This component of the toolbox will discuss how wetlands fit into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the development of

Transcription

1 This component of the toolbox will discuss how wetlands fit into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the development of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programs. 1

2 First, we will have an introduction to the UNFCCC, then discuss their processes and how REDD related programs were developed through meetings and workshops. Then, we will discuss how to submit to be a REDD programs and what happens when an intervention occurs. Finally, we will discuss how wetlands fit into the UNFCCC picture and summarize this component of the Toolbox. 2

3 In 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to cooperatively consider what they could do to limit average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and to cope with whatever impacts were inevitable. By 1995, countries realized that emission reductions provisions in the Convention were inadequate. They launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. There are now 195 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in the international climate change negotiations, particularly the Conference of the Parties (COP), the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP), the subsidiary bodies (which advise the COP/CMP), and the COP/CMP Bureau which addresses procedural and organizational issues arising from the COP/CMP. Key to the UNFCCC is their ability to fund climate change related projects as seen by the five funding areas in blue. 3

4 The UNFCCC has a guide to understand their processes that includes information on the connection between the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, the institutions, parties, and bodies involved, the funding mechanism, the observers and media involved. Annual sessions of the COP keep the UNFCCC agenda moving forward. The UNFCCC has a set of procedures they abide by and a number of different types of documents that they produce including: INF (Information): Practical data (list of participants), substantive information (scoping study) or workshop report MISC (Miscellaneous): Proposals or views submitted by Parties or observers. No formal editing TP (Technical Paper): Detailed background papers on technical issues L (Limited distribution): Draft decisions or conclusions presented to the COP or Subsidiary Bodies for adoption CRP (Conference Room Paper): New proposal or text prepared during a negotiation session to reflect the status of discussions on particular issue IDR (In depth review Report): report on in depth review on Annex I Party National Communication 4

5 Add (Addendum): Revisions to any of the above documents Corr (Corrigendum): Correction to any of the above documents If you have more interest in the UNFCCC processes it is recommended that you read the Guide which is found at: p.pdf 4

6 As part of the UNFCCC process Submissions are a very important element for: sharing information building understanding and advancing work in a transparent and inclusive manner among Parties. Submissions can be from an individual or group of Parties. Submissions are a response to calls from the COP s President, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice or SBSTA, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation or SBI, or UNFCCC Secretariat. Submitters need to meet set deadlines and make reference to the COP decisions or related matters. 5

7 When submission has been made, Parties or group of Parties will have to present and defend in the conference for the agenda item allocated for it. Interventions are usually made by other Parties or groups of Parties to challenge the submissions. This booklet entitled On Behalf of My Delegation is a good example of how to intervene in the debate 6

8 At the Conference of Parties (COP) in Montreal in 2005 the governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica were the first to request Reducing Emissions from Deforestation (RED) programs through their submission. The COP established a contact group on this item which drafted conclusions on initiating a process to address the issue of RED. 7

9 Initially avoided deforestation was excluded even though deforestation results in immediate release of the carbon originally stored in the trees as CO 2 emissions, particularly if the trees are burned and the slower release of emissions from the decay of organic matter. According to the FAO (2005), deforestation, mainly conversion of forests to agricultural land, continues at an alarming rate of approximately 13 million hectares per year. In 2007 the IPCC estimated emissions from deforestation in the 1990s to be at 5.8 Gt CO 2 /yr. 8

10 At a COP meeting held in Bali in 2007, the UNFCCC develops RED into REDD and includes not Emissions from Deforestation but also forest Degradation. The Bali meeting also instituted four building blocks within UNFCCC that include mitigation and adaptation activities, and the development of technology transfer and financial support mechanisms. Two tracks were also developed within the UNFCCC Ad hoc working group, one that considers Long term Cooperative Action under the Convention and a second that considers further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. Photo credit: 9

11 Also at the COP Bali meeting, on 12 December 2007 the World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick (4th from left) launched a groundbreaking financing mechanism to combat tropical deforestation and climate change. The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) was developed because forests are more important left standing than cut. That approach was met with skepticism but REDD was adopted by the United Nations through bilateral agreements among UN countries. WB1539.jpg ( PK:34463~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html) WB press Release: 10

12 REDD+ is an UN REDD Program that is currently under development. REDD+ goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ is a climate change mitigation solution that has many initiatives including the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and Forest Investment Program (FIP), hosted by The World Bank. 11

13 One core principle of REDD+ is to capture the value of forests in providing climate services (carbon sequestration services). The transition of an economy of goods towards an economy of services is omnipresent in other spheres of the economy. However, it is less so for nature. But nature provides important environmental services here for our climate and the idea is to value these services and include them in our land use decision making. A second core idea of REDD+ is performance based payments. That is, payments are conditional on the outcome of a REDD+ action. The main argument for payment for outcomes (as opposed to payment for inputs) is that linking incentives as directly as possible to problems will be most effective. For example, a payment for a policy reform cannot take into account how effectively a policy will be implemented, or whether other complementary reforms are also necessary. 12

14 As an example, Indonesia did an accounting of possible REDD+ projects and came up with more than 30 potential areas where REDD+ could be implemented. Most of these areas include high value conservation forests and peatlands 13

15 In 2009 at the annual COP meeting in Copenhagen, developed countries pledged $30 billion dollars over the next 2 years to implement climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in developing countries. Developed countries also committed to mobilize $100 billion dollars per year by 2020, most of which would flow through the UNFCCC s Green Climate Fund. 14

16 At the 2010 COP meeting in Cancun, the Parties agreed on the development of REDD+ National Strategy was encouraged and aligned with UN REDD and World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. National Reference Emission Levels which will be used for REDD, and Reference Levels which will be used for REDD+ are to be established by countries will take care leakage or emission displacement from project area to another area of forest Monitoring systems that allow for credible measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of REDD+ activities are among the most critical elements for the successful implementation of any REDD+ mechanism. MRV standards for their REDD+ projects which include environmental and social safeguards 15

17 Following the Cancun Agreement, Indonesia exercised a phased approach which consists of: Strategy development they established a REDD+ Task Force to develop a National REDD Strategy and Action Plan Phase 2, readiness and early action, the infrastructure is developed, enabling conditions are overcome and a pilot project is designed. Enabling conditions are hurdles or steps that need to addressed before a project will be effective. Phase 3, is implementation of the REDD+ project and integrating into a medium term development plan with appropriate verification. 16

18 REDD, REDD, and REDD+ are among the well attended UNFCCC initiatives followed by Parties and other stakeholders. Since Montreal, there have been a dozen of workshops held across the globe to refine and get feedback on the development of REDD programs. The first one was in 2006 in Rome and the latest one was in August

19 At a meeting in Bonn in 2011, the UNFCCC identified a need for additional information regarding greenhouse gas fluxes from wetlands An invitation was addressed to the IPCC to fill the gaps by developing methodologies such as emissions from drainage of wetlands, rewetting of previously drained wetlands, and wetland restoration. 18

20 The inclusion of wetlands to mitigate climate change through restoration and management was proposed by Iceland during a meeting of the Ad hoc working group of the Kyoto Protocol in Wetlands cover about 6% of the Earth s area, with high carbon peatlands covering about half of them. Although degraded peatlands cover less than 1% of the global land surface emissions are high, well above 3 Gt CO 2 annually. That compares to 5.8 Gt CO 2 from tropical deforestation. The problem is large but concentrated and may therefore be easier addressed than many other emissions sources. 19

21 Wetlands can be part of nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMA). NAMA was started from the Bali Action Plan building blocks and was followed up in Copenhagen Accord as Parties seeking international support will be recorded in a registry and subject to international measurement, reporting and verification processes. NAMA participation depends on country s circumstances and in accordance with common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Program of activities (PoA) under the clean development mechanism (CDM) may be the future NAMA. The clean development mechanism allows a developed country with an emission reduction or emission limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission reduction project in developing countries. 20

22 To summarize, parties and observers ought to follow the UNFCCC processes related to their concerns and interventions. The process development of a single item, like wetlands, can take a very long time. Tropical wetlands are key ecosystems for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Wetland programs need to have consistently and continuously to be discussed under the UNFCCC. Mitigation and adaptation programs through wetlands are also accepted by a wide range of global initiatives. Wetland restoration and management have potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. 21

23 22

24 23