Transcript Local governments and climate change

Local governments and climate change - actions for adaptation and mitigation
Involvment in international climate initiatives and negotiations
Irja Alakivi
Association of Estonian Cities
17.05.2010, Tallinn
Seminar on municipal cooperation in the sphere of climate change
Project “Bringing Resources and Ideas for the Development of Local Governments of Europe”.
Local governments have to tackle the environmental challenges
driven by global change – Science-driven approach needed
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Climate change and quality of life
Local governments are responsible for quality of life in cities and towns
TOGETHER WITH OTHER ACTORS
Climate change will have significant impacts on:
- on the environment
- public health
- economy
Climate change will cause:
- death during heat waves
draughts; floods; other extreme weather events; energy shortages and
their impact on financing; impacts on planning and provision of services
– not yet deeply enough understood
New Focus area: building resilience, building ability to withstand
disaster through enhanced planning
(2003: 14800 in France, 18000 in Italy, all together 52000 in Europe; Source: Earth Policy Institute (EPI), 2006),
* The overall costs climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of GDP each year worldwide
(Source: The Stern Review, 2006)
* Costs of action to reduce GHG emissions can be limited to around 1% of Global GDP each year
(Source: The Stern Review, 2006)
* Natural and man-made disasters are estimated to cost the EU some 15 billion EUR every year (Source:
Environment for Europeans 2010, No 37)
Climate change impacts for the main biogeographic regions of Europe
http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/key-past-and-projected-impacts-and-effects-on-sectors-for-the-main-biogeographic-regions-of-europe
Climate change impacts – exposure to flood risk under the
climate change scenario A2
http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/climate-change-impacts-2014-exposure-to-flood-risk-under-the-climate-change-scenario-a2.
This is no-action scenario and coastal floods are not included
Local and regional authorities…
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Are aware of the challenges ahead
Are already initiating strategies to reduce their footprint on
climate
Are catalysts for fostering change in behaviour, encouraging
individuals and private sector to actively contribute
Are cooperating actively at national,regional, european, and
global level
But there are still uncertainties as regards the scale, timing and
consequencies of the climate change. The EU and national
governments should support and stimulate research
activities, ensuring that the results can and will be applied at
the relevant level.
Examples of some concrete adaptation measures
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1. Adaptation of general flood area definition and land use
regulations.
2. Construction of small dams to protect built up areas
3. Prioritization of flood prone areas
Integration of financially reasonable climate change mitigation
and adaptation measures into spatial planning practices is
already in process.
Awareness raising on natural hazard and climate change
impacts.
The cooperation of (geo) scientists with regional planning
supports sustainable decision making.
The communication process, especially concerning
uncertainties, is most important.
Climate change related actions and cooperation of local
governments and examples of their contributions at various
levels
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Through local strategies and actions according to local development plans
Through European wide sustainability and climate commitments of local
governments:
Aalborg Charter: signed by 2708 LG (Estonia 7: Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu, Kuressaare, Haapsalu,
Häädemeeste) http://www.aalborgplus10.dk/
Aalborg Commitments: (objective 10 specifies climate) signed by 621 LG (Estonia 5: Tallinn, Tartu,
Narva, Häädemeeste, Märjamaa) + 54 declarations of intentions, 48 baseline reviews available on-line.
http://www.aalborgplus10.dk/
Covenant of Mayors: signed by 1692 LG (Estonia: Tallinn, Rakvere, Kuressaare), Finland 4, Latvia 5,
Lithuania 7 http://www.eumayors.eu/covenant_cities/towns_cities_en.htm Over 1500 European mayors gathered at the European
Parliament in Brussels on 4 May at the occasion of the 2nd Covenant of Mayors Ceremony, which saw 500 mayors
sign the Covenant declaration committing to reducing their CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020.)
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Through their representative associations (AEC, Kuntaliitto, ALAL etc) and
umbrella organisations of the associations (CEMR, UCLG) or LG main direct
member organisations like ICLEI -Local Governments for Sustainability
Through national-local cooperation and through very new partnership in
international cooperation as first time in history of international climate
negotiations representatives of local authorities and their associations were by some
countries nominated as members of their national delegations at COP 15 (Finland,
Estonia, Norway etc)
Cooperation body- Council of European Municipalities and
Regions (CEMR)
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CEMR members are national associations of local
authorities
Environment working group and energy network of
CEMR tackle climate issues first, after that CEMR
policy committee
CEMR position papers related to climate and EU
2020 Strategy:
2007: CEMR’s response to the GREEN PAPER on Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action
COM (2007) 354, http://www.ccre.org/docs/climate_change_cemr_response.pdf
2008: CEMR position paper on the directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources COM (2008) 30
final. Brussels, June 2008 http://www.ccre.org/docs/cemr_position_paper_renewables.pdf
2009: CEMR position paper on the recast of the directive on the energy performance of buildings COM (2008) 780. Brussels,
February 2009 http://www.ccre.org/docs/cemr_position_paper_epbd_february_2009_en.pdf
2010: CEMR Response to the European Commission’s Consultation on the future “EU 2020” Strategy COM(2009) 647/2.
Brussels, January 2010 http://www.ccre.org/docs/cemr_response_eu_2020_strategy_en.pdf
FROM COP 15 to COP 16
Local and Regional Governments Call to the Parties in Copenhagen
Adopted at the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit
4 June 2009 in Copenhagen 1(3)
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Shared vision – post-Kyoto agreements should be:
• Far-reaching and transparent…
• Inclusive…
• Linked to the development strategies…
• Mindful of the principles of justice, equity and solidarity…
• Global, through agreed action from all countries to combat
climate
change, mobilizing the capacities of all stakeholders for
implementation.
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* Cities and local authorities should be empowered with the
capacities
and the resources required to take necessary action at the local
level
and to support the Parties in their efforts to meet the agreed
FROM COP 15 to COP 16
Local and Regional Governments Call to the Parties in Copenhagen
Adopted at the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit
4 June 2009 in Copenhagen 2(3)
* The principle of subsidiarity should be applied when dealing with
the impacts of climate change
* Devolution of responsibilities should be matched with devolution of
financial and human capacity
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Regarding Finance and Technology
* Financial mechanism should be directly accessible by cities and
local and regional governments
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* Development of innovative approaches should be facilitated to
allow affordable access to the best available technologies
FROM COP 15 to COP 16
Local and Regional Governments Call to the Parties in Copenhagen
Adopted at the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit
4 June 2009 in Copenhagen 3(3)
/…/
Regarding the Flexibility Mechanisms
* City-to-city cooperation and decentralized capacity development
initiatives should be included as part of technology transfers and
flexibility mechanisms
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* Existing mechanisms should be efficient, effective and well
coordinated as well as accessible of actors at different levels and
management should be devolved to the lowest level of effective
governance
The UN negotiations at COP 15 and getting ready to COP 16
The UN negotiations are established in two-track mode: the Ad-hoc Working Group regarding
the further commitments to Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad-hoc Working Group regarding
Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) dealing with many more issues than mitigation
actions by developed nations.
The negotiating text of the AWG-LCA of more than 200 pages (June 2009) included around 100
local government references. At the end of the first week at COP 15 things were unclear. The KP
and LCA tracks continued to negotiate , with the hope that a series of COP decisions would be
adopted based on the texts negotiated.
However, some other texts for agreement were then leaked and confusion reigned
then inside and outside COP 15 venue. Discussions on the Copenhagen Outcome took place at
the highest possible level 3 days until Parties took note of the Copenhagen Accord, a text
Without legally binding character and the list of parties agreeing to the Accord:
http://unfccc.int/home/items/5262.php
Thirty second session of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies: 31 May to 9 June 2010
Twelfth session of the AWG-KP and tenth session of the AWG-LCA: 1 June to 11 June 2010
COP 16: December 2010
Local Government representatives getting floor at plenaries of
COP 15
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On 7 December 2009, Ronan Dantec, Vice-President of the NantesMetropole, France, Vice-President of ICLEI - Local Governments for
Sustainability, spoke on behalf of the Local Government and Municipal
Authorities at the opening of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term
Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) at COP 15 representing the Local
Government Climate Roadmap, and stated that "No country will ever
meet its own targets, which we hope to be ambitious, without the
commitment of the local level."
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On Friday, the 18th of December 2009, Ronan Dantec spoke on
behalf of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities, making a
statement in the High Level 2 Segment at COP 15.
LG-s at COP 15 and COP 15 outcome for Local Governments
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Local governments had their own advocacy base at the COP 15 conference venue — the
Local Government Climate LOUNGE, a meeting space situated next to national
governments’ delegation offices.
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Facilitated by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, the LOUNGE provided an
advocacy space for about 1,500 registered local government representatives, including
more than 200 mayors, during the two weeks of COP 15.
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Aside from the Copenhagen Accord, a series of draft COP decisions were put forward by
the AWG-LCA. These draft decisions are expected to serve as the basis for the negotiations
towards COP 16 in 2010. In these draft COP decisions local governments were
officially referred to under the so called “Shared Vision” as well as addressed in
Adaptation and Capacity Building agendas. Since the definition of NAMAs (Nationally
Appropriate Mitigation Actions) was completely deleted from the final draft text, reference to
mitigation in cities in developing countries within the scope of NAMAs were deleted.
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Due to delegation member (Party) status it has been actually possible representatives of
associations of local governments as members of national delegations to participate at
plenary meetings and at other open meetings freely and experience the full complexity of
the issues under negotiations. Participation of observer organisations at plenary meetings
was very limited.
THANK YOU FOR COOPERATION
Our warm thanks to
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Estonian Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for good
cooperation before COP 15, at COP 15 and afterwards
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Thank you to our good colleagues and cooperation partners from Nordic and
Baltic countries, Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Estonia and SEI-Tallinn
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Special thanks to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities for close
cooperation since 1994, and very new initiative: contest “PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO
COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE - A competition for organisations in the Baltic Sea region
and Nordic countries”
Involvement and recent activities of AEC to promote the contest:
Information on that contest was in the agenda of the 11.05.2010 Board meeting of the
Association of Estonian Cities and after that a press release was sent out to all main
information channels in Estonia. In June a short information will be published in journal
“Keskkonnatehnika”