Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The main aim of the Bonn Climate Change Talks, the first negotiating session since the Copenhagen climate summit, was to determine the organization and methods of work for the remainder of the year, including what documentation would be used as a basis for negotiations. In the event, the meeting over-ran as delegates argued over whether or not the Copenhagen Accord should be included in draft text that will act as a basis for the negotiations leading to the end-of-year climate summit in Cancún, Mexico. The United States and the European Union favoured its inclusion, but other countries were opposed, objecting to the Accord's voluntary emissions commitments and the manner in which it was brokered. It was eventually agreed that Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe, chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, would draft a negotiating text with implicit recognition that she would be able to draw on the Accord. "The negotiations were very tense. There is a lot of mistrust," said French negotiator Paul Watkinson.

Discussions also came close to deadlock over the issue of the relationship between the twin negotiating tracks of long-term cooperative action and the future of the Kyoto Protocol, with lengthy debate over the nature of cooperation between the chairs of the two working groups. The matter was resolved with agreement that the chairs should identify "information" regarding the commitments of Annex I Parties rather than identifying "issues of common concern" regarding this topic. Rifts were evident both within the G-77/China group and between the developed and developing nations. It was agreed that there will be two additional negotiating sessions between the next scheduled talks in May and the Cancún summit. "The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún must do what Copenhagen did not achieve: It must finalize a functioning architecture for implementation that launches global climate action, across the board, especially in developing nations," charged Yvo de Boer, outgoing executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat. Specific issues to be resolved concern mitigation targets and action, an adaptation package, a new technology mechanism, financial arrangements, ways to deal with deforestation and a capacity-building framework, he said. de Boer also referred to the necessity for high-level political guidance when appropriate.

A conference on Muslim action on climate change in Bogor, Indonesia, has called on the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to promote climate change policies, including on lifestyle in accordance with Islamic values. Participants stressed the need to prevent climate change through education, proposing the establishment of eco-Islamic boarding schools and spreading sustainability information through mosques.

The conference failed to set up the proposed Muslim Association on Climate Change Action (MACCA) as an umbrella group to implement the Bogor declaration and the implementation of proposals for "greening" the hajj was not discussed. "With or without the MACCA, we will go forward to take action against climate change," Ismid Hadad, head of the steering committee, said. Mohammad Azmi from the Malaysian Consumer Association of Penang argued that the conference should come up with strong stance to back up the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). "All Muslim countries should be part of the UNFCCC board to prevent rich nations from killing the Kyoto Protocol," he said.

Countries that have involved local communities in monitoring climatic conditions experience better outcomes in terms of improved agricultural yields and public health, according to evidence presented at the first conference of ministers responsible for meteorology in Africa held in Nairobi. Governments may have to localize meteorological services, such as data collection and analysis, so that weather and climate information makes most sense to users in agriculture and related sectors.

Mali has adopted a system in which thousands of rain gauges are located in villages, with members of the community involved in data collection and the analysis of rainfall patterns. "Local monitoring of rainfall patterns has boosted preparedness among farmers, and through agricultural extension officers, they have been able to determine exactly the type of seed they should plant, when to plant them, and the insecticides they need to buy in advance," said Issa Djire, director of the Upper Niger River Valley Programme. Climate change makes the need for this information ever more pressing. "For years, African communities have used traditional methods of predicting climatic conditions. But in the wake of climate change, it is no longer easy for them to use natural indicators to determine the same," Djire warned.