BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa is up-beat about the Talanoa Dialogue approach to climate negotiations.

At a round table with the media, Espinosa said the first phase of the Talanoa dialogue which took place on Sunday, 6th May, 2018, is a positive start towards an inclusive approach to climate negotiations and moving the process forward.

“The discussions about how to capture and derive from the Talanoa dialogue, general conclusions, is only starting now, it’s only a new process, it’s the first phase which happened yesterday, and delegations are starting now to think about what they would like to see as the outcome of the dialogue,” Espinosa said.

She said the secretariat would now wait on the compilation of a report whose content would form the basis for moving the process forward especially, the next round of NDCs depending on how each country decides to do their NDCs.

The Un Climate chief further stated that the report would be crucial for the next phase of the dialogue which is likely to take place at COP 24—the political phase where a high level delegation of Presidents would have to make conclusions on the way forward.

However, Espinosa said, “the good news in my mind is that, the enthusiasm about raising ambition, and working together and uniting efforts is what has transpired from this very first phase of the Talanoa dialogue.”

The “Talanoa Dialogue” is a round table non-confrontation approach to finding solutions to complicated challenges. It allows for stories and interventions covering three key thematic questions—where are we? where do we want to be? Andhow do we get there?

And adding to the Executive Secretary’s optimism, co-chairs also expressed a positive outlook of the progress made in the first week, during theirstock-take.

They said work on the rulebook had progressed but needed to be significantly accelerated in the final week in order to be finalised at COP24.

While it is clear that today’s Talanoa Day is just kicking off a longer process, civil society expressed their hope that the Talanoa Dialogue will lead to all parties raising their climate ambition.

According to Climate action Network, the Talanoa Dialogue is a promising start towards inclusive approach to climate action and must lay the groundwork for a real political outcome.

At a press conference, there was a feeling that the dialogue fostered a sense of good intentions in the room, making clear that vulnerability to climate change binds all actors together, highlighting the urgency of taking more ambitious action.

“This lack of climate action means we are ‘cheating one another and abandoning our children’. People around the world are angry. They want to see more climate action, they want to see it happening faster. That is why they go out on the streets with banners and march. That is why they are taking governments and companies who fail to take action to court,” said Juan Pablo Osornio, Task Force Leader at Greenpeace.

He said the Talanoa Dialogue providethe space in which some of the anger can be channeled as the forum allows for open and honest conversations, where participants ask the hard questions with respect and without pointing fingers.

From the UNFCCC perspective, the Talanoa dialogue is an approach worth pushing forward, by encouraging regional dialogues. “We are looking at the possibility of climate week in Latin America, I am not sure whether we already have a date for Asia, and the Middle East. We have not yet planned, but there are conversations going on to have one of these climate conversations in the Middle East,” said the UN Chief.

One other issue that is of importance to developing country parties especially Africa is Agriculture. And in response to African civil society concerns regarding the alleged push for industrial agriculture being pushed by developed countries, Espinosa said the secretariat was not keen on repeating the past mistakes that had brought the world to this state. “I have been hearing very encouraging reports from the sessions, and I am positive that the discussions are heading in the right direction,” she said.

“I think the emphasis is climate smart and sustainable agriculture to support small farmers particularly to the realities of Africa. We are not talking about repeating the experiences from what has happened in the past, but avoid them, so I think we are heading in the right direction.”

The UN chief is equally positive about the finalization of the Paris rulebook, and the commitment of developed countries to providing finance to developing parties for their climate actions. “I am positive about the progress so far but there are discussions of whether we will have an additional session in Bankok,” she said.

In summary, Espinosa indicated that so far, the negotiations were on track and hopeful that they would serve the purpose of preparing for COP 24 slated for Poland later in December.

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - After five days of Bonn Climate Talks, several conversations and issues have emerged, both pleasing and disappointing, depending on interest.

For the Global Climate Action Network, the organisers of the Climate Action Summit (GCAS) taking place later in September in San Francisco, they believe there is strong evidence of how cities, states, regions, businesses and investors are taking climate ambition to the next level, helping to build momentum for a successful outcome at COP 24, later in December.
 
Specifically, 11 new commitments from Mahindra, among India’s largest business houses, push the number of major global companies with science-based targets to over 400.
 
Speaking to delegates and journalists at the ongoing talks in Bonn, Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Mahindra Group announced that business had taken an important step forward, saying that in total, 13 of its companies have now committed to cut their emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals by signing-up to a science-based target.

Anand Mahindra, Mahindra Group Chairman said, “There is remarkable congruity between the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Indian Government, and businesses like the Mahindra Group. India, like the Agreement, is driven by a strong belief at the highest political level that pursuing environmental stability is the only way forward.”
 
And welcoming this development, Summit Co-Chair and top UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa said, “At COP24 in Katowice, the world has much to accomplish to ensure that the Paris Agreement delivers the desired result, which is to keep climate change within manageable limits. Thankfully, the revolutionary progress underway in the ‘real world’ economy, which will descend on California in September, will be instrumental to helping make Poland a success.”
 
The briefing heard that, to date, over 700 leading businesses around the world have made strategic climate commitments through the “We Mean Business coalition’s Take Action campaign,” collectively representing 2.62 gigatons of emissions, which is equivalent to the total annual emissions of India.
 
Mahindra’s commitment falls under the second of the five challenges – Inclusive Economic Growth – and means that so far 400 companies have positively reacted to this particular “call to action,” which aims to sign on 500 companies by the conclusion of the summit in September.
 
In addition to adding critical momentum to the COP24 negotiations in Poland this December – when governments of the world will meet to signal their readiness to enhance ambition – the September summit in San Francisco will build momentum for a strong outcome at the Climate Summit convened by UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres in 2019 and to elevate climate action plans – Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – by 2020.
 
Nick Nuttall, Global Climate Action Summit Communications Director said 2018 is crucial for global leaders to step up climate action, and set the stage for the fast and full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The Global Climate Summit will be hosted by the Governor of California, Jerry Brown; the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action, Michael Bloomberg; the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra; and the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa.

It is set to bring together state and local governments, business, and citizens from around the world to showcase climate action taking place, thereby demonstrating how the tide has turned in the race against climate change and inspiring deeper national commitments in support of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
 
The Summit’s five headline challenge areas are Healthy Energy Systems; Inclusive Economic Growth; Sustainable Communities; Land Stewardship and Transformative Climate Investments
 
However, while businesses are showcasing what they believe is the positive momentum for change, civil society under the ACT Alliance are still not satisfied with delayed action, and calling for urgent action to address climate change and its impacts.

“The international community must now take bold action to address climate change and to adequately respond to its impacts. We cannot afford any delays or to waste any time,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.

At the top of the agenda for the Bonn Session is the Talanoa Dialogue that will encourage sharing between parties and stakeholders on progress made towards their climate commitments, the Paris Rulebook that will outline the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and the Suva Expert Dialogue on support for climate induced loss and damage.

“There is now every indication that we have just a few years before surpassing the 1.5 degree global warming target, which means that our policies and actions towards a more volatile climate must be ambitious and unequivocal,” emphasized Bueno de Faria.

The Suva Expert Dialogue on loss and damage support is expected to advance the discussions on climate finance and other means necessary to respond to the adverse impacts of climate change that go beyond the ability of communities to adapt.
On the modalities of the implementation, ACT Alliance expressed concern about the slow progress of the Paris Rulebook, which they have demanded should be ready by the end of this year, with a strong inclusion of transparency and accountability at all levels.

Meanwhile, some groups feel the fossil fuel industry is influencing delayed climate action through their lobbyists sitting at the negotiations table.

According to a study, titled “Revolving doors and the fossil fuel industry,” carried out by a coalition of CSOs in 13 European countries, and supported by the European Parliament, found that failure to deal with conflict of interest by the EU is due to cosy relationships built up with the fossil fuel sector over the years.
“There is a revolving door between politics and the fossil fuel lobby all across Europe,” said Max Andersson, Member of the European Parliament, at the Bonn Climate Talks. “It’s not just a handful of cases—it is systematic. The fossil fuel industry has an enormous economic interest in delaying climate action and the revolving door between politics and the fossils fuel lobby is a serious cause for alarm.”
According to Andersson, to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming to as close as 1.5 degrees as possible, there is need to clamp down on conflict of interest to stop coal, gas and oil from leaving “their dirty fingerprints over our climate policy.”

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - The fossil fuel industry has been active in lobbying for delays in global climate action as they stand to make enormous amounts of money when the process is stalled.

 If the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change to reduce emissions are to be met, the fossil fuel industry will be losing money.

 A study on “Revolving doors and the fossil fuels industry”, presented by the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament at the Bonn Climate Talks in Bonn this week, is calling for the adoption of a strong conflict of interest policy that would avoid the disproportionate influence of the fossil fuel actors on the international climate change negotiations.

 The report gathers studies of revolving doors between the fossil fuel industry and high level politicians, Ministers, regulators and advisors, and questions whether the EU and European governments’ lack appetite to deal with this issue is a result of the cozy relationships built up with the fossil fuel sector over the years.

 According to Max Andersson, Swedish Greens Member of the European Parliament, the revolving door between politics and the fossil lobby is a serious cause for alarm.

 “If we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming down to as close to 1.5 degrees as possible, we need to clamp down on conflicts of interest to stop coal, gas and oil from leaving their dirty fingerprints over our climate policy,” he said.

 The demand to tackle conflicts of interest within the UNFCCC has been raised by governments representing over 70% of the world’s population and civil society organizations from across the globe and is supported by the European Parliament.

 However, progress has been slow, notably, because the European Commission had been siding with Canada and the USA to block discussions on conflict of interest from appearing on the UNFCCC agenda.

The Africa Group of negotiators has stated that there needs to be restrictions on business participations in the negotiations because engagement by vested interest “threatens the integrity and legitimacy of the UNFCCC process” and the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Augustine Njamnshi, Chair of Political and Technical Affairs at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), says there is no basis to delay climate action.

 “It is in our interest to ensure that those who come here; those who come to the discussion table are there for real business to solve this climate crisis because the more we delay, the more endangering the continent of Africa and other developing countries,” he said.

 The report by the Greens/FFA Group concludes that there is a need to adopt conflicts of interest policies at the UN, EU and national levels to safeguard public interest policy-making from the disproportionate influence of vested interest, which is particularly urgent when it comes to climate negotiations.

 “European governments need to support the call for a common sense conflict of interest policy so that the next COP can deliver outcome that will put the world on the road towards a climate in balance,” said Max.

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - The demand to tackle conflict of interest within the UNFCCC has over the years been raised by several actors including governments and civil society.

However, to date, progress has been slow, notably, due to some cosy relationships formed between politics and the fossil fuel sector lobbyists.

It is for this reason that a global coalition of civil society groups is calling for a strong conflict of interest policy for the UNFCCC to decisively deal with the challenge.

The coalition, supported by the European Parliament has released a report highlighting revolving doors between the fossil fuel industry and high level politicians, ministers, regulators, and advisors.

According to the study, titled “Revolving doors and the fossil fuel industry,” carried out in 13 European countries, finds that failure to deal with conflict of interest by the EU is due to cosy relationships built up with the fossil fuel sector over the years, and calls for the adoption of a strong conflict of interest policy that would avoid the disproportionate influence of the fossil fuel industry on the international climate change negotiations.

“There is a revolving door between politics and the fossil fuel lobby all across Europe,” said Max Andersson, Member of the European Parliament, at the Bonn Climate Talks. “It’s not just a handful of cases—it is systematic. The fossil fuel industry has an enormous economic interest in delaying climate action and the revolving door between politics and the fossils fuel lobby is a serious cause for alarm.”

According to Andersson, to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming to as close as 1.5 degrees as possible, there is need to clamp down on conflict of interest to stop coal, gas and oil from leaving “their dirty fingerprints over our climate policy.”

He says European governments should support the call for a common sense conflict of interest policy so that the next COP can deliver an outcome that will put the world on the road towards a climate in balance.

And adding his voice to the debate, Augustine Njamshi of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), believes fossil fuel lobbyists have both a direct and indirect influence on climate policy.

Njamshi says the lack of ambition from developed parties in terms of emission cuts as well as provision of finance for developing parties is a result of bad influence from big polluters.

“For instance, in my opinion, delayed climate action, in particular, climate finance for African countries, is indirectly linked to big polluter influence,” said Njamshi. “They have a lot to lose if money is made available for countries to carry out their climate actions because their businesses depend on the current state of affairs.”

Meanwhile, Pascoe Sabido of Corporate Europe Observatory argued for strong advocacy to win the battle against big polluters having a field day at the UNFCCC negotiations.
“Strong advocacy and policy on conflict of interest should be adopted or else, the interests of fossil fuel sector will continue to have huge influence on climate policy,” said Sabido.

The conclusion of the report is that the revolving door phenomenon is systematic and widespread, as the study revealed at least 88 cases of revolving doors between ministers, advisors, regulators and politicians.

A further disturbing finding is that there is lack of adequate legislation to ensure that climate-policy making is not unduly influenced be vested interests, and where legislation exists, it is not properly applied.

The CSO coalition has therefore called for urgent action by interested parties to the UNFCCC to save climate policy from what they have called dirty fingerprints of big polluters.