"Time to forge a Peace Pact with Nature" says UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at COP15 Biodiversity conference:

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, again stepped up the rhetoric at the openning plenary of the Biodiversity conference in Montreal, calling for a "Peace Pact with Nature".

He articulated the rapid species and ecosystems decline and the costs to humanity of cost measured in lost jobs, hunger, diseases and deaths, and higher prices for water, food and energy.

He focussed on three concrete actions:

• Governments should develop bold national action plans across all ministries, from finance and food, to energy and infrastructure. This includes "plans that re-purpose subsidies and tax breaks away from nature-destroying activities towards green solutions like renewable energy, plastic reduction, nature-friendly food production and sustainable resource extraction. Plans that recognize and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, who have always been the most effective guardians of biodiversity. And National Biodiversity Finance Plans to help close the finance gap."
• The private sector and business must recognize that profit and protection must go hand-in-hand. That means the food and agricultural industry moving towards sustainable production and natural means of pollination, pest control and fertilization. It means the timber, chemicals, building and construction industries taking their impacts on nature into account in their business plans. It means the biotech, pharmaceutical and other industries that use biodiversity sharing the benefits fairly and equitably. It means tough regulatory frameworks and disclosure measures that end greenwashing, and hold the private sector accountable for their actions across every link of their supply chains. And it means challenging the relentless concentration of wealth and power by few that is working against nature and the real interests of the majority.  
• Dveloped countries must provide bold financial support for the countries of the Global South as custodians of our world’s natural wealth.

Australia and Negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty and reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment

Photo by IISD/ENB

The final resolution at the United Nations Environment Assembly 21 February – 4 March 2022 was to develop a Global Plastics Treaty and to set up an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

That Negotiating Committee has now convened 28 November - 2 December 2022 at Punta del Este, Uruguay. Negotiations on the Treaty is expected to take until 2024. Australia is a member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution and is attending and have made a submission regarding processes and a statement to the Opening Plenary

• UNEP Environment Assembly Resolution on Global Plastics Treaty
• Plastics Treaty Needs to Consider Chemicals
• Scientists say Global plastic treaty should address chemicals
• Australia joins global efforts to end plastic pollution 16 November
• Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting 28 November - 2 December 2022
• Opening Plenary – Statement by Australia

Barossa gas project: Santos appeal to Full Bench of Federal Court dismissed after challenge by traditional owners

Cheers from traditional owners on the Tiwi Islands after the Federal Court Full Bench dismissed an appeal by Santos regarding its Barossa Gas Project in the Northern Territory.

Tiwi Islanders had appealed the start of drilling that they had not been consulted in the project to start drilling off the coast and the installation of a gas pipeline to Darwin to process the gas in the Proposed Darwin LNG plant. 

They won their initial injunction. Santos then appealed to the Full Bench of the Federal Court, which today was dismissed.

Tiwi Islander Dennis Tipakalippa and other Tiwi residents initially launched legal action in June 2022 to halt drilling, fearing it could damage their sea country.

Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen delivers first annual climate statement in 2022

The Annual climate change statement to Federal Parliament was delivered on the 1st December by Chris Bowen, the Minister for Climate change and Energy. It is the first annual statement as mandated under the Climate Act (2022).

The speech outlines the achievements of the Labor Government in the first 6 months in addressing all the issues that were neglected by the previous Liberal National Party Coalition Government.

The last 6 months has been a whirlwind of starting to implement Labor's climate policies taken to the election. However, these policies overwhelmingly focussed on ramping up renewables and restructuring the National Electricity Market (NEM) east-coast electricity grid, with some strategies for encouraging EV transition and Fuel efficiency standards. Policies on Fossil fuel production phasout and addressing the 114 new coal and gas projects in the approvals pipeline were absent. There was also no commitment to phaseout the  $11 billion in yearly tax subsidies to fossil fuel companies.

Australia did commit to the Global Methanne Pledge just before COP27, and made several minor, but important, pledge commitments at the conference. 

The Annual statement highlights that the ‘baseline’ scenario largely reflects already-implemented policies and shows a 32% reduction in emissions on 2005 levels by 2030.

The ‘additional measures’ scenario is based upon two major elements of the Powering Australia plan, achieving the 82% national renewable electricity target by 2030 and the Safeguard Mechanism reforms. Under this scenario, Australia is on track to reduce emissions by 40% on 2005 levels by 2030.

Other Powering Australia and the National Electric Vehicle Strategymeasures have not been included in the scenario. The Government is confident that implementation of these and other measures will result in achieving the 43% emissions reduction by 2030 target. 

The Government is also reforming the Safeguard Mechanism to provide long-term clarity on emissions reduction of the top 200 major carbon polluters. The integrity of carbon credits will be critical for the Mechanism to work effectively. Up to 80% of Australian carbon credits have had their integrity questioned.

After all the flooding rains we still face elevated bushfire risk for Summer 2022

You might think after the deluge of rain and flood events his year that fire risk would be low this summer.

You would be wrong.

All the rains and floods have contributed to vegetation growth adding to fuel load. When this fuel dries out with summer heat, it makes it susceptible to wildfire.

We are more likely to see grassfires this season than forest fires. But they can be equally deadly.

Guest Post: COP27: one big breakthrough but ultimately an inadequate response to the climate crisis

Photo by IISD/ENB

Matt McDonald, The University of Queensland

For 30 years, developing nations have fought to establish an international fund to pay for the “loss and damage” they suffer as a result of climate change. As the COP27 climate summit in Egypt wrapped up over the weekend, they finally succeeded.

While it’s a historic moment, the agreement of loss and damage financing left many details yet to be sorted out. What’s more, many critics have lamented the overall outcome of COP27, saying it falls well short of a sufficient response to the climate crisis. As Alok Sharma, president of COP26 in Glasgow, noted:

Friends, I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5 degrees was weak. Unfortunately it remains on life support.

But annual conferences aren’t the only way to pursue meaningful action on climate change. Mobilisation from activists, market forces and other sources of momentum mean hope isn’t lost.

Australia at COP27 Diary

UN climate conference, the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) is ocurring in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt from Monday November 6 to Friday November 18, 2022 (but may also go overtime into the weekend). 

This is my digital diary of Australia at COP27. I have attended four previous COPs, but I will be following whats going on at COP27 online. Follow with me. I'll be updating this blog post regularly over October-November 2022.

UNFCCC COP27 main website. Civil Society have organised the COP27 Coalition. See the La Ruta del Clima guide to COP27 (English and Spanish). The Australian Pavillion website.

Key Blogs (for tracking issues):. 

• End game for COP27 - blogging the final hours
• Tracking Australian Ministers and Australian pledges at COP27 
• In Parliament 7-11 Nov Statements and questions on climate and COP27 
• Tracking methane issue and Australia at COP27

20 November - Long past bedtime as La Nina set to intensify cyclone season and flooding

Final hours of negotiations and post assessment: 

• End game for COP27 - blogging the final hours Closing Plenary scheduled for 12:30-15:30 AEDT
• The UN Climate conference COP27 may have closed but La Niña is set to intensify Australia’s cyclone season, raising risk of flooding (The Guardian)
• What are the key outcomes of Cop27 climate summit? (The Guardian)
• Guest: COP27: one big breakthrough but ultimately an inadequate response to the climate crisis (Blog)
• The 1.5C climate goal died at Cop27 – but hope must not by Damian Carrington, Environment editor at The Guardian

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19 November - Overtime, out of time

Prime minister Anthony Albanese says taking climate seriously is key to international diplomacy, is key to Australia’s push to co-host a UN climate conference with the Pacific islands. "Taking climate change seriously is the entry fee to get a seat at the table of international diplomacy and to be taken seriously by those who care about the global economy as well." (The Guardian)

U.S. silent on surprise aid plan (for Loss and Damnage finance) as climate talks stagger (Climatewire) Previous article reported U.S. isolated on loss and damage (Climatewire)

Reuters publishes Analysis-Australia's Climate Policies Don't Match Its Big Talk at COP27 highlighting Australia's addiction to fossil fuel exports and lack of policy to change this so far. (Reuters)

Australian position on Loss and Damage Finance: Australia said it welcomed the EU’s contribution and would “engage constructively with it”. On loss and damage, it was “very attracted to a new fund that benefits from a broad contributor base and focuses on the most vulnerable”. “We want to fully examine how other institutions such as multinational development banks can interact and further develop their interaction with this fund,” said Chris Bowen, the Australian climate change minister. reports the Guardian.

End game for COP27: Will there be backsliding on Fossil fuels or 1.5C target? Will a Loss and Damage finance Facility be established? (Blog)

Highlights and images from Earth Negotians Bulletin highlights Saturday 19 November a real negotiations rollercoaster ride (ENB/IISD)

High Ambition Coalition lists its demands for a successful COP:

 

End game for COP27: Will there be backsliding on Fossil fuels or 1.5C target? Will a Loss and Damage finance Facility be established?

COP Presidency Friday 11pm press briefing

The UN climate change conference is approaching its end game.

Will there be backsliding on Fossil fuels or 1.5C target? 

Will a Loss and Damage finance Facility be established?

The negotiations are past Friday closing, well into overtime working through the night.

UNFCCC draft documents can be found here:  https://unfccc.int/document

USA wins Colossal Fossil award at COP27 for block and delay on Loss and Damage Finance, Dishonourable mentions to Russia and Bolsanaro's Brazil

The USA wins the Colossal Fossil COP27 award for continuing to block and delay the creation of a Loss and Damage Fund in the negotiations. This needs to be called out loudly. Vulnerable countries are already experiencing high levels of climate disasters that affect economic recovery. This problem is only growing. A Loss and Damage fund is greatly needed to cope with escalating damages from heatwaves and drought, torrential rain and flood events, cyclones, and the long slow impact of sea level rise.

Dishonourable mentions to Russia for using COP27 for fossil fuel and nuclear lobbying, and to Bolsanaro's Brazil and the damage done with escalating emissions and levels of deforestation of the Amazon.  

Fossil Awards to Egypt for a weak cover text and Israel for greenwashing

The Fossil awards on Solutions Day go to not one, but two countries.

Both Egypt and Israel were nominated for being the worst today. Egypt for its extremely weak first drafts of the Cover text: the decision of the COP. While Fossil of the Day Ceremony was ocurring, COP27 Presidency and UN Secretary General were reading the 'riot Act' to negotiators with so many areas left unresolved. BUT Egypt is responsible for pulling together the COP cover text and the current version is very weak. See Early Draft Cop27 cover decision fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels (The Guardian)

Israel has it's first pavillion at COP, and while addressing water scarcity and adaptive agriculture is important, the elephant in the room is the human rights abuses to the Palestinian people. Greenwashing by Israel at their pavillion needs to be called out. Their is no climate justice without human rights.

Read the full press release here: