Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Short-term financing to assist developing nations respond to climate change proved a major issue at the latest meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington DC. In a bid to allay concerns that the Copenhagen Accord commitment would not be honoured, the importance of moving forward promptly with the Accord’s financing provisions in a transparent fashion was noted by many countries. "There is an appreciation by everybody in the room it is important to make good on that commitment," commented United States climate envoy Todd Stern. According to a document circulated to participants, the Obama administration has requested that United States climate funding be increased from US$1.3bn this year to $1.6bn next year and has committed US$1bn to rainforest protection programmes.

The BASIC group of rapidly-growing developing countries will meet in South Africa from April 25-26th to discuss the "trust deficit" with the richer nations that has characterized the recent climate negotiations. Participants will discuss the status of the Copenhagen Accord in future climate negotiations and the future of the Kyoto Protocol. The South African hosts have suggested that the meeting consider what deal could replace the Kyoto Protocol if agreement cannot be reached on a second commitment period. The possibility of a shorter second period will also be discussed. "The general feeling is, 'Let's be realistic'," said Jairam Ramesh, India's minister of state for environment and forests. "Now the general consensus seems to be that we won't get anything done in Cancún. So we need to look at Plan B, which is essentially to focus on [the summit in] South Africa in 2011."

Bolivian president Evo Morales opened the People's World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights in Tiquipaya, central Bolivia, with an attack on capitalism's failure to honour its climate debt. "Humanity is at a crossroads and must choose whether to continue the path of capitalism and death or take the path of harmony with nature," he said. The main aim of the meeting was to analyse the structural and systemic causes of climate change and to propose further measures to enhance harmony between humanity and nature. Conference participants included indigenous peoples, social movements, environmentalists and scientists as well as governments "who want to work with their people."

After lengthy discussion, it was agreed to reject REDD [the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation initiative] and call for wide-scale grassroots reforestation programmes. "REDD is branded as a friendly forest conservation programme, yet it is backed by big polluters and climate profiteers. We cannot solve this crisis without addressing the root cause: a fossil-fuel economy that disregards the rights of Mother Earth," said Alberto Saldamando, legal counsel for the International Indian Treaty Council. "President Morales has heard our recommendations on the structural causes of climate change and predatory carbon schemes like REDD's, and will bring our voices to the world stage in Cancún later this year."

Current pledges to limit national greenhouse gas emissions under the Copenhagen Accord are likely to result in global warming of three degrees Celsius or more, far above the Accord's two degree target, according to researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany. "It's amazing how unambitious these pledges are," the analysts commented.

The current pledges would result in an increase of ten to 20 per cent in annual emissions by the year 2020, equivalent to at least 48 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. "Forty-eight gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions is not on track to meet the two degree Celsius goal - it is like racing towards a cliff and hoping to stop just before it," said Malte Meinshausen from PIK. The study's authors highlight the potential contribution of surplus allowances under the Kyoto Protocol, as much as 11 gigatonnes, the result of the Protocol's weak national targets.