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PROGRESS ON THE 20TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE
OF PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC (COP20) AND THE 10TH
SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF PARTIES SERVING AS
THE MEETING OF PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
04 NOVEMBER 2014
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PURPOSE
The purpose of this presentation is:
 To provide the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs
with an update on the international climate change
negotiations.
 To update the Portfolio Committee on negotiations so far this
year, including on the recent UN Summit.
 To provide a briefing on the upcoming UNFCCC meeting in
Lima, Peru, at the end of the year (COP20 /CMP10 that will
be held from the 01-12 December).
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BACKGROUND
UNFCCC COP 17 in Durban
Set up a four-year negotiation process for a new agreement to be
reached in 2015, to apply to global emissions after 2020, and increase
the international effort to limit emissions up to 2020 – the Durban
Platform
UNFCCC COP 18 in Doha
a) Adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (the Doha Amendment) to
secture the second commitment period.
b) terminated the Ad hoc Working Group on the Kyoto Protocol (AWG KP);
c) terminated the Ad hoc Working Group on Long term Cooperative Action
(AWG LCA); and
d) confirmed the agenda for and a multi-year plan of work for
negotiations under the two workstreams of the Ad Hoc Working Group
on the Durban Platform (ADP), to come into effect by 2020.
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BACKGROUND
UNFCCC COP 19 in Warsaw
a) Outlined decisions required under the Ad Hoc Working Group for the
Durban Platform (ADP) towards the adoption of a new legal
instrument by December 2015;
b) established the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and
Damage;
c) consolidated the adaptation agenda;
d) advanced the capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and
mobilised US$100 million for the Adaptation Fund; and
e) Made progress towards the finalisation of the Kyoto Protocol
accounting rules necessary for ratification of the Protocol’s second
commitment period.
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Progress Towards Paris 2015
COP17 Durban 2011
Ad Hoc Working Group
on the Durban Platform
(ADP) 4 year
negotiation of new
agreement 2015 &
increase level of
ambition
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COP18 Doha 2012
Doha Amendment
Terminates AWG KP and
LCA KP, confirms ADP
Agenda to come into
effect by 2020
COP 19 Warsaw 2013
Outlined required ADP decisions
for 2015, Warsaw International
Mechanism on Loss and Damage
established, adaptation agenda
consolidated, Green Climate Fund
(GCF) advanced and adaptation
fund $100mil & progress made KP
accounting rules for second
commitment period
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UNFCCC EVENTS & MEETINGS HELD IN 2014
UNFCCC BONN, Germany March 2014, 10th-14th
Focused on the second session of the ADP that aims at building a new
global climate agreement and drive greater immediate climate action
under the UNFCCC.
UNFCCC BONN, Germany June 2014, 4th to 15th
A ministerial round table under the Kyoto Protocol and ADP took place in
the first two days of the session in June to try and raise the level of
ambition. Sadly, the two Ministerial Meetings could not help in this regard;
and
The most tangible outcome was that Parties mandated the co-Chairs to
produce a non-paper that would facilitate discussions at the next meeting
in October 2014 ADP prior to COP 20.
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UN SECRETARY GENERAL’s CLIMATE SUMMIT
Attended by over 120 Heads of State and Government
The current round of UNFCCC negotiations should conclude in
2015. To generate political momentum towards the 2015
agreement, the UN Secretary General hosted a Climate Summit
in New York on the 23 September 2014.
Leaders committed:
a) to finalise a meaningful, universal new agreement under the
UNFCCC at COP 21 in Paris in 2015;
b) to arrive at a first draft of such an agreement at COP 20, in Lima,
in December 2014,
c)
Parties to submit their Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions (INDCs) for the new agreement, well before Paris.
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POLITICAL DYNAMICS
Negotiations under UNFCCC towards the
adoption of a new legal instrument in
December 2015, should be seen in a wider
global political debate over differentiation of
responsibilities in international relations.
Middle income and
key emerging
countries are
expected to
assume greater
responsibility.
Developed
countries refuse
the retention of
existing binary
division in
UNFCCC between
developed and
developing
countries.
Attempts to reclassify countries
pose a challenge
to traditional
regional groupings,
North-South
configuration and
political alliances.
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POLITICAL DYNAMICS
5 key political issues face the climate change negotiations:
1. Differentiation and how the Paris agreement reflects equity
and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities?
What is emerging is a momentum on the principle of non-backsliding.
Whatever the countries commit to within the pre-2020 period shouldn’t
be retrogressive.
2. How long is the next commitment period? Some countries
propose 2020-2025, while others propose 2020-2030.
South Africa is not attached to any length of commitment period so
long as countries commit to ambitious emissions limits / cuts.
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POLITICAL DYNAMICS
3. How will the international climate regime approach countries’
commitments? There are two proposals on this:
Many developing countries’ view on this is
that that every country should submit upfront
information on their commitment plans, for the
purpose of clarity and understanding, as well
to allow ex ante consideration of their
nationally determined contributions by the
international community. The ex ante
assessment process will lead to a review of,
or revising of the INDCs before inscription in
the 2015 agreement.
The USA approach that says these INDCs
should be submitted by countries to what they
call a ‘Sunshine process’:
Under
this
process
countries
(with
contributions from civil society) will do an
assessment of each other’s INDCs but no
further action will be taken after this step. The
sunshine process is intended for transparency
and information purposes only.
South Africa’s view is that a ‘sunshine process’ in the leadup to
Paris should be followed by a more rigorous ex-ante process in
2016, after the finalisation of the new agreement. The ‘sunshine
process’ is in South Africa’s view not enough to produce the
outcome which we require.
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POLITICAL DYNAMICS
4.The scope and question of the INDCs? Mitigation only or
mitigation, Adaptation,
transparency?
technology,
Capacity
building
and
South Africa is of the view that the scope was agreed in Durban at
COP17, and that all elements should be included – not just mitigation.
5.What will be the legal form of the 2015 agreement? The key
issue is which elements of the 2015 agreement will be legally
binding and which will be captured through decisions - which are
legally much weaker.
South Africa is of the view that the 2015 agreement should be a
legally binding document in a form of a Protocol to the UNFCCC. It is
unacceptable to have mitigation efforts being the only legal element
whilst adaptation support continues to be voluntary.
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COMPETING ARCHITECHTURE
PARADIGMS
A top-down Kyoto-style
agreement driven by the
requirements of science
 Multilateral commitments,
A bottom-up style driven by a
pledge and review
system
 Unilateral and self-
with inclusive and equitable
participation
 Internationally legally
binding on all Parties
 Common multilaterally
agreed rules and criteria
 Level of ambition is
informed by science (but
also accounting for national
circumstance and priorities)
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



determined pledged
domestic targets, policies
and measures
Domestically legal
commitments
Domestically determined
rules and criteria
Ambition is informed by
national priorities and
circumstances
“Internationalised” through
reporting and review
procedures
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EMERGING ARCHITECTURE
Although the negotiations are yet to address the issue of the legal
form, the negotiations have progressed on the form, scope and
structure of the 2015 agreement. The following picture is starting to
emerge…
1. The Paris agreement that is applicable to all should give meaning
and effect to the principles of equity and Common But Differentiated
Responsibilities & Respective Capacities (CBDR & RC) through
provisions that reflect common and specific Party commitments
2. The Paris agreement should also strengthen and enhance the
effectiveness and efficiency of climate action through provisions to
strengthen institutional linkages between various mechanisms
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EMERGING ARCHITECTURE: CBDR & RC Principles
The Paris agreement that is applicable to all should give meaning
and effect to the principles of equity and Common But Differentiated
Responsibilities & Respective Capacities (CBDR & RC) through
provisions that reflect common and specific Party commitments,
including:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
to submit, implement and report on nationally determined quantified
economy-wide emission reduction targets for developed countries
the aggregate developed country effort
to submit, implement and report on nationally determined mitigation
programmes and actions by developing countries;
conduct a strengthened Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV)
process;
participate in periodic reviews of the implementation and adequacy of the
provisions of the Convention and its instruments;
formulate and implement national adaptation plans;
provide and mobilise financial and technology development and transfer
support for developing country mitigation and adaptation programmes and
action, particularly for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Africa and Small
Islands Developing States (SIDS); and
provide capacity building support to developing countries.
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EMERGING ARCHITECTURE: Institutional Linkages
The Paris agreement should also strengthen and
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of climate action
through provisions to strengthen institutional linkages
between various mechanisms created under the
UNFCCC, for example:
 between the Adaptation Committee and the Technology
Executive Committee with the Standing Committee on Finance
and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other operating
entities of the Convention’s Financial Mechanism.
 The GCF will serve as the major financial mechanism through
which the climate finance will flow after the year 2020.
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KEY ISSUES FOR LIMA COP 20/CMP 10
 Parties agreed at COP 19 to initiate or intensify their domestic
preparations for their intended nationally determined contributions
(INDCs);
 Elements of the draft negotiation text;
 Agriculture;
 Forum on response measures;
 Institutional arrangements for Loss and damage; and
 Sources and scale of finance
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SOUTH AFRICA’S APPROACH
South Africa will chair the G77 + China in 2015, and Africa will co-chair
the ADP, which will be challenging, and provide opportunities to further
our vision for a post-2015 climate regime. Important elements:
 Paris 2015 will be the critical moment - but LIMA COP 20 will also be crucial – we
should make significant progress there;
 We need to achieve progress both in the two permanent Subsidiary Bodies, i.e.,
SBSTA & SBI, as well as in the ADP discussions;
 Issues of Loss and Damage are crucial to developing countries as well as
Response Measures Forum to that deal with Trade related impacts from responses
to climate change;
 Agriculture (adaptation) is also a key issue for developing countries. These
discussions need to progress;
 Need to see progress towards mobilizing $100 billion & Full Operationalization
of the Green Climate Fund.
 LIMA has to conclude draft Elements of the Negotiation Text. This should
receive more focus. SA’s view is that all elements must be treated equally.
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CONSULTATIVE PROCESS
Consulted:
 The SA UNFCCC Delegation;
 National / public consultations held the auspices of this
portfolio committee;
 The Intergovernmental Committee and the National
Committee on Climate Change (IGCCC, NCCC);
 The Global Governance Committee (GGC); and
 National Stakeholder Consultation session.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the PCWEA:
 Discuss and note the progress made on the negotiations
for the forthcoming COP20 /CMP10 that will be held from
the 01-12 December 2014 in Lima, Peru.
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THANK YOU
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