12 Years Old Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF) Revenue – a Slap to Every LDC

by Surya Karki Rajendra K Pachauri in his opening statement at COP 19 said, “it is extremely likely, about 95%, that humans are causing climate change.” So the question is, are we going to wait for the remaining 5%, to take climate change seriously? Or do the climate negotiators need more disasters like typhoon haiyan to prove the urgency to agree on a just climate deal? According to Mr....

Day 2 of Working Group 2: Financing Biodiversity

How to finance biodiversity, or, how parties will talk about it for a very long time by Mariana Calderon Working Group II -- Financial Resources and Mechanism: Day two of COP 11 to the Convention on Biological Diversity--my first day at the conference venue--opened rather earnestly, with scores of delegates still registering, picking up their complementary messenger bags and water bottles, and...

Financing Adaptation: Who Will Pay?

by Nathan Thanki and Graham Reeder Given that we’re now experiencing another summer of bizarre weather events, including deadly heat waves, wildfires, and storms in the US, and increased chances of another El Nino year, many in the US are finally opening their eyes to what scientists have been telling them for years: climate change is real, but not only that, it is happening now. Climate...

A New Adaptation Framework: Don’t hold your breath for this empty shell

by Graham Reeder This past week (and year), I’ve been following the issue of adaptation. As many of you know, Climate Change is not just a long-term threat that is looming in the horizon; it is being experienced by people now in a very real way.  The World Health Organisation estimates that climatic changes are causing 150,000 deaths annually; the vast majority of which are in sub-Saharan...

The Tragedy of the Least Developed Countries

by Graham Reeder and Nathan Thanki While there are more controversial and contentious issues regarding financing for adaptation (the report on the GCF today in COP plenary, or the report from the Adaptation Fund Board to CMP plenary), there are some interesting discussions going on elsewhere. For example, in yesterday’s continued opening plenary of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation,...