Contact John Parnell in Doha if you have any comments or a story you’d like to share.
By John Parnell
RTCC in Doha
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-Those on the ground in Qatar can also visit the Climate Change Studio in Hall 4, a collaboration between the UNFCCC and RTCC. Contact the Secretariat to request an interview.
– Next COP host: Anger as Poland is selected to host UN climate change summit.
– Carbon Markets: Ambitious carbon targets in Doha needed to energise carbon markets.
– Politics: COP18 UN climate talks ‘not about developing versus developed’.
Today’s headlines:
Least Developed Countries on Kyoto: LDC chair Pa Ousman Jarju said given the low ambition on the table for the next round of the Kyoto Protocol, the commitment period should only be 5 years. He also said countries not participating should not be allowed to benefit from Kyoto’s various carbon offsetting and trading schemes: “We find it ironical that parties are saying they don’t want to continue the legally binding rule based regime but they still want to benefit from the fruits. It’s ridiculous, they want to kill the tree but keep claiming the fruits.”
EU: Lead negotiator Artur Runge-Metzger has spoken to RTCC at the Climate Change Studio with the latest on the LCA and why there’s no climate finance gap and no fiscal cliff.
COP President: There is growing pressure on the COP President Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah to intervene in the deadlock in the LCA track of the Doha talks. Nations have been involved in a series of bitter exchanges with little progress so far. Negotiators must decide upon a draft text in sufficient time to allow Ministers to debate and sign off on it next week in the high-level segment.
India: Mira Mehrishi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests of India has said the country would be uncomfortable discussing a climate finance pledge of their own given that “our growth story is slowing down”. She also reiterated the call for more ambitious Kyoto targets and said an agreement on the LCA dispute was unlikely until early next week, after ministers arrive.
Youth day: Youth and Future Generations Day has kicked off in Doha. A number of protests and other actions are taking place around the conference hall. A youth delegation is also scheduled to meet with the COP President Al Attiyah later today to voice their concerns.
LCA deadlock: Talks in the LCA track of negotiations have stalled with rumours of bad blood between parties rife. The LCA deals with issues including financial and technical support for developing countries and is struggling at present to finalise a text that would form the basis of discussions when ministers arrive next week.
Finance: A four and a half hour finance marathon has kicked off in the convention centre. The Green Climate Fund, innovative sources and private sector support are all up for discussion. Pledges of financial assistance have not been prominent although some nations are said to be piecing together plans for contributions post-Fast Start Finance, the regime ending this year. These announcements are unlikely to occur until Minister’s arrive to deliver any good news personally.
RTCC at COP18:
Other news:
WMO: Climate change is taking place before our eyes, the Chief of the World Meteorological Organisation has said. Speaking at the climate talks in Doha he said the ‘alarming rate’ of Arctic sea ice melt highlights the far-reaching change caused by global warming.
“Climate change is taking place before our eyes and will continue to do so as a result of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have risen constantly and again reached new records,” he said. (iol Scitech)
US/EU: European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, spoke out yesterday following the news that President Obama had signed a US law blocking EU emissions legislation. She said that the US needs to shift its focus from domestic pressure to international efforts on climate change. (Reuters)
UK: Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey has warned supporters of shale gas that they are being unrealistic about its potential role in reducing energy prices. He said that it could take many years for substantial exploration in the UK, and predicted it would not lead to an era of cheap gas. (Business Green)