By Angel Hsu and Grant Tolley
Negotiators from 194 countries and observers from nearly 1, 400 organizations are trickling into the bustling halls of the International Convention Centre (ICC) Durban today for the global climate talks. Among them are 26 graduate students from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES), who are participating in the negotiations as a capstone to a semester of learning about global climate change governance in theory and by working directly with a stakeholder in practice. Historically, F&ES has a long tradition of participating in international environmental conferences as a way of bringing to life the challenge of developing institutions and treaties to deal with pressing environmental issues. In the age of “conference diplomacy” that has emerged since the momentous Rio Earth…
This post originally appeared on ChinaFAQs and WRI Insights.
By Deborah Seligsohn and Angel Hsu
- Assigning specific targets to the provinces to
By Angel Hsu and Yupu Zhao
This article was originally featured in China Dialogue.
Last month’s UN-led climate talks in Cancún, Mexico,were largely touted as a success, as countries reached near consensus on critical issues such as technology transfer and the creation of a new Green Climate Fund to help developing countries adapt to global warming. The standing ovation for the Mexican hosts that erupted in the summit’s final plenary session came in stark contrast to the conclusion of last year’s Copenhagen talks, which ended behind doors, closed to civil-society observers.
Another marked change in Cancún was China’s tone and communication strategy, following heavy criticismat, and after, Copenhagen.
Whether the finger-pointing was valid or not, Copenhagen was a watershed event for China. In the run-up…
This post originally appeared on ChinaFAQs.
By Angel Hsu, Phd candidate and YCEI Fellow, and Yupu Zhao, MESC '12 In the politics of climate negotiations, which are often steeped in nuance and careful posturing, it’s easy to get lost in translation. On the ground in Cancun, reports have been flying about China’s so-called “game-changing” concessions, which could possibly “buoy” the climate Talks, which are quickly nearing an end. As we’re both on the ground in Cancun, we’re going to try to clear the air and get to the bottom of what exactly the Chinese have and haven’t said in the climate negotiations. Binding commitments? The first “game-changing” issue regards the legal nature or “bindingness” of the commitments China made at…
Yesterday the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to its Kyoto Protocol (KP) kicked off in Cancun, Mexico. The opening ceremony as usual helped set the tone of the event. After having attended four COPs and a few intercessional UNFCCC meetings, one thing I always look forward to is the opening of the COP. In addition to speeches by local politicians, the head of state, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, and a representative of the science community, there is always an element showcasing the local culture. While we are here to work, I still think it important to make sure that there be some symbolism as to why we are meeting…
Climate Change is again attracting public attention as the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change is getting closer. F&ES students from the International Conferences and Organizations, Environmental Diplomacy Practicum, and Environmental Protection Clinic classes will participate in the COP16 from November 27th to December 11th, 2010 to be held in Cancun, Mexico, with the objective of acquiring experience in the international climate change negotiation process.
During the semester the classes hosted guest speakers to share the last updates in climate science and in the international climate negotiations, such as Gary Yohe, IPCC leading author, Lumumba Di-Aping, former spoke person for the G-77 plus China the last year, and Crispine Gregoire, permanent representative from Dominica to the UN. There was also a mock negotiation to resemble…
“There is nothing wrong with being helped to go on living. And that is what this[climate change] issue is all about,” stated a senior official from the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia. I am at a ministerial gathering of 28 nations of the Cartagena Group/Dialogue for Progressive Action convening in the beautiful island of Bandos in the Republic of Maldives. The participants are from Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Samoa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, UK and the European Commission. The Cartagena Group/Dialogue is an informal space, open to all countries that want ambitious and comprehensive outcomes in the UNFCCC, and that are committed, domestically to becoming or remaining low carbon…
It is 6:13 am and in the Bella Conference Center I am listening to the chair of the AOSIS (Association of Small Island States) trying to fight off uncontrollable tears. I am almost certain that the Group of 77 (a behemoth of 130 plus developing country states) is coming to an end. Countries are divided and I am witnessing accusations fly across the plenary. Why has it taken us so long to arrive at this point? We sit here with the “Copenhangen Accord” staring at our faces. It is a document full of hot air and is not what billions of people across the planet had been promised to deliver atmospheric restitution. Once again the developed…
