Government negotiators and a number of our partners made their way through Lima’s streets to the Cuartel General del Ejército where COP20 kicked off on Monday morning. After the customary opening ceremony, negotiators moved through the plenary sessions at a workman’s pace, seemingly energized and eager to build a foundation for a new global climate agreement. If this pace continues, the UNFCCC’s subsidiary bodies could get through much of their technical work by week’s end, leaving the bulk of the second week of talks for tougher political issues.
The energy this year was markedly different from one year ago. Last year opened amidst the Philippines reeling in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan’s deadly destruction, inspiring hundreds of people to join a fast in solidarity with those suffering from increasing climate impacts. With 2014 on track to become the hottest year on record, those impacts haven’t slowed. Meanwhile #FastfortheClimate grew into a global movement, turning day one of the Lima climate talks into the largest climate fast on record. Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga spent the day without food, along with the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Governor General, and the majority of the country's population - called on to do so by the Christian Church of Tuvalu.
Lima started with nearly $9.6 billion in pledges to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), helping drive the workman-like pace of Monday’s negotiations. But the fund remains $300 million short of the GCF’s minimum capitalization goal, which also shaped the day’s pace and direction. The majority of developed country pledges fell short of their estimated fair share, and a few developed countries were conspicuously absent from contributing to the fund altogether.
The first Fossil of the Day of COP20 went toAustralia, Belgium, Ireland and Austria for their failure to deliver - making them even more conspicuous
On Tuesday, negotiators start in on Lima’s highest-profile issues as the so-called ADP (or Ad-hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) reconvenes. This is where our partners can influence the picture and shape of the 2015 agreement - fighting for the essential details of countries’ national contributions; a clear long-term goal to phase emissions down to zero; and ensuring the global climate agreement, to be agreed in just 12 months time, sends a clear signal that the fossil fuel era is over.
In the news
Many news outlets, including the BBC, are highlighting the stark reality facing negotiators. NOAA data shows global average temperature over land and ocean from January to October was the hottest since records began in 1880.
Meanwhile the Daily Climate focused on the links between climate change and social justice and the major challenges facing negotiators over the coming days.
RTCC live-blogged the opening day of the conference, while also producing a handy map of countries climate pledges to date.
RTCC also focused on Figueres comments in the opening plenary highlighting the risks of investing in oil. “The fact that oil prices are so unpredictable is precisely one of the reasons we need to move to fuels which has a completed predictable cost of zero for fuel,” she said.
The warning comes as German utility Eon announced it would split in two, spinning off power plants to focus on renewable energy and power grids.
Canada and Australia have both come under fire in the media today for their climate inaction. In Canada reports are focused on therole provinces are playing in filling the policy vacuum left by the national government, while focus inAustralia was on the government’s latest move in cutting funding from the UN Environment Programme by 80% ahead of the talks.
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Environmental journalist Tierney Smith writes for the Global Call for Climate Action tcktcktck website and updates social media channels. She reports live from UN Climate Talks around the world.