Climate Change

Climate Policy Brief 16, January 2015

Understanding the Lima Climate Conference : A Proxy Battle for the 2015 Paris Agreement

I: Reaching agreement on the Lima outcome, after a near collapse

The annual United Nations climate conference, held in Lima, ended early on Sunday morning 14 December 2014 after over two weeks of intense negotiations and the trauma of an almost total collapse of this round of talks that was supposed to be an important step towards a new climate change agreement scheduled to be adopted in Paris in December 2015. (more…)

Side Event, 1 December 2014

South Centre-TWN Side Event at the UN Climate Conference in Lima: Perspectives on the 2015 Paris deal: Options on the road from Lima to Paris

Speakers from developing countries will give insights on the critical markers from Lima to Paris in order to secure an equitable and just climate agreement at the South Centre-TWN side event in Lima, Peru.

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Climate Policy Brief 15, November 2014

Climate Change, Technology and Intellectual Property Rights: Context and Recent Negotiations

I. Technology Transfer, Sustainable Development and Climate Change

In order to meet their objectives for mitigation and adaptation in climate change, and move more towards a sustainable development pathway, developing countries need access to environmentally-sound technology at affordable prices. (more…)

SouthViews No. 114, 10 November 2014

Comment on IPCC’s Final Climate Report

By Martin Khor

The IPCC’s final report, known as the Synthesis Report, indicates the world is doomed if present climate and emission trends continue, but the key solutions are as elusive as before.  Imagine our world getting more and more polluted, and little space left for the Earth to absorb more pollutants before all kinds of disasters take place. And imagine that we have not yet found the solutions to really slow down the emissions or to prevent the catastrophe that lies ahead. This look into our scary future was evident at the recent meeting in Copenhagen to finalise the last climate change report of the IPCC (inter-governmental panel on climate change). (more…)

SouthViews No. 112, 18 September 2014

A Preview of the UN Climate Summit

By Meena Raman

As the United Nations hosts a Climate Summit Sep. 23, the lingering question is whether the meeting of world leaders will wind up as another talk fest. It is most likely that it could go that way. The problem is that developed countries are pressuring developing countries to indicate their pledges for emissions reductions post-2020 under the Paris deal which is currently under negotiation, without any indication of whether they will provide any finance or enable technology transfer – which are current commitments under the Convention. (more…)

Climate Policy Brief 14, August 2014

Loss and Damage Mechanism Set Up for Climate Change

The UN Climate Conference held in Warsaw has set up a new international mechanism to help developing countries affected by loss and damage from climate change, such as the Philippines typhoon. (more…)

Climate Policy Brief 13, August 2014

Developing the loss and damage mechanism in climate change: The tasks ahead

The establishment of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with climate change impacts (the Mechanism) stands out as one of the key outcomes and milestones of the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Warsaw in November 2013. This brief offers our views, as negotiators from developing countries, who have worked on this issue in the past few years. (more…)

Climate Policy Brief 12, November 2013

Integrating a Gender Perspective in Climate Change, Development Policy and the UNFCCC

This policy brief discusses the opportunities, challenges and constraints for integrating a gender perspective into global climate change policy as well as the current effort of gender mainstreaming in the UNFCCC. The brief is a companion piece to a previous note that explored the nature, content and implications of the Gender Decision made at COP 18, Doha, 2012. (more…)

SouthViews No. 62, 7 June 2013

Solar trade wars threaten the fight against climate change

By Martin Khor

Amidst the gloomy news in the deteriorating climate change situation, is this bright spark — the cost of solar energy has been going down dramatically.

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Climate Policy Brief 11, April 2013

Climate Change Financing Requirements of Developing Countries

1. Introduction

This paper surveys the existing literature on the climate change financing requirements of developing countries in the two UNFCCC categories of mitigation and adaptation. The reported estimates are based on the current state of play in estimation exercises. (more…)

Climate Policy Brief 10, February 2013

Overview of the Results of UNFCCC COP18/CMP8

I. INTRODUCTION

This overview outlines in summary form the main results of the negotiations during the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) and the 8th COP Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP8) that took place in Doha, Qatar, from 27 November to 8 December 2012.

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Climate Policy Brief 9, February 2013

A Climate Conference of Low Ambitions in Doha.

The annual United Nations climate conference held in 2012 in Doha concluded on 8 December with low levels of commitments by the developed countries in two crucial areas — emission cuts by them, and provision of climate financing for developing countries. (more…)