Daily Tck: Day 2 of the UN climate talks in Lima

Negotiators in the contact group addressing finance | photo credit: IISD Reporting Service

Negotiations dug deeper into the heart of Lima’s deliverables Tuesday, re-opening negotiations on the shape and contents of the new global climate agreement. While some of what we heard during opening statements were country positions dating back to the last century, a few countries’ statements spoke to exactly what needs doing. Costa Rica, for example, on behalf of the AILAC bloc of Latin American countries, called for a zero emissions world by the middle of the century.

Governments were reminded of the science underlying AILAC’s call during presentations by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who reported on the findings of its latest synthesis report. According to that report, which for the first time included a carbon budget for the 2degC threshold: the world used up two-thirds of the total carbon budget in 2011, and at current rates will burn through the rest in less than 30 years. For the best chance of avoiding severe levels of warming, governments need to peak emissions, rapidly phase fossil fuels down to zero and transition to 100% renewable energy. Governments get another dose of scientists sharing evidence of the dire need for increased action Wednesday when UN Environment Programme, International Energy Agency, and others will present their latest research.

While the UN’s subsidiary bodies waded through the latest climate science and the efficacy of the UNFCCC’s ongoing work over a heavy schedule of meetings, heated discussions kicked off on “elements” of the 2015 agreement. On the sidelines of Tuesday’s tense negotiations, the World Resources Institute and the ACT 2015 consortium offered their views on what a strong, comprehensive climate agreement could look like, launching a new report on the potential “elements” of such a deal.

[DIVIDER]RESOURCES & TOOLS[DIVIDER]

Finance and adaptation were first among the elements on the agenda. Following the positive momentum of off the Green Climate Fund pledges, finance negotiations took a turn in the other direction. The US pushed to remove things that most thought were agreed upon, including the connection between finance and long term goals. The same could be could be said for the Swiss, which was uncharacteristically undiplomatic.

The importance of finance was emphasized in the CAN press conference today, labelled “the key issue of the negotiations” by Oxfam’s Jan Kowalzig. Today’s Fossil of the Day was also awarded to a country failing to live up to its climate finance pledges, as media reports exposed Japan for spending $1 billion in loans under the UN’s initiative to help poor countries tackle global warming on the construction of power plants fired by coal, the biggest human source of carbon pollution.

From our partners

The ACT 2015 consortium – made up of experts on international climate policy from around the world – launched a report today presenting its ideas on how an international climate agreement should look in order to be the strongest and most effective agreement possible.

As the Philippines braces itself for another Typhoon, Germanwatch’s annual Global Climate Risk Index, Germanwatch highlights the climate change impacts that are already hitting home today, finding the Philippines, Cambodia and India most affected by extreme weather events in 2013 and, looking more long-term, that developing countries are most at risks of impacts including floods, storms and heatwaves.

In a special edition of its ECO newsletter, CAN international examines the adequacy and feasibility of a long-term goal to completely phase out fossil fuel emissions and phase in 100% renewable energy.

The Climate Group are making understanding the UNFCCC negotiations easier with a handy infographic on the history of the talks and why they are so important.

In the news

RTCC gives a run-down of countries opening statements during today’s ADP plenary, while also drilling down on comments from the Africa Group and other developing nations.

Reuters also drills down into the state of the play on the second day of the conference and calls from developing countries on rich nations to do more to tackle climate change.

Following strong warnings from UN climate chief Christiana Figueres yesterday, on the risks of investing in oil, the Bank of England has joined the call today, urging an enquiry into the chances of an economic crash if climate change rules render coal, oil and gas assets worthless.

The Sydney Morning Herald focuses on a new report from Germanwatch which showed the Philippines was the most climate impacted country in 2013. The news comes as the country is back on high-alert as another typhoon threatens to make landfall in the country in the coming days.

Media reports from AP highlight gaps in the UN’s climate finance rules, exposing Japan for spending $1 billion in loans under the UN’s initiative to help poor countries tackle global warming on the construction of power plants fired by coal, the biggest human source of carbon pollution. The reports saw Japan awarded today’s Fossil of the Day at the talks in Lima.

Tools and resources

The GCCA’s Tree team pulled together a ‘COP20 Briefer: All eyes on Lima as critical period for negotiations begins,’ a list of events taking place in and around the conference, and a briefing discussion with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Alden Meyer and CAN’s Ria Voorhaar on what to expect from the COP.

You can follow the TckTckTck team on the ground in Lima via our Live-blog or on our Twitter and Facebook pages. If you want to suggest something for the Daily Tck please email [email protected].

From the Negotiator Trackers

Diego Arguedas Ortiz takes a look at why Panama’s $1 million pledge to the Green Climate Fund was such a symbolic move for the country and why developing countries are fighting so hard for adaptation and finance to be part of a future agreement on climate change.

Asha Sitati examines Africa’s energy crisis and the role of the UNFCCC in shining a light on it.

Tools and resources

Check out the latest round-up and photo blog from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.

More photos from the corridors of the negotiations can be found on the Adopt a Negotiator flickr page.

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