A look to future meetings

As usual, this UN Climate Change Conference was packed with negotiations, informal consultations, and side events. I attempted to soak up every minute I could and to catch up on the details of the negotiations after being absent (in person, anyway) for two years. Here is a great summary of the proceedings at this conference: https://www.carbonbrief.org/bonn-climate-talks-key-outcomes-from-june-2019-un-climate-conference.  I also took tons of notes and would be happy to answer any questions anyone may have (email me at twbrown@mail.usf.edu).

By their nature, the negotiations at these meetings build on each other.  As such, there was frequent mention of two upcoming meetings:

·       2019 Climate Summit in New York City. Here, there will be a major focus on increasing ambition. As NDCs are up for renewal in 2020, it is especially important for countries to step up their contributions to the Paris Agreement goals of keeping global average temperature increase to well below 2°C and striving to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C. There have been requests to limit speeches and focus on commitments.

·       COP25 in Santiago, Chile, which is being touted as both the Blue COP, in recognition of the upcoming IPCC report on Oceans and the important role oceans play in global economies and in a sustainable future, and as the Citizen’s COP, recognizing the importance of access and involvement by all. 

·       Observer organizations were granted a meeting with the incoming COP25 President, and the following was noted from the discussion.

o   COP25 is the last COP before countries need to renew NDCs so increasing ambition is especially important. The COP25 President wants to see ocean protection in NDC Revisions for 2025.

o   We must finish the Article 6 Rulebook – for market and non-market mechanisms.

o   The COP25 President wants gender to be discussed as part of every item.  She said we don’t need just a gender focus on adaptation but also need increased participation by women, especially with goals to raise ambition. They are also working to include indigenous peoples throughout the conference.

o   The COP25 President said that people are more aware now, so we need to use this force to increase ambition. We can use citizens’ force to bring actors to the table for countries that may consider leaving the agreement, and to encourage subnational participation. She also said that participation by civil society is key, and that we need to have more agreements to work together that include local governments.

·       Logistics of COP25

o   There will be a Blue Zone for badged participants to access all official events including delegation rooms, country pavilions, negotiation rooms, rooms for plenaries and side events, NGO spaces, and restaurants. 

o   The Green Zone will be open to and adjacent to the Blue Zone. The Green Zone will be for the public including Chilean and international visitors from NGOs and the public and private sectors. They should feature interactive and interesting exhibits to get the community involved. Blue Zone badges will have access to the Green Zone, and because of their close proximity, it should be a smooth transition between the two zones.

o   Every delegate will receive a free pass for public transportation. There is a subway of 7-8 lines and buses.

o   They are working for the event to be sustainable and carbon neutral.

·       The location of COP26 is still being discussed but will likely be in the UK or in Milan.