Author: Ewan Kingston

Ryan

This morning we had a chance to sit in on a briefing from Jonathan Pershing, the lead US negotiator. He was able to provide us with some great insight into the outcomes of COP22 and expectation for subsequent COPs. After several days of attending side events and learning about all angles of the climate change problem from various state and NGO experts, it was great to get to see behind the curtain of the formal negotiations. Jonathan emphasized that the goal continues to be to finalize the Paris rulebook by 2018. In the meantime they have been working to finalize the work plans and deadlines needed to meet those goals. He also emphasized the need for a robust and inclusive discussion on how we will transition to a low carbon economy without leaving people behind. The recent election sent strong signals that not enough is being done to help the people in the fossil fuel industries that are hurting as the economy has begun to naturally transition even if those people weren’t considering climate change part of the problem it is a strong driver towards the new economy.

Bella

Today I have been attending briefings and panel sessions that concerned with youth. In a US briefing especially for youth and university students today, the speaker listed opportunities for youth to work on and take the lead to facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. In the afternoon, I attended the US and China Youth Statement on Climate Change Action, which was held by China Youth Climate Action Network CYCAN and Cares about Climate.
They declared that their goal is tried to promote unified action to reduce the share of fossil fuels to nearly 0 by 2050. At the panel session in China’s pavilion, Junfeng LI also sent his voice to young people that it is the youth that holding the future of climate change actions.

I also visited the green zone to see how much Morocco has been done to tackle climate change issues. There are really advanced and also interesting technology or art exhibitions. Here is also a very good place for people to share with the public about their thoughts on climate change issues. Engaged in this atmosphere, I really feel like everybody is keen to work unitedly and we should have faith in our united commitment

Adam

The COP is winding down, but you wouldn’t know it from the crowds filling the halls and event rooms here in Marrakech. The schedule remains packed with presentations and panels covering a broad range of topics, and attendees seem focused on making the most of their time here. As I mentioned before (and expanded upon in my most recent blog post), the emphasis of this year’s COP certainly seems to be on matters outside the formal negotiations process. Attendees are intently focused on figuring out the best approaches to implementing the Paris Agreement through both traditional and newer, more innovative channels. It’s exciting to witness how much is going on beyond the UNFCCC process itself.

One of today’s highlights was sitting in on a briefing hosted by Jonathan Pershing, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change. He spoke candidly and earnestly about the opportunities and challenges ahead, and instilled a sense of hope within the audience. While it’s certainly disappointing to know that folks like Mr. Pershing will no longer play a part in U.S. climate diplomacy come mid-January, it’s encouraging to know that such talented, accomplished experts in climate policy will remain committed to making a difference regardless of political circumstances. And he impressed upon us that we must do the same.

Bella

I attended the press held by Chinese delegation today. China maintains that what role the US is going to play remains to be seen in the following months. So that we should wait and see. As the largest developed country in the world, the US will be essential to tackle climate change. Countries all over the world including China hopes that the US continue to play the extremely important leading role in implementation of Paris Agreement.

Although we have to wait, China expressed the willingness to enhance the cooperation with the US. Actually president Xi telephoned Mr Donald Trump last week and said cooperation between “the largest economy” and “the largest developed country” will be essential.

One journalist from Wall Street Journal asked about what do China think about the comment that “climate change is a hoax made up by the Chinese”. Zhenmin LIU, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs responded that “The climate change issue was first studied in the 1980s by EU countries and the US. When the IPCC was established, China was still not aware of climate change and negotiation. It is not possible that China intended to do this”.

Jeremy

COP22 is turning out to have a lot more energy and excitment than I previously expected! Even with the thought of a President-Elect hanging over everyone here, there is a certain electricity in the air.

Watching Secretary John Kerry speak today reemphasized this point. His personal passion for this issue might be unmatched between the senior U.S. government officials. He ended his speech by quoting Winston Churchilll which really summed up the general thoughts of the week so far, “It’s not always enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required.”

Adam

My third day at COP22 has been just as captivating as the first two. The diversity of topics addressed through both formal proceedings and side events is fascinating, and it provides an inspiring glimpse into how many smart and passionate people are pushing the envelope on climate action. In the span of just one day, I sat in on sessions exploring frameworks for sustainable transport, increased ambition through transparency, future directions for carbon markets, and more. Throughout these meetings, I noticed a common thread: parties (including nations, non-state actors, businesses, and so on) must work both within and outside the UNFCCC to realize the goals of the Paris Agreement. This sentiment was underscored during a conversation our delegation had with two experts in climate policy and the negotiations process. They emphasized that the value of the Paris Agreement extends far beyond the accord itself. Rather, it’s equally about the signal it sent regarding international commitment to climate action and ambition across all levels of society. This year’s COP has made it clear that Paris catalyzed new levels of activity related to adaptation and mitigation beyond the UNFCCC. I think this is one of the most important takeaways from the COP, especially for those of us still worried about the uncertain future of U.S. climate policy.

Ryan

Today i went to several side events that focused on the use of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Article 6 allows parties to use internationally transferable mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) to meet their NDC targets. ITMOs are just a fancy way of saying that countries can set up carbon markets, better know as cap and trade systems in order to help reduce emissions are efficiently as possible.

Countries and subnational governments around the world are harnessing the power of carbon markets, either in the form of cap and trade or carbon taxes, to reduce their emissions. Today i learned that New Zealand issued a declaration in support of carbon markets during COP21 that was support by 17 other nations including the United States. During the side event the United Kingdom environment minister announced their support for the declaration as well. China, the world’s biggest polluter, recently announced that they would be starting a national emissions trading system. If efforts like these can go from the national to international level it could go a long way to efficiently reducing global carbon emissions to where they need to be.

Diana Tarrazo

Today was another long and busy day! I started my morning bright and early with my client, and got to hear from Karen Florini, the Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change at the US Department of State. She spoke a bit about the new administration coming in, but maintained that we cannot know what will happen until we know who is going to be appointed. She also stressed that the Paris Agreement will be moving forward with or without the United States, and that the governing question has become whether the United States will stay at the table to negotiate it.

After offering us this insight, she spoke to the evolution of the role of subnational actors in the United States, noting that in recent years it increasing dramatically, with these actors coming to the fore. She pointed to the momentum states created for the Obama Administration. However, she also said that she thinks that getting subnational actor recognition in the Paris Agreement (outside of the Declaration) is unlikely. In spite of that, she stressed that states and other subnational authorities should put their best foot forward, and that the work they are doing can still be far reaching. It seems like every side event and discussion I attend has at least some mention of subnational actors–even in events where I wouldn’t necessarily expect it. Seeing the increasing role that states and cities are playing with respect to climate change mitigation and adaptation has definitely given me optimism for the coming years.

Day 8 Update

The high level segment began today, with 80 Ministers from different countries, along with Ban Ki Moon and others presenting speeches that highlighted the continued ambition to tackle climate change. Since the negotiations this year are important yet more about process than substance, our students spent much of their time in the other sides to COP – the side events, networking, information sharing and momentum building, as well as absorbing meetings with a high-level diplomat and a top economist in the climate change world. Read below:

Bella

Today we are here in Marrakech to see the historic moment. 110 Parties (by 16th Nov) have joined Paris Agreement, which totally account for more than 75% of carbon emission across the world. I am so happy to see the world’s determination to tackle climate change challenges despite the disappointing news after US election. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon commented that the choice we are making today cannot endanger our future generation. We must reduce subsidies to fossil fuels and promote the transition to renewable energy.

I also talked to Scott Vaughan, the President and CEO of International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), about the attitude of international organizations towards the future of climate change action. He said that although the election was a huge shock to most of us, many people who is concerned in climate change issues, including IISD, have started to seeking pathways to tackle this problem without engaging Washington. State governments will follow the trend, so do other local leaders. Quebec and Ontario will not stop cooperating with California. Investments will follow the trend, so do civil society and business world.

Let’s be positive. This is the COP of action!

Adam

Last week, I wrote how I hoped COP22 would provide some much-needed optimism following the U.S. presidential election. And I must say, just two days into the second week, optimism abounds here in Marrakech. I worried that last week’s news would suck the air and energy out of the COP — but if anything, it seems to have had the opposite effect. I get the sense that domestic uncertainty has sparked an uptick, at least for the moment, in motivation among other countries and nongovernmental/subnational actors. It remains to be seen, of course, whether this motivation sustains itself and turns into action. But from this morning’s launch of the NDC Partnership to an afternoon panel focused on action at the city, state, and regional levels, there was no shortage of glimmers of hope.

Ryan

After the whirlwind day yesterday, moving between events without any clear plan, i was able to focus today on presentations and meetings that were of high interest to me. While going around the COP several themes stood out to me that seem to be prevalent across all different groups here. The first is the optimism and drive that all parties are showing to meet our climate goals despite the results of the US election. We heard the French Ambassador for Climate Change, Laurence Tubiana, give an impassioned speech saying that climate change cannot wait on political uncertainty and stressing the need for action at the subnational level.

The second recurring theme that i noticed is the need to mobilize private finance to combat climate change. To do this there needs to be clear policy signals that show private investors that investing in clean energy projects is not only beneficial for our climate, but will provide return on investment. Massive amounts of financial resources will be needed to keep warming levels below 2 degrees and private companies will be pivotal in achieving the financial goals need to reach our emission goals.

Diana Tarrazo

Today our group got the opportunity to speak with both Jennifer Haverkamp, the US Department of State’s Special Representative for Environment and Water Resources, as well as Harvard’s Joseph Aldy. They both gave us wonderful insight into the negotiations, and we’re very fortunate to have met with them. Outside of speaking with Haverkamp and Aldy, I attended several side events covering a broad range of topics from climate finance to climate change and marine protected areas.

Perhaps the most interesting presentation I attended, and one that was in line with my focus topic of subnational actors, was a presentation titled, “Under 2MU: 2050 Strategies Toward 1.5 Degrees with States, Regions, and Cities.” The presentation featured speakers including Phillppe Couillard, the Premier of Quebec. I am incredibly encouraged by the work Quebec is doing with respect to climate change mitigation–it sources 99 percent of its energy from renewables, has a carbon market that was linked with California in 2014, and instituted a carbon levy in the 1990s. All of these subnational policies and actions were a response to an indifferent central government. Examples from Quebec give me optimism for subnational actor engagement in the United States in the coming years under the new Administration.

Jeremy

Starting off the day could not have been more exciting. I attended the NDC Partnership event with over 20 Foreign and Environmental Ministers from developed, developing and middle income countries. These Ministers spoke about their commitment to working with each other and ensuring all parties met the NDC goals. Many developing countries recognized that even though they had the political and economic will to implement major reforms, they lacked the funding or expertise. This is the role that the developed countries and financial institutions would fill. Organized by Morocco and Germany, it seems like an amazing partnership. Even with the Presidential Election there is aura of momentum throughout the conference, something that this event highlighted.

There is much left to do but it seems there is still hope to finish up what started in Paris.

Ewan

We’ve arrived in Marrakech and are starting to settle in to the hustle and bustle of COP. As far as the negotiations go, things seem to have returned to the slower pace that was the norm before the urgency of Paris. The draft text from the APA (a main negotiating stream) consists mainly of questions for parties to consider and lists of dates by which submissions on the questions will be due. Interventions in the relevant contact group included southern hemisphere delegations reminding the chair that such dates should not fall within the southern hemisphere summer holiday! Moments like that remind me of the very human nature of these negotiations. Apart from the core negotiations, our students have been exploring the many side events at the COP – read on below!

Ryan

Today was a little bit of a hectic day trying to make our way around the hundreds of different events being held at the COP.  It started off with the first event of the day we were trying to attend (Reactions to the US election and the Path foreword) being postponed because the room was double booked. From there most of my time was spent wondering from tent to tent looking at the different side events and country exhibits.

One of the most interesting discussions that I attended was on renewable energy investment, run by Greenpeace and REN21. The talked focused on what Greenpeace called their energy revolution which mapped a pathway to 100% global renewable energy by 2050. They claimed that it was possible to achieve such a lofty goal by having the right policy incentives that would promote renewables over traditional fossils fuels while drastically increasing energy efficiency. To me such a dramatic shift in the global energy system in such a short time frame seems to idealistic and ignores the realities we face that it would require massive infrastructure change. However, It is nice to see so much optimism about being able to solve climate change.

Tonight will be spent trying to absorb everything that i saw and heard today and resting up for another exciting day at the COP tomorrow.

Adam

It’s been a long but exciting first day here in Marrakech. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, simply because it was clear that there was much to see and do within a relatively short period of time. At first, I was a bit disappointed to realize that several of the more interesting-sounding meetings were closed to non-party observers, but I quickly learned that there was no shortage of other events and talks to see. One of the highlights of my day, for instance, was attending the high-level education presentation. Although I was far from the stage and unable to hear much, I got to see the Moroccan princess, the head of the UNFCCC, and other dignitaries. The other side events covered such a broad range of topics covered, and I’m excited to take advantage of them throughout the week. It was a great start to the trip, and I’m eager to see what’s in store tomorrow.

Diana

Today was long but very exciting! I began the day meeting with my client, The Climate Registry, where I heard from Dirk Forrister, CEO of International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). He had some interesting insight on the role of subnational actors moving forward post Paris, highlighting specifically the role they can play within Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He also referred to the enormous potential of “upwards percolation”–particularly in light of the recent presidential election–and how states must take the reigns on ambitious climate policy in the face of an incoming federal government whose policies will likely be lacking.

Following this discussion, I headed over to the COP, and spent the day in the Blue Zone, which was abustle with people from across the globe and speaking many different tongues. One of my favorite talks that I attended today was called “Implementing NDCs in Developing Countries with Financing.” The talk featured a panel of sustainable development speakers from countries in Latin America including Peru, Colombia, Argentina, and Costa Rica. Something that struck me as particularly interesting was that the speaker from Colombia said the country was considering a carbon equivalent tax. However, she addressed some of the limitations of this tax, because roughly two thirds of Colombia’s emissions come from agriculture. Hearing that Colombia was considering such a task really surprised me, however, Colombia is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, so it has emerged as a regional leader in the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Bella

I was really overwhelmed by so many things going on here in the COP in the first day here. There are pavilions for each party to present how they are working domestically and what is the progress. There are also grand tents for civil society and business world to hold side events. Yan Li, program manager from Greenpeace Beijing Office said they not only refer to the COP meeting as annual formal conversations between governments, but also a wonderful opportunity for people engaged in climate change issues to network. This comment reminded me of a paper we read before in class. Researches have shown that people refer to the side events as a great club where they can network with so many people on one go. The research also mentioned that the civil society view side events as more solution focused, so I will keep observing side events in the coming days to see how “solution focused” they are.

In addition to talking to people at side events, I also attended Greenpeace panel. Greenpeace Beijing Office made a brief update on the progress that China has made so far from 2014, which is a continuous decline in coal consumption. Yan Li argued that if this trend keeps going for the next year and further, the world will see significant progress from China.