UNFCCC, COP 16 and Pakistan- Saadullah Ayaz

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IUCNs Views on UNFCCC- COP 16, Cancún Mexico
(2010)
Saadullah Ayaz IUCN Pakistan
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INTRODUCTION

• COP 15 (Copenhagen, 2009) produced un-expected
  results, resulting in a deadlock among
  negotiating partners
• Outcome of COP15 was Copenhagen Accord .
  Majority of Parties believe that
• - Copenhagen Accord is not an ideal deal
  (neither Fair nor Ambitious or Binding)
• - Was decided outside the negotiating panel
• - Many pertinent issues have been left out
• - There is no clarity on how the various
  decisions in the Accord are to be taken
  forward
• - The Accord is considered homeless and is not
  part of the UNFCCCs acquis.

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COPENHAGEN ACCORD- IUCN VIEWS

• IUCN Pakistan believes that the following have
  been left out in Copenhagen Accord must be
  stressed upon by Pakistan during COP16
  negotiations
• The Copenhagen Accord does not apparently
  strengthens the Kyoto Protocol and is neither
  regarded to be a fair, nor an ambitions or
  binding deal
• Copenhagen Accord does not set out any medium
  term emission goals and does not describe the
  practical pathway to achieve the 2C target
• No particular commitment s have been made to
  halving global emissions by 2050, which are
  necessary for achieving 2C target
• The Accord does not agree on any specific
  emission reduction commitments by Annex-I
  countries

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• No specific deadline has been agreed to complete
  a legally binding instrument under the Kyoto
  Protocol
• It is believed that the Accord does not provide
  any basis to review the agreement in the light of
  the latest science and in particular. The
  scientifically described impacts for developing
  countries
• The Accord does not provide commitments for a
  compliance mechanism
• No financial commitment have been made for Post
  Kyoto Period (particularly between 2015-2020)
• It does not commit on long-term (post 2020)
  public finance for developing countries, that
  will be additional to existing development
  assistance

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ISSUES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SITUATION

• The continuing absence of national legislation in
  Annex I countries and the US (in particular) are
  not sufficiently committed t o reducing their
  emissions
• Annex I countries (with the exception of the EU
  and Norway) had not expressed clear openness to a
  second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
• The developing countries (nearly as a whole) seem
  un-willing to firm up on the Copenhagen Accord by
  translating their pledges into legally binding
  commitments for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation
  Action (NAMAs) and to accept that the measuring,
  reporting and verification provisions in the
  Accord be enshrined in a legally binding post
  2012 agreement
• Fast track finance (for 2010-2012) has been slow
  to be materialised. Long-term (post 2020) finance
  has not been secured either

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CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES URGENTLY NEEDED IN
CANCÚN

• Hopes are high- COP 16 expected to be a milestone
  for strengthened international action
• Progress towards establishing a global post-2012
  climate change regime has proven painfully slow.
  There appears to be broad expectation that the
  adoption of a legally binding agreement may be
  postponed beyond December 2010
• Challenge posed to humanity by climate change is
  greater and more urgent than it has as it ever
  been Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the
  only, long-term answer to restoring the global
  climate to stability
• Parties seem to have come closer to agreement on
  a number of crucial issues including adaptation
  reducing emissions form deforestation and forest
  degradation in developing countries (the REDD
  mechanism) technology transfer and capacity
  building.

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• It is important that the Decisions taken by the
  COP16 at Cancun restore and boost confidence in
  the UNFCC process and the eventual outcome of the
  negotiations. The COP16 should therefore finalise
  the issues on which progress has been made and
  adopt a balanced package of Decisions. Action on
  each of them should follow immediately.

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IUCNS CALL FOR ACTION AT COP16

• IUCN calls for rapid and robust action by States,
  communities and individuals to take all possible
  steps to cut their emissions of all greenhouse
  gases immediately to ensure that the target
  agreed at Copenhagen, i. e., to limit the rise in
  global average temperature to 2ºC above
  pre-industrial levels can be achieved
• COP16 takes confidence building measures in
  the form of a balanced package of Decisions on
  REDD-plus, adaptation, technology transfer and
  capacity building
• IUCN also calls for a rapid advance in the
  development, testing and application of
  ecosystem-based approaches for mitigation in
  forests and for adaptation in vulnerable
  ecosystems and dependent communities
• New and additional fast-track funding needs to
  be made available immediately, for both
  adaptation and mitigation

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• IUCN calls for the establishment of a strong and
  implementation oriented Adaptation Framework as
  part of a post-2012 regime
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• IUCN calls for the recognition of sustainable
  management of natural resources in building
  resilience of socio-economic and ecological
  systems
• IUCN also calls for the immediate disbursement
  of new and additional financial means to enable
  adaptation actions to be implemented on the
  ground.
• IUCN also calls for all people, communities and
  Parties to take such adaptation actions as they
  can towards the goals of the envisioned
  Framework, and towards reducing the vulnerability
  and increasing the resilience of developing
  countries in particular.
•  

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• IUCN calls on the Parties to ensure that national
  REDD-plus frameworks reflect the progress at
  Copenhagen
• IUCN calls for gender considerations to be taken
  into account in the negotiation process and in
  the future climate regime wherever appropriate
• IUCN emphasises the importance of building
  capacity for action at national and local level,
  both on adaptation and mitigation.

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• Thanks

Saadullah Ayaz Coordinator Climate Change/ Clean
Air Initiative for Asian Cities IUCN
Pakistan Email saad.ayaz_at_iucn.org