Yclimateaction

Negotiations have begun concerning further commitments on Annex 1 parties. These negotiations are conducted under one of the subsidiary bodies of the Convention: The Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. At the moment, the plenary addresses the issue of length. Parties to the Protocol will negotiate the length of the second commitment period. Papua New Guinea addressed this in their opening address arguing that they prefer a five year commitment period. They also stated that they are willing to support an eight year commitment period if it contains a mid-term review and possible revision of targets and if REDD actions are included in the second part. REDD includes efforts to preserve forest for example. Civil society groups urged countries to undertake more ambitious targets and emphasised that they will not accept a second commitment period resulting in a passive approach to mitigation. The negotiations will now split up into smaller groups. We are probably not given access to the so-called spin-off groups although their input will be inserted into the document being negotiated. EU’s tabled suggestion of 20 % is already achieved and Australia’s pledge of 5 % is so riddled with conditions that it is questionably different from business-as-usual emissions. Calling for more ambitions!