Manila, 20 Dec (Elpidio V. Peria [1] ) – The technology transfer discussions in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa under the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) may have been the least reported of all the topics and may not have gotten the attention of international media and activists. However, government negotiators slogged through the entire two-week duration of the Conference of the Parties (COP), to come up with a clear decision on the various pending issues about technology development and transfer, all aimed at making the Technology Mechanism fully operational in 2012. continue reading…
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Category: Technology TransferDurban, 8 Dec (Meena Raman) – With less than two days left for the conclusion of the Durban climate talks, Parties are still far apart on many critical issues that remain unresolved at the level of negotiators. These issues are now expected to be addressed by Ministers. continue reading…
Durban, Dec 7 (Meena Raman) – Leaders at the opening session of the joint-high level segment of the 17th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC and the 7th session of the Conference of Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (KP) outlined their expectations for the Durban outcome which took place on Tuesday, 6 December. continue reading…
Durban, 30 Nov (Meena Raman) – The Group of 77 and China called for a fair and equal treatment of issues on the agenda of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWGLCA) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). continue reading…
Barcelona, 21st November 2011. A new report released today by GAIA – Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, reveals serious flaws in CDM-backed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) projects. Most of these projects support incineration technology to burn waste and landfill gas systems (LFG) to bury waste, which ultimately increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and displace informal workers communities’ livelihoods, amongst other problems. By buying CDM carbon credits from these projects, the EU is contradicting its own policies on waste management, which prioritize recycling, pollution controls and waste diversion from landfills. The report calls for a EU ban on CDM carbon credits in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). continue reading…
Beijing, 3 Nov (Chee Yoke Ling) – The success of the UN climate conference in Durban in late November will depend on the adoption of the next phase of greenhouse gases emission reductions by developed countries and the completion of the negotiation mandate adopted in Bali, Indonesia in 2007. This was said by Ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of their meeting in Beijing from 31 October to 1 November.
The Ministers, who met to coordinate their views for the upcoming climate talks, emphasized in their joint statement that “the Kyoto Protocol is the cornerstone of the climate regime and its second commitment period (of emissions reduction by developed countries) is the essential priority for the success of the Durban Conference” that will be hosted by South Africa on 28 November to 9 December. The first commitment period will end in 2012. continue reading…
by Kwesi W. Obeng
The just ended United Nations Climate Change Conference in Panama barely made progress in resolving the thorniest issues, stalling negotiations to conclude a global agreement later this year in Durban, South Africa to save the planet from overheating.
The future of the Kyoto Protocol, the architecture of any future agreement, long term finance and sources of funding especially for the Green Climate Fund are some of the most fractious issues still outstanding.
Durban, South Africa will be a critical battleground to break the deadlock within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2011. The Panama talks made progress on a few issues, notably adaptation, agriculture, technology, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). continue reading…
by Lim Li Lin
The climate change talks have been going on for a long time. Since Rio in 1992, when the Climate Convention was adopted, there have been 16 Conference of the Parties (COPs). Then in 2007, a new round of negotiations was launched in Bali.
Many thought Parties were going to arrive at a deal in Copenhagen, COP 15, but that proved a mirage. And then there was Cancun, and now Durban, where it is clear that negotiations will not conclude. What is perhaps unclear is what will happen after Durban. continue reading…
Delivered by Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group
Thank you Chair. I am speaking on behalf of the Climate Justice Network (CJN)
Environmental sound and socially just technologies, that respectfully integrate traditional forms of knowledge and livelihoods, are part of the solution to the climate crisis and they need to be supported.
Cancun, 30 November: Intervention at the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), at item 8, on technology transfer
Delivered by Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group
Thank you Chair. I will speak on behalf of the Climate Justice Now network (CJN).
Environmentally sound and socially just technologies that integrate and respect traditional knowledge and livelihoods are part of the solution to climate crisis and need to be supported.
But often, “technology transfer” in these negotiations seem rather to be a way for big companies to expand their markets and patent monopolies.
An agreement on technology that is not precautionary will result in the release of untested and high-risk technologies: carbon capture and storage, biochar, more industrial plantations and monocultures and other forms of so-called “bio-energy”. Multinational companies are stockpiling patents on “climate-ready crops”, undermining the ability of farmers to adapt to climate change, by making them dependent on patented seeds. Increasing industrial agriculture and this corporate grab on biomass will increase, not decrease, greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, a new Technology Mechanism must have the mandate to evaluate the social and environmental impact of technologies and to fully include civil society, indigenous peoples and affected communities. All bodies must be transparent, accountable to the COP, and have clear mechanisms for public participation. Intellectual property on all forms of life and on technologies to confront the climate crisis should be abolished.