Bonn: Yes, We Can, But How?

Despite the continued debate and disagreement over wording in the negotiating rooms, day three at the UN climate change negotiations in Bonn saw a marked emphasis on cooperation. Spanning the discussions about renewables, financing and capacity building was a general consensus on not only the importance of building partnerships, but also the importance of a paradigm shift towards partnerships that work faster and more flexibly.

The Technical Expert Meeting (TEM) on renewable energy supply and the Climate Action Fair, on Wednesday, both highlighted successful cases of renewable energy development through partnerships. Cases presented include the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) lighthouse initiative, which currently brings together 26 SIDS and 18 “development partners” including New Zealand, the European Union (EU), the United Arab Emirates, and the World Bank, among others.

The facilitator of the TEM (a meeting aptly titled “More, Faster, Now”), Mr. Amit Kumar, summarised a day-long series of sessions on renewable energy supply by saying that partnerships: “Need to…change their gear so that they move much faster”. After the presentation, a delegate of Palau expressed her frustration that not enough concrete suggestions for multilaterals emerged. “We pay lip service to the importance of cooperation and highlight a handful of initiatives…however the fact of the matter is that we are not moving fast enough,” she said.

However, cost remains the biggest issue: the cost of using debt in the developing world to finance renewables, makes it a venture even more expensive than in the EU and the US. There are considerable gaps in the information that governments have provided around the affordability that continues to be an impediment to the spread of renewables. Many delegates stressed the importance of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat’s role in helping countries access finance. A delegate from the Maldives suggested that: “I see within the convention the Green Climate Fund (GCF) playing a huge role in providing that access to finance.”

The fourth meeting of the Durban Forum on Capacity-Building, which took place concurrently, also sought ways to assist developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change. This particular meeting featured discussion on support for the preparation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), and highlighted the opportunities for technical and financial support between countries. Mr. Niklas Höhne of the New Climate Institute presented that over three quarters of countries surveyed see “improved international communication” as an opportunity that can arise from the INDC process. The GCF, represented at the meeting by Mr. Rutger de Witt Wijnen, received attention as one of the mechanisms through which cooperation could be accelerated.

The mere existence of platforms for cooperation is not a be-all, end-all solution to today’s climate woes. Zaheer Fakir, a GCF board member, called into question the traditional concept of “capacity building”. Mr. Fakir said that even though capacity building is emphasised and discussed widely, after years of experience many “realised that…no capacity was built domestically, [previous methods] only built the capacity of those institutions.” The question of how to build sustainable domestic capacity should be considered in the broader context of international cooperation. The biggest challenge remains how to understand domestic dynamics and create productive partnerships that build capacity at home.

Feasibility may no longer be the biggest issue; rather, how to implement promising initiatives, and how to do it fast is a greater concern. As Thomas Spencer of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) said: “Deep decarbonisation of global energy systems is technologically and economically feasible…but the time-frame to act is getting shorter”.

Wednesday’s message from the experts is clear: a paradigm shift on many fronts is needed, fast.

Photo credit: UNFCCC

The Verb will be on the ground in Bonn to cover the UN climate change conference as it unfolds over 1-11 June 2015.