Page 19 - Respond 2016 Magazine

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Credit: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

“It puts us in a slightly tricky situation, as the APA [round of talks on build capacity across Africa and Latin America, but progress has
working out rules for the new deal] has just been established,” said been slow.
Jo Tyndall, a New Zealand diplomat who is co-chair of the talks.
At a recent event in London hosted by CDKN one African negotiator
“It is just simply not realistic to expect everything can be concluded spoke of his frustration at the lack of support poorer countries had
so we can fulfil mandate to CMA1.” received since Paris to help deliver on its aspirations.
That’s because talks on how it will work only started in May, and Remember some of the plans (INDCs) submitted last year were just
diplomats face a workload that many assumed they would have 5 a few pages: from that they now need to build a national industrial
years to complete. strategy that can endure for decades, and pass laws like the UK’s
2008 Climate Change Act.
A UN ‘progress tracker’ released in July outlines a whopping 135
different tasks facing resolution. It’s not just governments that are suffering. The UN climate body
has issued a plea to donors for more cash. Voluntary contributions
Of these the UN identifies 24 that have to be completed before the are down from $300,000 in 2014 to $80,000 in 2016.
Paris agreement can function.
In an interview with Climate Home earlier this summer, Tubiana
Many sound fairly simple but there are already signs of differences suggested 2018 could be the “real deadline to finish preparations”
between developed and developing countries over how they will and ensure all countries are ratified and on board.
be crafted and what leeway poorer nations will get.
With a new IPCC climate science study into dangers posed by 1.5C
Four stand out – although they are by no means the only important of global warming due the same year, many hope 2018 could be
jobs facing negotiators: the moment for a renewed and tougher set of climate targets.
• How will the 2018 global review into climate targets and plans
work? To that end, the key goal for COP22, the year’s main UN climate
• What level of support will developing countries get pre-2020? summit in Marrakech, is to develop a roadmap for future talks and
• Will a new transparency mechanism cover developed and the development of a treaty rulebook in the coming 24 months.
developing countries?
• Who will write the rules for carbon markets under the Paris deal? Should ratification become reality, it will be the start of a new
journey and one that will not immediately deliver results, a fact
On the last point, one consultant working with countries on the many may find frustrating given the record global temperatures
development of market mechanisms reckons it’s unlikely they could seen through 2016.
agree rules before 2018.
For her part Tyndall, whose job it will be to marshall nearly 200
Little was accomplished at UN talks in May, they added, and few countries in November alongside her Saudi Arabian co-chair,
governments have thought about how an emissions mitigation remains confident the process can deliver, despite the tight timeline.
mechanism might work in practice.
“We have proven that it can be done and it will be done,” she said.
Separately, it’s an open secret that many developing countries “The point I would make is that in every meeting since Paris at
require help delivering on their climate plans and ensuring they ministerial level or senior officials the political momentum and
are adequately financed. Organisations like CDKN are helping strong buy-in from the Paris outcome has remained very clear.”

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