Clashes over whether to launch formal negotiations on Durban Platform in Doha

Negotiating parties were divided over whether to ask ministers to discuss the two work streams of the exploratory roundtable discussions started here in Bangkok, Thailand, at COP 18. COP 18 will be held in Doha, Qatar in November.

The split became even more apparent at the closing plenary of the Adhoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (AWG-ADP) today. Today, September 5 is the final day of the Bangkok informal inter-sessional.

Essentially nearly all developed countries want the ministers to meet on the ADP in Doha even though its work is still at the preliminary stages. The European Union, the Umbrella Group (led by Australia) and the Environmental Integrity Group (led by Switzerland). It was not all developed countries asking for the meeting. The Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) led by Nauru backed the suggestion by rich countries.

However the BASIC group countries, a group made of the big emerging economies of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, opposed the suggestion. The ADP discussions are still in their exploratory stages and therefore it is premature to have the ministers meet on the issue. The BASIC’s position received a boost with an endorsement from the fairly new but increasingly influential Like Minded Group (LMG) of countries led by Malaysia.

The Umbrella Group is a coalition of non-EU developed countries Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States, Australia and Iceland. The Environmental Integrity Group is made up of Mexico, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland.

South Africa speaking for the BASIC countries said a ministerial on the ADP in Doha will be premature. He urged parties to allow the ADP to crystallize its work first.

But this was not the only point of departure. The Like Minded Group (LMG) of developing countries also dismissed Gambia’s call for negotiations on the ADP to be launched in Doha as ill-timed. Like many other other parties, LMG want the exploratory discussions to mature before launching contact groups at the negotiations.

For Gambia and the LDC given the 2015 for a new climate regime to ready (although its implementation will start in 2020) it was necessary for parties to move quickly to launch the negotiations so as to complete it on schedule.

Divergent views, limited movement

Reports from facilitators of spin-off groups on progress achieved in their negotiations under the AWG-LCA amplified the lack of progress in Bangkok so far. AWG-LCA Chair Aysar Tayeb concluded that progress in the Bangkok negotiations had been limited, as strong divergent views remain on whether further work on the issues is needed beyond Doha and what body would be suited for addressing them.

On shared vision parties are divided on whether the context or the numbers for a global goal and peaking time frame should be addressed first. It is also unclear yet which body will undertake this after if the AWG-LCA winds down in Doha.

On developed country mitigation the discussions have not moved beyond clarification of targets and approaches for measuring progress to parties taking deeper cuts in their emissions. In fact the European Union on a separate platform has indicated that they will not go beyond 20 per cent on 1990s although the economic bloc had announced prior to Bangkok that will take up high ambitions to reduce emissions up to 30 per cent on 1990s levels.

On developing country Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) the spin-off group discussed elements which could be included as part of an outcome in Doha. The elements include enhanced support to deliver NAMAs, understanding the diversity of NAMAs, development of guidelines for Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of support, proposals for building the capacity of countries to prepare and implement NAMAs through regional workshops, guidelines and handbooks.

On REDD+ financing, the discussions have focused on guiding principles, enabling conditions necessary for scaling up and facilitating financing, issues that require further exploration and signals required from Doha to trigger financing for the full implementation of REDD+. Some of the institutional arrangements required include the establishment of REDD+ board, registries, insurance or reserve mechanism, review and regulatory bodies.

On sectoral approaches contact group which has focused on four options on the general framework, parties remain heavily divided. The facilitator of sectoral approaches reported discussions addressed five options on bunker fuels. This is expected to be narrowed down in later discussions.

There were also reports on various approaches, finance, technology, response measures, adaptation, capacity building and review.

Progress slow in Bangkok

Parties remain stack on many fronts at the ongoing climate change negotiations in Bangkok, Thailand. At a stocktaking session of the Adhoc Working group on the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) convened by the chair, Madeleine Diouf, developing countries expressed frustration at the lack of progress. 

G-77 & China negotiators in a huddle

Developed countries were equally dismayed at developing country parties’ persistence that Annex I parties make deep cuts in their emissions as well as make available finance, technology for developing countries to adapt and pursue low carbon pathways.

Senegal said without any substantive progress on the Kyoto Protocol track, other tracks cannot make any meaningful progress. Senegal spoke for Least Developing Countries (LDC). 

St Lucia, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) expressed concern over developed country parties’ lack of ambition, to cut more deeply their carbon emissions. For AOSIS, developed countries don’t seem to appreciate the consequences of a likely 3°C rise in global temperature. 

However, Russia like many of the parties that have withdrawn from the KP or simply do not subscribe to the rules-based, top-down multilateral system that the protocol represents, want to enjoy the rewards of the mechanism. 

Developing countries remain resolute that these rewards including New Market Mechanisms will be limited to parties that sign on to the second emissions commitment period of the KP. It remains to be seen how firmly these countries will stand their ground to defend their science-backed position.