| United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16/CMP6) | |
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| Information | |
| Date: | 29 Nov.–10 Dec. 2010 |
| Location: | Moon Palace Hotel and Cancunmesse, Cancún, Mexico |
| Participants: | UNFCCC member countries |
United Nations Climate Change Conference Cancun - COP 16 / CMP 6
The United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Cancun, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. It encompasses the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) and the sixth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), as well as the thirty-third sessions of both the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and the fifteenth session of the AWG-KP and thirteenth session of the AWG-LCA.
The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The conference is officially referred to as the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP 6) to the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, the two permanent subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC–the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)–will hold their 33rd sessions. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference extended the mandates of the two temporary subsidiary bodies–the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA)–and they will meet as well. Following the non-binding Copenhagen Accord put forth in 2009, international expectations for the COP16 conference were reduced. Four preparatory rounds of negotiations (i.e. sessions of the AWG-KP and the AWG-LCA) were to be held during 2010. The first three of these were in Bonn, Germany, from 9 to 11 April, 1 to 11 June (in conjunction with the 32nd sessions of SBSTA and SBI), and 2 to 6 August. The Bonn talks have been reported as ending in failure. The fourth round of talks in Tianjin, China, made minimal progress and was marked by a clash between the US and China. In August 2010, Ban Ki-moon stated that he doubts member states will reach a new global agreement to address global warming, but after the Tianjin talks in October Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said, "This week has got us closer to a structured set of decisions that can be agreed in Cancun ... This is the greatest societal and economic transformation that the world has ever seen." Other commentators spoke of a positive spirit of negotiation and of paving the way for agreement in Cancun. In the lead up to COP16, the leaders of the world's most climate-change vulnerable nations met in Kiribati to attend the Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) from 9 to 10 November 2010. The Ambo declaration was adopted at the Tarawa Climate Change Conference on the 10th November 2010 by Australia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tonga. The declaration calls for more and immediate action to be undertaken to address the causes and adverse impacts of climate change. The Ambo declaration, named after the village in Kiribati where parliament sits, was slated to be a non-legally-binding agreement between the nations to present at the larger international climate change summit, COP16.
UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún kicks off with calls for commitment and compromise
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, kicked off Monday with calls for commitment and compromise. In his opening speech, Mexican President Felipe Calderón cited last year's hurricane in Mexico, this year's floods in Pakistan and fires in Russia as examples of increasing incidences of natural disasters brought about by climate change and already affecting the poorest and most vulnerable. Calling on negotiators in Cancún to make progress in the interest of their children and grandchildren, he said that the "eyes of the world" were focused on the meeting. The two-week meeting is the sixteenth Conference of the 194 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the sixth meeting of the 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Watch the live webcast or download the free mobile application.
Cancún Courier by Dan Shepard
One hot year — It’s still too soon to know whether 2010 was the hottest year on record, but according to the World Meteorological Organization, it is certain to be one of the three warmest. Michel Jarraud, WMO Secretary-General, said that while they were waiting for data on December, 2010 was on its way to barely top the temperatures in 1998. And during the ten years from 2001 to 2010, global temperatures have averaged 0.46°C above the 1961-1990 average, the highest value ever recorded for a 10-year period. The warming has been particularly pronounced in Africa, parts of Asia, parts of the Arctic, and in Greenland and Arctic Canada. And while large parts of the United States, Europe and China suffered a very cold winter, globally, the world was rather warm. “This is the latest scientific information,” Jarraud said. “This is where we are now. If nothing is done, the temperatures will go up and up and up.”
All quiet on the negotiating front — No news is not necessarily good news, but the negotiations moved to smaller groups today with a wide array of issues under discussion. The groups will have to finalize their texts by the end of the weekend, at which time ministers are due to arrive for the high-level part of the Conference set to begin on Tuesday.
Tar Sand Oil or Indigenous Rights — There hasn’t been a lot in the way of visible demonstrations, but a group of Indigenous Peoples held a very visible rally outside the entrance to the main building, with participants saying “Tar Sands Kill, Pipelines Spill.” The object of the protest was an effort to extract oil from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada.
Youth for Action — Another more lively moment came when a group of youth sporting turquoise shirts staged a cheer calling for action. Their shirts noted that countries have been negotiating for their entire lives.
Acidification May Push Over-Stressed Oceans into the Red
The future impact of rising emissions on the health of seas and oceans may be far more wide-ranging and complex than was previously supposed, a new report released at the UN climate convention meeting in Mexico says.
COP 17:
The 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17), will be held in the sunny city of Durban, South Africa. Durban is first and foremost an African City, a place of rich contrasts and honoured traditions. Subtropical beaches and vast undeveloped landscapes provide the backdrop for large scale urban development together with more traditional rural lifestyles. Through this diversity, Durban embodies the challenges that face most of the cities in the global south. The city’s bold response to the challenges of climate change and variability have positioned the city as a global leader in the field of climate protection planning and established it as the ‘Climate Capital’ of South Africa. |
With the development of a Municipal Climate Protection Programme, as well as the institutionalisation of climate change within the municipality, the city has provided an important framework for the implementation of a number of climate change projects. These projects focus on adaption and mitigation measures for the city as well provide a platform from which to generate socio-economic benefits. The city’s pilot Green Roof Project and large-scale community reforestation projects show how Africa’s biodiversity can become a tool, not just for climate change adaptation and mitigation, but also to create economic development opportunities. Within an African context, Durban’s renewable energy and climate change mitigation projects are regarded as revolutionary.
The City’s continued commitment to broadening the climate change dialogue with other South African cities, as well as its respected reputation within the international climate change arena, has secured its position as a climate change leader.
Beyond the challenges of climate change, Durban regards the protection of the broader natural environment as a critical part of the city’s planning and management. This is demonstrated through projects such as the protection of Durban’s open spaces and biodiversity, the initiation of large-scale domestic recycling projects, poverty relief programmes that provide jobs through the clearing of invasive alien plants, improved inner-city public transport systems and the development of innovative water technologies and catchment management programmes. As a sporting and events host, Durban’s commitment to environmental sustainability extends to the greening of events. During the FIFA World Cup™ Durban demonstrated its ability to host large-scale carbon neutral events, thus minimising the impact on the natural environment.
The COP 17-CMP 7 will mark a critical moment in the ongoing international climate change negotiations, and Durban is a fitting host for an event of this magnitude and significance.
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