Negotiations toward a new global climate change
(Climate Change Conference Poznan, Poland, 1-12 December 2008)
Poznan, Poland is on limelight from 1st to 12th December. Stage has been setup for the United Nations climate change conference here. The two-weekmeeting, the fourteenth conference of the 192 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) and the fourth meetingof the 183 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, is the half-way mark in the negotiations on an motivated and successful international climate change deal.
By the end of 2009 the deal is to be confirmed in Copenhagen, and the year 2013 will showcase the result, the year after the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires. The convention will try to elucidate a vision of the agreement they expect to conclude in Copenhagen next year. simultaneously, movements will be taken to address other significant on going issues required to enhance further the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, including capacity-building for developing countries, reducing emissions from deforestation, technology transfer and adaptation. The two day gathering will be made lively by around 9,000 participants, including government delegates from 185 Parties to the UNFCCC and representatives from business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions. During 11th and 12th the High-Level Segment of the conference will be attended by around 150 Environment Ministers. This part of the conference will be opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and attended by the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, the President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, the Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Apisai Ielemia.
So what’s there at Poznan? UNFCCC inmates will assess progress made in 2008 and figure out ways and means to boost the happenings for a strong agreement in 2009. Long term corporative actions on climate change will be evolved from the agglomeration of delegates. At the conference, a text will be tabled which could serve as the basis for a first draft of the negotiating text for an agreed outcome at Copenhagen.
But yet to be decided, what kind of mechanisms need to be put in place to deliver on finance, on technology and on capacity building to curb emissions, spur green growth and to cope with the inevitable impacts of climate change. The issue of technology will also be high on the agenda and the meeting will deal in depth with the issue of risk management and risk reduction strategies.
It is expected that the conference will bring out some hopeful tips for developing countries, on adaptation, finance, technology and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, in the short run up to 2012. Kyoto Protocol’s Adaptation Fund will be made available to projects of 2009 through the corporation of the parties. The conference will screen and review the Kyoto Protocol and assess to what extent the Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) can be streamlined and its geographical reach extended. On the verge of global financial crisis, it is expected that the opportunities for green growth that can put the global economy onto a stable and sustainable path and this conference is expected to be a mile stone towards this endeavor, turning as a strong basement for drawing decisions towards this.