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Saturday, December 14, 2019

Madrid Climate Conference COP25 enters overtime as many countries raise lack of ambition amid blockers



The United Nations Climate Conference meeting in Madrid under a Chilean Presidency was due to close on Friday 13 December, 2019, but negotiators have been working overnight trying to overcome multiple issues and blockages on Article 6 on carbon markets, on Loss and Damages, on Finance, on calling for ambition in NDCs that need to be submitted in 2020, in the acceptance of the IPCC Land and Oceans reports.

The Chilean Presidency attempted to reach a balanced approach with updated decision texts on Saturday morning, but was criticised by the blocking countries like Australia, USA and Brazil, while a great many countries and negotiating blocs called for much greater ambition in the textx, highlighting that people are marching in the streets, demanding action, watching the negotiators in this time of climate crisis and climate emergency.

Blunt statement from Mohammed Adow from Powershift Africa: "I would say here in Madrid the governments fucked up..."

This is a live blog....







President's Informal Stochktake 11pm midnight



Chilean COP President Carolina Schmidt articulated that this morning there was a strong call from many nations to have an ambitous outcome in 1.CP25 and 1.CMA2. She said she was happy to achieved that, and hopes there is the support to have consensus decision that is really ambitous, there being no action if it is not ambitous, for this presidency. Based on feedback received, "we have been consulting with parties nonstop on this issue to resolve issue on the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM), Article 6 and finance" she said, "If we can not agree on an ambitous decision we will have failed."

The only question/issue raised:



The President agreed.



Good question: report that AOSIS and LDC locked out of Article 6 negotiations






Final COP / CMA / VMP Plenary Midnight 2am 5am 9am

A closing plenary for COP / CMP / CMA is currently scheduled for 10pm Midnight on Saturday / 1am 5am 9am 10am Sunday.














































What Civil Society spokepeople said at the end of the plenary. COP President suggested that due to the hour and the work of the negotiators overnight that delegations could send statements in. But civil society wanted their all two brief 2 minutes, refused to be silent. Costa Rica supported that the plenary here from civil society. As it happened, many countries made statements, and then civil society constituencies were allowed to speak.

I didn't record all the speeches, just from the indigenous peoples, Women and gender, youth and trade unions.

Here are their speeches, as passionate if not more so than many of the party delegates, and having a truth and perspective that often gets missed among diplomats and politicians. The Conference and the outcomes were heavily criticised as far from sufficient for ensuring human rights and climate justice.

The voice of the Indigenous peoples constituency:

Video: the voice of indigenous people at COP25 - IMG_4608

The voice of the Women and Gender constituency:

Video - the voice for gender equality and women at COP25 IMG_4609

The voice of the youth constituencies:

Video - The voice of youth at COP25 IMG_4610

The voice for the unions:

Video - the voice of trade unions at COP25 IMG_4611

The gavel came down, the conference was over. Many Delegates and a few observers, bleary eyed from the long night, had already left the plenary hall drifting away to pack bags and catch flights home.

Julie-Anne Richards, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Australia, commented on the conference: “This is a time of climate emergency back home — with bushfires raging for three months, six people have died, 720 homes have been destroyed, beautiful national parks and their wildlife burnt. Yet still the Australian Government has sought to weaken its climate ambition, and drag the ambition of the whole Paris Agreement down to its level. This is not acceptable to the Australian people, thousands of whom took to the streets this week demanding that the government take climate change seriously. The Government have not heard the last from us, we will persist in demanding climate justice.”





Richie Merzian on COP25 and Australia

Australia has helped to destabilise COP25 through pushing carbon credit loopholes, claims Richie Merzian, Climate and Energy Director of the Australia Institute.





The Peoples Final Plenary of COP25



From 5:15-6:15 PM today (Sat 14 Dec), civil society from many constituencies held a Peoples’ Closing Plenary in Hall 10 next to Room Loa on how COP25 has failed our movements.

The Saturday morning decision draft text was extremely weak and lacked ambition, with Civil Society, and even many parties calling it out as far from sufficient.

Representatives from the Indigenous Peoples, people living with disabilities, Women & Gender, faith communities, Youth, Trade Union, ENGO-CJN, ENGO-CAN constituencies made statements, followed by several respondents speaking on behalf of people from their nations. The plenary was presided over by a a dual COP presidency including an Indigenous person from Chile.

Participants showed what the COP25 negotiations could have delivered if Big Polluters and the countries most historically responsible for the climate crisis had not continued to advance their agendas these past two weeks.

Watch a short Facebook video (2'31"):





COP President press Conference

A 3pm Press United Nations Press conference has been scheduled by Chilean COP25 President Carolina Schmidt







Informal stocktake Plenary:

I tried to keep track of comments in the plenary, although I missed a few country statements:

























No clearer or more blunt statement than this from Civil Society Mohammed Adow from Power Shift Africa:
"They are ripping apart an essential part of the Paris Agreement, with these new texts. Leaders are not responding to the climate crisis at all. I would say here in Madrid that the governments fucked up."





Civil Society comment: time fast running out at COP25:



Comment by Executive director of Climate Action network, Tasneem Essop:




Informal Presidency stock-taking plenary, Organiser: UNFCCC
Date: December 14, 2019 09:00 +01:00






A small piece of good news on Adaptation Finance:





San Jose Principles of High Ambition for Article 6 on Carbon Markets

Australia not a leader, not even a follower, but utter dunce of the class with a 0/100 on climate policy assessment, a real climate laggard. Australia be like these countries:




Press release: 14 December: Leading countries set benchmark for carbon markets with San Jose Principles

MADRID – As UN climate talks in Madrid near its closing, a group of leading countries are working together to secure an ambitious outcome is delivered on the Article 6 negotiations.

To make that happen, they have agreed on a set of principles, known as the San Jose Principles for High Ambition and Integrity in International Carbon Markets, that constitute the basis upon which a fair and robust carbon market should be built.

Known as the Unconventional Group, these countries (see the list below) have been working since the Pre-COP25 in San José, Costa Rica, to increase the level of ambition in talks dealing with carbon markets.

The group presented the Chilean COP Presidency a set of principles (see attached) that outline what a successful outcome could look like in this Article, in the hope that this will support the Presidency’s efforts in creating an ambitious outcome.

Parties include (updated December 14, 2:10pm, CET)

Costa Rica
Switzerland
Belize
Colombia
Paraguay
Perú
Marshall Islands
Vanuatu
Luxembourg
Cook Islands
Germany
Sweden
Denmark
Austria
Grenada
Estonia
New Zealand
Spain
Ireland
Latvia
The Netherlands
Norway
Slovenia
Belgium
Fiji

Read the full press statement and San Jose Principles statement

at

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