COP 17: Africa’s opportunity?

November 1, 2011. The COP 17 circus is very soon to arrive in Durban, with around 20 000 people expected to attend, ranging from government officials, to UN staff, VIPs, special interest and lobby groups, members of the media and climate change activists. Members of the local press were invited to a media briefing at The Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga recently addressed by among others, Christina Figueres (wait for it) Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), via video conference from Bonn, Germany.

The first few hours of the briefing certainly grabbed the attention with sessions with Figueres and advocate Sabelo Maqungo, Chief Director, East African Region, Department of International Relations and Co-operation, proving of great relevance.

So what’s COP 17 (28 November – 9 December 2011, Durban) really all about, and what, from an African perspective, can we expect to get out of it? Well, it depends on who you speak to. Advocate Maqungo, who is among the team representing the interests of the South African government in the organisation and facilitation of the event, didn’t mince his words in stating that for the conference to be regarded a success, it was absolutely crucial to get a new commitment on the Kyoto Protocol (excellent reference here).

Christina Figueres, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Maqungo stated four outcomes crucial to the success of COP17: 1) All issues agreed upon at Cancun must be finalised and adopted 2) There must be a second commitment on the Kyoto Protocol. 3) The developing world must respond to what developed countries see as requirements to move forward on Kyoto 4) Further focus on adaptation strategies.

Speaking to media via video link-up from Bonn, Figueres cut an impressive figure, firm on the issues at hand, while open to all questions and debate within the allotted timeframe.

Figueres highlighted that Africa had a huge amount to gain . . . or to lose, depending on the outcome of COP 17, primarily because the continent is so vulnerable to the extreme weather predicted by climate change scientists. The pursuit of energy efficiency and the economic opportunities in developing independent, sustainable sources of energy would be addressed at the conference.

Figueres highlighted two “baskets of issues” to be dealt with at the conference, a) those agreed upon at Cancun, and which now needed to be finalised and adopted, and b) those political hot potatoes that were discussed at Cancun but which require further investigation and hard negotiations.

a) Tasks and issues generally agreed upon but which had thus far been in a design stage. These were ready for adoption in Durban. Developing the technology mechanisms to counter climate change. Further developing an adaptation framework. Growing a green climate fund for better financial support to tackle climate change issues.

b) Issues not agreed upon at Cancun. Limiting global temperature rise, and to what extent. A second commitment on the Kyoto Protocol. How to pursue a broader mitigation framework. Is a 2C reduction in temperature enough?

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Africa has a lot to gain . . . or lose . . . at COP 17

Some interesting thoughts from Figueres: “This is potentially the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. There is no rule book, governments in many cases must chart the path as they go. There is no country that will be unaffected by climate change. Governments must be seen to lead, but everyone needs to be on board, particularly the private sector in driving and implementing change.”

Figueres felt that one of the key aspects and desired outcomes of COP 17 was that all interested parties agreed to push harder on mitigation (those actions/measures intended to reduce greenhouse gases and the impact of climate change: “Adaptation is important but now we need to push on harder into mitigation.”

A total of 193 countries, many different agendas, needs and desired outcomes . . . expect some tough, sometimes fiercely political negotiating at COP 17. – Ridge Correspondent

Cop 17 on the web