We've officially passed the halfway mark at the UN climate talks in Lima, leaving governments four more days to craft a clear path towards a fit-for-purpose global climate deal in Paris in 2015. After negotiators spent the first week clearing much of their technical work and feeding into the two main documents driving political negotiations, they received two ‘improved’ draft texts, kicking off a more intense phase in the process.
Our partners dug in and shared their reaction. Efforts to elaborate on ‘elements’ of a 2015 deal are moving in the right direction. By the end of the Lima meeting, the elements text needs to fairly capture the range of countries’ views, laying the foundation for an actual draft negotiating text, which could ultimately become the new global climate agreement. It looks like the more challenging track of political negotiations will come in the ‘decision text,’ which sets out requirements and process for countries individual contributions to the 2015 deal, and defines the next steps toward increasing climate action prior to 2020, when the new global agreement is set to take effect.
In the elements text, there are lots of good options our partners will spend the week defending, such as language on a long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and removing fossil fuel subsidies and shifting investments to clean energy. Adaptation looks much stronger, but there’s room for improvement including efforts to get a global goal for adaptation. More should also be done on Loss and damage.
On the decision text, options on countries’ contributions to the 2015 agreement need a lot of work. There’s little agreement on what those commitments should include. There’s currently no option to ensure the commitments come infive-year chunks rather than 10, which could lock in low ambition. Our partners will work to get more on how countries will ramp up pre-2020 climate action, and how developed countries in particular will ramp up finance and technology support. The process to assess countries’ contributions is also likely to be a big fight.
Lots of focus on Monday was pointed outside the negotiation halls, with our partners highlighting the role of corporate influence holding back climate progress. Targeting a corporate side-event, where the speaker list included Shell and the World Coal Association, activists called on fossil fuel companies to be banned from the international climate process. There is a strong precedent for this. In 2005 the World Health Organisation put in place a global tobacco treaty, banning the industry from public health policy-making, due to the “fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interests.”
New research unveiled in Lima focused attention on fossil fuel companies’ share of the blame for climate change, warning that 65% of all emissions from fossil fuels and cement can be traced back to just 90 companies. The study, from the Climate Accountability Institute aims to hold these producers accountable and found that investor-owned companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell have extracted fuels that, when burned, created 21.6% of CO2 emissions since 1751.
From our partners
For the first since 2009, the Climate Action Tracker’s annual report analysing of the gap between government pledges on climate change and what is needed to stay below the 2C threshold has calculated a lower projection for warming. The main reason for this drop is the China, US and EU proposals put on the table in recent weeks. But it’s not all good news. The analysis also shows that these pledges are still not enough to limit warming below 2C.
Activists held a minute silence in solidarity with those in the Philippines who are, once again, battling in the aftermath of a typhoon. Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron from IBON International in the Philippines said: "You cannot talk about sympathy while at the same time putting us on a path to more devastation… We refuse to become a poster child for devastation and climate impacts.”
The Philippines has also
taken over as chair of the Climate Vulnerability Forum - an international partnership of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet.
In its latest Climate Change Performance Index, Germanwatch provide a detailed ranking of more than 50 countries on their climate commitments. Denmark, Sweden and Morocco are the world’s best performing countries, while. on the flip side, Canada, Australia and Poland are poor performers and sliding backwards.
In anticipation of Gender Day tomorrow, check out this photo-documentary project from Democracy Now, which highlight the role of women in tackling climate change. The group have also focused on some of today’s biggest topics with their report “Corporate Consquisadors” highlighting the way multinationals are driving climate destruction.
Many of our partners are now gearing up for the climate march taking place in Lima on Wednesday (10 December). In what is expected to be one of the biggest climate marches in Latin American history, activists will be meeting at Av. De la Peruanidad (Campo de Marte) and from there we will march to Plaza San Martín.
In the News
Writing in the Guardian, Graham Readfearn looks at the placeholder in the current draft text for a long-term goal to completely phase out fossil fuel emissions by the middle of the century - a key ask for many of our partners.
Rappler meanwhile focuses on the some of the key areas of divide that remain going into week two.
As ministers begin trickling into Lima, Australian green leader warns the country will not be taken seriously at the talks.
Ahead of joining the conference, UK climate and energy secretary Ed Davey has warned that investing in fossil fuels is becoming increasingly risky, as global action to tackle climate change could curb demand, forcing companies to leave unprofitable reserves in the ground.
The spotlight is again being shined on the threat facing environmental activists in Latin America as a body of an indigenous leader who opposed a major mining project in Ecuador was found just days before he planned to take his campaign to the climate talks.
From the Negotiator Trackers
Diego Arguedas Ortiz examines the speed at which the idea of a complete phase out of fossil fuel emissionsis taking root in the UN climate process.
Avik Roy digs deep into rumours that India could be ready to support a peak in its emissions.
Asha Sitati looks at the strong role that women are playing in the negotiations ahead of Gender Day tomorrow.
Lots more great Adopt a Negotiator blogs can be found on our website.
Tools and resources
A large group of southern-based civil society groups launched theClimate Fairshares toolto show exactly how much each country needs to do to fight climate change.
The latest ECO newsletter looks ahead to Tuesday’s finance ministerial and the need for a global goal on adaptation.
The latest ENBnewsletter offers a breakdown of the negotiations as the next text is put on the table. Its photo-blog also gives a visual look at day seven of the talks.
And if you need a lighthearted read after digging deep into negotiation texts, check out thisgreat tumbler feed of what life is like inside the negotiations.
Track the talks on TckTckTck’s daily liveblog
For the full duration of the talks, we’re liveblogging on the TckTckTck website. Check out our embeddable Storify-powered feed for up-to-the-hour news on negotiation progress, NGO efforts and the COP19 experience. SEE IT HERE>>
We will help drive the conversation on Twitter by pulling together to trending tweets, hashtags and memes for our partners to use in regular social media blasts throughout the talks. SIGN UP HERE
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