Part 7: Peeling Back the COP
Finally, we are
on the home stretch, and this article will mark the end of the COP series that has
been dissecting the nitty gritties of the UNFCCC process. Afterwards, we will be
hosting guest blog posts from experts on various topics.
This piece will cover
two important sub-topics:
·
The structure of the COP
(Conference of Parties)
·
The timeline of the UNFCCC COP
It will be a
somewhat lengthy piece, but why not get started now?
There is no doubt that COP has been the buzzword of the annual
climate change talks, and it is important to unravel this enigma. Simply
stated, COP is the highest decision-making body of the Climate Change
Convention. The COP also meets annually, and this year’s meeting will be in
Doha, Qatar, and has been dubbed ‘COP18’, since it is the eighteenth Conference
of Parties.
Main Objective
The main objective of the COP is to review the Conventions
implementation.
Devolution
COP has been devolved to two subsidiary bodies, and they are the
‘heart’ of COP. There are two permanent subsidiary bodies under COP, namely
Subsidiary Body for Scientific Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Subsidiary Body
for Implementation (SBI).
The main aim of SBSTA is to provide COP with advice on scientific,
technological and methodological matters. This entails:
·
To promote development and
transfer of environmentally friendly technologies
· Conducting technical work to
improve the guidelines for preparing national communications and emission
inventories
The SBSTA is the link between the expert scientific bodies such as
IPCCC and the COP (which mainly focuses on policy issues)
This body gives advice to the COP on all matters concerning the
implementation of the Constitution.
This is mainly in assessing progress through National Communications and
Emission Inventories.
The SBI also assesses the financial assistance which is usually
provided to no-Annex I countries, as well as providing advice on budgetary and
administrative matters.
It is important to note that there are areas where the SBSTA and SBI
usually intersect in mandate, and this includes:
·
Capacity building
·
Vulnerability of developing
countries to climate change and response measures
·
The Kyoto Protocol Mechanism
The SBSTA
and the SBI usually meet at least twice a year in parallel
The journey to COP
18 and climate change process in general has been long, and it traces its roots
to the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in May 1992 in Rio de
Janeiro Brazil. The convention came into full force in 1994, and it established
the Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest decision making process in the
convention. Let us get a snapshot of the COP timeline:
The 1st
COP (COP 1) was held in Berlin in 1995, and it aimed at addressing the member
state’s capacity in implementing the Body for Scientific and Technological
Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). The ‘Berlin
Mandate’ was the result of this meeting, with its main task being to draft a
protocol or legal instrument to compel Parties to address climate change.
COP 2 was held in
Geneva in 1996 and it focused on stressing the need to accelerate talks on how
to strengthen Climate Change Convention.
COP 3 was held in
Kyoto in 1997 where the Kyoto protocol was adopted. The protocol was
instrumental in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and it came up with
mechanisms such as emission trading, CDM and joint implementation.
COP 4 was held in
Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1998 and aimed at strengthening the provisions of
Kyoto protocol through adoption of a 2-year action plan.
COP 5 was held in
Bonn, Germany in 1999, and it set a timetable for completing work on the Kyoto
Protocol
The first session of COP 6 took place in The Hague, Netherlands in the
year 2000. The negotiations took a political turn with the US and EU, carbon
credit and matters compliance taking the center stage. The second session of
COP 6 was held in Bonn, Germany and focused on flexible mechanisms, carbon
sinks, compliance matters and funding the climate change process.
COP 7: Marrakech Accords
The COP 7 was held in Marrakech, Morocco in 2001 and it finalized on the
Buenos Aires Action Plan and ratification of Kyoto Protocol. The convention
also adopted the Marrakech Accords.
COP 8: New Delhi Work Program
COP 8 was held in New Delhi India in 2002, and adopted the Delhi Ministerial Declaration and New Delhi Work Program.
COP 9: Adaptation Fund
COP 9 took place in Milan, Italy in 2003 and adopted among others the Adaptation Fund to support developing countries in adapting better mechanisms in curbing climate change.
COP 10: Post-Kyoto Mechanisms
COP 10 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2004, and it aimed at
promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation of cleaner mechanisms as
well as post-Kyoto mechanisms.
COP 11: Montreal Action Plan
In 2005, COP 11 was held in Montreal Canada. It also marked the first
meeting of the parties (MOP-1) to Kyoto Protocol. The conference produced the
Montreal Action Plan.
COP 12: Nairobi Conference
Closer home, the COP 12 was held in 2006 in Nairobi, where a 5 year plan
was adapted.
COP 13: Bali Action Plan
Year 2007 saw COP 13 being held in Bali, Indonesia where the post 2012
framework and Bali Action Plan were developed.
COP 14: Poznan Climate Change Conference
In 2008, COP 14 was held in Poznan, Poland. In the conference, the
delegates proposed the modality for financing the poor nations in curbing
climate change.
COP 15: Copenhagen Accord
COP 15 was held in Copenhagen Denmark in 2009, with an aim of
establishing a global climate change agreement to succeed Kyoto Protocol. This,
however, was not realized.
COP 16: Cancun Agreements
In 2010, COP 16 was held in Cancun Mexico.
COP 17: Durban Platform
COP 17 was held in Durban
South Africa. A highlight of this conference was the creation of the Green
Climate Fund.
COP 18
Between November 26 and December 7, 2012, COP 18 will happen in Doha, Qatar, and it will seek to renew commitments on the Kyoto Protocol.
Conclusion
We hope that you have enjoyed this series on Peeling Back the COP, and that you have also learnt a lot; for those who are experts in this field, it is our hope that these posts have refreshed your knowledge.
We are now working on a .pdf compilation so that you can use it as an easy reference. We will let you know when it is out.
In order to complement this serious, we will be hosting guest blog posts from experts on certain areas of the UNFCCC COP process.
Compiled by: Kenny Wahome, Reuben Makomere and Ken Liti
Useful links used in this research:
1. UNFCCC Convention Bodies: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/convention_bodies/items/2629.php
2. A Brief History of the UNFCCC process: http://unfccc.int/cop7/issues/briefhistory.html
3. Conference of Parties (COP): http://unfccc.int/cop7/issues/briefhistory.html;
http://unfccc.int/bodies/body/6383.php
4. Background of the UNFCCC: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/items/6031.php;
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