![To enter or not to enter: it depends on your ticket]()
by admin | Nov 16, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC
As I was entering the closed meeting I was supposed to go, I noticed that several observers were blocked outside. After the parties were ready, the co-facilitators asked them if they would like to allow observers to enter the room. Although none of the sessions I went banned the entrance for observers, it was still astonishing to witness the limited access civil service organization conference, which had a vision to be inclusive.
The view from the observer’s seat at the last row.
On 10 November 2017, the APA Co-chair had a dialogue with the observer organizations. The dialogue was supposed to allow representatives from different constituencies to bring up their concerns pertaining to the negotiations that have been going on for the past week. The co-chair started the session by reiterating the need of observers being in the negotiation room as they were experts in their respective field. The co-chair then stresses that all meetings of the APA continue to be open to all observers, which from my experience so far, was true. I have never been blocked access or seen anyone with a yellow badge and ticket being blocked. However, I do believe that the ticketing process was a buffer system that limited the participation of the observers.
For the same reason, during the session, a representative from TWYCC brought up the problem of ticketing system on behalf of YOUNGO (representatives from RINGO and the Women and Gender Group also brought up similar issues). Currently, the observers will be blocked outside until parties have been seated and the session started. To that, the co-chairs responded by saying that they want to ensure that there is sufficient space for the parties while also allowing space for experts. Although I understand where they are coming from, I don’t see how this was a sufficient reason to make the observers wait until the delegates who were late (since they need to run in from other meetings) to enter the room.
Also, the ticketing system limits the number of representatives that could be sent to a certain meeting. For example, YOUNGO only has two tickets for each agenda items (those that are open for observers only). These arrangements often create disagreement within the constituencies when there are more than two people who are interested in the same topic. YOUNGO tries to give everyone a chance to attend by diversifying the people who get the ticket. But this only creates another issue of the lack of specialization in the negotiation tracking process. The co-chairs also acknowledged that this is an issue, but no concrete solution was provided during the session. I was rather disappointed by that because it is a contradiction of what they were stressing in the beginning of the session.
The co-chairs did reassure the importance of an observer’s role by stating “You may not be negotiating the words but you are the interface between the negotiators and the rest of the world,”. But beautiful words itself is inadequate, decisions need to be made to increase the accessibility of observers. And as of today, observers still face a lot of systemic barriers in the negotiation room.
Written by Xiandi
Edited by Varun
![Are oceans being talked about at COP?]()
by admin | Nov 16, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC
Are oceans being talked about at COP?
The link between ocean acidification and climate change is one that is scientifically proven, where the former is happening due to oceans absorbing an excessive amount of atmospheric CO2. Not only does this lead to oceans’ decline in its capacity to function as a carbon sink, marine ecosystems such as coral reefs are severely affected as they remain unable to withstand an environment with reduced pH levels.
That’s only scratching the surface, and I haven’t even brought in coastal societies into the picture. Pacific Islands, or small island developing countries (SIDCs) in general, stand to be the first victims of climate-induced rising sea levels, yet when the time comes (I pray to god that isn’t any time soon) for the islanders to migrate, who’s going to accept them? Where will they go? Perhaps an even more critical question to ask is who’s to blame?
The first ever United Nations summit on oceans took place between 5th to 9th June in New York, whereby conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and marine resources were sought after. But 2017 isn’t the first time the ocean agenda was talked about in the realm of UNFCCC. An outcome of the Paris Agreement was the Strategic Action Roadmap on Oceans and Climate: 2016-2021, discussed on Oceans Day. From there, a multi-stakeholder initiative was born – the Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA), involving governments, international agencies, NGOs, scientific institutions, scientific advisors and private institutions etc.
Introduced last year in Marrakech, the Roadmap consists of 6 key areas, ranging from the central role of oceans in regulating climate change to financing and capacity development, in the next 5 years. Hence, how fitting it is that the Fijian Presidency of COP23, dubbed the Pacific COP, has included an ocean-related initiative.
This initiative, called the Ocean Pathway Partnership (OPP) aims for oceans to be a part of the UNFCCC agenda by 2019. Also, it is such that the OPP requires Parties to include oceans in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as the first step to recognise that the link between climate change and ocean acidification is having an adverse effect on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Furthermore, as a result of ocean-inclusion in NDCs, the environmental and social costs of climate change on oceans would be included in mitigation actions. I believe that this is the right step, albeit late, considering that prior to the Paris Agreement, the only mention of oceans was in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG14), which states “conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which defines the right and responsibilities of Parties with respect to the use of marine resources, with both of them being very vague.
Role of YOUNGO Oceans Working Group
The duty of YOUNGO Oceans Working Group at this COP has been to galvanise youth in supporting the Fijian Presidency to submit the ocean agenda to the UNFCCC Secretariat. Such was the case on the 10th of November where the YOUNGO Oceans Working Group organised the ‘Talanoa – Agreeing on an Ocean Pathway Partnership’ event, a platform “for exchange of opinions and ideas on how an effective OPP should look like and how it can be implemented.” As a result of this platform, a statement was produced on the participants’ views of OPP. Besides this document, an open letter will be written to the Fijian Presidency to show that YOUNGO is in support of the ocean initiative.
As of now, the suggestion document and the open letter are still a work in progress. The Fijian Presidency aims to have the OPP signed by Thursday (16/11/2017) and regardless the Fijian Delegation pay heed to the view of YOUNGO in driving through the Ocean Pathway Partnership or not, let us hope that the submission of this proposal is accepted by the UNFCCC Secretariat. Hence, if and when 100 signatories are obtained, perhaps the small island developing states would not have to find a new place to call home after all.
Written by Syaqil
Edited by Varun
![My thoughts on Loss and Damage]()
by admin | Nov 15, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC
When comes to climate change, not every impact can be minimised or avoided through reduction of GHGs emissions (mitigation) or proper planning and adjustment (adaptation). Some adverse effects have already reached to a point where there isn’t any turning back, which would affect all 3 dimensions – the past, the current and the future. Thus, the word “Loss and Damage” (abbreviation: L&D).
Debris lines the streets of Tacloban, Leyte island. This region was the worst affected by the typhoon, causing widespread damage and loss of life. Caritas is responding by distributing food, shelter, hygiene kits and cooking utensils. (Photo: Eoghan Rice – Trócaire / Caritas)
Let me give you a glimpse of what is L&D before providing my views on it.
Long story short, the idea of L&D was brought forward during COP16, as part of the Cancun Adaptation Framework to address L&D associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
3 years later in COP19, The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) associated with Climate Change Impacts was established as the main vehicle under the Convention to promote the implementation of approaches.
Although it has been a formal agenda in UNFCCC back then, it was not until COP21 that WIM got fully institutionalised and L&D finally contained some “meat”. The Paris Agreement dedicated an entire article (Article 8) to L&D. However, there was no “skeleton” on the liability and compensation for loss and damage since it was a ‘red line’ for industrialised countries.
COP19 and The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM)
L&D is a fairly ambiguous principle that involves multifaceted dimensions such as legislature, politics and ethics. Developing countries, especially those vulnerable to the effect of climate change, have been highlighting the importance of equity and the need of compensation. In contrast, developed countries are trying to limit discussion on liability, compensation, framing loss and damage as a matter of adaptation/ risk reduction and insurance.
Even in the ongoing conference, which is framed as a Pacific COP, L&D should have gotten a considerable amount of limelight. Developed countries seem to skip out on it and feel that the current timeframe isn’t suitable for discussing on this matter. Thus, generating finances and capital for WIM persists to be indisposed. Instead, they prioritise risk financing during the negotiation table, in other words, INSURANCE.
InsuResilience , basically the insurance for L&D, is an international initiative aimed at providing insurance to 400 more million poor and vulnerable people by 2020. And now they get more funding and partnership by bringing together the G20 countries in partnership with the Vulnerable 20 (V20) nations. (Maybe private sector?!)
PLEASE DON’T BRING THE BAD BOY FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY IN
Insurance is not something as easy as choosing a meal by looking at the menu. Even I occasionally take time on selecting my food, having a range of options. (#FirstWoldProblem). It’s just an assumption that poor people are going to pay for climate insurance when most of them still need to worry on what to eat for the next day. Without proper knowledge on this kind of climate risk scheme, it’s not really as reliable as we what we think it is as some losses may not be insured.
Besides, the issue of L&D also bring concerns to the developed countries, especially those wealthy countries that highly depend on Oil and Gas industries. There is a saying that high recognition of L&D will lead to more litigation (lawsuit) and this will create obligation for the developed countries to compensate more in the future. Furthermore, I’ve also heard that they want to include insurance as a pre-2020 action.
What I hope to see in COP23 is to have a robust financial mechanism. Once we have an appropriate quantitative and qualitative mechanism, the money would eventually find its way. Regarding finance, it’s advisable to seek on equitable and innovative sources that are able to meet CBDR-RC’s principles, or In laymen terms, PLEASE DON’T BRING THE BAD BOY FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY IN.
Written by Thomas
Edited by Varun
![Talanoa Spirit: We are not Drowning, We are Fighting!]()
by admin | Nov 15, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC
COP23 is hosted by the Fiji island nation, which urges the world for immediate action. During the third day of the Pacific COP, an event was held by the Pacific Island Warriors from the 350.org Pacific program at the beautiful Talanoa Space in Bonn Zone. The event was specifically made to inform and educate the public on the actions and situation of the Pacific Island.
Blessing ceremony by the Pacific Islanders
President Bainiramara, the leader of Fiji, said that “The scientists are now telling us that with the disappearance of the summer ice around the North Pole, and the eventual melting of the Arctic and Greenland, the global average sea rise would be a terrifying seven meters,”. This is why the slogan of the Pacific Island Warriors can be attributed to the “We are not Drowning, We are Fighting!” symbols.
The event started with a blessing ceremony based on the Christian beliefs. It was a heartwarming moment as they asked for God’s blessings to preserve the Pacific Island culture, heritage, land and their beliefs from the likes of climate change
Next came the sharing session from various Pacific Island nations such as Tokelau,Tonga, Marshall Islands, Fiji etc. All of the sharing sessions gave us the idea of how they are desperately needing negotiations to ensure that Parties to the Paris Agreement hold to their promise in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Here are a few Islander stories to share with:
Tokelau is the first Nation to use 100% renewable energy by 2014. With the population of less than 2000 residents, they have shifted towards using solar panels as a source of electrical energy. They are proud of it and hope that other countries can also take the initiative.
The people from Marshall Islands shared how they will stay rooted to their culture regardless of the changing times. They stress that indigenous people require knowledge on climate change. While the island nation of Fiji shared on how they have experienced the worst cyclone to ever hit the Southern Hemisphere, cyclone Winston was a category 5 cyclone that struck the Pacific Island in 2016 that caused major destruction along its path. And it is no doubt that climate change has played a major role in contributing to this abnormal disaster.
The Pacific Island Nations came together in solidarity to travel over 15,000 km to Bonn Germany to fight climate change and ensure that Parties to the Paris Agreement hold on to their promise to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees
The way how Fiji islands took the world stage and hosted COP23, communicating to the world of a large message how we the people, we the world, need to stand in solidarity with these beautiful people to get ourselves together and not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. Emphasis on the later.
To support their work and be part of the Pacific Climate Warriors you can help them fight climate change by signing their declaration at www.haveyoursei.org. “We are not drowning, We are Fighting!”
“We cannot build a Pacific Climate Movement without engaging our faith communities. Faith is pivotal to our people, and like the ocean, it connects us. In the face of the climate crisis, we need prayer to carry our people and faith to build resilience.”
– Koreti Tiumalu, 350.org Pacific Coordinator
Written by Azam
Edited by Varun & Emily
![Are youths unified on the principle of CBDR?]()
by admin | Nov 13, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC, YOUNGO
In collaboration with the Malaysia Pavilion, the Malaysian Youth Delegation organised a Youth Forum entitled ‘The Importance of Youth Involvement in Climate Change Negotiations’. The purpose of the forum was to provide a platform in exchanging ideas and experience between Global North and Global South countries on how climate actions are operated back in their respective homes. The event was a bit special because it was the first of such a youth-led initiative held at the Malaysia Pavilion (only the 2nd one we’ve had at COP) and that is a mighty fine statement reflecting that the Malaysian government is willing and open to engage with MYD, or youths, in general. What made the forum a little bit special too was the fact that it was organised in conjunction with Youth and Future Generations (YFG) Day, which was a day to celebrate youth power and participation in UN climate change conferences.
Moderator and panellist for the Youth forum. From left to right; Syaqil (Malaysia), Lhavanya (Malaysia), Saffran (Sri Lanka), Mona (Germany), Sara (Sweden), Lagi (Fiji)
From left to right: Syaqil (Moderator, Malaysia), Lhavanya (MYD, Malaysia), Saffran (EarthLanka, Sri Lanka), Mona (CliMates, Germany), Sara (PUSH, Sweden) and Lagi (Project Survival Pacific, Fiji)
To reiterate the whole spirit of ‘Talanoa’ or togetherness, our invited panellists hailed collectively from the Global South and Global North, in the form of Fiji, Germany, Sri Lanka and Sweden, besides Malaysia of course. The forum was such that panellists had to answer 3 questions, each on the following topic:
- Tell us how in your country youths are playing a role in climate action?
- What is your view on the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities?
- How can youths support national climate change initiatives?
Given the privilege to moderate such a session, I had the opportunity to listen to views shared by our international youth panellists hence for this article, I shall add my perspective on addressing these questions on top of recalling the points delivered by the speakers:
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How youths from your country are playing a role in climate action
First off, an annual competition called the Toyota Eco Youth Awards was held whereby secondary schools from all over Malaysia designed and presented on eco-friendly projects that would help making their community live more sustainably. The simple yet innovative projects range from constructing household items from recyclable materials, to awareness campaigns aimed at changing people’s behaviour so that, for instance, they don’t dispose their used cooking oil down the sink. University students take the lead in climate change initiatives too. For example, the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus holds an annual Earth Hour celebration where all sorts of electrical appliances on campus are switched off for an hour, on top of having the commemorative candle walk around the University. As for Lagi of Fiji, he says that youths in Pacific islands in general are proactive in organizing grassroots activities as they are fully aware of the brunt they could be suffering as a result of climate change – losing their homes as a result of rising sea levels.
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Your view on the Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR)
My view on CBDR is that all youths’ view on this should be the same and it’s nice to know that two of the panellists from the Global North, Sara (Sweden) and Mona (Germany), think the same! Unfortunately, that’s not the case amongst the decision makers. Where developing countries are upholding the principle, developed countries tend to overlook it which inevitably leads to a clash in negotiations. According to Sara however, that is not the case amongst the Swedish decision-makers as they are upholding this principle when making their stance in negotiations as well as implementing this in their own national policy. Having said that, MYD’s very own Lhavanya made a good point in that the Global South should make it incumbent upon themselves to fulfil their own. CO2 emissions intensity cut regardless of obtaining enough technology transfer and financial assistance from the developed Global North nations. Mona says that the principle of CBDR shouldn’t even be an issue between developed and developing countries which just goes to show how unified youths are in having the same viewpoint to uphold this principle.
Full House in Malaysian Pavillion
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How youths can support national climate change initiatives
For one, I believe it is a great sign of intent for governments to be inclusive when they open up official platforms and channels for discussion in order to make inclusive and participatory decisions, and in my opinion, this is reflected by the ‘Transformasi Nasional 2050’ initiative. Having attended one of the dialogues organized by TN50, I was impressed at how the session was designed to collect sentiments on how Malaysians, from all walks of life, want the country to be in around 30 years’ time. According to Saffran, there exists a Youth Council on the Environment back in his home country, Sri Lanka, for youths to input their views when it comes to policy and decision making. In Sweden, Sara says that youth are engaged in a lot of grassroots initiatives too where the government is aware and in support of.
Looking forward, what I hope to gain from our Youth Forum as a result of a synthesis of ideas is for MYD to maintain the relationships built during the session. To me, it was pivotal and invaluable to have had the opportunity to learn from international youth NGOs on how they operate, the struggles they face back at home with regards to climate change as well as on an operational basis, and how they’re engaging with their government. With the lessons learnt, the Malaysian Youth Delegation can look back upon ourselves and further improve upon the gaps and shortcomings that we still possess.
Group picture with the Deputy Secretary General of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Written by Syaqil
Edited by Varun
![Your Opinion Counts!]()
by admin | Nov 12, 2017 | #MYD, MYD2017, UNFCCC
Because of the separation of the two conference zones, I don’t often find myself attending side events. However, I managed to head over to Bonn Zone for an interesting side event this afternoon, namely “Comparing and Contrasting Public Opinion about Climate Change in China and the United States”. The event was held jointly by the China Center for Climate Change Communications and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, featuring the release of the research done by Dr. Binbin Wang from Peking University and Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz from Yale University. This session was the first time a result of the research is released to the public, and the official paper will only be available starting next week. Coincidentally, I sat by the side of someone from my university and got to know that Dr. Wang is from our university’s School of International Relations (PKUers everywhere).
A Full House!
The session started with a welcoming speech by Jing Hui from the Energy Foundation China, who highlighted the critical role of both China and the United States played in the climate change scene and posed the question of “what is the key narrative to drive stakeholder engagement?” “The Paris Agreement is no longer a chain that can be broken by the weakest link”, as stated by Nick Nuttall from the UNFCCC secretariat in his opening remarks.
In her presentation, Dr. Wang explained that the reason she is conducting the survey was to find out the opinion of the Chinese public on climate change because all we know of is that the Chinese government is very committed to meeting its commitment in the Paris Agreement. That is why she wanted to collect this data to help the government in delivering the action plan. She highlighted that the substantial Chinese public awareness on climate change was provoked by the fact that many of the day-to-day population face the bizarre effects of climate change. Based on her findings that millennials are more willing to pay for climate-friendly products, she mentioned that this data could be used to engage the business community in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Wang from Peking University
Before commencing his presentation, Dr. Leiserowitz explained that his researching had been going on for years and they have been consistently surveying with the same questions to ease the comparison of public opinion on climate change over time. He highlighted that the public opinion in the United States is highly influenced by the politics of the time, for example, there had been an increase in climate change deniers after Obama was elected president because of the campaign run by the Republican party. One of his central messages was that to the average Americans, the issue of climate change is psychological distant because of its distance in space and time.
Dr. Leiserowitz from Yale University
Amongst the panelist, Tom Brookes from the European Climate Foundation mentioned that Anglo-liberalism has an effect on the perception of climate change, whereby people see addressing climate change resulting in some group losing out in the economy. He relates this to the budding climate change denying movement in Southeast Asia, claiming that when people search for precedence in dealing with the sense of being threatened and the only example they have is being defensive, they are going to pick up on it.
Information on public opinion is essential to the fight in climate change as it acts as an input for the government to plan out its action plan. I hope that their survey can actually be used as a starting point to change people’s mind. It is necessary for us to find a narrative to break the psychological distance of climate change from our daily lives.
Written by Xiandi
Edited by Varun
