LRQA COP 16 Blog, Day Six – High-level negotiations continue
9th December 2010 by Andy Ritchie
By Andrew Ritchie, Climate Change Services Manager, LRQA
Follow LRQA on Twitter @LRQA_CC_CSR
My first day at COP 16 in Cancun, at the beginning of a second week of climate change negotiations which have, as yet, failed to come alive. The general level of expectation that the negotiations will bear significant fruit still remains low and it will require a considerable effort amongst all the parties involved to produce something which could result in this event being regarded as a success.
With high-level negotiations continuing in earnest today, I took the opportunity to sample a number of the IETA side events which were being held at the Westin Resort, and sat in on three sessions which were covering the following topics:
- How are carbon markets affecting LDCs (Least Developed Countries)?
- What lessons can be learned from the EUETS on low-carbon investments?
- What’s the status of the regulatory framework regarding CCS (carbon capture and storage)?
1. With regard to LDCs, all the panellists agreed that more needed to be done to encourage the participation of LDCs in the carbon markets, especially in mechanisms such as CDM. Alternative views were offered regarding how this could be achieved, ranging from the need for the EUETS to accept forestry credits, through the suggestion that the EU should increase its own target for emissions reductions to 30% in order to encourage more CERs from LDCs, to the controversial idea of applying a ‘multiplier’ to any credits generated from projects in LDCs.
Emphasis was placed by two panellists on the importance of encouraging ‘pro poor’ projects which not only reduce emissions but also encourage development, as development, rather than mitigation, is apparently seen by most LDC governments as the key issue they face. Unfortunately, the discussions also highlighted the stark reality that many LDCs will also need to have a particular interest in adaptation, given that they are more at risk from the impacts of climate change than more developed countries.
2. The panel which discussed the lessons to be learned on how schemes such as EU ETS encourage low-carbon investments, whilst disagreeing on the detail, seemed to agree that the key lessons were the need for long-term stability in policy to encourage investment and, again controversially, the need for the price of carbon to be higher.
3. Whilst the third session provided a comprehensive overview of the current status of regulation in key CCS development areas such as the EU, USA, Canada and Australia, it also highlighted, in the wider context of CCS, the challenges facing this technology if it is to fulfil its projected aim of providing mitigation of 19% of global carbon emissions by 2050. The probable need for some 3400 operational projects storing some 145 gigatonnes of carbon certainly looks daunting, especially when compared with the current status of only 5 large scale operations each doing on average 1 million tonnes a year.
All three of sessions highlighted the breadth of topics relating to climate change that are being discussed at COP, and also the genuine passion that many of those involved have for their chosen areas of interest.
Across at the Messe, a well attended evening event discussed the interconnected nature of water, climate change and development. Highlighting the fact that climate change is almost certain to affect water, and changes in the availability and impacts of water, through drought and flood inevitably has an impact on development. Panellists outlined the importance of making water a central theme of the UNFCCC’s considerations for the future.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, I am hoping to bring you up-to-date with the current status of the high level negotiations taking place at Cancun and, in doing so, determine whether there is still any scope for optimism.
Andy’s Mexican Fact of the Day
Mexico, which is one of the 18 ‘megadiverse’ countries of the world, is home of 10–12% of the world’s biodiversity, with over 200,000 different species. Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in reptiles with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in amphibians with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 different species. Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in ecosystems and fourth in overall species, with approximately 2,500 species protected by Mexican law.
Andy’s Thought for the Day
There’s something both unnerving and re-assuring about seeing uniformed men with machine guns on the streets as you make your way from a hotel to a conference centre.
Visit LRQA website to see more blogs from Andy Ritchie from week two.
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Andy Ritchie is the Group Environmental Products Manager for the