COP19 Opening Plenary Summary

The Philippines were evident in every aspect of today’s opening plenary at COP19 from an impassioned plea from the Philippines themselves and other countries expressing solidarity and sympathy for the victims of typhoon Haiyan.

Philippines’ chief negotiator Yeb Saño delivered “an appeal to the world to open our eyes” in light of the tragedy explaining that Haiyan is the “strongest typhoon in recorded history”. He implored the parties that they “cannot afford to delay climate action.”

The Philippines refused to accept that “counting of deaths will become a part of life”. Saño personalised the tragedy, as he is still unsure if his family survived the disaster.

“The climate crisis is madness … [and that madness must stop],” Saño declared.

In an attempt to drive progress, Saño has declared he will voluntarily fast until the conference reaches a solution. The Philippines are utilising this tragedy to mobilise momentum for progress in Warsaw, which will hopefully not fizzle out before the end of this fortnight.

Following the Philippines intervention, the conference observed three minute of silence. Here is a full copy of the intervention.

Below’s a summary of what else happened.

Handover of the Presidency
The Warsaw talks opened with the handover of the presidency from Qatari COP President Al-Attiyah relinquishing his position to the Polish Environment Minister Marcin Korolec, who vowed that no effort would be spared in creating consensus.

Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Figueres advised delegates to “take a deep breath” and realise that they have made history – as the first humans to breathe in air with carbon dioxide levels of 400 parts per million. In pre-industrial times, this level was 280 parts per million.

She also made reference to finance issues including loss and damage. “There is not two sides, just humanity [and if we lose, we all lose].”

Figueres urged parties to “level the playing field” between the current and future generations by building momentum for a universal climate agreement by 2015, one within reach.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Dr Pachauri presented to delegates on the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) explaining that the “human influence on the climate system is clear” with a 95 per cent certainty. “Science can drive ambition and determination,” Pachauri said, and delegates should act upon the advice of this science and peak carbon emissions by 2015.

G77
On behalf of the G77, Fiji expressed solidarity with and sympathy for the Philippines. They reminded all delegates that developing countries are the least responsible for climate change yet remain the least capable of responding to climate change; drawing upon the common but differentiated (CBDR) principle. There is “no room for unilateralism,” Fiji stated, and the talks need to be conducted in good faith to ensure that finance is scaled up and progress on the loss and damage mandate from Doha.

EU
The EU offered sympathy and solidarity with the Philippines, urged action on climate change, and implored countries to act on the climate science.

Umbrella Group
Australia on behalf of the Umbrella Group, like all parties, offered condolences and sympathies for the Philippines. After noting that the fast-start finance has been surpassed, Australia explained that Warsaw represents the “mid-point of the Durban Platform” and the talks need to send a clear signal to the world that progress is being made towards a global agreement in 2015.

China
China reiterated its long-held position regarding equity: outcomes need to be based on CBDR. China urged developed countries to fulfil their historical responsibility by committing to provide financing options and that Warsaw should address mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology.

Alliance of Small Island States
Nauru offered solidarity with those affected by the typhoon, and implored parties to act, stating that the “alarming impacts of climate change are occurring in front of our eyes.” Nauru outlined AOSIS’s position that drawing on CBDR, Annex-1 countries should lead, not just act. AOSIS wants progress on the “mandate from Doha” to develop a mechanism to address loss and damage, and this is necessary in light of low ambition and current inadequate international support.

Typical statements following from the various observer constituencies.

The message is clear even if drowning in rhetoric. Countries want action on climate change, even if it’s not necessarily them that will act first. Everyone expresses sympathy and solidarity for the Philippines, even if they’re not addressing the root causes or remedies of climate change.

By Kahil Lloyd and Linh Do, photo by REUTERS/Kacper Pempel.