DUMPED: Japan’s fling with climate finally ends, three years after giving up custody of lovechild Kyoto

by Anjali Appadurai It was a move that had been expected with dread: on Friday morning Tokyo time, the Japanese government announced its new greenhouse gas emissions target for 2020. The numbers are grim. Japan will cut emissions by 3.8 per cent from its 2005 level by 2020; this translates to an increase of 3.1 per cent from its 1990 levels. The government had been reviewing its international...

SBI Closing Intervention

The following is the intervention given by Katie O'Brien at the Subsidiary Body for Implementation's closing session, written by the Youth NGO's working group on Loss and Damage. Text of the Speech: Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Katie, I am Canadian and speaking for the youth constituency. Despite the large SBI agenda, the inevitability of further warming, and associated impacts, makes loss...

Day 5 Policy Updates: Taking Stock, Talking Lots

by Nathan Thanki The informals continue. Today saw the ADP convene meetings on adaptation and technology which got fairly heated. The big sticking points are the issue of intellectual property rights (IPRs), which has been reintroduced by the G77 but is causing the developed countries much anguish. Yesterday developed countries began referring to IPRs as "the thing which must not be named" in...

Day 4 Policy Updates: Loss and Damage text

by Nathan Thanki In general negotiations continue in "contact groups" and informals which are by and large closed to observers (though try your luck!) and in informal-informals and bilaterals in the corridors. In the contact group on loss and damage, chaired by ministers (rather than negotiators) from Sweden and St. Kitts, the G77 proposed a draft text yesterday (Tuesday) which was supported...

Day 3 Policy Updates: Contact Groups

by Lara Shirley There has been a general breakdown of bigger negotiations into smaller contact groups, which are often closed. COP In Finance, all agenda items were discussed. However, long term finance proved to be the most contentious. Philippines on behalf of the G77 stressed the importance of clarity in the pledged 100 billion per year by 2020 and urged scaling up of finance from the Fast...