After assuming the chairmanship of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Nepal led the Group to the climate negotiation conference (held in Germany) for the very first time. Every year, UN organizes several climate conferences to find an amicable solution to the climate crisis through a mutually agreed international legal instrument. In every such conference, nearly 200 countries come together to address the rapidly increasing temperature of the earth. [break]
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According to the Keeling Curve, a graph that plots the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere that is put out by the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, US, the earth has crossed the carbon dioxide threshold of 400 parts per million (ppm). The safe level is under 350 ppm.
Conferences like these should have reminded world leaders of their responsibilities to humanity and environment. But that is sadly not the case. After the collapse of COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, international climate talks have gone nowhere. Finger pointing and continuous bickering have put negotiations on hold. The rich and powerful countries openly display their brawns against the poorer and less powerful states.
For instance, the United States, one of the major stakeholders which certainly has the capability to address climate change, has been constantly evading international responsibility. However, few weeks back, President Barrack Obama unveiled a national climate plan, which many see as a milestone in building momentum to breaking the international deadlock. But one has to wait and see if this is really a plan of action.
In its very first meeting as Chair, Nepal witnessed the real challenge of international climate politics at the 38th meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB38) of the UNFCCC organised in Bonn, Germany from June 3 to14. Due to the disagreement of countries like Russia, Ukraine and the Belarus, the agenda of the meeting could not be agreed upon, leading to a big fight.
This stalemate cost poor countries the most, as they could not discuss important subject matters.These countries attend with a small delegation and few experts. Voices of the most vulnerable and least capable countries like LDCs, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African countries are thus regularly sidelined. This is the reason they often find themselves helpless at the negotiating table.
At the closing plenary of SB38 session, one of the negotiators from Tuvalu, a vulnerable nation with a total population of 10,000, could not contain his emotions and said that countries should not put their egos ahead of the process and hoped that the same egos do not come to Warsaw to “crash the car again”, referring to COP19 to be held in Poland later this year. His heartfelt sentiment drew strong applause.
Realistically, time is not on our side. Last year, the World Bank released a report titled Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided, which portrays a very grim picture stating that a 4°C warmer world be vastly different from the current one.There will be more uncertainty and risk, threatening our ability to anticipate and plan future adaptation needs. The recent spate of extreme events around the world that is triggering huge loss of lives and property is unprecedented.
At this difficult juncture,when the prospect of an international climate treaty looks bleak, Nepal will be leading the LDC Group at the climate talks for 2013 and 2014. Can countries such as Nepal and the Group of Least Developed Countries really play a meaningful role in rescuing the planet? Can they be innovative and assert their voice at negotiations? Or will they have to continue to live at the mercy of the rich and powerful?
The path to success is difficult. Rich and powerful countries are adamant about not acknowledging their duties to tackle climate crisis. There is a huge gap between what needs to be achieved and actions being taken in reducing heat trapping greenhouse gases. The deadline for an international agreement is being pushed ahead, now set for 2015, but it still looks elusive. This argument is very much supported by the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report that seriously doubts on what is being negotiated and what is needed to keep the world average temperature rise below 2°C.
Nepal will have to reach out to other like-minded countries/groups and work in collaboration. This will give the group strength. At the LDC coordination meeting in March, the chair of the LDC Group Prakash Mathema said, “From now on, our aim is to take the lead and invite others to follow us.”
He also laid out a two-year strategy to enhance the LDC Group’s capacity in the first year and deliver the substance in the second year. If the mantra for the LDC Group is to lead from the front then the time has come to walk the talk and Nepal is on track. For effective leadership, Nepal should rise above the emotional bargain and assert its case with scientific backing. The mantra: Be practical, technically sound, bold and stick to science without succumbing to pressure. If Nepal adopts this course, it will find many helping hands.
After participating in repetitive core negotiations that failed to produce any substantial outcome on the agenda at the recent Bonn session, Nepal must have fully embraced the game of climate politics and realized why they are so complicated.
Closing the June session, the Polish Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation ended with a quote from former South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu that “differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another.” With the upcoming COP19 meeting, I hope the views shared by the Chair holds true, that the conference sees a reasonable progress and is helpful in finding a solution to avert the impending climate catastrophe.
The author was a participant at the recent climate conference in Bonn, Germany
rajupc80@hotmail.com
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