COP-22 kicked off on Monday, with negotiators from nearly 200 countries descending on Marrakech to hammer out the details of last year’s Paris climate agreement. Carbon Pulse will post updates from in and around the UN conference as they happen.
Carbon Pulse coverage:
UN climate talks map out two-year process to firm up Paris Agreement rulebook
UN climate negotiations began in Marrakech on Monday aiming to start writing the rulebook on the Paris Agreement, with business and green groups urging governments to complete the process within two years.
Today’s highlights:
1900 GMT – TURKEY TROUBLES: Green groups awarded their first name-and-shame ‘fossil of the day’ award of the talks to Turkey, which held up the adoption of the agenda by an hour in an effort to include a hearing for its appeal to be made eligible for climate cash from sources such as the Green Climate Fund. Turkey is currently ineligible due to it falling in between the UNFCCC’s developed/developing country status though its INDC would allow its emissions to more than double over the next 15 years amid substantial construction of new coal-fired power plants.
1255 GMT – WHO’S NEXT?: The UN is still searching for a host for next year’s climate talks. No nation has yet volunteered its services, partly because the possibilities of gaining political capital are low until the 2018 COP-24 meeting, when parties are due to review their goals. “The truth is that this conference has really become a major project for any country that wants to host it … It’s not evident that many countries can do it,” UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told the FT. The normal global rotation of regions means it is supposed to be Asia’s turn to host COP-23 next year, but a quick scan of the Asian country pavilions in Marrakech reveals no clear contenders. If the size of pavilion is a guide, then Thailand, home to a sizeable UN complex in Bangkok, might be a possibility. If no government comes forward, then the mostly likely venue is Bonn, the de facto home of UNFCCC meetings.
1100 GMT – BRING A BROLLY: Yes, it rains even in the desert. Especially in the middle of growing season. The COP22 conference opens its first day to a heavy shower falling on the barely-completed Bab Ighli tented complex in Marrakech.
1030 GMT – PAKISTAN UPDATES INDC: Pakistan submitted an updated INDC over the weekend, setting itself a GHG reduction target after previously saying it was unable to because it lacked reliable data on when it may be able to peak its emissions. In its new 31-page submission, the country pledged to cut its BAU emissions by 20% by 2030, provided it receives international financial assistance in the realm of $40 billion. Pakistan estimated its emissions from five sectors (excluding transportation) will quadruple from around 400 million to just over 1.6 billion by 2030, meaning that even with the 20% reduction, its GHG output will still have more than tripled over that timeframe. It said it would like to use markets to hit its target, adding that it is “actively reviewing policy considerations for further integration of market mechanisms in responding to emerging threats in the context of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.”
0600 GMT – AUSTRALIA SOON TO RATIFY: Australia was not among the first 100 nations to ratify the Paris Agreement but might follow suit shortly as the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties on Monday recommended the government ratify both the Paris Agreement and the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. The committee’s full report can be found here.
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