I am sitting at the Forum for NGO members waiting for the televised proceedings. Using still another borrowed computer whose text is very small and a keyboard geared toward French…so please forgive errors. I wanted to give you an update from the ECO news letter that comes out every day from NGO organizations and bits from folks around.
*It seems delegates and leaders worked through the night and there is hope that an agreement will be unveiled today. There is confidence that with so many heads of state present that there will be an agreement. The strength of emissions reductions and financing for mitigation and adaptation are big questions.
*While the US has stated they will work with nations to come up with 100 billion dollars collectively to address climate change needs of developing countries, a fair, ambitious and binding agreement places the need at 195 billion dollars of public finance by 2020. *Because mitigation targets seem to hover around 3 degree rise in temperature, adaptation is essential and more costly than actions for adaptation. The existing text contains good and bad elements for adaptation:
Good= Attention to most vulnerable people
Good= For the first time climate change induced migration is addressed
Good= Stronger language on support for regional centres and cooperation
Bad= No mention of historical responsibility which clearly should guide the provision of fdinancial support
Bad= Finance will likely fall short, especially if we are heading to 3 degree rise
Bad= Key industrialized countries diverting money from promised development budgets into adaptation
Bad= Does not facilitate a paradigm shift in attitude from seeing developing countries affected by climate change as entitled to support, rather than the needing waiting for aid handouts dependent on donor whims.
*Because of civil society organizing and sending some 50,000 post cards asking for an ambitious and nuclear free climate agreement, there may be hope for sustainable development….
*A leaked report from the UNFCCC secretariat which assesses the impact of the upper end of the emission reduction pledges on the table from all Parties warns that without strong additional action, “global emissions will peak later than 2020 and remain on an unsustainable pathway that could lead to concentrations equal or above 55ppm with the related temperature rise around 3 degrees C.
Let us pray, let us wait, let us hope for Blessings for Mother Earth.
Peace,
Joan