During the negotiations that led to the historic Paris Agreement at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in 2015, the climate vulnerable countries argued for and succeeded in getting the global goal on mitigation of staying below two degrees Celsius—and if possible, below 1.5 degrees Celsius. This was indeed a remarkable achievement for the vulnerable countries at that time. …
Are the climate change Conference of Parties still fit for purpose?
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all governments of the nearly 200 countries that have ratified the treaty meet twice a year to review progress and make decisions about next steps. These meetings are held at the level of officials only, in May or June every year in Bonn, Germany where the UNFCCC Secretariat is located, …
Making the Rule Book for implementing the Paris Agreement
In December 2015 in Paris, at the 21st annual Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 174 countries, including the United States of America under then President Obama, agreed to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This historic agreement is now the universally agreed roadmap to tackle climate change going forward. Even though …
Measuring the global goal on climate change adaptation -Bangladesh’s contribution to the upcoming debate at COP24
In the Paris Agreement on climate change, which was agreed on in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all countries agreed to take actions to tackle climate change through both mitigation (to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases) and adaptation (to cope with the adverse impacts). Through Article …
It’s worse than we thought
The United Nation’s scientific body on climate change, namely the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has just released a special report which is a scientific as well as political report of great significance and could be a game-changer in galvanising enhanced action to tackle climate change. The report has a controversial history. The consensus on the long-term global temperature …
1.5 to stay alive: UN’s warming goal feels the heat
The tougher temperature goal was a great victory for the vulnerable countries in terms of global diplomacy and advocacy. Now comes the hard part of implementation. One of the most hotly contested and far reaching outcomes of the Paris Agreement agreed last December was the inclusion of the long term warming limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Going into that …
An opportunity for LDC leadership
(Originally published here) In Paris, the least developed country group was a key player in delivering this agreement — pushing relentlessly for a legally binding and effective agreement with universal participation, inclusion of the 1.5 degree target, loss and damage, and for the much-needed finance. Who will be the next executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change …
Bangladesh urges quick release of climate fund
(Originally published here) A high official yesterday complained that the release of global climate fund (GCF) meant for supporting the adaptation projects in vulnerable countries remains slow, hindering the implementation activities. “It needs to be expedited. The approach should not be like a banker,” said Dr Nurul Quadir, joint secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, giving a reference …
Not Fully Lost and Damaged: How Loss and Damage Fared in the Paris Agreement
(Originally published here) The Paris Agreement coming out of the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 negotiations gave breakthrough recognition to loss and damage, sorting through thorny discussions and politically charged negotiating positions. These positions revolved around liability and compensation, which developing countries called for but developed countries were unwilling to have included in the Agreement. The UN Framework Convention on …
In the Final Hours of the Climate Talks, a 1.5 Degrees C Target Is Still on the Table—but Is That a Good Thing?
(Originally published here) In exchange for including the ambitious target in the final text, developing nations are being pressured to never again mention “loss and damage.” Entering the closing 48 hours of the global climate negotiations, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that “we will not leave the most vulnerable nations among us to quite literally …