JESSIE JAMES

BONN – A new round of climate negotiations kicked off in Germany on Monday with squabbling over money and procedural questions that some say could threaten progress at the two-week United Nations conference.

Climate activists from groups including Oxfam, Greenpeace, and WWF pressured industrial nations to live up to their promises of financial aid to poor countries as delegates from some 180 countries gathered in Bonn.

"The finance part has not been solved," Greenpeace expert Wendel Trio told The Associated Press at the outset of the expert-level meeting about six months after a disappointing climate summit in Copenhagen that ended with a nonbinding accord promising emissions cuts and immediate financing for poor countries.

While industrial nations at Copenhagen promised $30 billions in aid 2010-2012 to help poorer nations start more environment friendly development programs and adapt to the worst consequences of climate change, non-governmental organizations say developing nations remain skeptical.

They wonder when the money will come through and whether it is additional money rather than funds that were already pledged for other purposes that are being relabeled as climate aid, Trio said.

Oxfam said it is becoming clear that rich nations want to hand out much of the money as loans instead of grants, thereby saddling developing nations with new debts for a problem largely caused by industrial countries.

"It's like crashing your neighbor's car and then offering a loan to cover the damages," Oxfam's Antonio Hill said in a statement.

The $30 billion dollar pledge is one of the few concrete results from the Copenhagen conference. The U.N. climate secretariat has said that fulfilling that promise would be important to build new trust between developed and developing nations.

The Bonn talks center on a new, rather sketchy text with possible elements of a global climate deal expected to be finalized in 2011.

The envisioned treaty's main purpose is to drastically reduce the emissions of heat-capturing gases over the next decades. At the same time it is meant to set up a framework on how rich nations help poor countries deal with climate change, how technology is transferred, and how Earth's forests can be saved, among other things — making it an extremely complex document.

For the time being, the finance issue could hold up progress on other elements of the treaty, Trio said.

"Once that is cleared, we can take a real step forward," he said adding that "I am afraid that it is going to be difficult."

The most important point of contention still is how much industrialized nations and large emerging powers like China, India or Brazil must contribute to reducing emissions worldwide.

Nations in Copenhagen agreed that global temperatures must not rise more than by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) as compared to preindustrial levels.

Scientists say that means global emissions must at least be halved by 2050.

However, individual pledges from countries so far fall far short of reaching that goal.

Source: News

Youth Opinions on the COP 15 Climate Summit: A Report From UN-Habitat
by Ambika Chawla, UN-Habitat
Source: Youthink. World Bank.

What Happened at COP 15?

March 16, 2010—In the eyes of many young people, the outcome of the COP 15 UN climate summit in Copenhagen falls short of what they hoped would be achieved: ambitious, legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and consensus on how to move forward with a climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which phases out in 2012.

The main result of the COP 15 climate summit is the Copenhagen Accord, a political framework drafted by Brazil, China, India, South Africa and the United States, which sets a goal of limiting global warming to 2°C. The Copenhagen Accord fails to outline specific, legally binding actions to prevent dangerous climate change. Rather, it is based on the approach that governments make voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with their domestic laws and regulations. Initially, countries were expected to pledge their emissions targets by the end of January 2010, with developed countries implementing their targets by the beginning of 2020. However, the UN recently dropped the January 31 deadline, as only 20 of the 192 countries have submitted proposals to reduce emissions.

Jessie

James L. Marcellones, 23, Philippines
MRP Green Project, Philippine Youth Climate Movement, UNEP TUNZA

What did you think about the outcome of COP 15?
The outcome of COP 15 is not really what people wanted. People around the world, especially the youth, are asking for a legally-binding instrument with concrete commitments among countries (developed and developing countries) to reduce carbon emissions by 2020 and beyond. Youth are still on the move to continue to pressure the leaders of the world to seal the deal and come up with a legally-binding protocol during COP 16 in Mexico.

Do you think the concerns of young people were adequately addressed by decision-makers attending COP 15?
Not really. Most youth are not happy with the result of the negotiations. We, however, consider COP 15 as a step towards the making of a legally-binding instrument that will ensure a better place in the future including the survival of people, especially those who are living in small island states.

What do you hope for from COP 16?
I am hoping that COP 16 will not be a repetition of COP 15. Concrete plans must be done and a united decision must be made so that a legally-binding protocol will be made, ensuring that there will be a better and sustainable life for the future. Survival is not negotiable. COP 16 must be a success.

Did you enjoy yourself in Copenhagen?
Yes, I enjoyed myself in Copenhagen because I met with a lot of people who are deeply concerned for the future of our planet. However, the results of the negotiation are somehow affecting the personal happiness that I felt. Actions must be done. Plans must be written, with a focus on survival.

Daejeon/Nairobi, 23 August 2009 – Rallies in 100 cities will be organized by young people across the world as part of a major push to persuade governments to Seal a meaningful Deal at the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in just under 110 days time. Youth delegates pledged to keep global warming high on the international agenda as the Tunza International Youth Conference on Climate Change ended today in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

“Climate change is the greatest threat we are facing in the 21st century, and many countries are vulnerable. If we the children and youth don’t act now, we cannot be sure there will be a future for us, for future generations. We want to make sure that future generations will inherit a better place to live in,” outgoing Tunza Youth Advisory Board member, 22-year old Jessie James Marcellones from the Philippines, said.

Welcome to my blog site. Here you will see the things I've been doing as an environmentalist and as youth mentor (formerly Youth Advisor) of the United Nations Environment Programme.