HALON
ALTERNATIVES RESEARCH CORPORATION
TO: MEMBERS
FROM: TOM CORTINA
SUBJECT: DURBAN BRIEFING
_____________________________________________________
Last week the State Department held a briefing to discuss the start of
negotiations on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, which was adopted at
the 17th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCC) in November. The briefing was hosted by
Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change.
The Durban Platform calls for a new legally-binding climate change accord to be
signed by 2015 and come into force in 2020. The new accord will include
commitments for all countries, both developed and developing. As part of
the Durban agreement progress was made on rules for monitoring and verifying
emissions reductions, protecting forests, transferring clean technologies to
developing countries, and other technical issues. In addition, a Green
Climate Fund was launched under the UN that will provide $100 billion a year to
developing countries by 2020 to mobilize low
carbon investments, prevent deforestation, and assist vulnerable countries in
adaptation.
One of the keys to convincing developing countries to approve the Durban
Platform was the European Union (EU) agreeing to extend the Kyoto Protocol
until 2017. As part of the amendment to extend Kyoto it is expected that
the EU will commit to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a goal
it is believed they can achieve under existing policies. Japan, Russia,
and Canada did not agree to extend Kyoto, which means that the extended Kyoto
Protocol will cover only about 14% of global GHG emissions.
Negotiations on a new international climate treaty will begin May 14-25 in
Bonn, Germany under the newly-formed Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban
Platform (ADP). It is expected that the first few meetings of the ADP
will consist of brainstorming sessions to explore the different options for the
structure of a new legal instrument on climate. The Ad Hoc Working Group
on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), where the previous negotiations on a
pot-Kyoto climate treaty were held, is scheduled to close at the end of 2012.
We will provide an update on these issues at the June 11 HARC meeting.
