Reflections from COP19, Friday 22 November

The end of COP19 and continue the fight for the green world. Around 195 countries ended a two-week meeting in Warsaw on Saturday evening to agree the outlines of a deal meant to be agreed in 2015 to combat global warming. Last day of the COP19, the press conference with United States of America said about the last advance of the last two days with others countries. Most of the important actions are been made by countries, even been a global problem as the carbon on the atmosphere are. The first agreement of the world related with an international law. There symbols the success in these COP19 is the difference that each one can do, the mayor areas are the discussion and negotiations of the big agreement.

In the IPCC press briefing on message was that we will have to adapt to sea level rise. We have the chance to decide in each world we want live, with less the 2°C or more than 4°C, the green house emissions are one of the key points the a sustainable climate.

Are the COP just business and good luck or real change? The politicians look like they are discounted from the society, and the delay in the decisions and actions for one world community is absolutely important. What the climate crisis need is transparent process. Some of the main decisions and talks at the U.N. climate in Warsaw were:

♦ The good news that was presented in the plenary room during the afternoon was the Red++ that USA, Norway and United Kingdom putted US$ 280 million. The developed nations promised in 2009 to increase their aid to poorer countries to help them cope with climate change to $100 billion a year after 2020, from $10 billion a year in 2010-12. But in Warsaw they rejected calls to set targets for 2013-19.

♦ Related with loss and damage the talks agreed a new “Warsaw International Mechanism” to provide expertise, and possibly aid, to help developing nations cope with losses from extreme events related to climate change. The exact form of the mechanism will be reviewed in 2016.

♦ In the way to 2015 countries agreed to announce plans for curbs on greenhouse gases beyond 2020 “well in advance” of a summit in Paris in December 2015 and “by the first quarter of 2015 for those in a position to do so”. It called the submissions “intended nationally determined contributions” – the word “intended” hinting they are open to change. Many developed nations had wanted the word “commitments”.

♦ For the pre-2020 the conference did not outline new targets for more near-term action to reduce emissions. Japan announced during the conference it had scaled back its 2020 target, aiming now for a 3.1-percent increase from 1990, compared to its previous promise of a 25-percent cut.

♦ The markets talks on how to set up new market-based mechanisms to curb emissions failed because developing nations refused to advance the process unless rich countries take on tougher emissions targets. Talks will resume in the first half of next year.

♦ About the monitoring details were finalised on how countries’ emissions reductions will be monitored, reported and verified.

♦ The clean development mechanism the conference agreed on a measure that could boost demand for the ailing mechanism, encouraging countries without legally binding emissions targets to use carbon credits called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). A proposal to implement a floor price for CERs was removed from a technical paper while a wider review of the CDM by a technical board was pushed to talks in Bonn in March 2014.

♦ About the deforestation the conference agreed a multi-billion dollar framework to tackle deforestation. The fledgling Green Climate Fund will play a key role in channelling finance for projects to halt deforestation to host governments, who in turn must set up national agencies to oversee the money.

Today at the COP19 one of the main questions for me was what must the 2015 treaty do? What has Warsaw delivered? As it was write in the official web about the climate change, difficult questions – simple answers; but the question after all is how much we advanced to understand the climate negotiations? The current problems such as the last tragedy in the Philippines, this is just the beginning of what awaits us if we do not make a concerted effort to prevent from climate change. The concert is that the world needs climate justice. And after all these days here it is time to go, thanks Warsaw▄