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TRANSCRIPT
FORO DE VULNERABILIDAD CLIMATICA
Por Manuel B. Dengo 23 abril 2014
The First World Climate Conference
• During the 1960s and 1970s, a series of highly publicised climaOc and environmental events, with disastrous consequences, demonstrated the fragility of world food producOon and trade systems and their dependence on the Earth’s climate system.
• In 1979, WMO, UNEP, FAO, UNESCO and WHO convened the First World Climate Conference (FWCC).
• The purpose of the conference was to assess the state of knowledge of climate and to consider the effects of climate variability and change on human society.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological OrganizaOon (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Its purpose is to assess scienOfic, technical and socio-‐economic informaOon relevant to understanding the risks associated with human-‐induced climate change, its potenOal impacts, and opOons for adaptaOon and miOgaOon.
• The IPCC does not undertake new research, nor does it monitor climate-‐related data.
• Instead, it conducts assessments of knowledge on the basis of published and peer-‐reviewed scienOfic and technical literature.
The Second World Climate Conference
• The Second World Climate Conference (SWCC) co-‐sponsored by the WMO, UNEP, UNESCO, the UNESCO (IOC), FAO and the InternaOonal Council for Science (ICSU) was convened in Geneva in 1990.
• The outcome of the Conference led to the establishment of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
• The SWCC endorsed four streams of internaOonal acOviOes: – The future structure of the World Climate Programme (WCP) – Special needs of the Developing Countries to build up their capabiliOes – CooperaOon in internaOonal research through the WCRP, IGBP and
other related internaOonal programmes – Coordinated internaOonal acOviOes and policy development through
global measurement and research efforts, assessment funcOons of IPCC and development of a conven.on on climate change
The Rio Conven7ons
• The three Rio ConvenOons—on Biodiversity, Climate Change and DeserOficaOon—derive directly from the 1992 Earth Summit.
• Each instrument represents a way of contribuOng to the sustainable development goals of Agenda 21.
• The three convenOons are intrinsically linked, operaOng in the same ecosystems and addressing interdependent issues.
Conven7on on Biological Diversity
• The objecOves of the CBD are the conservaOon of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from commercial and other uOlizaOon of geneOc resources.
• The agreement covers all ecosystems, species, and geneOc resources.
United Na7ons Conven7on to Combat Deser7fica7on
• The UNCCD aims to combat deserOficaOon and miOgate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought and/or deserOficaOon, parOcularly in Africa, through effecOve acOons at all levels, supported by internaOonal co-‐operaOon and partnership arrangements, in the framework of an integrated approach which is consistent with Agenda 21, with a view to contribuOng to the achievements of sustainable development in affected areas.
United Na7ons Framework Conven7on on Climate Change
• The UNFCCC sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.
• Its objecOves are to stabilize greenhouse-‐gas concentraOons in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system, within a Ome-‐frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change; to ensure that food producOon is not threatened; to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
Climate change and the internaOonal system
• Climate change began life in the internaOonal system much like other specialty environmental issues such as the ozone quesOon (Montreal Protocol) as a themaOc niche with acOvity largely limited to the specialised enOOes of the UNFCCC, UNEP and the IPCC.
• Ager the Kyoto Protocol finalized in December 1997, climate change became more of a mainstream internaOonal issue since for the first Ome it had legal and operaOonal implicaOons.
• However, the Kyoto Protocol took many years to be raOfied by parOes (some never did: the US) and the commitment periods only began in 2008.
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The CVF
• It was in parOcular the perspecOve of vulnerability to climate change that captured the imaginaOon and focus of the internaOonal community.
• The Climate Vulnerable Forum was founded in this period by the President of the Maldives who also made headlines by holding an under-‐water cabinet meeOng to draw aienOon to the risks of climate change.
Before Copenhagen • A handful of organizaOons like the WHO, were early to adopt
programs on climate change, • from 2007 onwards a large stepping up of acOvity occurred. The 4th
IPCC report, the meeOng at Bali, Indonesia that yielded the Road Map to Copenhagen, and the start of Kyoto commitments put climate change to the front of the internaOonal agenda.
• As a result, climate change was brought up as a concern area in different internaOonal fora: the UN Human Rights Council, UNHCR, UN-‐OCHA, NGOs like Oxfam and the Red Cross, the World Economic Forum and others. UNDP dedicated its 2007-‐08 Human Development Report to the topic and the World Bank its 2010 World Development Report, the WTO also studied the implicaOons for trade. Even the UN Security Council held a debate on climate change in 2007.
Post-‐Copenhagen
• The perceived failure of Copenhagen and scienOfic concerns over the validity of climate change science led to a rapid deflaOon of interest and acOvity on climate change ager 2009.
Resurgence of Interest:
• The 2010 Cancún AdaptaOon Framework • The 2011 UNFCCC meeOng at Durban launched another negoOaOon process to agree the next climate change agreement by 2015
• A new opportunity to achieve what Copenhagen could not.
UN System adapta7on objec7ve
• To enable effecOve adaptaOon, by delivering acOons aimed at reducing vulnerability, managing risk, strengthening adapOve capacity and enhancing climate-‐resilient development.
UN system is taking acOon through a wide range of iniOaOves:
• Promo7ng beEer understanding of the climate system and filling informa7on gaps
• Assis7ng developing countries in planning and implemen7ng adapta7on and resilience to climate change and natural hazards
• Linking humanitarian relief with risk reduc7on, adapta7on and resilience building ac7vi7es
• Facilita7ng developing countries’ ability to access finance and technologies
• Scaling-‐up and sharing knowledge
Vulnerability to climate: The social dimension
• UNFCCC states that “ParOes should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generaOons of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differenOated responsibiliOes and respecOve capabiliOes ”
• It entrusts ParOes to take climate change consideraOons into account, to the extent feasible, in their relevant social, economic and environmental policies and acOons .
The current discussion
• MiOgaOon and adaptaOon measures are designed and appraised on the basis of environmental, economic or technological inputs and costs
• The social dimensions of climate change are not well understood or addressed
• Current policy responses may not fully address the negaOve impacts nor do they take full advantage of potenOal opportuniOes to reach a number of sustainable development goals
A number of UN agencies work together
• FAO, ILO, IOM, ITU, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDESA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-‐HABITAT, UNICEF, UNITAR, UNISDR, UNRISD, UNU, UN Women, WB, WFP and WHO
• to share perspecOves and arOculate a number of key messages to beier inform policy discussions and ensure that the social dimensions of climate change are adequately reflected in global agendas
The social dimensions
• Reflect the social, economic and behavioral aspects of the human condiOon as criOcal components of climate policies.
• The understanding of social dimensions of climate change has both an analyOcal and a normaOve thrust.
• It idenOfies the essenOal social aspects of climate processes and, builds on the principles of equity and social jusOce, especially for the most vulnerable people
New Opportunity:
• So climate change is a top internaOonal issue again. • The UN General Assembly this year includes a dedicated summit on climate change.
• The Paris meeOng concluding the Durban negoOaOons is only 18 months away now.
• The Green Climate Fund and other major iniOaOves are becoming operaOonal (Global Green Growth InsOtute in Korea, the new InternaOonal Renewable Energy Agency in UAE),
• The importance of climate change in internaOonal relaOons is set to grow.
The unresolved equaOon
• adaptaOon to climate change, and addressing vulnerability, remain a marginal issue.
• according to the OECD less than a quarter of climate change finance is designed to specifically address adaptaOon.
• Need to directly engage internaOonal actors, relevant to the climate change vulnerability agenda, in order to ensure they focus on this theme.
CVF: The Costa Rica AcOon Plan
• That is why, in the context of the CVF, the Costa Rica AcOon Plan is focused on bringing climate change vulnerability further up the agenda of major ins7tu7ons opera7ng in relevant but non-‐environmental spheres.
WIPO
• The WIPO Global Challenges division’s main objecOve is to try and address the relaOonship between intellectual property and innovaOon in the areas of global health, climate change, and food security .
• WIPO Green is a plaoorm whose aim is to accelerate adaptaOon and adopOon of environmental technologies.
• WIPO Green means to contribute to the global policy discussion at the interface of IP and climate change with factual informaOon and pracOcal tools
ILO • The ILO Green Jobs program in Asia & the Pacific is working
with consOtuents, the financial industry and the local communiOes in disaster prone areas to develop new ways of increasing socio-‐economic resilience to climate change.
• The Climate Change AdaptaOon Project (CCAP) in The Philippines has developed and applied a local financing and risk insurance model to rice and corn farmers in vulnerable areas.
• The CCAP approach, in essence, bundles and rolls out criOcal financial and non-‐financial services in an Integrated Financial Package (IFP) to farmers who are made more vulnerable to climate-‐related risks by their poverty and lack of access to financial and producOve resources.
IPU
• 21 March 2014: The 130th Assembly of the Inter-‐Parliamentary Union (IPU) concluded with the adopOon of a resoluOon on risk resilient development, which: underscores that “reducing disaster risk and protecOng people's lives are the legal responsibility of all public representaOves;” and urges members to enhance their oversight role and “take immediate acOon to review exisOng legislaOon related to disaster risk reducOon (DRR).”
IPU (cont) • The resoluOon, Otled 'Towards Risk-‐Resilient Development:
Taking Into ConsideraOon Demographic Trends and Natural Constraints,' was adopted by over 700 parliamentarians from 140 countries.
• It urges governments to engage in discussions on the post-‐2015 development agenda and the post-‐2015 framework for DRR, and underscores the importance of an ambiOous climate agreement that has legal force.
• The resoluOon points to demographic dynamics and climate change as significant drivers of disaster risk, stressing that they put addiOonal pressures on natural resources and ecosystems and increase the vulnerability of communiOes.
ImplemenOng the acOon plan
• We are working with organizaOons like the IOM, UNHCR and the Nansen IniOaOve on migraOon and displacement issues.
• With the World Bank and IMF on finance. • We are starOng work with ILO on issues of climate change and labour, as well as others.
Pushing climate change vulnerability to the top of the agenda
• The more engaged and numerous we are in pushing for a focus on climate vulnerability, the more successful we are likely to be in ensuring that not just climate change, but also climate change vulnerability is top of the internaOonal agenda.
• Given the Durban-‐Paris negoOaOons and the UN Summit this September, we believe that our best opportunity to do so is right now.