COP19 – Day One

The tragedy in South East Asia was fore in the minds of those at COP19. Parties offered sympathy and solidarity at the first plenary session. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that the typhoon is the most recent example of “extreme weather events” and that it “points to the need for urgent action.”

The chief negotiator for the Philippines, Yeb Saño, made an impassioned plea for serious progress at the talks in Warsaw. He described the current state of climate action as “madness” and implored delegates “to stop this madness” in Warsaw. Saño informed parties that he will refrain from eating until “serious progress” is made at the talks.

It is clear that the tragedy in the Philippines is providing strong impetus for parties to make substantial progress, but it is unclear whether the momentum will be sustained throughout the talks. In international diplomacy, two weeks is a long time. If parties do not capitalise on this momentum soon, it is likely that when Ministers arrive next week for the High Level Segment, the tragedy in the Philippines will be forgotten. Let us hope that that this doesn’t happen.

Figueres explained that this COP must focus on three main issues.
1) Parties must clarify finance, and in particular how funds will be mobilised between now and 2020.
2) Building upon the decision in Doha, parties must start the process of constructing a loss and damage mechanism to support developing countries cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.
3) Progress needs to be made on clarifying the elements that will go into the new agreement for 2015. Figueres stated that a draft treaty needs to be tabled at Lima next year.

Some NGOs have also started to apply pressure on the Polish presidency. Julia Michalak, an EU policy officer with CAN Europe, believes that the Polish Government needs to prove they deserve to host this year’s climate negotiations.

“The Polish government’s flagrant fossil fuel agenda should not deter parties from pushing hard for positive outcomes in Warsaw” Tasneem Essop from WWF said. Essop also expects Poland to deliver “vision and leadership on the path to Paris in 2015.”

Logistically, day one saw the opening of the nineteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), and the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties for the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). During the afternoon session, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) were opened. Negotiations start in earnest today.

By Kahil Lloyd, photo by Linh Do.