Al Gore one said that “the outer edge of the politically possible falls short of the inner edge of the necessary.” It is certainly an apt quote for the negotiations so far at Bali, where there seems to be a growing disconnect between the rhetoric of preventing dangerous anthropogenic climate change, usually defined as more than 2 degrees C relative to pre-industrial levels, and the discussions over what steps to actually take. With the Bali conference lowering expectations by the day and putting more substantive decisions off to 2009 and beyond, it raises the question of how viable the 2 degrees target really is, and if it is time to undergo a fundamental reassessment of what type of targets may be viable. This is not to suggest that we should…
Finally, parties have reached an agreement on the general administration of the adaptation fund. On an interim basis, the World Bank and GEF take on the role of trustee and secretariat respectively while a 16 member board will be charged with the overall management. Annex 1, Non Annex 1, Least Developed Countries, Small Island States and the UN bodies are all represented in this arrangement. Whether this calls for celebration or not is debatable. The World Bank estimates that between US$ 10-40 billion is needed per year to ‘climate proof’ development in low-income countries compared to the 2% levy on CDM transactions (source of the adaptation fund) which is expected to generate only US$ 100-500 million through to 2012. Hmmmm…?…
As the 2nd week of negotiations begins at UNFCCC in Bali, many questions remain surrounding efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD) in a post-2012 international climate regime. Negotiators have failed to agree on REDD issues, frustrating an essential component to save the world’s tropical forests and combat climate change.
There are three key issues that must be resolved as delegates work out the details of any REDD agreement:
- Parties must define a timeframe for deciding on reference emissions scenarios. Without these deadlines, REDD may never move forward.
- Negotiators should clarify whether REDD will function through a market mechanism or a fund for tropical forest nations. A market mechanism which relies on a cap-and-trade system is a
Every year, the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) hosts its conference at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on new and important ideas in natural resource management in the Tropics. In 2008 (February 28-March 1) we will host a conference focused on the potential impacts of bioenergy and avoided deforestation on tropical landscapes.
We will be accepting abstracts for the papers until December 31, 2007. Abstracts can be sent to YaleISTF@gmail.com. Please see attachment for the official Call for Papers (http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcdjj3ds_0hjrnsdg9). Feel free to distribute to colleagues and other organizations that you feel might be interested in contributing…
“This is a big problem we have to deal with” – Senator John Kerry, thanking the Yale/Tropical Forests Group delegation this morning.
Senator Kerry, we agree…
After handing out a towering stack of press releases on the Tropical Forest Group’s REDD update, I ran into Mr. Rezaul Kabir, the Under Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, at the conference compound map. After admitting that we were both rather lost, I asked him his thoughts and hopes for the conference so far. Mr. Rezaul Kabir’s thoughts:
- that working toward climate change solutions “is not only the wirk of the most affected nations (such as Bangladesh). Success depends on a willingness to share (the weight) of the damage suffered from climate change”
- “for the sake of humanity, we must work to together to take a global stance”
- he stated that the US and other developed nations must remember that they are not…
My experience at COP so far has been phenomenal. The heat, which at first seemed unbearable, is a reminder of how far away from New Haven we are. I have been attending several different kinds of events – including official “contact group” meetings as well as side events which include presentations by NGO’s, IGO’s, and the private sector on both case studies on projects and new approaches to addressing climate change, especially post 2012.
The issues that I am more interested in are climate change and development as well as reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). A couple days ago, I attended forest day as well, which was put on by the CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research). There is a lot of talk…
Today at COP13 was Forest Day. I began the day inflating all three trees with the guys from TFG. Scott, Devorah and I followed it up with a much-needed quick swim in a super-luxurious pool, and then it was off to the Parallel Sessions at Forest Day. In Session 2, we listened to a panel of 3 present on “Drivers of deforestation and implications for incentive schemes.”
Giseline Cunha Zeri presented the findings of her paper Governance and Socio-economic drivers of deforestation, and really threw some new light (for me at least) on the common assumptions that population growth increases deforestation, and rising income reduces deforestation. As I had previously believed, and as her literature review showed, most papers supported these hypotheses. But she tested several other factors against…
Yesterday evening Yale students met with members of the Indonesian Delegation to discuss their perspective on climate change governance and hear first hand of the impacts of climate change on their country.
Our discussion opened with the delegates telling a somber tale of the affects of El Nino, an ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is likely increasing in intensity and frequency due to global warming. The 1997 El Nino caused severe forest fires in Indonesia. El Ninos, in general, have significant consequences for two groups of Indonesians: farmers and fishermen. Farmers, especially those in Java, face water scarcity in the dry season and flooding in the wet season. Recently, these agricultural areas have been hit with cyclones, a phenomenon new to Indonesia. El Nino also increases the height of ocean waves…
The number of Clean Development Mechanism projects registered has expanded rapidly this year, with close to 3,000 projects currently in the pipeline. However, there are growing concerns regarding the additionality requirement for projects, both that it is somewhat ineffective in its current form and that it effectively excludes the type of small-scale projects that reap the best development dividends.
Yesterday’s meeting in Bali featured a side conference on carbon finance. A session titled “Additionality: never-ending story or workable solutions” provided a remarkably frank discussion of the shortcomings of the current additionality test for CDM projects and potential ways to reform the system. Participants acknowledged that the current CDM additionality test has some substantive problems. Lex de Jonge from the CDM Executive Board discussed how barrier analysis alone is not…
