Office of Climate Change
THIS article summarises key developments over the last week in the field of climate change internationally leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference which will take place in Cancun, Mexico in December this year, as well as developments here in Guyana..
National
COTED and COHSOD
Ministers of Environment and other environment experts gathered in Georgetown on the 2nd and 3rd September, 2010 for the Third Joint Meeting of the Councils for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and Human and Social Development (COHSOD).The meetings were held to address sustainable development, environment and climate change issues and their impact on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) as well as the community.
The opening ceremony and the first session of the meeting benefited from the presence of two Heads of Government – His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana and the Honourable Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia.
One of the major outcomes was a common approach, with mechanisms developed to prepare for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico in December.
The mechanisms included the expansion of the membership of the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change and Development to involve regional negotiators and members of the political directorate; and an agreement to adhere to the principles of the Liliendaal Declaration (2009) as the community’s position in any climate change negotiations.
It was further agreed that if a legally binding outcome cannot be achieved in Cancun, negotiators will advocate for COP decisions on adaptation, REDD Plus, technology transfer, capacity building and a financial mechanism, particularly for the fast start financing that has been pledged.
Japan, Caribbean nations agree to cooperate on climate, Haiti
Japan and 13 Caribbean nations, including Guyana, agreed in Tokyo on Thursday, September 2, 2010  to cooperate with each other in curbing global warming and offering support to quake-hit Haiti among other issues at their first meeting in a decade.
On climate change, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada urged Caribbean nations to endorse the Copenhagen Accord that resulted from a key U.N. climate conference last December and aim for the adoption of a comprehensive accord to tackle the phenomenon.
Caribbean nations said they have already been suffering from the adverse effects of climate change, such as a rise in temperature and more frequent hurricanes, and called for financial aid to deal with natural disasters.
In a document released after the ministerial meeting, participants confirmed their intention to work toward an agreed outcome at the next U.N. climate conference in Mexico to adopt a new, ambitious and comprehensive legal document to establish a fair and effective international framework to address climate change.
International
Climate Financing
Progress seen on ‘Green Fund’ for climate deal
Almost 50 nations made progress on Friday (3 September) towards a ‘Green Fund’ to help poor countries fight global warming, even though hosts Mexico and Switzerland said a full UN climate treaty was out of reach for 2010. “We think we should be able to establish the Green Fund in the conference in Cancún,” Mexico’s Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said.
Environment ministers and senior officials meeting in Geneva also examined how to raise the promised US$100 billion a year in climate aid from 2020 – perhaps from carbon markets, air ticket levies or taxes on shipping – to be managed by the Fund.
Connie Hedegaard, the European Union’s climate commissioner, said there was “some convergence” on the Green Fund but little sign of movement on underlying issues from China and the United States, the top greenhouse gas emitters.
REDD Plus
New detailed map shows carbon in Peru’s Amazon
A new, highly detailed map of part of Peru’s Amazon shows how much climate-warming carbon is stored there, and where cutting down vegetation has sent this greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. According to Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institution for Science and lead author of a study that produced the map, “What we’re showing here for the first time is an ability to not only map the carbon…that is in the forest, but also use a technique that allows us to estimate the emissions”.
Other news
Solomon Islands gets access to the Adaptation Fund
Solomon Islands, located in the Pacific, has become one of four countries in the world to qualify for support under the climate change Adaptation Fund – a special international fund for projects that help nations gear up for climate-related changes. The Board of the Fund approved US$5 million in support of projects proposed by the Government of the Solomon Islands. The Adaptation Fund was established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to finance specific adaptation projects in developing countries.
Act on climate or be left behind, says Stern
One of the world’s leading climate change experts, Sir Nicholas Stern, has warned that countries such as Australia would face future trade barriers unless it moves to a low-carbon economy.
”Not participating in this new industrial revolution runs two types of risk: you drop behind technologically and you risk, not tomorrow or the next day, but 10 or so years from now, finding real difficulty in the trade story,” he said. ”Ten or 15 years from now, those that produce in dirty ways are likely to face trade barriers.”
Co2 Target Debate is irrelevant, former UN Climate Chief says
The greenhouse-gas targets pledged by nations after the UN climate talks in Copenhagen won’t change much before 2020 so there’s little point debating them, the man who stewarded the summit said. International negotiations that are “painstakingly slow” are continuing, and non-binding cuts pledged by the U.S., Japan, China and European nations are “basically what we’ve got to work with for 2020,” said former UN climate chief Yvo de Boer.
UK introduces Google Earth maps showing temperature rises
The UK government has produced an interactive Google Earth map which highlighted the impacts that a 4ºC average temperature increase would have on different regions of the world. The multi platform, interactive map focused on some of the changes that could occur if the global average temperature increased by 4°C above the pre-industrial climate average.
”US not likely to have domestic legislation by Cancun meet”
“The U.S. will not be able to have a domestic legislation in time for the Cancun meeting,” Christiana Figueres, the new UNFCCC Executive Secretary overseeing the ongoing global negotiations on climate change, said. The legislation is required to undertake binding commitments for reducing its carbon emissions before the high-level UNFCCC meeting in Cancun in December this year.
“They do, however, have options in the absence of domestic legislation, namely, the U.S. has the option of domestic regulation through its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” she said.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid said that he will attempt to revive the stalled climate and energy bill ahead of November’s mid-term elections.
He said that the U.S. won’t pass legislation this year that charges power plants a price for releasing carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists have linked to climate change. Reid and other Senate Democrats proposed scaling back the cap-and-trade proposal to regulate power plants, which produce roughly a third of U.S. greenhouse gases.
The developing countries also insisted that unless they have a clear indication of the size and oversight of the Climate Fund it would be difficult fo
r them to suggest the overall CO2 reduction commitments, said a developing country official.
US EPA to issue more rules in climate fight
The U.S. Environmental Agency will roll out more regulations on greenhouse gases and other pollution to help fight climate change, but they will not be as strong as action by Congress, a senior administration official said.
The EPA has worked with the Department of Transportation to set new fuel-efficiency standards, as well as the first greenhouse gas emissions rules, on cars and light trucks. More standards for vehicles sold after 2017 are expected to be released later this month. The EPA also has moved to regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources such as power plants and factories.
EU carbon permit volumes fall in August, CERs rise
Traded volumes in European Union carbon permits fell by a third last month compared to July, while transactions in Kyoto carbon offsets jumped by 34 percent, Point Carbon said on Wednesday.
Low-carbon market to treble by 2020: HSBC
The world’s low-carbon energy market is likely to treble by 2020, HSBC analysts forecast on Monday, saying that rising concerns about resource scarcity would support broad consensus on the threat of climate change. The electric vehicle market would benefit most, growing more than 20 times by 2020 to reach $473 billion, said HSBC’s `Sizing the climate economy’ report.
China targets seven strategic industries for growth
China reaffirmed its intention to promote seven new strategic industries, including alternative energy and biotechnology, and spur firms in those sectors to expand abroad. The State Council, China’s cabinet, said it would encourage banks to lend to the cutting-edge sectors.

Prepared by the Office of Climate Change
September 10, 2010
For additional information, please contact:
Office of Climate Change, Office of the President
Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown
Tel. 223-5205
Email: info@lcds.gov.gy , Web Site: www.lcds.gov.gy