UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa addressed delegates at COP25 this morning, warning that “the window of opportunity is closing now. On both a professional and personal level, my message to you is this: We need your decisions. We need your leadership. We are out of time.”
Hours later climate activist Australian climate Daisy Jeffrey activist apologized to the world on behalf of her country. “We should and could do better.”
The real negotiations at the Climate Talks began this Monday as official delegates and high level political representatives arrived in Madrid to begin working on the details of what this year’s concluding document will set forth. Former NYC Mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg arrived this morning, with America’s Pledge, a response from the American Cities Initiative in response to the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
Led by California Governor Jerry Brown and Michael Bloomberg, America’s Pledge on climate change is a new initiative to compile and quantify the actions of states, cities and businesses in the United States to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Since the White House announcement of its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, an unprecedented number of U.S. states, cities, businesses, and colleges and universities have reaffirmed their support for the Paris Agreement through collaborations including the “We Are Still In” declaration, the Climate Mayors coalition of cities, the US Climate Alliance group of states, and others.
Building on this positive momentum, the America’s Pledge initiative will for the first time aggregate the commitments of these and other “non-Party actors” in a report on the full range of climate-related activities across the whole of U.S. society. The process of developing America’s Pledge will also provide a roadmap for increased climate ambition from U.S. states, cities, businesses and others, and will transparently demonstrate to the international community how and in which ways these entities can help the U.S. deliver on its pledge under the Paris Agreement.
Other COP News
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg arrived at COP25 Friday on a day when 500,000 marched in the streets.
Over the weekend, negotiators sat down to work on Article 6, attempting to determine how carbon markets might work to mitigate climate change impacts. The work on this article is viewed as integral to the success of the COP. Whereas the Paris Agreement laid the groundwork for limiting atmospheric temperature rise to 2C, given recent dire reports from the UN and the IPCC, the ambition has shifted, with pressure on participating nations to aim low — 1.5C.
“We must bend the curve [from increasing carbon to falling emissions] in the next year,” said Johan Rockström, the joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The provisions in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement can help countries who seek cooperation on their INDC's through carbon pricing in order to meet their mitigation commitments, and increase their ambition over time. To date +90 countries have said they seek access to an international carbon market in their INDC. (link)
The Ocean
In an article wrapping up Week 1 of the talks, the Guardian focused on the role of healthy oceans.
The key message from campaigners is that protecting marine life – stopping overfishing, stemming the plastic tide of pollution and the flow of fertilisers and chemicals that is suffocating fish – is not just vital to biodiversity, and healthy fisheries for the more than 1 billion people who depend on the oceans, but also to regulate the climate. Healthy oceans absorb carbon and provide a buffer against climate chaos, so damage to them is damage to the climate, and vice versa.