capacity overhead tanks, as well as solar home and outdoor lighting systems provided under the Se4All are re-awakening hitherto depressed health sector, educational standard, social interaction and business ventures in no fewer than 12 benefitting communities in Hong.
The Garaha Mojili community in Hong LGA is a case in study.
Aminichi Edwards, a Junior Community Health Extension Worker (JCHEW) at the Garaha Primary Healthcare Centre in Garaha Mojili, Hong LGA, stands beside one of the two fridge-freezers provided the clinic. She says that, compared to before when the hospital had no such equipment, drugs and vaccines such as the Hepatitis B Vaccine can now be stocked and thus readily available for administration to newly born babiesA patient at the clinicA dwelling unit in the community destroyed by Boko Haram militantsMonday Benson, a trader and beneficiary of the solar lamp: “Before now, I spent about N200 every day to fuel the generator. I am now able to save more money as I no longer buy fuel for the generator. In fact, every month, I save about N5,000 in my account, something I was not able to do before. This is very good for me because I plan to get married very soon.”Mrs Alpha Williams, farmer and business woman: “I now save a lot of money from constant purchase of batteries to power torchlight and kerosene for lanterns. Also, at night, my children read and do their homework with the solar lamp, which I at the same time use to charge my phone. Everything is so convenient and life is now so much easier for us. We also don’t need to go far to fetch water. As you can see, the water station is just by my doorstep. We say thank you to the UNDP and ECN for this kind and timely gesture.”Members of the community say that the initiative has helped to improve their lot, even as they attempt to recover from the insurgency attacks
Leading up to the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP 21) in Paris in December 2015, countries submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), outlining the post-2020 climate actions that each country intends to take. INDCs, which describe long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction pledges by each country, form the building blocks of the Paris Agreement. As countries formally join the Paris Agreement, the term “intended” is no longer needed and their commitments are referred to as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
The White Paper analysed INDCs of 37 countries
To help climate change practitioners understand the commitments made in INDCs and to support strategic decision-making, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Resources to Advance LEDS Implementation (RALI) Programme recently undertook an analysis of 37 INDCs, including Nigeria, who are primarily partner countries in the U.S. Government’s Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) programme. Each country profile in the “Analysis of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions” provides an overview of the country’s climate strategy based on information from the INDC; key documents such as National Communications and Biennial Reports; and external data sources.
For each country analysed, the RALI report summarises the:
Unconditional and conditional GHG emissions reduction targets
Analytical basis for developing the emissions reduction targets
Mitigation actions being undertaken by the country
Adaptation strategies
Existing policy framework of the country’s INDC
Financial and technical assistance requested
Each country profile also includes insights on data quality and transparency, the most recently submitted GHG inventory to the UNFCCC, national GHG emissions by sector, and key documents for further consultation.
The list of countries involved
Key Findings.
The RALI analysis resulted in several topline findings:
A majority of the countries included conditional commitments
Few countries offered detail on the analytical basis of their proposed goals
While many countries stated that they need financial assistance to implement their INDCs, few explained how much assistance was needed
Most countries developed their INDCs based on current existing policies and plans, such as their Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs)
The findings suggest that countries may need support in refining mitigation goals, assessing costs, and prioritising needs as they finalise their INDCs and ratify the Paris Agreement.
RALI also analysed the selected INDCs for sectoral trends. Over 80% explicitly identify the energy sector as a priority area. LULUCF is the second most common sector, with countries outlining activities related to improving forest management, forest law management, land rehabilitation, and participation in REDD+. Transport is the third most prevalent, with countries indicating an intention to expand mass transportation, adopt cleaner vehicle fleets, and transition to cleaner fuels.
Priority sectors for GHG mitigation
NAMAs
Several countries identified NAMAs as either a useful basis upon which to build their targets, or as a possible mechanism to help implement their targets. Some countries noted that their existing NAMA submissions informed the mitigation actions they proposed to fulfill their target. Ghana, for example, used its existing NAMA submissions to better understand what measures are feasible to implement and what resulting emission reductions could be expected. Some countries also emphasised their intention to use NAMAs as mechanisms for meeting their emission reduction targets. Because NAMA development provides countries with clear, linear paths to mitigation funding, at least one country noted that the implementation of their NDC depends on international support through the NAMA framework.
With the Paris Agreement entering into force this year, countries will need to begin refining and implementing the activities outlined for each sector in their INDC. For many countries, NAMAs will be the main instrument to map out and implement their mitigation actions. NAMAs and the NAMA registry can support countries in meeting the transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement and provide countries with a pathway to access financing.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has published a detailed analysis of the global climate in 2011-2015 – the hottest five-year period on record – and the increasingly visible human footprint on extreme weather and climate events with dangerous and costly impacts.
Extreme weather: A flooded neighbourhood off Allen Avenue, Ikeja after the June 2011 rainfall
The record temperatures were accompanied by rising sea levels and declines in Arctic sea-ice extent, continental glaciers and northern hemisphere snow cover.
All these climate change indicators confirmed the long-term warming trend caused by greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide reached the significant milestone of 400 parts per million in the atmosphere for the first time in 2015, according to the WMO report which was submitted to the U.N. climate change conference.
The Global Climate in 2011-2015 also examines whether human-induced climate change was directly linked to individual extreme events. Of 79 studies published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society between 2011 and 2014, more than half found that human-induced climate change contributed to the extreme event in question. Some studies found that the probability of extreme heat increased by 10 times or more.
“The Paris Agreement aims at limiting the global temperature increase to well below 2 ° Celsius and pursuing efforts towards 1.5 ° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This report confirms that the average temperature in 2015 had already reached the 1°C mark. We just had the hottest five-year period on record, with 2015 claiming the title of hottest individual year. Even that record is likely to be beaten in 2016,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
“The effects of climate change have been consistently visible on the global scale since the 1980s: rising global temperature, both over land and in the ocean; sea-level rise; and the widespread melting of ice. It has increased the risks of extreme events such as heatwaves, drought, record rainfall and damaging floods,” said Mr Taalas.
The report highlighted some of the high-impact events, citing statistics on losses and damage provided by other United Nations organisations and partners. These included the East African drought in 2010-2012, which led to an estimated 258,000 excess deaths, and the 2013-2015 southern African drought. Approximately 800 deaths and more than $40 billion in economic losses were associated with flooding in South-East Asia in 2011. Heatwaves in India and Pakistan in 2015 claimed more than 4,100 lives. Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, led to $67 billion in economic losses in the United States of America. The deaths of 7,800 people were associated with Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.
The report was submitted to the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The five-year timescale allows a better understanding of multi-year warming trends and extreme events such as prolonged droughts and recurrent heatwaves than an annual report.
The WMO will release its provisional assessment of the state of the climate in 2016 on 14 November to inform the climate change negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco.
Highlights
2011-2015 was the warmest five-year period on record globally and for all continents apart from Africa (second warmest). Temperatures for the period were 0.57 °C (1.03 °F) above the average for the standard 1961–1990 reference period. The warmest year on record to date was 2015, during which temperatures were 0.76 °C (1.37 °F) above the 1961–1990 average, followed by 2014. The year 2015 was also the first year in which global temperatures were more than 1 °C above the pre-industrial era.
Global ocean temperatures were also at unprecedented levels. Globally averaged sea-surface temperatures for 2015 were the highest on record, with 2014 in second place. Sea-surface temperatures for the period were above average in most of the world, although they were below average in parts of the Southern Ocean and the eastern South Pacific.
A strong La Niña event (2011) and powerful El Niño (2015/2016) influenced the temperatures of individual years without changing the underlying warming trend.
Ice and snow
Arctic sea ice continued its decline. Averaged over 2011-2015, the mean Arctic sea-ice extent in September was 4.70 million km2, 28% below the 1981–2010 average. The minimum summer sea-ice extent of 3.39 million km2 in 2012 was the lowest on record.
By contrast, for much of the period 2011– 2015, the Antarctic sea-ice extent was above the 1981–2010 mean value, particularly for the winter maximum.
Summer surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet continued at above-average levels, with the summer melt extent exceeding the 1981–2010 average in all five years from 2011 to 2015. Mountain glaciers also continued their decline.
Northern hemisphere snow cover extent was well below average in all five years and in all months from May to August, continuing a strong downward trend.
Sea level rise
As the oceans warm, they expand, resulting in both global and regional sea-level rise. Increased ocean heat content accounts for about 40% of the observed global sea-level increase over the past 60 years. A number of studies have concluded that the contribution of continental ice sheets, particularly Greenland and west Antarctica, to sea-level rise is accelerating.
During the satellite record from 1993 to present, sea levels have risen approximately 3 mm per year, compared to the average 1900–2010 trend (based on tide gauges) of 1.7 mm per year.
Climate change and extreme weather
Many individual extreme weather and climate events recorded during 2011–2015 were made more likely as a result of human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change. In the case of some extreme high temperatures, the probability increased by a factor of ten or more.
Examples include the record high seasonal and annual temperatures in the United States in 2012 and in Australia in 2013, hot summers in eastern Asia and western Europe in 2013, heatwaves in spring and autumn 2014 in Australia, record annual warmth in Europe in 2014, and a heatwave in Argentina in December 2013.
The direct signals were not as strong for precipitation extremes (both high and low). In numerous cases, including the 2011 flooding in South-East Asia, the 2013–2015 drought in southern Brazil, and the very wet winter of 2013-2014 in the United Kingdom, no clear evidence was found of an influence from anthropogenic climate change. However, in the case of the extreme rainfall in the United Kingdom in December 2015, it was found that climate change had made such an event about 40% more likely.
Some impacts were linked to increased vulnerability. A study of the 2014 drought in south-east Brazil found that similar rainfall deficits had occurred on three other occasions since 1940, but that the impacts were exacerbated by a substantial increase in the demand for water, due to population growth.
Some longer-term events, which have not yet been the subject of formal attribution studies, are consistent with projections of near- and long-term climate change. These include increased incidence of multi-year drought in the subtropics, as manifested in the 2011-2015 period in the southern United States, parts of southern Australia and, towards the end of the period, southern Africa.
There have also been events, such as the unusually prolonged, intense and hot dry seasons in the Amazon basin of Brazil in both 2014 and 2015, which are of concern as potential “tipping points” in the climate system.
The WMO is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water.
The historic speed with which countries approved the Paris Agreement must continue into equally speedy action at the UN climate talks that commenced on Monday in Morocco, international faith-based humanitarian and development network ACT Alliance has said.
Venue of the conference in Marrakech
ACT Alliance is a network of 143 church and church related organisations working together in over 100 countries to achieve sustainable change in the lives of people affected by crisis, disasters, poverty and injustice.
Speaking as the COP22 talks began in Marrakesh and the UN Paris climate agreement entered into force on Friday 4 November, ACT Alliance said this meeting should be an “action COP” in which the targets set out in the Paris Agreement must now be fleshed out to ensure that the headlines are followed by ambitious rules.
The progress towards addressing the impacts of climate change truly took a step forward last year with the Paris agreement,” said ACT Alliance’s climate change working group lead Dinesh Vyas. “Governments have shown their commitment to tackling climate change and the agreements made at the Paris summit can now be fulfilled. However, an agreement with only headlines will not make any difference; therefore the agenda at the COP22 is very important to ensure that now the implementation must begin.”
The Paris climate agreement was adopted in December last year at the UN Climate talks, COP21 and, it is, according to the ACT Allinace, the first global agreement to include national commitments of action for all countries, as well as a mechanism to increase much needed ambition in the coming years.
However, Mr Vyas warned: “Action, not just a mechanism for increased ambition, is urgently needed to ensure that ambition to tackle global temperature rises by transitioning to an economy based on clean energy is truly scaled up. We all know that the collective ambition agreed in Paris is still too low and will not keep global warming below 2 degrees celcius, let alone 1.5 degrees celcius. This should be a core concern of all parties in the coming days.”
“I see the struggle people face to adapt to the devastating impact of climate change on a daily basis in my work,” he added, “so I look forward to seeing increased action by governments in both developed and developing countries to ensure people can adapt to these challenges and live full lives with the dignity they deserve.”
Eighteen government delegates who represent the governments of more than 57 million people on Monday called for the strongest protections yet to guard against tobacco industry interference in public health policymaking. The appeal, released in an open letter on the opening day of the World Health Organisation’s Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) holding in New Delhi, India, sets the stage for a landmark decision to protect international policy from industries with conflicts of interest.
A gathering of delegates at the conference
The call comes as delegates from up to 179 countries and the European Union convene in India to determine the next frontiers in tobacco control. It also builds on the support of more than 100 civil society organisations from India and around the globe for delegates to protect the negotiations from industry interference.
At the negotiations, formally known as the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), governments are poised to advance life-saving tobacco control measures such as plain packaging and graphic health warnings. However, to date, the tobacco industry has exploited loopholes in order to infiltrate treaty meetings and block, weaken and delay outcomes that could save millions of lives. In fact, the FCTC Global Progress report has stated that the “tobacco industry continues to be the most important barrier in implementation of the Convention.”
“The tobacco industry is, hands-down, the single-largest threat to public health in the world,” said Dr. Sheila Ndyanabangi, Principal Medical Officer, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Control/ Tobacco Control, for the Ugandan Ministry of Health. “As delegates to the global tobacco treaty, we have an ethical responsibility to prioritise people’s health over the industry’s interests. Today, we recognise that the most urgent task before us is to protect policymaking from the corrosive influence of Big Tobacco.”
The global tobacco treaty contains a provision that protects policymaking processes from the tobacco industry at the international and national levels. The provision was created to address the tobacco industry’s strategies to upend regulations by influencing international and national policymaking bodies, as outlined by millions of internal documents. Despite this legal requirement, however, the tobacco industry has infiltrated negotiations through bribery, securing seats on government delegations, and posing as members of the public.
As the BBC exposed in November 2015, in spite of the treaty’s provision, British American Tobacco paid an official at the Burundi Ministry of Health and an FCTC representative to “support” the corporation’s interests in international negotiations about tobacco regulations. Tobacco industry interference has been so egregious that delegates have been forced to eject industry representatives from the last two international treaty negotiations.
“With recent wins against Big Tobacco’s legal bullying in Uruguay and Australia, we stand at a tipping point for public health,” said John Stewart, deputy director with Corporate Accountability International, an accredited observer to the global tobacco treaty proceedings. “Given the industry’s widespread lying, cheating, and outright bribery, governments are ready to act. The global tobacco control community is poised to protect decisions about people’s health from narrow corporate interests, and pave the way for a future where Big Tobacco and its bullying are a thing of the past.”
Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), said: “The time is now to put a final roadblock to Big Tobacco interference in public health policy. We have witnessed meddling in Nigeria; we have witnessed it across Africa and observed it at the global treaty meetings. Article 5.3 of the FCTC has proven to be the single most effective provision of the global treaty to block Big Tobacco interference.”
To date, dozens of governments have begun to implement measures in line with Article 5.3 at the national level, and more are expected to follow suit. For instance, Norway has divested more than $2 billion from the tobacco industry. Brazil adopted ethical guidelines for representatives of its tobacco control commission, CONICQ, requiring that it has no ties with the tobacco industry. The European Union has terminated its agreement with Philip Morris International. And the Philippines has restricted public officials from interacting with the tobacco industry to curb its influence.
In addition to Monday’s call to prevent industry meddling in public health, delegates also indicated plans to advance tools to hold the tobacco industry liable. The advances stem from a broader treaty directive called Article 19 that encourages governments to, among other recommendations, utilise legal systems to recoup the enormous costs of tobacco-related healthcare coverage.
The global tobacco treaty entered into force in 2005. To date, 179 countries and the European Union have become Parties to the treaty. It is said to contain the world’s most effective tobacco control and corporate accountability measures – estimated to save more than 200 million lives by 2050 if fully implemented.
On Day 1 of COP22 holding in Marrakech, the theme was “Africa in Action.” Foreign Minister of Morocco and President of COP22, Salaheddine Mezouar, said in his opening remark that the conference being held “on African soil demonstrates a whole continent’s commitment to contributing to the global effort” to fight climate change. He emphasised the importance of helping all African countries fight climate change because the “sun does not ignore a village because it is small.”
Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Jibril (left), briefing members of the country’s delegation to the COP on Tuesday
The Africa pavilion, a large tent housing several separate country pavilions, was animated with big screens depicting desert, ocean, and forest scenes from around the continent. Space filled quickly with delegates, observers, and journalists as the opening plenary concluded and the conference was officially underway.
The pavilion will host many events throughout the 11 days. Getting rural areas more reliable access to energy and working with the international civil aviation industry were just two of the panel discussions taking place on Tuesday.
Several countries hosted events and panel discussions to highlight each of their efforts in climate action. Tunisia and Ethiopia partnered to discuss with German representatives how the three could create carbon market-based solutions to dealing with their environmental issues. Tunisia is especially interested in involving its cement sector. Nigeria also scheduled an event there on that day, where Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Jibril, briefed members of the country’s delegation to the COP.
The Paris Agreement included a provision for “Loss and Damage,” a term that refers to what Pacific Island nations and the poorest countries around the world face as a result of natural disasters. A panel of scientists discussed climate insurance, of particular help to African farmers facing drought.
Information booths have been set up in a separate area of the venue as well to help make sense of the information being disseminated to participants. Hosts include climate activist organisations, private sector businesses, and academic research organisations.
A modern e-library donated by Shell to the Port Harcourt Literary Society has opened its doors to book lovers and other literary enthusiasts. The N1.03 billion library is one of the N2 billion social investment projects Shell sponsored in the Niger Delta to mark Nigeria’s centenary anniversary. The others are a hospital and sports centre in Bayelsa and Delta states respectively. Shell spent N790 million on the project that was implemented via a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port Harcourt Library Society, which contributed an additional N240 million.
The e-library donated by Shell to the Port Harcourt Literary Society
“SPDC invested exclusively on this library project because of its strong conviction that it will deliver significant benefits and positively impact the lives of the people,” said Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum and Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair Shell Companies in Nigeria, at the commissioning ceremony. “We are pleased to deliver an ultra-modern public library that would rank as one of the biggest and most IT-driven in the country. The feedback we’re receiving shows that the literary scene in the Garden City has already changed.”
Nigeria’s National Librarian, Prof Lenrie Aina, told journalists that the facility, named Port Harcourt Literary Society Library, is the “first complete public library in Nigeria,” because, aside from Shell ensuring supply of power, books and cooling, every comfort of book lovers was considered in the design and construction of the library.
Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, in a speech delivered by her Senior Special Assistant, Mrs. Inegogo Fubara, thanked SPDC for supporting the state government’s desire to provide sustainable and affordable education to the people.
Managing Director SPDC/Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor; representative of the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Ine Gogo Fubara; and Chairman, Board of Trustees Port Harcourt Literary Society, Chidi Amuta, at the inauguration of the Port Harcourt Literary Society Library donated by Shell to mark Nigeria’s centenary anniversary in Port Harcourt recently.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Port Harcourt Literary Society, Dr Chidi Amuta, said the library was designed to be the heart of the Port Harcourt Book Centre that was originally conceived to commemorate the recognition of Port Harcourt by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as the 2014 World Book Capital.
He added: “Oher structures awaiting donor evaluation and sponsorship include a writers’ hostel, an event centre/exhibition hall and a theatre. The Book Centre, like the Muson Centre in Lagos along which it is modelled, is conceived as a centre of culture and enlightenment.”
An elated Senator Magnus Abe said: “In everything Shell has done in the Niger Delta, today they have made a statement that will never go away. They have set us as a people as partners, in truth, because it is books that will develop the Niger Delta. So having associated themselves with books today in the lives of our children and in the lives of our youths, Shell has made an indelible contribution to the true development of this region. We will never forget you.”
The cynosure of all eyes at the event was 10-year-old Shawn Ene, who single-handedly raised over N250,000 for the donation of children’s books under the special support programme of Shell Nigeria staff’s volunteer group, Shell Employees Care. There were also poetry and drama performances at the commissioning of the library.
Delegates from 196 countries on Monday held up solar lanterns in a show of solidarity symbolising the transformation to clean technology which is essential to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.
Delegates holding their solar lamps during the opening ceremony. The gesture is a show of solidarity symbolising the transformation to clean technology which is essential to achieve the Paris Agreement goals
This took place as the 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began Monday morning in Marrakech, Morocco.
The solidarity show was at the behest of Morocco’s Foreign Minister and newly-elected COP22 President, Salaheddine Mezouar, who underscored his country’s willingness to host the conference as a demonstration of Africa’s commitment to contributing to global efforts at tackling climate change.
“It emphasises Africa’s desire to take its destiny in hand, to reduce its vulnerability and strengthen its resilience,” he said.
Together with Ségolène Royal, French Environment Minister and President of last year’s Paris UN Climate Change Conference, Mezouar handed out solar lanterns to all delegates at the opening ceremony.
Ratifying Paris Agreement
Acknowledging that the fact that the Paris Agreement is yet to put the world on track towards the goal of a maximum global average temperature of 1.5 to 2 degrees, as agreed by the international community in Paris last year, COP President Mezouar urged government delegates “to be more ambitious than ever in your commitments.”
“All over the world, public opinion must perceive change. It has to be a change at all levels, from local projects through to those that cross international borders and it must create genuine win-win partnerships,” he added.
In her last address before handing over the stewardship of the climate forum to her Moroccan counterpart, Ségolène Royal announced that 100 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement, which entered into force last Friday, a record time for an international treaty.
“We have made possible what everyone said was impossible, I therefore call on other nations to ratify the Paris agreement by the end of the year,” said French environment minister.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, reasoned that whilst the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement is a clear cause for celebration, it is also a timely reminder of the high expectations that are now placed on governments: “Achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement is not a given. We have embarked on an effort to change the course of two centuries of carbon-intense development. The peaking of global emissions is urgent, as is attaining far more climate-resilient societies.”
The place of climate finance
According to the UN climate chief, climate finance has to reach the level and have the predictability needed to catalyse low-emission and climate-resilient development. This clearly resonates with African Development Bank’s plan to triple its climate financing to $5 billion per year by 2020.
President of the bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, believes that its game-changing plan, the High 5s carries the prospects of tacking the impact of climate change on agriculture and how agriculture fuels climate change through a multi-pronged approach.
The first priority, Light up and Power Africa also deals with climate finance, adaptation and low carbon development. The bank has committed to triple its climate finance to US$5 billion a year by 2020, including by leveraging more finance from climate funds,”Adesina says.
Amid growing alarm at the gathering pace of climate change and its impacts – rising seas, deadly storms, drought and wildfires – the world’s nations have moved quickly over the last year to tackle the still-growing problem.
US election shadows
As 15,000 negotiators, CEOs and activists settle in for the 12-day talks in Marrakesh, all eyes are on the United States, where voting Tuesday could thrust Trump into the White House. When it comes to global warming, the stakes could hardly be higher, US President Barack Obama has warned.
“All the progress we’ve made on climate change” – including the Paris pact, decades in the making – “is going to be on the ballot,” he said.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has vowed to uphold Obama’s domestic energy policies and international climate commitments. Experts in Marrakesh say the Republican candidate cannot carry out his threat to “cancel” the still-fragile accord, but a Trump victory might cripple it.
“It would be a shock, and I hope we don’t see it,” Laurence Tubiana, France’s top climate negotiator declared. “But if Trump is elected, I am sure that Wednesday morning you will hear everyone at the COP say, ‘We’ll stick to the Paris Agreement’,” she added.
Engaging Non-state stakeholders
Latching on the call made by the UNFCCC Executive Secretary on full engagement of non-state actors, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) representing small holder farmers, trusts, pastoralists, women and youth groups from across Africa made public today their expectations for COP22.
Demanding acceleration on actions to address climate change with real, measurable actions and rhetoric, Secretary General of the Alliance, Mithika Mwenda, urged delegates to provide a roadmap on the provision of adequate and predictable financial resources from developed country Parties to developing countries to enable them meet their commitments in their NDCs as stated in Article 9 of the Paris Agreement.
The civil society group also underlined the urgency in establishing a common and agreeable reporting and accounting framework for financial support to enhance transparency of actions and avoidance of double counting provide the required capacity building support to assist African Country Parties to meet their NDCs mitigation and adaptation commitments in the Agreement.
COP22 President, Salaheddine Mezouar, has promised that the Moroccan COP Presidency will be one focused on inclusiveness and transparency.
COP22 President, Salaheddine Mezouar
Mezouar, who made the submission on Monday at his first press conference as COP22 President on the opening day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, highlighted the positive energy from the opening ceremony earlier in the morning that marked the transition from COP21 Presidency to COP22 Presidency. He thanked outgoing COP21 President, Segolene Royal, for all of her collaboration over the past year in preparation for COP22.
He pointed to remarks from HM King Mohammed VI made on the anniversary of Morocco’s Green March (November 6) in which he called for Marrakech to be the COP of action. According to him, “southern” countries have high expectations from the Marrakech conference in terms of climate finance, capacity building and technology transfer.
He alluded to the fact that there would be several announcements made over the next two weeks particularly in the areas of capacity building and adaption, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Partnership designed to facilitate and strengthen capacity building support from developed countries towards developing countries.
The question around finance was raised, especially as related to projects in Africa. The COP22 President stressed that while the $100 billion dollar climate finance roadmap by 2020 for developing countries is a great start to leverage private financing, more needs to be done.
He expressed optimism about the emergence of green finance, including the Green Fund and said that COP22 would also concentrate on finding ways to optimise climate friendly financing, especially towards adaptation projects.
He noted that COP22 would be a COP of solutions, where partnerships, initiatives and projects will be made to reinforce capacity at the project level to help make them more “bankable.” According to the COP22 President, the key areas for climate finance to be addressed during COP22 are in renewable energies, water, agriculture forests and climate adaptation.
He added that one of the major initiatives that will be focused on during COP22 would be Morocco’s Adaptation of African Agriculture “AAA”. This initiative is designed to drive climate finance and technology solutions to smallholder farmers across Africa in order to boost sustainable agriculture on the continent.
The UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech kicked off on Monday (November 7, 2016), just three days after the Paris Climate Change Agreement entered into force.
COP22 President and Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar (left), with COP 21 President and France’s environment Minister in charge of climate related international relations, Ségolène Royal, at the opening of COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco. Photo credit: UNFCCC
At the opening, Morocco’s Foreign Minister and newly-elected COP22 President, Salaheddine Mezouar, underscored his country’s willingness to host the conference as a demonstration of Africa’s commitment as a whole to contribute to global efforts to tackle climate change. “It emphasises Africa’s desire to take its destiny in hand, to reduce its vulnerability and strengthen its resilience,” he said.
President Mezouar pointed to the groundswell of momentum building around the world. At the same time, he acknowledged the fact that the Paris Agreement does not yet put the world on track towards the goal of a maximum global average temperature of 1.5 to 2 degrees, as agreed by the international community in Paris last year.
Addressing government delegates, he said: “I would like to invite you over the coming eleven days to be more ambitious than ever in your commitments. All over the world, public opinion must perceive change. It has to be a change at all levels, from local projects through to those that cross international borders and it must create genuine win-win partnerships.”
Together with Ségolène Royal, French Environment Minister and President of last year’s Paris UN Climate Change Conference, Salaheddine Mezouar handed out solar lanterns to all delegates in the room, as a symbol of the transformation to clean technology which is essential to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. The delegates then held up the lights in a show of solidarity.
In her opening address Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that whilst early entry into force of the Paris Agreement is a clear cause for celebration, it is also a timely reminder of the high expectations that are now placed on governments.
“Achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement is not a given. We have embarked on an effort to change the course of two centuries of carbon-intense development. The peaking of global emissions is urgent, as is attaining far more climate-resilient societies.”
Ms. Espinosa underlined five key areas in which work needs to be taken forward, notably on:
Finance to allow developing countries to green their economies and build resilience. It is flowing and has to reach the level and have the predictability needed to catalyse low-emission and climate-resilient development.
Nationally determined contributions – national climate action plans – which now need to be integrated into national policies and investment plans.
Support for adaptation which needs to be given higher priority, and progress on the loss and damage mechanism to safeguard development gains in the most vulnerable communities.
Capacity building needs of developing countries in a manner that is both tailored and specific to their needs.
Fully engaging non-Party stakeholders, from the North and from the South, as they are central to the global action agenda for transformational change.
“Our work here in Marrakech must reflect our new reality. No politician or citizen, no business manager or investor can doubt that the transformation to a low-emission, resilient society and economy is the singular determination of the community of nations,” she said.
