Negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation still stuck, informal consultations on next steps for NCGQ continue
The United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction and United Nations Office for Project Services have been selected as hosts of the Santiago Network. Photo: @WMO / X12jav.net
The 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), began November 30, 2023. Here’s a look at what happened on the fourth day of COP28.
Adaptation
The negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) are still stuck but a draft text is expected to be out on December 4. Down To Earth (DTE) spoke to Karina Barrera, lead negotiator for Ecuador and undersecretary for climate change, Government of Ecuador about the GGA.
She told DTE that one group of countries is trying to get language around human rights into the GGA text and for that, they will have to go back to the 2015 Paris Agreement. This is one of the red lines for them.
Other issues regarding means of implementation, especially the inclusion of doubling of adaptation finance in the text and also keeping the GGA in line with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) are also where developed and developing countries are still not agreeing. The adaptation finance gap has been cited by both sides. It needs to be acknowledged in the text.
Loss and Damage
Countries finally agreed on the host for the Santiago Network for loss and damage. The Santiago Network aims to provide technical knowledge and resources to developing countries on averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage. The United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction and United Nations Office for Project Services have been selected as hosts. The draft text is out for adoption by Parties.
Countries discussed the loss and damage component under the Global Stocktake (GST) where the G77 and China group highlighted the need for national inventories on loss and damage. They also wanted common metrics to assess the progress on loss and damage and stronger language around the linkages between the Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network.
Article 6
Article 6.2
Discussion on the draft text that contains additional guidance on timing, content, revision and revocation of authorisation for a cooperative approach, ITMO transfer, and entities’ continued from the last meeting.
Parties highlighted their preferences on these items from the options given in the text. The authorisation process saw many divergences and discussions will continue in further consultations.
Article 6.4
The informal consultation continued on the draft decision text with focus on emission avoidance and conservation enhancement activities — the first section of the text.
A convergence seemed to be emerging that emission avoidance as a new category need not be included in the decision text and activities often cited under this category can be categorised under emission reduction or removal.
GST
Although countries have got through negotiating the entire draft text, many divergences have cropped up. The most contentious are on the inclusion of pre-2020 gaps, Article 2.1 (c) in finance, the narrative on response measures and just transition and what to include in the way forward.
Co-facilitators have asked countries to hold discussions among themselves and further negotiations are paused until some agreement is reached. As of now, a new iteration of the text is expected on December 5, 2023.
Decarbonisation
A side-event on decarbonisation of the cement sector through Carbon, Capture and Storage (CCS) in developed and developing economies highlighted the fact that progress in CCS is low and implementation of CCS projects take at least five years to effectively start capturing carbon dioxide (CO2).
Researchers speaking at the event underlined the risks of leakage — the possibility of dissolution of heavy metals in drinking water through leaked CO2 in storage wells.
On the policy side, successful projects in the United States and Europe have seen widespread public engagement from industries, policy support from government, financing through carbon markets whereas developing economies still lack any major CCS achievements. Speakers were present from Global Cement and Concrete Association, University of Texas at Austin, Bellona Foundation and the International CCS Knowledge Centre.
NCQG, Finance
Informal consultations on the next steps for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) continued on December 3. Parties discussed the draft decision text provided by co-chairs, presenting some options for the way forward.
The key theme of shifting away from the erstwhile Technical Expert Dialogues for working towards the NCQG towards negotiation mode of discussions continued to dominate the room. Substantive elements that drew convergence among countries included the need to deliberate on time frame of the goal and sub-goals, transparency arrangements for tracking progress and setting milestones and the question of inclusivity.
Parties are to meet again in the coming days to move towards conclusive text that will pave the way for deliberations on NCQG in 2024.
Mitigation Work Programme
Parties made statements on procedural items such as acknowledging the Co-Chairs summary report of the Global Dialogues. Groups such as Like-Minded Developing Countries were reluctant to negotiate on the basis of the informal note produced and also expressed a need to avoid pre-judging the outcome of the GST. At the end of the day, it was agreed that the Co-Facilitators would produce another informal note the next day capturing divergent views, and negotiations could proceed.
A side event on sovereign debt and climate, hosted by the Debt Relief for a Green and Inclusive Recovery project hosted prominent speakers such as Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad and Cabinet Member of Brazil Adriana Abdenur.
Studies estimate that the amount of resources that annually flow from poor countries to developed countries are in trillions, said Abdenur. Only 7/29 low-income countries have the fiscal space to implement actions in their National Adaptation Plans, said Rishikesh Bhandary of Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center, adding that climate change should be at the core of debt restructuring discussions. Developing countries export raw materials and buy industrialised products that keep us in debt, said Muhamad.
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