Posted by Joan Russow |
Thursday, 09 November 2017 03:38 |
Joan Russow PhD Global Compliance Research Project |
At COP 21, Ban Ki Moon, in Paris, urged states to negotiate with
a global vision not with national vested interests (a paraphrase of statement at
Cop21 press conference)
A global vision would be to address article 2 of the UNFCCC and at a
minimum the following: (i) to immediately end all subsidies for fossil fuel,
(ii) to calculate the carbon budget for each state,(iii) to divest in fossil fuels
and to reinvest and invest in renewable energy, (iv) to conserve sinks
-such as old growth forests and bogs, to strengthen conservation of biodiversity,
(v) to abandon false solutions such as nuclear, geo-engineering and biofuels
which would all violate principles within the UNFCCC
(vi) to compensate for historical emissions, and (vi) to institute a fair and just
transition for workers affected negatively by the new vision. (vii) to promote nature
based solutions and socially equitable and environmentally sound energy such as solar,
wind, tidal, and geothermal, (viii) end the exemption for miitary contribution to
greenhouse gas emissions, and (ix) reallocate the military budget and transfer the funds to address climate change
ARTICLE BEING REFORMATTED
COP23 must overcome the systemic constraints that undermined COP21
Systemic constraints preventing the fulfillment of the commitment to urgency
In COP21 in the preamble was the “recognition that climate change
represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human society
and the planet” yet the existence of the following systemic constraints prevented COP21 from embodying
this recognition:
1. The best is the enemy of the good- the compromisers credo
2 Baselines targets timeframes were all out of sync
3. Expedient omission; global carbon budget: historical and per capita
emissions
4. A solution should never be equally bad or worse than the problem it Is intended to solve
5.Some states are more equal than others
6. The lowest common denominator; the tyranny of consensus
7 The failure to reverse the exemption for the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions
8. Reluctance to use the international court of Justice
9. Ignoring commitment for funding source
10.The shortness of institutional memory and the undermining of legal
obligations from article 2 3 and 4 of UNFCCC
FIRST SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT
THE BEST IS THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD
All states should have acted to fulfill SDG 13 and on Ban Ki moon's call for negotiating with
a global vision
In SDG13 on climate change, addressing climate change is described
as urgent; climate change could jeopardize the fulfillment of most of the
SDGs. and the key biodiversity areas.
Almost twenty years ago in 1988, at the Changing Atmosphere
Conference in Toronto, the participants including representatives
from government, academia, NGOs and industry expressed their concern about Climate Change
in the Conference statement:
“Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally
pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequence could be
second only to a global nuclear war. The Earth’s atmosphere is
being changed at an unprecedented rate by pollutants
resulting from human activities, inefficient and wasteful fossil
fuel use ... These changes represent a major
threat to international security and are already having harmful
Consequences over many parts of the globe.... it is imperative to act now.
The Conference called for immediate action by governments,
To Reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 20% of 1988 levels
by the year 2005 as an initial global goal. Clearly the industrialized
nations have a responsibility to lead the way both through
their national energy policies and their bilateral multilateral
assistance arrangement.
The time for procrastination has long since has passed.
At COP21, Ban Ki Moon, in Paris, urged states to negotiate with a global
vision not with national vested interests (COP 21 press conference)
In 2017, the global community is in danger of non-compliance with
the purpose of the legally binding United Nations Framework on
Climate Change( article 2)
..."to achieve, in accordance with the relevant provisions of
the Convention, stabilization of greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to
allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that
food production is not threatened
What COP21 should have been was a new global vision with legally binding
actions to finally implement the binding commitments and adhere to the
principles in the legally binding 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate
change (UNFCCC)
Unfortunately, all the way through the negotiations, governments were
talking about their red lines: i.e. we will not agree to a document if x is in
the text or if x is not in the text.
At COP 23.there must be no compromise to accommodate the Trump government
and other major fossil fuel states; instead there must be a strong legally
binding document that could be used to sue the US and other
non-cooperating fossil fuel states for violation of article 2 of the legally
binding UNFCCC to which all states are parties.
SECOND SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT
BASELINES, TIMEFRAMES AND TARGETS , WERE ALL OUT OF
SYNC
At COP21. the proposed "contributions were not legally binding
commitments and they ranged in baselines from
1990 to 2010, from percentages from 20- 30 + % and targets
from 2010 to 2030.
Given the urgency, now in 2017 there must be real commitments
consistent with existing and emerging science such
as 20% below 1990 by 2017, 30% below 1990
levels by 2018, 50%below 1990 levels by 2020, 65 % below 1990
levels by 2025, 75% below 1990 levels by 2040 and 100%
below 1990 emissions by 2050, decarbonization with 100% ecologically
sound renewable energy,
THIRD SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT:EXPEDIENT OMISSION CARBON BUDGET ETC
Apart from a long list of what they are going to do without being
compelled to do anything, there were several expedient omissions in the final
document, first there was no mention of fossil fuels- including oil, coal or gas,
historical or per capita emissions and above all there was no
mention of the carbon budget and fair shares of the carbon budget.
At the press conferences the total carbon budget was a big
issue with scientists and NGOs.
Total carbon budget is estimated at 2900 gigatons from
pre-industrial time in order to keep below 2 degrees and that
in 2011 1900 gigatons of co2 had been used up thus about
1000 gigatons remains
At the current rate of 35.7 gt per year, in 2015 there would
only remain around 860 gt
IPCCC – estimates the total remaining emissions from 2014/2015
to keep global average temperature
below 2°c (900/ 860gtco2 ) will be used in around 20 years
at current emission rates
carbon budget pdf
the emission pledges from the us, EU, china, and India leave little room
for other countries to emit in a 2°c emission budget (66% chance) of the 35 giga
tons: it is startling that it was ignored in the agreement.
This evidence is significant for supporting the urgency of having legally
binding internationally determined mitigation commitments.
Accepting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
scenarios provide us with a global carbon budget that
will be consumed in 10–20 years at current emissions levels, and entail
very significant levels of risk.
FOURTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT
A SOLUTION SHOULD NEVER BE EQUALLY BAD OR WORSE
THAN THE PROBLEM IT IS INTENDED TO SOLVE
Some proposed solutions are false solutions. Such as nuclear
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-robock/nuclear-energy-is-not-a-solution_b_5305594.html)
Such as geoengineering
(Geoengineering is not a solution)
Such asBIOFUEL (agriculture land grabbing still a huge problem in eastern Europe/
Stop africa land grab
FIFTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT
SOME STATES ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHER
From COP15/16 to COP21 the systemic constraint some states are more
equal than others was evident:
All three COPs discounted the evidence of the scientists and ignored the
pleas of the developing countries.
in COP15, the developed states' negotiators were relying on the 2007
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report . At a press conference,
a member of the IPCC stated: “at 2 degree rise the poor, the vulnerable and
the disenfranchised would not survive, at a 1.5 degree rise, they might”
in the Copenhagen Accord, the 2 degree rise was agreed to and the developing
countries were ignored with their pleas for the temperature not to rise above
1.5 degree and some like Bolivia urged the Conference to agree to keep the
Temperature rise below 1 degree.
In COP23. there must be compensation for historical emissions which
have impacted vulnerable states, to avoid all false solutions such
as nuclear, geo-engineering and biofuels which would all violate principles
within the UNFCCC,
SIXTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT THE LOWEST COMMON
DENOMINATOR THE TYRANNY OF CONSENSUS
a global vision would have been the striving for consensus with a fallback
of 75 % especially within each article
At COP21 until the last versions, article 22; allowed for fallback
article 22 (voting)
1. each party shall have one vote,
3. without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph 3 of article 15 of the
convention, the parties Shall make every effort to reach agreement on all
matters by consensus. if such efforts to reach consensus
have been exhausted and no agreement has been reached, a decision
shall, as a last resort, be adopted by a three-fourths majority vote of the
parties present and voting.
4. for the purpose of this article, 'parties present and voting' means parties
present and casting an affirmative or negative vote.
In a press conference of the UNFCCC secretariat I suggested that to avoid
descending to the lowest common denominator, perhaps principle 22
could apply to each article. if there were a fallback to 75% in article 2 over
80 percent of the states would have agreed to keep the temperature
below 1.5 and to have a legally binding mitigation commitments for the
major greenhouse gas emitters.
SEVENTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINTTHE FAILURE TO REVERSE THE EXEMPTION
FOR THE CONTRIBUTION TO GREENHOUSE GAS EMMISSIONS
TO END THE EXEMPTION OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF MILITARISM TO
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
It appears that the United States had insisted on the inclusion of this
Exemption at the time of the Kyoto protocol.
Pentagons hidden impact on climate change
At a 2007 Conference on Climate Change. I worked with the peace Caucus and
The anti-military Caucus on the following:
MILITARISM: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. DPI/NGO CLIMATE
CHANGE CONFERENCE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Excerpts from the September 7, 2007 Declaration, prepared by the NGO
Ant-military caucus and the NGO Peace Caucus was presented to the Chair,
Rajendra K. Pachauri, of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
We call upon the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to
investigate and estimate the full impact on greenhouse gas emissions
by the military and demand that each state release information related to
the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of all weapons systems,
military exercises, from war games, weapons testing,
military aviation, environmental warfare, troop transfer, military operations, waste generation, reconstruction after acts of violent interventions etc.;
We support the call for the disbanding of NATO, whose collective activities have
contributed to not only the perpetuation of the scourge of war and the violation
of international peremptory norms, but also the substantial release of
greenhouse gas emissions:
(ii) call upon the member states of the United Nations to act on the
commitment in Chapter 33 of Agenda 21, to reallocate military expenses;
(iii) call upon the United Nations General Assembly UNGA to acknowledge the
inextricable link between climate change and conflict over resources such as
oil, water etc.;
(iv) call upon the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to
investigate and estimate the full impact on greenhouse gas emissions by
the military and demand that each state release information related to the
greenhouse gas emissions from the production of all weapons systems, military
exercises, from war games, weapons testing, military aviation, environmental
warfare, troop transfer, military operations, waste generation, reconstruction after
acts of violent interventions etc.;
(vi) support the call for the disbanding of NATO, whose collective activities
have contributed to not only the perpetuation of the scourge of war and the
violation of international peremptory norms, but also the substantial release
of greenhouse gas emissions.
Comment on military influence
At COP16,, “The US military operates in the shadows of climate
negotiations, having demanded that their emissions be exempted from
scrutiny or regulation. This absolutely cannot continue: the climate
crisis has reached the point where all of life – now and for future
generations – is threatened. We cannot just ignore the largest polluter
on earth, that fights more wars over access to oil, and continues to feed
this vicious cycle!” Ironically, even the Pentagon recognizes that climate
change is a “threat multiplier”, that will result in mass migrations, and far
more wars and conflicts, threatening US “national security”.
But their response is more of the same: build up fortress America, and
run the military on liquefied coal and biofuels to reduce reliance on foreign
oil. Their total disregard for human rights around the world is apparently from
a 2003 Pentagon report, which calculated dispassionately:
“Deaths from war as well as starvation and disease will decrease population size,
which overtime, will re-balance with carrying capacity.”
(militar
isms-contribution-to-greenhouse-gas-emissions&catid=86:i-earth-news&Itemid=210)
At COP 21, Ban ki-Moon urged states to negotiate with a "global vision" not
with national vested interests.
There is an unclear relationship between the UNFCCC and what came
out of Paris. Unless the voluntary contributions become revised and
firm commitments, made to address the global carbon budget and to keep well be
low 1.5 degrees, the Paris Agreement will undermine
Article 2 of the UNFCCC, (stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic with the climate system)
A global vision to implement article 2 would be, at a minimum, to
immediately end all subsidies for fossil fuel, (no tar sands, no pipelines
and no tankers) to divest in fossil fuels, and reinvest in socially equitable
and environmentally sound renewable energy, to not use “transition”
to justify reinvestment in the continuation of the fossil fuel industry, to
calculate the carbon budget for each province, to enforce fair share of the carbon
budget,
To commit to 25% reduction of GHGs emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, 35%
below 1990 by 2025, 50% below 1990 by 2030, 60 %
elow 1990 by 2035. 75%below1990 by 2040 to 100 % below 1990 by 2050 to
decarbonisation by 2050, and 100% socially equitable and
environmentally sound renewables.
To compensate for historical emissions which have impacted vulnerable states,
to avoid all false solutions such as nuclear, geo-engineering and
biofuels which would all violate principles within the UNFCCC,
EIGHTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT:
RELUCTANCE TO USE THE INTERNATIONAL COURT AGAINST
THE MAJOR EMMITTERS FOR THEIR VIOLATIONS OF ARTICLE 2 OF
THE UNFCCC
Legal Remedy
Once there is a legally binding agreement, then the delinquent states
should be taken to the International Court of Justice for failing to discharge the
obligations under the UNFCCC.
In addition, major greenhouse gas-producing states must be forced to
implement the actions that would discharge the obligations incurred
when they signed and ratified the UNFCCC (provisions of the UNFCCC
have become international peremptory norms and as such are binding)
and theIr legal obligations and be forced to repay the emission debt.
Historic emissions should be calculated and an assessment made of the
degree of dereliction of duty in the implementation of the UNFCCC.
From these assessments, provisions must be made to compensate the
states that have been most damaged by the failure, of the major
greenhouse gas emitting states, to discharge obligations under the
Convention. In such cases, a fund should e set up to assist vulnerable
states in taking delinquent states to the International Court of Justice, including
the Chamber on Environmental Matters (Compositionof the Chamber for Environmental Matters.
There should be a campaign to have all states respect the jurisdiction and decisions of the nternational Court of Justice.
NINTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT.
IGNORING COMMITMMENT FOR FUNDING SOURCE
Forty years ago in 1976, in Habitat I all member states affirmed:
The waste and misuse of resources in war and armaments should be
prevented. All countries should make a firm commitment to promote
general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international
control, in particular in the field of nuclear disarmament. part of the
resources
thus released should be utilized so as to achieve a better quality of life for
humanity and particularly the peoples of developing countries (II, 12
Habitat 1)
and at UNCED , all states made the commitment;
to implement the following 1992 commitment
”to reallocate resources at
present committed to military purposes (Article 16e,Chapter 33, Agenda 21,
UNCED).
The funds should be transferred to implementing the above to institute
fair and just transition for workers and communities affected by the above.
In conclusion. If these systemic constraints will be overcome,, hopefully,
COP23 will finally address the urgency of climate change
and there will be a legally binding agreement supported in each article by
at least 75% vote, Then the states which have agreed to the strong legally
binding document to implement the UNFCCC could take the rogue states
to the international Court of Justice for violating Article2 of the UNFCCC
At COP 21, Ban Ki Moon, in Paris, urged states to negotiate with
a global vision not with national vested interests (a paraphrase of statement at
Cop21 press conference)
A global vision would be to address article 2 of the UNFCCC and at a
minimum the following: (i) to immediately end all subsidies for fossil fuel,
(ii) to calculate the carbon budget for each state,(iii) to divest in fossil fuels
and to reinvest and invest in renewable energy, (iv) to conserve sinks
-such as old growth forests and bogs, to strengthen conservation of biodiversity,
(v) to abandon false solutions such as nuclear, geo-engineering and biofuels
which would all violate principles within the UNFCCC
(vi) to compensate for historical emissions, and (vi) to institute a fair and just
transition for workers affected negatively by the new vision. and (vii) to promote nature
based solutions and socially equitable and environmentally sound such as solar,
wind, tidal, and geothermal.
TENTH SYSTEMIC CONSTRAINT;.THE SHORTNESS OF
INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY AND THE UNDERMINING OF LEGAL
OBLIGATIONS FROM ARTICLE 2 3 AND 4 of UNFCCC
COP21 suffered from the shifting baseline syndrome; shortness of institutional memory A global vision is not just recalling (as was done in COP21)
but abiding by Articles 2 3 and 4 in the legally binding UNFCCC
tHE FOLLOWING IS EXCERPTS FROM THE UNFCCC FOR BACKGROUND
UNFCCC Objective article 2
COP23 needs to advocate stronger actions than were proposed in the
UNFCCC was in 1992 preamble; historic emissions is the following:
Noting that the largest share of historical and current global
emissions of greenhouse gases has originated in developed
countries, that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low and
that the share of global emissions originating in developing
countries will grow to meet their social and development needs,
COP21 suffered from the shifting baseline syndrome
Ban Ki-moon urged negotiators to negotiate with a global vision;.
a global vision is not just recalling (as was done in COP21) but abiding
by articles 2 3 and 4 in the legally binding un framework convention on
climate change UNFCCC
ARTICLE 2 OF UNFCCC
that the conference of the parties may adopt is to achieve, in
accordance with the relevant provisions of the convention,
stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient
to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure
that food production is not threatened and to enable economic
development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
In COP21 there was the following:
holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below
2 °c above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the
temperature increase to 1.5 °c above pre-industrial levels, recognizing
that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;
At 1 degree rise in temperature, however, there is already de-stabilization of
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
is causing dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level
that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate
system. a global vision would be to address article 2 would be at a
minimum to immediately end all subsidies for fossil fuel, to calculate the
carbon budget for each state, to enforce fair share of the carbon budget,
to divest in fossil fuels and to reinvest in renewable energy,
to commit to decarbonisation by 2050,to conserve sinks (not just as a
means to offset emissions), to avoid all false solutions such
as nuclear, geo-engineering and biofuels which would all violate principles
within the UNFCCC and to compensate for historical emissions.
UNFCCC ARTICLE 3 PRINCIPLES (for background info)
In their actions to achieve the objective of the convention and to
implement its provisions, the parties shall be guided, inter alia, by the
following:
UNFCCC 3.1. the parties should protect the climate system for the
benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of
equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective capabilities. accordingly, the developed
country parties should take the lead in combating climate change and the
adverse effects thereof of climate change and the economic and social consequences of various
response strategies;
(h) promote and cooperate in the full, open and prompt exchange of
relevant scientific, technological, technical, socio-economic and legal
information related to the climate system and climate change, and
to the economic and social consequences of various response strategies;
(i) promote and cooperate in education, training and public awareness
(ii) related to climate change and
encourage the widest participation in this process, including that of
non-governmental organizations; and
(j) communicate to the conference of the parties information related to implementation, in accordance with article 12.
Article 4 2. the developed country parties and other parties included in
annex i commit themselves specifically as provided for in the following:
(a) each of these parties shall adopt national1 policies and take
corresponding measures on the mitigation of climate change, by limiting
its anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and protecting
and enhancing its greenhouse gas sinks and reservoirs. these policies and
measures will demonstrate that developed countries are taking the lead in modifying longer-term
trends in anthropogenic emissions consistent with the objective of the
convention, recognizing that the return by the end of the present decade
to earlier levels of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal protocol would
contribute to such modification, and taking into account the
differences in these parties' starting points and approaches, economic
structures and resource bases,
the need to maintain strong and sustainable economic growth, available technologies and other individual
circumstances, as well as the need for equitable and appropriate contributions by each of these parties to
he global effort regarding that objective. these parties may implement such
policies and measures
jointly with other parties and may assist other parties in contributing to the
achievement of the objective of the convention and, in particular, that of this
subparagraph;
4.2 (b) in order to promote progress to this end, each of these parties shall
communicate, within six months of the entry into force of the convention for
it and periodically thereafter, and in accordance with article 12, detailed
information on its policies and measures referred to in subparagraph
(a) above, as well as on its resulting projected anthropogenic emissions by
(b) sources and removalsby sinks of greenhouse gases not controlled by the
(c) Montreal Protocol for the period referred to in subparagraph (a), with the aim
(d) of returning individually or jointly to their 1990 levels these anthropogenic
(e) emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases not controlled
by the Montreal protocol. this information will be reviewed by the
conference of the parties, at its first session and periodically thereafter, in
accordance with article 7;
in 1990 average co2 levels (concentrations) in the atmosphere were 320
ppm,
that the global rise in temperature from 1850-1990 was 0.78 degrees c and that
the annual emissions of co2 in 1990 and 2015 were 22 and 39 gigatonnes respectively
Note in 1992 there was no discussion about offsets etc. so if offsets what
percentage reduction below 1990 levels would the contributions have to be
to reverse the temperature to ..78 c
UNFCCC 4.2 (c) calculations of emissions by sources and removals by
sinks of greenhouse gases for the purposes of subparagraph
(b) above should take into account the best available scientific knowledge, including of the effective capacity of sinks and
the respective contributions of such gases to climate change. the
conference of the parties shall consider and agree 1
this includes policies and measures adopted by regional economic integration organizations. on methodologies
these calculations at its first session and review them regularly thereafter;
UNFCCC 4.2 (d) the conference of the parties shall, at its first session, review
the adequacy of subparagraphs
(a) and (b) above. such review shall be carried out in the light of the best
(b) available scientific information and assessment on climate change and its impacts, as well as relevant
technical, social and economic information.
based on this review, the conference of the parties shall take appropriate action, which may include the adoption
of amendments to the commitments in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above.
the conference of the parties, at its first session, shall also take decisions regarding criteria for joint
implementation as indicated in paragraph (a) above. a second review of subparagraphs (a) and (b) shall take place not later than 31
December 1998, and thereafter at regular intervals determined by the conference of the parties, until the objective of the convention is met;
UNFCCC 4.2 (e) each of these parties shall : (i) coordinate as appropriate with other such parties, relevant economic and administrative instruments
developed to achieve the objective of the convention; and
(iii) identify and periodically review its own policies and practices which
(iv) encourage activities that lead to greater levels of anthropogenic
(v) emissions of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal
(vi) Protocol than would otherwise occur;
UNFCCC 4.2(f) the conference of the parties shall review, not later than 3
December 1998, available information with a view to taking decisions
regarding such amendments to the lists in annexes i and ii as may be
appropriate, with the approval of the party concerned;
UNFCCC 4.2 (g)
Any party not included in annex 1 may, in its instrument of
ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, or at any time thereafter,
notify the depositary that it intends to be bound by subparagraphs (a) and
(c) above. the depositary shall inform the other signatories and parties of
(d) any such notification.
UNCED 4.3.
the developed country parties and other developed parties
included In annex ii shall provide new and additional financial resources to meet the
agreed full costs incurred by developing country parties in complying with
their obligations under article 12, paragraph 1. they shall also provide
such financial resources, including for the transfer of technology, needed
by the developing country parties to meet the agreed full incremental
costs of implementing measures that are covered by paragraph 1 of this
article and that are agreed between a developing country party and the
international entity or entities referred to in article 11, in accordance with
that article. The implementation of these commitments shall take into
account the need for adequacy and predictability in the flow of funds and
the importance of appropriate burden sharing among the developed country parties.
UNFCCC 4.4.
the developed country parties and other developed parties included in
annex ii shall also assist the developing country parties that are
particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in meeting
costs of adaptation to those adverse effects.
developed to achieve the objective of the convention; and
(iii) identify and periodically review its own policies and practices which
(iv) encourage activities that lead to greater levels of anthropogenic
(v) emissions of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal
(vi) Protocol than would otherwise occur;
UNFCCC 4.2(f) the conference of the parties shall review, not later than 3
December 1998, available information with a view to taking decisions
regarding such amendments to the lists in annexes i and ii as may be
appropriate, with the approval of the party concerned;
At COP 21, Ban Ki Moon, in Paris, urged states to negotiate with
a global vision not with national vested interests (a paraphrase of statement at
Cop21 press conference)
A global vision would be to address article 2 of the UNFCCC and at a
minimum the following: (i) to immediately end all subsidies for fossil fuel,
(ii) to calculate the carbon budget for each state,(iii) to divest in fossil fuels
and to reinvest and invest in renewable energy, (iv) to conserve sinks
-such as old growth forests and bogs, to strengthen conservation of biodiversity,
(v) to abandon false solutions such as nuclear, geo-engineering and biofuels
which would all violate principles within the UNFCCC
(vi) to compensate for historical emissions, and (vi) to institute a fair and just
transition for workers affected negatively by the new vision. and (vii) to promote nature
based solutions and socially equitable and environmentally sound such as solar,
wind, tidal, and geothermal.