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Friday, November 1, 2019

COP25 to be hosted in Madrid, Spain under presidency of Chile

It seems the merry-go-round with the UN climate conference COP25 continues.

It appears the Spanish government has offered Madrid as the venue for the next COP 25 climate change summit. This was announced on Thursday by the president of Chile , Sebastián Piñera. The conference would retain the same dates of December 2 to 13.

"Yesterday I spoke with the president of Spain , Pedro Sánchez , who made a generous offer to organize the COP 25 summit in Madrid, Spain, on the same days it was scheduled to take place in Chile; that is, between on December 2 and 13, " Piñera said in a statement at La Moneda presidential palace.

Update 1 November: It is confirmed that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Bureau has met and decided to hold COP25 in Madrid, Spain between December 2 to December 13.



The designated president of COP 25, the Minister of Environment of Chile , Carolina Schmidt , officially informed the United Nations of this proposal. This will be considered by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change next week in Bonn (Germany), according to reports.

The APEC summit in November and the climate change summit in December were both cancelled by President Pineiro due to the social crisis and unrest for the last fortnight in Chile, which has seen massive numbers of people on the streets of cities throughout the country, including a massive 1.2 million people on the streets of the capital, Santiago.

Brazil was originally going to host the COP25 climate summit, but the election of right wing President Jair Bolsano resulted in his cancelling Brazil's offer to host the summit, allowing Chile to step forward.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa issued the following brief statement:


But the climate summit could also be complicated by the Spanish election to be held on November 10. Ed King highlights the left and right in Spanish politics are running neck and neck, with a continuing crisis over Catalonia self determination.


Germany welcomes Spain's bid to host COP25 at short notice, saying it would be logistically impossible to do in the time available in Bonn.


Possible COP location in Madrid

A location for the conference in Madrid has not yet been released, although there is some conjecture it may be the Feria de Madrid, especially if current exhibitions are moved from the site.

This exhibition space is described by Wikipedia: "It has 200,000 m² covered for exhibitions distributed in twelve pavilions , a convention center of more than 10,000 m², as well as spaces and equipment necessary for the optimal development of the activities that take place there, such as meeting area, auditorium for 600 attendees, numerous restaurants and 14,000 parking spaces."

According to Wikipedia, "The Ifema fairground is located northeast of the city, in the Campo de las Naciones , next to the Barajas airport and between the M-40 and M-11 highways"

There is good public transport connection according to IFEMA website: "The nearest Metro station to IFEMA is Feria de Madrid (line 8: Nuevos Ministerios-Aeropuerto T4). The exit is opposite IFEMA’s South entrance. This line connects the venue to the different terminals of Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez airport. Line 8 connects with other Metro routes at Nuevos Ministerios, Colombia and Mar de Cristal stations, which offers excellent connectivity to and from anywhere in Madrid."

This location for the conference has now been confirmed.

UNFCCC Emergency meeting bureau decision

While we wait for the decision of the emergency meeting of the UNFCCC bureau (likely to be held online), read Chris Wright from Climate Tracker insights on the Climate Bureau of UNFCCC and why Spain is likely to receive the nod to go ahead with staging COP25, although still under the Presidency of Chile, despite an election in Spain on 10 November (the fourth election in four years). - Could Madrid host COP25? - 2 key hurdles to leap first.

#COP24 President Michal Kurtyka, a member of the UNFCCC Bureau, appears to have confirmed the COP25 will go ahead in Madrid, Spain.


UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa put out a very brief statement:

"We are pleased to announce the COP Bureau has agreed that COP25 will take place from 2-13 December in Madrid, Spain."

The Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, announces COP25 hosting for Madrid...


Cancelling COP25 in Chile could strengthen protest in Chile for social change

An article in Foreign Policy on October 31 with a statement byJ ennifer Pribble, an associate professor of political science at the University of Richmond highlights that the social movement in Chile may continue to press for deep demands on addressing the social crisis and inequality, they will not be satisfied with minor changes. A constitional assembly to address the deeply flawed constitution set in place during the reign of the Generals is one key demand.

"the cancellation of the U.N. climate summit could inflame tensions, according to Jennifer Pribble, an associate professor of political science at the University of Richmond. “By cancelling that event, Piñera may signal a weak commitment to climate policy,” she wrote in an email.

"The cancellations could also bring more attention to the unrest. “I think outside actors will read this as a sign of how deep this crisis really is,” Pribble added. “The persistence of the protests, even after Piñera’s announcement of select policy changes and a cabinet shake-up, suggests that those mobilizing in the streets are looking for deeper, more structural change.”
More to follow...

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