Page 14 - IB JAN 2019

Climate Change

Young climate change advocates, Timoci Naulusala (Fiji)
and Greta Thunberg (Sweden).

UNFCCC members and Carbon Brief states
the contention revolves around the ques-
tion on whether to have different rules for
COP24 President Michał Kurtyka (right) welcomes his COP23 counterpart and Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama rich and poor countries.
in Katowice, Poland. PHOTOS: Department of Information, Fiji.
The final rulebook had to settle with
the notion that a single set of rules is
applicable to all countries. Compromises
Falling short at COP24 like flexibility and self-determination of
rules were also added in, for the benefit
of developing or poorer nations.
“Those making use of this flexibility
By Samisoni Pareti No agreement was also reached on have to say why they need this flexibility
Article 6.2 that deals with trading of over- and for how long they expect to continue
TOO watered down and stripped of a clear achievement of their climate pledges and needing it. The US and some others had
sense of urgency is how some experts Article 6.4 on generation of carbon credits hoped to put a time limit on this flexibil-
have labelled the outcomes of COP24 at for sale from individual projects. ity, but ultimately lost out, even as they
the southern Polish city of Katowice last The compromised wordings of Article 4, secured the common reporting rules they
month. which deals with climate pledges of coun- wanted,” wrote Carbon Brief in their sum-
Representatives of countries that are tries under their nationally determined mary of the COP24 outcome.
members of the United Nations Conven- contributions (NDC) were received with “This rules add that countries using
tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were mixed feelings. this flexibility should say how they will
bogged down on the exact language of While some experts say getting all improve over time. They “should … to the
the rule book of the Paris Agreement that countries to use the same accounting rules extent possible identify, regularly update
COP24 was supposed to produce during would be welcomed by researchers, they and include” information on improve-
the two week-long negotiations. worry that it may also result in “creative ment.”
They could not agree for instance on reporting.” The final rulebook on Loss and Damage
whether to welcome or simply note the Some countries that are members of the –always a disputatious subject because of
special report of the Intergovernmental UNFCCC, including some of the world’s the belief of vulnerable states, the small
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 1.5C. smaller states that are the most vulnerable Pacific island states included, that the
The United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia to the adverse impacts of climate change wealthier and polluting nations should pay
and Kuwait were identified as countries would be disappointed with the compro- for the cost of irreversible damage caused
that refused to “welcome” the IPCC report. mised language of Article 9 of the final by carbon emissions – was ambiguous
At the end, the compromised wording agreement, on climate finance reporting. at best.
in the final text was that “timely comple- In stating that countries should give “The global stocktake rules do add
tion” of the report was “welcomed” and “an indication of what new and additional loss and damage to the mix, having at
countries were “invited” to make use of financial resources have been provided, one point in the talks relegated the issue
the report. and how it has been determined that such to a footnote,” states Carbon Brief. “The
A few decisions could not be made due resources are new and additional,” UK- stocktake rules now say it “may take into
to the lack of consensus. This included based climate science online publisher Car- account, as appropriate … efforts to avert,
article 6 rules for voluntary carbon mar- bon Brief says the wordings as they stand minimise and address loss and damage
kets. Agreement on this was reportedly mean that “climate finance is not required associated with the adverse effects of
hijacked by Brazil, so the matter has been to come from new funding streams.” climate change.”
carried forward to COP25, which Chile will Article 13 of the final outcome of COP24 Revving up financial pledges to meet the
now host late December 2019 or early was tricky to resolve. It deals with trans- $100b goal as promised under the Paris
January 2020. parency on reporting climate efforts by Agreement was a huge disappointment

14 Islands Business, January 2019