UN in fresh bid to salvage international deal on climate change

Campaigners welcome plans to amend the way Kyoto protocol resolutions are passed

Climate change campaigners yesterday welcomed UN plans to amend the way changes to the Kyoto protocol are made in an effort to salvage negotiations on a new international deal.

Under the plans, countries could be forced to accept decisions made by a majority of members. Currently, no resolution can be passed by the group without full agreement.

The UN's suggestion shows its acceptance that, after two years of deadlock, there is little chance the body will reach a global deal to reduce greenhouse emissions and tackle global warming in November in Cancun, Mexico – the next time world leaders will meet to hammer out a follow-up to the Kyoto protocol.

"It reflects the degree of desperation – and justifiable desperation – on the part of the UN," said Mark Lynas, an adviser to the Maldives government at the Copenhagen summit last year.

"It shows the UN now recognises that we're in a situation of almost total deadlock and that the current process is not working or helping. The formal negotiations are not getting anywhere."

If the UN's suggestions are adopted, decisions will be forced through if four-fifths of the protocol vote in favour, after all efforts to reach agreement by consensus have been exhausted. The amendments would come into force after six months.

"It is surprising and a big, big deal that the UN is suggesting such considerable reforms as a change in the consensus rules," said Lynas.

In a further attempt to galvanise the climate change body into motion, the UN also suggested that countries could be forced to opt out of any amendments, as opposed to the current arrangement whereby they must explicitly agree to any decisions tabled.

The amendment, which will be presented in Bonn in August, reads: "An amendment would enter into force after a certain period has elapsed following its adoption, except for those parties that have notified the depositary that they cannot accept the amendment."

But Lynas warned that any changes to the current consensus situation would cause "fury, angst and consternation". It could, he said, exacerbate the deep mistrust between rich and poor countries that has already bedevilled the global climate talks.

"Countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba will claim to feel sidelined by this alteration in the rules," he said. "But the central question is whether or not America and China agree on the amendment because the world can't go ahead without those countries."

Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, acknowledged that the current deadlock has to be broken. "We know there needs to be reform of the UN process around tackling climate change," he said. "We saw at Copenhagen how some countries blocked progress and we can't allow that to happen again."

The amendment was welcomed by Farhana Yamin, research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

"The stalemate in negotiations has gone on for 15 years," she said. "This consensus arrangement is an extraordinary and ridiculous anomaly in the make up of Kyoto that exists in few other UN organisations.

"This is a positive way of forcing laggard countries who hold out and play their veto hand the whole time, to engage in constructive talks," she added. "Under this new system, they will realise that unless they are constructive, they will lose their voice altogether."

The third amendment suggested in the same UN paper to break the deadlock is for the Kyoto protocol to be extended after the deadline runs out on 31 December 2012.

But, the paper added, by the time all countries agree to this, there will still be a gap between the ending of the current commitment period and the start of the extension period.

It would also fail to solve the problem identified by the UN climate chief Yvo de Boer, who recently admitted that the pledges made so far by countries to cut emissions fall far short of what was needed to avoid catastrophic global warming.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk

Deals on environment, trade to be signed at 16th SAARC summit

The 16th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held in Bhutan this month is expected to sign a number of agreements on environment protection and trade in South Asia, the Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said on Saturday.

The theme of the summit is "Conservation of Environment and Climate".

Briefing reporters Mijarul Quayes said that the theme of the summit is important as some South Asian countries including Bangladesh and the Maldives are most vulnerable nations to the changing climate.

Quoting environment scientists, he said the Maldives will lose its existence with the rise of sea level while Bangladesh will lose 20 percent of low-lying areas in the Bay of Bengal resulting in displacement of 25 million people.

He said the council of ministers comprising the Foreign Ministers of the 8-member SAARC countries will finalize a declaration on the climate change.

Quayes said though the Copenhagen Summit (COP-15) on Climate Change failed to reach a legally binding agreement on reducing the greenhouse gas emission, but it is a first step to lead to the such agreement at the COP-16 in Mexico in December this year.

He said the summit is expected to sign agreement on rapid response to natural disaster, cooperation in environment conservation, trade in South Asian countries and the South Asian Development Fund.

The 2-day summit will be preceded by the Council of Ministers meeting on April 27, Standing Committee meeting of the Foreign Secretaries on April 25-26 and Programming Committee meeting of senior officials on April 24.

Source: http://english.people.com.cn

Tripartite MoU signed on, Trust for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Maldives

The Government of Maldives, the European Union (EU), and the World Bank Group today signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding , establishing a new Trust Fund designed to build resilience to climate change in the Maldives.

The EU has contributed EUR 6.5 million (approximately US$8.8 million) to the multi-donor Maldives Climate Change Trust Fund, which the World Bank will administer over a period of three and a half years. The majority of the Trust Fund resources will be utilized by the Government of Maldives to carry out their priority projects relating to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"The Maldives has been a champion of climate change discussions and an important factor in Copenhagen, making a unilateral commitment to become carbon neutral by 2020," stated Mr. Bernard Savage, Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

"Climate change is a serious global challenge, and a major threat to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by reversing development progress made in the last decade. It demands urgent, cooperative and shared responsibility to act. Thus the EU welcomes the opportunity to assist the Government of Maldives in reaching out towards their stated goals on carbon neutrality through this initial contribution of EUR 6.5 million."

A low lying archipelago with more territorial sea than land, the Maldives is exposed to the risks of intensifying weather events such as damage caused by inundation, extreme winds and flooding from storms. Sea level rise represents an existential threat to the country. With future sea levels projected to increase in the range of 10 to 100 centimeters by the year 2100, the entire country could be submerged in the worst-case scenario.

Threatened with its very existence, the Government of Maldives has declared its intention to fight climate change over the next decade, including a vision to cut carbon emissions to become a carbon neutral nation.

It’s crucial for Maldives to build a climate resilient economy and society through adaptation, said Naoko Ishii, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The commitment and manner in which Maldives addresses the environmental challenges and builds a climate-friendly economy will not only have important demonstration effects for the country, but also the world.

The development objectives of the Trust Fund Program are to:

• Strengthen knowledge and leadership in the Government of Maldives to deal with climate change issues both domestically and internationally;

• Build adaptive capacity and climate resilience in key sectors through tangible pilot interventions;

• Promote energy efficiency and increase energy access through renewable energy generation and distribution through low carbon options and public-private partnerships; and

• Improve policy and institutional capacities in the public and private sectors to deal with adaptation and mitigation interventions that bring both developmental and climate change benefits.

The governance arrangements for the Program include a Climate Change Advisory Council in the Office of the President with representatives from the government to provide strategic direction to the climate change activities under the Trust Fund. In addition, a Technical Committee composed of technical experts of the Government of Maldives, private sector and leading civil society organizations is responsible for reviewing and recommending technically well-sound project proposals for financing and monitoring the overall progress of the program.

The Maldives stands at the frontline of the climate change battle. We are one of the most vulnerable countries on Earth and therefore need to adapt to climate change, said Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Honorable Vice President of Maldives. No amount of adaptation will save the Maldives if the world continues to burn carbon. We are therefore aiming for carbon neutrality, to show the world that you dont need to burn carbon to develop.

The interventions paid for from the trust fund are expected to be on strengthening ongoing efforts in areas such as coastal protection, biodiversity conservation, tourism, fisheries, livelihoods and water options, solid waste management, and energy solutions.

This multi-donor trust fund provides a significant opportunity for interested donors to support Maldives in addressing the climate challenges in a coordinated manner, said Priti Kumar, Senior Environment Specialist and World Banks Team Leader for the Trust Fund.

Source: http://www.asiantribune.com

You can’t cut a deal with Mother Nature says Maldives president

For the past week, a striking photo exhibition has lined one of the walls inside DGI-Byen, where the people’s climate conference (Klimaforum09) is taking place alongside the official UN meetings. While many of the displays at Klimaforum09 document the difficulties in the Global South, few draw such important attention as the BluePeace photography display aptly titled ‘Vulnerable’. Depicting scenes from life in the Maldives, a nation precariously close to sea level, the pictures document island erosion, protective sea walls, and houses forced onto stilts due to rising water levels. Captions below each photo explore ideas that fisheries will be run out of business — or worse, that an entire nation of people will be displaced in the coming years, climate refugees from one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The small island nation in the Indian Ocean is home to over 300,000 people spread across 200 inhabited islands out of 1,192 that make up the country. One of the most widely geographically disparate countries in the world, the Maldives is also the nation closest to sea level. While often described as a tropical vacation paradise in tourism brochures, the islands hit the headlines in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. A total of six Maldivian islands were lost in the disaster, and nearly 60 others were evacuated.

In a low sea level climate prone to monsoons and erosion, problems with extreme weather have forced many communities onto higher ground. The nation’s coral reefs, which serve as natural sea walls and protect against floods and tidal waves, have been slowly dying off as water temperatures continue to rise and pH levels in the ocean shift. Fish that rely on the reefs for a home have also perished, leaving the people that depend on the fishing industry scrambling to make ends meet.

But among Maldivian people, even in the face of such adversity, hope has been on the rise. This week, their optimism spread all the way to Copenhagen and excitement reached a fever pitch at Klimaforum09 on Monday when it was announced that President Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader, would address his country’s commitment to becoming carbon-neutral in an effort to thwart the effects of global warming. Sitting with well-known American writer and activist Bill McKibben, President Nasheed spoke to a crowd he addressed as ‘fellow environmentalists’.

Nasheed’s own history is as complicated as that of his home. A former political prisoner in his own country for his outspoken criticism of the government, Nasheed has been recognized as an Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience since 1991 and lived as a political refugee outside his home country between 2003 and 2005. On a number of occasions before his self-imposed exile, he was imprisoned for his statements against the government. It has been reported that during his prison sentences, he was placed in solitary confinement and tortured.

While in exile Nasheed helped found the first political party in the Maldives, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), through which he rose to power last year. The MDP, a liberal party committed to human rights and democracy, has had an impressive first year under Nasheed. In addition to Nasheed’s pledge to turn the country carbon-neutral through the use of solar and wind power; in cooperation with Bill McKibben’s 350.org campaign, President Nasheed held an underwater cabinet meeting in October to draw attention to the threat of climate change to low-lying island nations around the world.

In his speech on Monday afternoon, President Nasheed explained that after overcoming personal battles in the name of democracy, his country now stands to test the international community with the task of standing up for small island nations. In a speech given alongside McKibben, Nasheed made references to his own time as a political prisoner as he demanded a reversal in climate change patterns. “Four years later and a continent away, we meet here to confront another seemingly impossible task” Nasheed said, referring to his 2005 return to the Maldives. “We are here to save our planet from the silent, patient and invisible enemy that is climate change.”

Echoing Klimaforum09 themes from the previous week — that smaller nations can set an example for the world’s superpowers, and that indigenous activists are leading the fight against global warming — President Nasheed expressed his hope that the Maldives will set a precedent for other countries. “We believe that if the Maldives can become carbon neutral; richer, larger countries can follow”, he stated. “But if there is one thing I know about politicians, it’s that they won’t act until their electorates act first”. Asking citizens to become more involved, Nasheed stated, “This is where you come in.”

Like other speakers at the people’s climate summit who have advocated non-violent resistance, Nasheed asked the assembled crowd to consider action in the streets. “History shows us the power of peaceful protest. From the civil rights movement, to Gandhi’s Quit India campaign; non-violent protest can create change”. Nasheed added hopefully, “Protest worked in the struggle for democracy in the Maldives”. His presence in the Copenhagen auditorium proved that much.

Throughout his speech, Nasheed repeated the figure ‘350’, referring to the safe upper limit of CO2 in parts per million in the atmosphere. “I am not a scientist, but I know that one of the laws of physics is that you cannot negotiate with the laws of physics”, Nasheed stated. “Three – Five – Oh”, he spelled out, “is a law of atmospheric physics. You cannot cut a deal with Mother Nature. And we don’t intend to try”.

While deeply inspiring for the auditorium packed full of activists, scientists and journalists, it is still uncertain whether the needs of island nations like the Maldives will be considered and respected as the official UN talks wrap up this week. With some nations threatening to walk out and others absent for parts of this week, it remains to be seen if President Nasheed’s concerns will be taken on board — or whether it will truly be a movement of the people that saves countries like the Maldives.

Source: cop15post.com

Copenhagen: Alex Salmond throws a lifeline to sinking Maldives

ALEX Salmond has pledged to help one of the world's most vulnerable nations to fight the effects of climate change, in an address to an international audience in Copenhagen.

The First Minister signed a joint statement with the president of the Maldives at a fringe event yesterday, as world leaders gathered in the Danish capital to thrash out a global deal to beat climate change.

Mr Salmond promised to share technology and research with the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean at particular risk from sea-level rises.

Critics questioned whether the new relationship was a stunt, and claimed the First Minister had been left embarrassed after California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, London mayor Boris Johnson and United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, who were scheduled to speak at the side event, all pulled out.

Maldives profile: Island paradise just 6ft above the sea fears

However, Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed hailed Scotland for its support, which was pledged in front of about 350 people at a Climate Leaders Summit. The First Minister said: "The Maldives face a very real threat from rising sea levels, and I share President Nasheed's ambition to prevent the environmental disaster and human rights' catastrophe that would befall the islands, should the world fail to tackle this problem."

The Maldives, an archipelago of 1,200 islands, is at risk of disappearing under rising seawater. The nation's highest point is only 6ft above sea level. Mr Nasheed praised Scotland for its support.

"Maldives and Scotland have signed a joint statement, to develop a concrete plan of action next year aimed at co-operation on climate mitigation," he said. "We are inspired by its commitment to low-carbon growth. Scotland is an example for others to follow."

Ahmed Moosa, the president's envoy for science and technology, told The Scotsman that both were small countries trying to make a big difference. The Maldives is aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2020 and Scotland has set ambitious laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent.

"Both countries are leading by example and the message is everyone should work together to try to get a solution," he said.

Mr Moosa, who lives in Glasgow and is also attending the summit, added: "You might think, 'What's the big deal of Scotland and Maldives working together?' If our emissions become zero, it's not going to change the impact of climate change, but the message is, 'Let's lead by example'."

The finer details of the partnership will be thrashed out next year, but a Scottish Government spokeswoman said it would not involve Scotland giving money to the Maldives.

Scottish ministers have been left out of the official UK delegation to the Copenhagen summit, but Mr Salmond decided to attend, alongside Scottish Government climate change minister Stewart Stevenson.

Other speakers at the Climate Leaders Summit included Prince Albert II of Monaco; Mike Rann, the premier of South Australia; and Jean Charest, the premier of Quebec. Prince Charles spoke at the opening of the high-level section of the talks, in which he told delegates they had the power to "write our future".

Labour's environment spokeswoman, Sarah Boyack, said she supported the idea of a partnership with the Maldives, but added: "I hope it isn't a stunt. I hope they have thought through the long-term relationship."

She thought it had become "embarrassing" for Mr Salmond that Mr Schwarzenegger had pulled out of talking at the same event.

She said: "Alex Salmond's visit to Copenhagen is becoming embarrassing. Instead of chasing Arnie around with his autograph book, the First Minister should get back to Scotland, roll up his sleeves and get on with the real work of reducing carbon emissions. The reality is that he's had six months to get things moving after the parliament passed our Climate Change Act, but so far we've yet to see any progress."

However, an aide for Mr Salmond denied that the non- appearance of Mr Schwarzenegger and the others was a snub.

"Obviously, they decide their particular schedule nearer the time. They were down to attend but, given the huge variety of different events, other representatives will take their place."

A group of 17 activists disrupted the Climate Leaders Summit, protesting against the support of the organisers, the Climate Group, for carbon trading. They held banners reading "Climate Group: Leading us into climate chaos", before being arrested.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: "It's hardly surprising that the First Minister finds himself snubbed by Arnie and on the wrong end of climate protests, given his love for new motorways and coal power stations."

Source: news.scotsman.com

Maldives president: People, not politicians, can save the planet

The president of the Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives Islands, Mohamed Nasheed, stressed the power of people to take action on climate change, when he spoke to a packed audience at Klimaforum09, the alternative climate summit in Copenhagen, on December 13.

“The social movements have the power to save the planet from the effects of climate change”, Nasheed said. “My message to you is to continue the process of movement building after the conference.”

Nasheed used his own personal story to illustrate the point. A few years ago, he was in prison because of his work as a human rights activists, but upon his release he became the first democratic elected president of the island nation acutely threatened by the rising sea levels.

“We had no power, but our cause”, the president explained, before he went on to promise to turn his country into the first CO2 neutral society in the world in just ten years time.

“Let us make the goal of reaching 350 parts per million. We believe that if the Maldives can become carbon neutral so can larger countries.”

Source: greenleft.org.au

Nepal cabinet to meet near Everest to highlight climate change

Nepal's cabinet will meet near the base of Mount Everest next week to highlight the impact of climate change on the Himalayas, ahead of the UN summit to discuss global warming in Copenhagen, officials said today.

About 26 ministers and other cabinet officials will fly to Gorakshep on a helicopter to attend the cabinet meet scheduled to take place on December 4 at an altitude 5,165 metre near the Everest base camp, said Bishnu Rijal, the prime minister’s press advisor.

He said the cabinet meeting at the gateway to the Everest will pass a resolution on climate change.

A medical team will accompany the government officials along with oxygen cylinders to facilitate the cabinet meeting, he said.

The unique meeting comes after the Maldives Cabinet met underwater in October to symbolically flag the threat of global warming ahead of a crucial UN Summit.

The government of the Maldives had held the underwater cabinet meeting in a bid to draw global attention towards the rising sea levels that threaten the existence of the island country.

Earlier, mrime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal underlined the adverse impact of climate change on his country. He said Nepal is the most affected by the melting snows and our melting glaciers are inviting a bigger catastrophe in near future though it contributes minimum to the global climate change. Prime minister Nepal said his country will raise the issue of global warning in a big way at the Copenhagen conference in Denmark from December 7-18.

The Nepalese cabinet meeting, which had earlier been planned at an altitude of 5,360 metres in November, was postponed due to the ill health of the prime minister. The officials also visualised logistic problem in holding the meet at an higher altitude.

The landmark cabinet meeting would provide an unique opportunity for the top Nepalese leaders to have a first-hand information about the adverse impact of climate change on the Himalayan range, the PMO official said.

According to experts, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, creating lakes whose walls could burst and flood villages below.

Source: dnaindia.com

Climate-vulnerable countries send SOS over climate change

Ahead of the forthcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the world's most climate-vulnerable countries have called on the developed countries to provide money amounting to at least 1.5 per cent of their gross domestic product to assist developing countries make their transition to a climate resilient low-carbon economy.

Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Kiribati, Barbados, The Maldive Island, Bhutan, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, popularly known as the V11, are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but they are also among the lowest greenhouse gas emitters.

There are growing fears that some of them, like the Maldives, could disappear within a century.

The call was made Friday at a two-day meeting organised by the government of Maldives, a member of the Climate Neutral Network, according to a news release issued Saturday by the Nairobi-based United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), made available to PANA.

According to UNEP, the meeting highlighted the countries' concerns and determina tion to "green" their economies.

However, the outcome of the meeting did not quite live up to the expectations of its chief organiser, President Mohamed Nasheed of Maldives, who had hoped the countries attending the forum would commit to become carbon neutral within a decade.

In March, Nasheed announced plans to make his own country the world's first carbon-neutral nation by 2019 and last month, he announced the construction of a wind farm that can supply 40 per cent of the country's electricity.

The President has been an active spokesperson for the island states, many of which are now threatened by rising sea levels.

Earlier this year, Nasheed took part in a public service announcement (PSA) organised by UNEP, which called for world leaders to seal the deal in the climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month.

Shot in six locations and across four continents, the videos launched in September feature President Nasheed; Hollywood actor, Don Cheadle; Nobel Laureate, Professor Wangari Maathai; UN Messenger of Peace, Midori Goto; Animal Planet presenter and environmentalist, Phillipe Cousteau and wildlife film maker, Saba Douglas-Hamilton.

In May, the Maldives became the seventh country to join the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net), a UNEP initiative launched in February 2008 to promote global transition to low-carbon economies and societies.

The Climate Neutral Network also includes cities, regions, companies and organisations.

Last month, Nasheed staged the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to promote awareness about rising sea levels.

The V11 group of states said achieving carbon neutrality for developing countries will be very difficult, given their lack of resources.

The question will be on the table in just three weeks at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.

Source: www.afriquejet.com