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7 December 2012

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Achieving climate security in the Pacific: Alternatives to the UNFCCC

Women in disaster preparedness in Viet Nam

out reach.

contents.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

OUTREACH EDITORIAL TEAMOUTREACH IS PUBLISHED BY:

Stakeholder Forum is an international organisation working to advance sustainable development and promote democracy at a global level. Our work aims to enhance open, accountable and participatory international decision-making on sustainable development and climate change through enhancing the involvement of stakeholders in intergovernmental processes. For more information, visit: www.stakeholderforum.org

Outreach is a multi-stakeholder publication on climate change and sustainable development. It is the longest continually produced stakeholder magazine in the sustainable development arena, published at various international meetings on the environment; including the UNCSD meetings (since 1997), UNEP Governing Council, UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) and World Water Week. Published as a daily edition, in both print and web form, Outreach provides a vehicle for critical analysis on key thematic topics in the sustainability and climate change arenas, giving a voice to individuals and organisations from all stakeholder groups. To fully ensure a multi-stakeholder perspective, we aim to engage a wide range of stakeholders for article contributions and project funding.

If you are interested in contributing to Outreach, please contact the team (acutter@stakeholderforum.org or jcornforth@stakeholderforum.org ) You can also follow us on Twitter: @stakeholders

Swati Agarwal TERI

Jazmin Burgess UNICEF

Saurav Dhakal British Council Climate Champion, Nepal

Anna Falth UN Women

Connie Hedegaard European Commission

Zsuzsa Ivanyi Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe

Anita Makri SciDev.Net

Simon Molesworth and Tim Molesworth INTO

Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti Former UK Government Envoy

Mayarani Praharaj CETB, India

Ben Sims Pacific Institute of Public Policy

Fred Smith Sightsavers

Napi Wouapi Researcher

UNEP

Farrukh Zaman Adopt a Negotiator Fellow

Editor Amy Cutter Stakeholder Forum

Editorial Assistant Jack Cornforth Stakeholder Forum

Editorial Advisor Farooq Ullah Stakeholder Forum

Print Designer Faye Arrowsmith www.flogo-design.co.uk

Web Designer Matthew Reading-Smith Stakeholder Forum

1 Achieving climate security in the Pacific: Alternatives to the UNFCCC

2 Women in disaster preparedness in Viet Nam

3 Addressing the cultural and social cost of climate change

4 Protecting the rights of children from natural disasters

5 Institutional vulnerability: Adaptation in the semiarid floodplain of Cameroon

6 The need for disability-inclusive approaches to disasters in low and middle income countries

7 Profile: Connie Hedegaard

8 Women's voices in climate change and disaster risk management

9 The security implications of climate change: A military perspective

10 The vicious cycle of response strategies

DecisionMakr ranking Day 10 – Star of the day

11 Radio and climate change in the Andes: Empowering indigenous voices

12 Using disaster warning tools to their best potential

13 A local focus on EU climate policy: Adaptation in an enlarging Europe

COP18 side event calendar

14 Reflections from COP18, Thursday 6 Decemberpic: bOfficial U.S. Navy Imagery

11

1

2

COP 18 | DAY 11

1

Patience is running thin. The absence

at COP18 of one of the world’s most

articulate and impassioned advocates

of climate action, Kiribati’s

President Tong, illustrates the

frustration over the lack of action.

For the Pacific, security is driven by climate change, and this will drive the development agenda into the future. One dimension of the security issue is natural disasters. Pacific island countries are among the most prone natural disasters globally. Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of tropical storms, droughts and lead to sea level rise, and this will be particularly catastrophic for the Pacific’s atoll states. For example, Kiribati and Tuvalu are likely to be uninhabitable this century due to rising oceans. Martin Weitzman, an influential environmental economist, argues that given such a high risk of catastrophe, quick, decisive action needs to take prominence over the current prevaricating, incremental approach.

The cost of future climate damages, per capita, are much higher for the Pacific than the global average, and this has implications for how the region should move forward. Because of consensus voting, the outcome of UNFCCC negotiations often results in a ‘lowest common dominator’ agreement. Therefore, in its current form, an agreement under the auspices of the UNFCCC is unlikely to protect neither atoll states nor the region.

Because of past failures of the UNFCCC and the catastrophic impacts the region faces, Pacific countries are exploring alternate pathways to achieve climate security.

For Pacific countries, especially atoll states, climate change is a threat to peace. In July 2011, Marcus Stephen, then president of Nauru, said that the threat of climate change was “as great as nuclear proliferation or terrorism and [that] it carries the potential to destabilise governments and ignite conflict.”

Since 2007, Pacific island countries have attempted to get climate change recognised as a security issue in the UN Security Council through a creative interpretation of the UN Charter.

The Security Council has, however, been unable to reach agreement on whether climate change warrants Council recognition. This is because some States – including China, India and Russia – see traditional security issues taking prominence in the Council and climate change as ‘mission creep’. Other States, such as Germany, have pushed for the Security Council to consider what response it would take in the case of an environmental crisis, for example the population of a Pacific state needing to evacuate. The Council has also considered environmental peacekeeping,

so called ‘green helmets’ that would intervene in conflicts caused by rising sea levels and shrinking resources.

The benefits of using the Security Council is that resolutions are legally binding on all 193 UN member states. But given that the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol are also binding instruments, and these have been manifestly inadequate, is international law via the Council sufficient for achieving the required action on climate change?

To complement international legal mechanisms, a more holistic approach should also be taken at the international, regional and local levels. At the international level, the Pacific should push for security dimensions of climate change to be integrated into the Post-2015 Development Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. Regionally, the Pacific should develop plans to address security issues, particularly through freeing up migration channels and accommodating climate change refugees. Locally, climate change adaptation is key. This will be most effective if it takes a multitude of forms, from building resilience in food systems to investing in education for migration.

The best way forward for Pacific states is to pursue a multi-track solution by continuing to negotiate within the UNFCCC, but also using alternative frameworks to achieve climate security and thus also ensure human development.This article is based on Climate Security – A holistic approach to climate change, security and development, Pacific Institute of Public Policy Discussion Paper 23: http://bit.ly/Ugms12

Achieving climate security in the Pacific: Alternatives to the UNFCCCBen SimsPacific Institute of Public Policy

pic: Kiribati, by Rafael Ávila Coya

2

COP 18 | DAY 11

Viet Nam is seriously affected by the

adverse impacts of climate change,

especially in its coastal and low-land

regions. An average of one million

people are affected by, and about

500 people die, as a result of storm-

induced flooding annually in the

Mekong Delta region and coastal areas.

In addition, the central coast region,

Mekong Delta and mountainous areas are

faced with serious droughts.

Preparing for disasters and a reduction in the risks of death and injury requires an in-depth understanding of the specific demographics (such as sex and age) of the population living in vulnerable and risky areas. Vulnerability mapping, either on the basis of census data, or when such data is lacking, through community vulnerability mapping (see picture below) is a critical tool for improving such understanding.

Preparing for disasters also requires full engagement of both women and men. Women are often proactive in disaster preparedness and response and have skills and knowledge that should be capitalised upon. Yet, women’s contributions to disaster risk management are not fully recognised. Their participation in decision-making in local formal political and management structures remains low, which hamper these structures’ ability to respond to disasters in a gender-responsive manner.

UN Women’s programme “Strengthening Women’s Capacity in Disaster Risk Reduction to Cope with Climate Change” aims to promote transformative changes that increase resilience of both women and men to future disasters. The concept of this programme emerged as a result of south-south exchange of experience with the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction on disaster preparedness in Latin America.

Radio broadcasting and radio soap operas, “Tiempos de Huracanes”, had proven to be an effective means to reaching high numbers of women and men in Costa Rica (2 million); Honduras (2 million); and Nicaragua (360,000 people) in 2002. Coupled with these radio shows were local group meetings with hundreds of thousands of women discussing the specifics of how to increase household and community disaster preparedness. Since the Voice of Viet Nam (the major national radio station) has an outreach of millions people daily and the Viet Nam Women’s Union has a membership of 15 million women, the concept of radio soap operas seemed to be an effective mechanism to raise awareness of, and action by, women’s groups in flood-prone areas.

Women in disaster preparedness in Viet NamAnna FalthUN Women

The Nicaraguan radio soap opera scripts were translated into Vietnamese and then adjusted to the local context of flood and typhoon preparedness in Viet Nam. The radio show – which reaches about 80% of households – tackles issues ranging from scheduling of farming practices and building of solid housing, to coping with landslides and undertaking first aid. Similarly to the approach used in Latin America, the Women’s Union facilitates group discussions to help its members apply what they learned from the radio shows to their own lives. Real situation drama played by members of local women’s unions with women’s active engagement as both actors and spectators has proven an effective way to reinforce the radio messages.

UN Women’s strategy for this programme has been to move away from the perception that women are vulnerable victims and passive members of community, and instead promote women as active agents of change. This approach has resulted in the first two women ever becoming Storms and Flood Control Committee members at the provincial level. Partnering with other UN agencies and NGOs in Viet Nam, UN Women is now advocating for the Viet Nam Women’s Union to have a minimum of one representative on each of these Committees. Women union leaders at the grassroots and provincial levels are provided with training to enhance their communication skills and knowledge to create their own community vulnerability maps. Women beneficiaries of this training have identified swimming as a critical skill for survival during disasters and are now calling for swimming classes to further strengthen their disaster preparedness.

Moving forward, UN Women will continue to promote south-south dialogue on this disaster preparedness model and will organise a study visit for counterparts from Bangladesh in early 2013.MORE INFOThis article is based on interviews with Suzette Mitchell, UN Women Viet Nam Country Representative, and Nguyen T.M. Huong, Director of the Department of Information, Education and Communication, Viet Nam Women’s Union

pic: by Adam Jones, Ph.D./Global Photo Archive

COP 18 | DAY 11

3

Recognition of social and cultural

factors associated with the

implications of climate change has

been missing in climate change debates

and in the language of the UNFCCC.

This is despite the fact that climate

change will have a significant impact

on the organisation of societies,

including the preservation of both

cultural and natural heritage.

It is important to understand considerations of social and cultural issues within climate change discussions in order to protect the legacy of human cultural achievement, preserve communities’ sense of identity and minimise the adverse social effects of cultural dislocation.

The culture of societies is perhaps the most important manifestation of social organisation, helping to define human interaction by fostering social mores, establishing social capital and determining the identity of communities. It is precisely this sense of identity which allows people to understand their relationship with the community around them, the environment and their history. While cultures change over time, it is cultural heritage, often within the setting of natural heritage, which forms the basis of communal identity and provides a sense of belonging to the individual.

Climate change has the potential to do significant damage to the cultural heritage of all communities through its direct impacts, including destructive events, and the cost of adaptation. This is perhaps most dire for communities living in those geographical areas most susceptible to environmental transformation, such as low lying island states facing permanent inundation from sea water or the loss of subsistence agricultural areas. Such communities face drastic changes to their societal traditions, including the potential loss of recognisable components of their culture. Climate change will also affect the cultures of societies considered more resilient to climate impacts – irrespective of location or level of development – through changes in resource availability, land use, extreme weather and adaptation requirements.

These issues cannot be overcome by an attitude which relegates cultural protection to the process of merely building museums. To understand the significance of such momentous cultural changes, one only has to look at communities previously forced to relocate. Refugees are often the most disadvantaged members of society. Cultural dislocation and the loss of a sense of identity are key aspects of this, whereby communities are forced

Addressing the cultural and social cost of climate changeSimon Molesworth and Tim MolesworthInternational National Trusts Organisation (INTO)

to adapt to new circumstances and to marginalisation in new locations, without the ‘communal cultural glue’ provided by their usual natural and cultural environments. Regrettably, these aspects are often causative of social conflict between host communities and refugees, and even within refugee communities themselves.

It is partly for these reasons that the protection of cultural traditions and heritage is a recognised right under UN conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Climate change debates, however, have concentrated on scientific ramifications and the economic costs of mitigation and adaptation, with barely any acknowledgement of societal implications, including cultural loss.

In addition to the irresponsibility of ignoring social impacts, the failure to clearly identify the cultural implications of climate change has the effect of disenfranchising the wider community, as they are left ignorant of the likely extent of climate change effects. This gives rise to a lost opportunity, as potentially far more people would be motivated to call for stronger action in response to climate change if the extent of the true social costs were understood.

It is imperative that the social and cultural implications of climate change be recognised and addressed within the broader climate change debates. The language of the UNFCCC itself should be amended so as to unambiguously confirm that the destruction or degradation of cultural and natural heritage must be part of the equation of mitigation and adaptation measures. Only by doing this, will we be able to ensure that we can adequately protect the cultural values of human society, reflecting as it does the diversity of human social evolution within the context of the natural world.ABOUT THE AUTHORSThe International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) is a global body, made up of member organisations in over 60 countries, dedicated to promoting the conservation of the cultural and natural heritage of all nations for the benefit of all the people of the world. Simon Molesworth is a Professor in the La Trobe Institute for Social and Environmental Sustainability within La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and the global Executive Chairman of INTO. Tim Molesworth is a conflict management consultant based in Iraq

www.internationaltrusts.org.

4

COP 18 | DAY 11

It is estimated that 175 million

children a year are now at risk of

experiencing the impacts of climate-

related disasters. Without strong

action to tackle the causes of climate

change – combined with other factors

that are intensifying vulnerabilities

– this number will continue to rise.

Disasters negatively impact children’s and women’s rights, disproportionately affect poor countries, erode development gains and set back progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Disasters thus exacerbate already existing vulnerabilities and inequalities of boys, girls, women and men.

In this context, disaster risk reduction (DRR) therefore becomes essential to ensuring that children everywhere have the capacity and skills to survive and thrive – in spite of a changing climate. Two key areas are of critical importance:

• ensuring the specific climate risks faced by children are addressed by DRR programming; and

• enabling children to be active contributors in the shaping of DRR programmes.

Risks faced by children

The growing number of climate-related disasters presents a range of risks to children in vulnerable countries. In some cases, these are risks faced exclusively by children – such as disruption to schooling, child protection issues and certain health risks – and in others, risks that will be felt differently by children than other sections of the population.

This highlights the importance of ensuring that the risks to children are central to DRR programming. Child-centered approaches to DRR can help ensure that the specific risks faced by children can be addressed. For example, action that focuses on ensuring that children can still attend school, in spite of the impacts of a climate-related disaster, is essential to making sure children can still have their right to education fulfilled in the context of a changing climate.

Including children in DRR programming

Children can also be effective contributors to risk reduction – helping to identify the risks faced by them and their peers, which can in turn help ensure that DRR activities employed are the most effective possible. For example, in local communities affected by flooding in the Philippines, working with children has meant they have been able to identify the risks they face in times of heavy rains – often not identified by adults – such as not feeling safe walking to school and not having areas in which to play. Inclusion of children and young people in risk reduction

Protecting the rights of children from natural disastersJazmin BurgessUNICEF

can therefore be a vital step to help protect them against the impacts of increasing climatic change.

Children’s Charter for DRR

The Children in a Changing Climate Coalition – made up of UNICEF, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision – has been working for the past two years on the Children’s Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Charter is a product of interviews with over 600 young people in climate vulnerable countries and aims to raise awareness of the need to put children at the heart of efforts to prepare for disasters before they strike. It calls for stronger commitment from governments, donors and agencies to take appropriate steps to protect children and incorporate their knowledge in DRR and climate change adaptation strategies.

Children were asked about the impacts of disasters on their lives, the networks that exist in their communities to tackle disasters and their priorities for DRR going forward. Together they identified 5 key priorities:

1. Schools must be safe and education must not be interrupted

2. Child protection must be a priority before, during and after a disaster

3. Children have the right to participate and to access the information they need

4. Community infrastructure must be safe, and relief and reconstruction must help reduce further risk

5. DRR must reach the most vulnerable

Over the course of 2013, the Children in a Changing Climate Coalition will be lobbying governments on the priorities highlighted in the Charter and raising awareness of its content, with the hope of achieving greater action on child sensitive DRR policy and programming.

Where next?

It is vitally important that the specific risks faced by children are recognised in discussions on adaptation and loss and damage at COP18, so that more progress can be made on child sensitive DRR. However, as we move into 2013, there are further opportunities to make progress on this important agenda – the Global Platform on DRR in 2013 will be a vital opportunity to ensure that child sensitive policies are central to a post-2015 framework. Action at this level will go some way to ensuring that DRR can help build a world fit for children, within the constraints of a changing climate.MORE INFOChildren’s Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction: http://bit.ly/wO24a7

COP 18 | DAY 11

5

Recent research in the floodplain semi-

arid Far North Region of Cameroon shows

that disaster risk accumulates in this

fragile ecosystem through inappropriate

development interventions. Disaster

reduction policy fails to enable

communities to be resilient to natural

hazards, while development projects

– not informed by sound environmental

impact assessment (EIA) – tend to

increase vulnerability to those hazards.

Given the accelerating pace of change occasioned by biophysical processes and being an arena of low socio-economic resilience, poor resource-dependent communities in the floodplain of the semi-arid Far North Region of Cameroon remain at the mercy of the negative impacts of climate change and natural hazards, due to the absence of strong local, national and regional institutions capable of creating an enabling environment and providing a foundation for capacity development. Recurrent floods are among major factors increasing the vulnerability and food insecurity of rural communities in the area. Looking at the equation “Risk = Hazard x Vulnerability/Coping Capacities”, I argue that “coping capacities” are the dimension in which local institutions are crucial for flood control. Hence it seems crucial to apply a vulnerability assessment to the affected communities, to identify and explain the multiple underlying socioeconomic and environmental processes that influence the ways in which people are exposed and sensitive to climate and natural hazards, and their capacities to cope with changing conditions.

That being said, climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) typically have separate institutional ‘homes’ in Cameroon – the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) for CCA, and Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINATD) for DRR – each with their own inter-sectoral coordination groups, each with their own channels of funding, and each with separate entry points in different international agreements.

While sharing very similar objectives as to the protection of development gains through effective planning and programming, and similar challenges in raising the profile of their agendas, the Ministries typically fail to coordinate among themselves. Such duplication of efforts – coupled with administrative inefficiencies and even competition among various actors – not only hampers DRR and CCA efforts, but also compromises the overall efficiency of use of already limited resources in the implementation of development

strategies and policies aiming to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Findings revealed that disaster management systems in Cameroon mostly focus on response and relief that later turns out to be inadequate, whereas a culture of prevention, which could take due account of the cost of inaction, is yet to emerge. This puts new and heavy demands on decision-making linked to environmental planning, but also reflects the difficulty in articulating cost-effectiveness associated to saving human, social, physical and financial capitals from natural disasters before they occur.

Furthermore, I contend that understanding the institutional challenge in reducing the vulnerability of at-risk, poor resource dependents in the floodplain of the Far North semi-arid region of Cameroon seems obvious. It is time to critically explore and protect the key development sectors at stake, such as agriculture, water and health, and the institutional imperative to act as a buffer to insulate these vulnerable communities from external shocks triggered by climate variability and change. To this end, community-based data among small scale farmers in the area can help draw relevant information on multiple hazards, indicating the extent to which small-scale farmers’ resilience to floods is undermined by poor water and vector-borne diseases, rural unemployment and inadequate village infrastructure, to name just a few.

Therefore a key message sent to policy-makers is that mainstreaming CCA and DRR with development policy is a significant challenge indeed, but will have important implications for effective adaptation and risk reduction initiatives, both in the semi-arid floodplain of Cameroon, and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

The relevance of these issues to the COP18 climate negotiations lies in the fact that mainstreaming funding for CCA as part of development activities is crucial, although specific CCA interventions may be needed in certain fields. For instance, CCA interventions can strategically be linked to DRR frameworks already in place – and vice versa. Integrating DRR and CCA in development processes is about strengthening the role of local institutions in reducing vulnerability to recurrent natural disasters and in the development of sustainable livelihoods.

Institutional vulnerability: Adaptation in the semi-arid floodplain of CameroonNapi WouapiResearcher

pic: Boy in Maka Kilda, Far North Cameroon, by Philippe Semanaz Philou.cn

6

COP 18 | DAY 11

As climate change gathers momentum,

the frequency of extreme environmental

events is likely to increase. It is

crucial that the UNFCCC, the post-

2015 development agenda and the wider

international community ensure the

recognition of persons with disabilities

and their needs in all disaster risk

reduction (DRR), poverty-reduction and

climate change adaptation initiatives.

Vulnerability to environmental hazards is shaped by social, political, economic and cultural factors. The social construction of vulnerability has been acknowledged by calls for an integrated approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR), poverty-reduction and climate change adaptation.

The social construction of vulnerability has particular relevance for persons with disabilities living in low and middle income countries. In fact, environmental hazards can quickly become disasters for persons with disabilities if the institutional, physical, and attitudinal barriers they face are left ignored.

It is possible to identify four broad themes of inequality for which persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by disasters in low and middle income countries.

Firstly, there is a lack of information and knowledge about persons with disabilities. For instance, this issue undermined the effectiveness of the response to the 2004 Asian tsunami. Due to poor information systems, the number of persons with disabilities that were affected was generally unknown. A lack of information also results in persons with disabilities being treated as one group, rather than implementing specific mitigation measures that cater for the needs of each individual and those with different forms of disability.

Secondly, the lack of knowledge about disability is linked to the exclusion of people with disabilities from the disaster management cycle. Persons with disabilities and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) are rarely involved in any stage, so their potential value in helping shape inclusive policies is largely ignored. As a result, persons with disabilities often remain an afterthought in emergency response.

Thirdly, this exclusion results in inadequate access for people with disabilities to community assets, and systems designed to protect or support citizens. Key messages regarding warnings and evacuation measures are often not accessible to people with sensory disabilities, if they exist at all. The distribution of relief aid is also often concentrated through inaccessible shelters and camps with individuals being even turned away due to

The need for disability-inclusive approaches to disasters in low and middle income countriesFred SmithSightsavers

a perception that they need ‘complex medical’ services. Persons with disabilities can hence be excluded from receiving vital support.

Lastly, stigma and discrimination associated with disability in some countries represents another significant barrier. This often intensifies in disaster situations, where a scarcity of resources and existing structural inequalities are ruthlessly exposed. Persons with disabilities are sometimes turned away from shelters and are vulnerable to abuse. This social stigma has also led to persons with disabilities not wanting to identify themselves as disabled for fear of repercussions, increasing their vulnerability in the disaster context.

Disability-inclusive DRR programmes demonstrate clear benefits in addressing these barriers. Inclusive approaches recognise the increased vulnerability of persons with disabilities and the importance of their involvement at all stages of disaster management. Participatory methods, such as vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCAs), have helped to demonstrate the benefits of involving persons with disabilities in identifying risks to hazards in Fiji and Bangladesh, for ensuring targeted relief in India and capacity building in Pakistan.

A number of policy recommendations for achieving disability-inclusive strategies can be made:

• Target persons with disabilities in disaster response, agree a minimum standard for disability-inclusive relief, provide training to relief workers and include disability audits in all evaluations;

• Strengthen national information systems and use participatory VCAs to collate information on persons with disabilities to identify existing risks;

• Strengthen the capacity and resources of DPOs and actively involve them in all stages of disaster management;

• Design and implement accessible and inclusive warning systems, information and physical support systems;

• Raise awareness of disability issues within communities, identify local champions, and target families and community networks; and

• Advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities at all levels.

The plight of persons with disabilities in developing countries must be addressed in order to increase the resilience of some of the most marginalised people in the world to the adverse effects of climate change.

This article is based on a paper that was recently submitted to a UN thematic consultation on addressing inequalities: www.worldwewant2015.org/node/287097

COP 18 | DAY 11

7

profile. Connie Hedegaard

Nationality: Danish

Country of Residence:Belgium / Denmark

Current Position: European Commissioner for Climate Action

How did you get to the role you are in today and what advice would you give aspiring climate champions?

I actually studied literature and history. And in between I have been a journalist, TV host, minister and political spokeswoman for the Conservative Party in Denmark. I have always strived to work on something I liked to do and which made sense to me. For me this is the only way that I can commit myself 100%.

I would tell aspiring climate champions to stay true to themselves and their ideals. A good career is not always about up, up, up. It is about doing something meaningful and applying your talents in a way that helps bring about the necessary societal change.

What do you believe can be achieved at COP18?

Doha must build on the breakthrough we achieved in Durban last year, and make progress in preparation of the 2015 legally binding global climate agreement. Equally important will be agreeing on further measures to reduce emissions so we can stay below a 2°C increase.

The EU have long been advocates for a global legal framework applicable to all countries; a demand that finally won approval in Durban last year. How has the dynamic between developed and developing countries changed since 1997?

As you know, at present only some developed countries have the legal obligation to reduce emissions under the Kyoto Protocol – and I have always said that this was not sustainable. With the new legal framework Durban has agreed to build, all countries, developed and developing, will for the first time be equally bound. This may mean breaking with the past, but this new system really reflects the reality of today’s mutually interdependent world. All countries need to take on commitments that have equal legal weight. Developing countries, led by China, already emit more greenhouse gas than the developed world and by 2020 it is estimated they will be responsible for around two-thirds of global emissions.

I would certainly have liked to see the new system in place very much earlier, but many of the big emitters were not ready for that yet. In accepting the Durban

outcome they have agreed to be ready by 2020 at the latest, and that's what we are working on now.

What steps is DG Clima taking to engender more climate conscious policies and behaviour within Europe?

We are of course leading by example with ambitious legislative proposals – this year alone I presented amongst others new legislation to reduce the CO2 emissions of new cars, we are working on fuel efficiency, on the sustainability of biofuels and we continue to enlarge and improve the EU Emissions Trading System.

At the same time, it is very important to me to reach out to the citizens of Europe. I have just launched a big campaign which will highlight the best projects in EU Member States – so far, and just to highlight a few, we have a sustainable fire station in Dublin, an elevator in Greece powered by solar energy, and the Stockholm train station where the body heat of waiting commuters is collected and used to heat an office building nearby. This is all inspiring best practice which Europeans must hear about, that touches on their everyday lives and demonstrates how they can be improved in a low-carbon way.

What are your aims within your role for 2013 and beyond?

It is really important that we get progress on an overall framework for European climate and energy policy for 2030 – so that businesses get a clear signal for their investments. And we of course also need to pave the way for an ambitious global climate agreement in 2015.

Favourite quote:

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill

8

COP 18 | DAY 11

COP18 provides an opportunity to make

women’s voices heard in the climate change

negotiations through their participation,

representation and leadership.

One initiative that has been pursued here in Doha, is the proposal for a new decision to promote gender equality through improving the participation of women in UNFCCC negotiations and their representation in bodies established under agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol. The adoption of this initiative will send a strong political signal on the need for women to be fully represented in both decision-making processes, and actions taken on the ground, to tackle climate change.

Climate change is recognised as perhaps the greatest challenge for societies in the 21st Century. The hazards associated with climate change have an impact all over the world and it is important to remember that women have a key role to play in addressing the issue. Climate change has its greatest impacts on the poorest regions, people and children, through its impact on agriculture, food security and availability of water. But, it is very rare that the role of women is adequately recognised in developmental projects and strategies. In particular, it is high time for an improved understanding and integration of the gender dimension when addressing disaster prevention, strategies and policies.

Women's voices in climate change and disaster risk managementDr. Mayarani PraharajCollege of Engineering and Technology Bhubaneswar (CETB), India

Loss of life, suffering and damage due to disasters in many parts of the world are constant reminders of our vulnerability to natural hazards. Yet many of these tragic consequences could be avoided through risk awareness and assessment, improved environmental management and urban planning, preparedness and education. Ultimately, disaster risk reduction (DRR) is about understanding the environmental risks of a hazard, finding ways to address them, and implementing these measures on the ground.

Women and girls must participate in poverty reduction, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction activities that will shape their future, as well as those of their families and communities. To be effective, information exchange must be two-way and accessible to both sexes, and ensure equal inclusion of women's and men's voices. Gender inequality puts women, girls and children in particular danger when natural disasters strike. Strengthening gender equality therefore enhances resilience. Equality begins with women’s education and empowerment, which itself is an important accelerator for vulnerability reduction in the context of extreme weather events.

At the local level, it is generally women who must find solutions to the lack of drinking water, access to health, education, and a number of other factors associated with increasing resilience to climate change. In this respect, women are often in a better position to raise awareness of certain environmental hazards. There is, therefore, a need to strengthen women’s ability to contribute and exercise their unique and valuable perspectives and expertise on climate change. Women are traditionally responsible for managing household resources, but they are usually not involved in policy decisions on the use and management of environmental resources, which are integral to the functioning of family life. Moreover, women are particularly impacted by disasters due to discrimination, poverty and their social responsibilities. Yet, their roles and capacities in DRR are not sufficiently recognised. Empowerment and participation of women in decision-making can lead to improved environmental and livelihood outcomes that benefit all.

The development of sustainable human settlements contributes to a reduction in vulnerability to the impacts of disaster. The space in which men and women live will have profound impacts on their interaction with one another and with their environment. The ability of women to access economic security can have major effect on their ability to adapt to the effects of disasters and therefore its impacts on their livelihoods and wellbeing.

Women and girls are the pillars of resilience. Empowerment can enable women to make strategic life choices which will not only help them overcome the individual impacts of disasters but also go a long way towards creating a disaster resilient society.pic: by Sushmita Balasubramani

COP 18 | DAY 11

9

In the run up to UNFCCC negotiations

in Doha there was much coverage of

recent reports on the impacts of

climate change, including those

of the World Bank and the European

Environment Agency. However, one

aspect that doesn’t often feature is

its potential risk to global security.

It is generally recognised that in the 21st Century we face a number of new threats to global stability and national security – in particular to secure, sustainable and affordable supplies of key natural resources (food, water and energy) that are essential for economic prosperity and wellbeing. One of those threats is climate change.

The origins of conflicts are complex and it is unlikely that climate change will be a direct cause. But the impact of second and third order consequences, like loss of land or livelihood, could increase the risks of global instability and conflict in parts of the world already experiencing stresses, such as food or water shortages, health risks or demographic challenges – areas of the world centred on the equatorial belt that have experienced conflict in the past (intra and inter-state) and have reduced adaptive capacity. For this reason climate change is widely recognised as a ‘threat multiplier’.

For many living outside these regions and facing other challenges, especially due to the global economic downturn, it is tempting to see this as somebody else’s problem. However, in a globalised world, events many miles away can affect the interests and security of our nations. For instance, the 2011 floods in Thailand impacted European and US companies by disrupting supplies of vital auto parts and computer chips that are manufactured in Thailand but used in production lines in other counties.

The problem is compounded in a ‘just enough, just in time, world’ where factory warehouses are on the high seas, on global trade routes which pass through parts of the world where climate change will have the greatest impact and are therefore vulnerable to disruption. All nations are, to differing degrees, trading nations; and more than 90% of goods imported to the UK travel along these supply lines. But this is not just a European or American concern: 75% of China’s oil comes from the Middle East via the Malacca Straits. Disruption or price volatility will affect us all. It is, therefore, in all our interests to address the risks posed by climate change.

New threats and challenges frequently require governments, societies and international institutions to adapt; addressing climate change is no different. Tackling it will require nations to take a strategic approach that looks beyond the normal political/planning horizons and must involve all stakeholders. This should not just focus on threats but also identify opportunities, including for economic growth.

The security implications of climate change: A military perspectiveRear Admiral Neil MorisettiUK Government Climate and Energy Security Envoy, 2009-2012

The military have a part to play in this process, both nationally and internationally. They can help develop an understanding of the risks and how they will affect both global stability and individual nations’ interests. We need to improve our collective knowledge of how people in affected areas react to loss of land or livelihood: will they migrate or be trapped? If they move, will it be within the country or to another? Will migration be manageable or put further pressure on already stretched authorities? In the case of loss of livelihood, are there alternative legitimate sources of income or are those affected susceptible to being recruited into serious crime or even ‘paid’ terrorism?

An understanding of these risks needs to be integrated into national security strategies and inform priories for action. For example, the 2011 UK Government’s “Building Stability Overseas Strategy” highlighted how developing capacity in vulnerable countries is a key element of reducing the risk of conflict.

Secondly, this analysis can be used to establish likely future missions for the armed forces. This will include both Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and also, as recognised in 2010 in both the UK Strategic Defence and Security Review and the US Quadrennial Defence Review, greater involvement in conflict prevention. This will complement the role of others, for example developing the capacity of a country’s coastguard to police its Exclusive Economic Zone. But it will mean learning to work even more effectively with other Government departments and NGOs etc.

Finally, the military need to make sure that they have the appropriate capabilities to deliver the mission and themselves operate in a sustainable fashion.

MORE INFO‘Turn down the heat – why a 4°C warmer world must be avoided’, a report for the World Bank by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics. November 2012

‘Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012’, EEA Report No 12/2012, November 2012

pic: Miliarty assistance in Maldives after the tsunami, by Chuck Simmins

10

COP 18 | DAY 11

‘Mitigation’ and ‘adaptation’ are

considered the two response strategies

to address the problem of climate

change. But do we really justify this

distinction of terminologies?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines adaptation as “adjustment in natural or human systems in response to the expected climatic stimuli or its effects.” Do mitigation actions in a way not also address the same issue? Mitigation actions are undertaken in response to the rising global temperature, whereby, one adapts or resorts to using low emission technologies. After all, both mitigation and adaptation actions are undertaken in response to climate change problems. In many ways, therefore, making distinctions along the lines of these terminologies, only limits our abilities to develop the linkages between the two approaches, thereby leading to isolated actions.

The interlinkages between these two courses of action need to be better understood for efforts on climate change to be effective. Given the commitments which must be made in the face of future uncertainties, evaluation of the consequential impacts of different climate strategies is indispensable. In reality, uncertainties in decision-making are unavoidable since we cannot perfectly model the real world scenario. Nonetheless, uncertainties can be reduced and responses better categorised through improved knowledge. Therefore, decision-makers at all levels need to decide on appropriate near-term actions in the face of many long-term uncertainties. Decisions taken now, will have sustained effects – whether positive or negative – not only in the present but for years to come. Hence calculated attempts to choose the ‘correct’ response strategy, or menu of strategies, to address climate change problems must be undertaken.

For instance, a solar power plant set up in a particular region, consumes a large amount of water, uses a huge area of land and other raw material, and generates waste resources. These impacts not only affect the surrounding ecosystem, but also lead to environmental changes in upstream and downstream ecosystems. With the growing concern for sustainability, it is essential for us to know how a particular decision distributes risks and opportunities across the societies and environments these sorts of initiatives impact upon.

Some mitigation activities may give rise to unanticipated impacts that necessitate adaptation measures in response. For instance, the solar power plant discussed above may induce the need for infrastructural irrigation facilities, such as construction of canals to channel limited water supply for use in agricultural fields. Similarly, extensive solar panels laid on an expansive scale may cause modification to biodiversity and land use patterns. These changes would therefore necessitate adaptation requirements, not only in the form of physical structures, but also in social practices.

The story does not end here. Building adaptive structures and changing practices also have the potential to add to

The vicious cycle of response strategiesSwati AgarwalThe Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. This takes us back to where we began – rising emission levels and the need take action to reduce them in order to prevent climate changes – leading to further mitigation action. Are we not, in this manner, trapped in the vicious circle of response strategies, without actually leading us anywhere in terms of meaningful progress?

An informed decision-making process, with appropriate risk assessment of present actions needs to be undertaken to prevent this recurring pattern of response. This would require assessment of the uncertainty in decision-making; uncertainty and variability of climatic patterns; and the assessment of present and future outcomes of the actions taken.

No action is free of risks and uncertainty cannot be assessed with surety, but the level of risks must be mitigated to a state where we are able to break free of the vicious trap of response strategies. Mitigation activities must not lead to consequences for adaptation (or vice-versa), resulting from an isolated and segmented planning process. Therefore, these strategies must be approached together in an integrated framework, in order to mainstream climate actions through the holistic underpinning of risk reduction.

Crowdsourcing Accountability: DecisionMakr ranking Day 10 – Star of the day Yesterday, the Ad-hoc Working Group on the Kyoto Protocol room seemed to be filled with emotions. The DecisionMakr app users thanked the Philippines for “for injecting some emotion into a sanitized process too often divorced from reality.” The solidarity with the Philippines action is gaining speed in the App scene. It is the country that has received the most reviews so far, after the US and EU, who have only gotten mediocre scores.

The New Zealand negotiator, who was receiving a lot of attention on DecisionMakr, was caught saying “Kyoto is the past, for some, the present, but isn’t our future." @WilliamMDoha left the comment “of course it isn't, you killed it.” DecisionMakr also captured signals of US delegation’s willingness to engage in the equity and common but differentiated responsibility.

The DecisionMakr smartphone and web App allows Twitter users to rate the quality and content of negotiators’ statements. DecisionMakr is available free at the Apple iPhone App Store and at www.DecisionMakr.org. Follow on Twitter @DecisionMakr to track how countries positions have shifted.

COP 18 | DAY 11

11

Rural indigenous communities in the

southern Andean highlands of Peru’s

Cusco and Apurímac regions have been hit

hard by climate change. Endemic poverty

has meant that these remote communities

cannot afford a bad harvest. Yet, in

recent years, sudden changes in weather

are impacting traditional crops like

potato, maize and quinoa - a grain high

in proteins and other valuable nutrients.

Living at altitudes of over 3,000 metres above sea level, these communities are far from the urban knowledge hubs that are researching solutions for dealing with climate change, and largely rely on the radio for information. With this in mind, the UN Joint Programme on environment and climate change under the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) in February 2010 launched a radio broadcast popularly known as “Pachamamanchista Munakusun” (“Nurturing Our Land”) to build awareness about climate change and adaptation measures.

The MDG-F initiative, which was funded by the Spanish Government, seeks to address the impacts of climate change worldwide on poor communities and find solutions that ensure sustainable development at the country level.

“People like to hear news related to agriculture, since it is their – our – livelihood. I say ‘ours’ because my parents and I are also farmers, and we see that now it rains in months when it never used to rain, we see how the rivers and creeks are drying up,” said rural radio presenter Alicia Escalante, from Tambobamba-Apurímac.

The show airs daily in Quechua – the local language – and Spanish, to encourage families and farmers to identify local problems and propose ways for adapting to the new living conditions climate change brings. The broadcasts also motivate farmers to implement adaptation measures such as water harvesting, reforestation with native species, protection of biodiversity and prevention of forest fires and overgrazing.

“When I was young, that hill over there had snow the whole year, but it has been disappearing. This means that we will have less water for our crops and our animals,” said Valentin Cahuana, leader of the Ccacacancha-Apurimac community. “Young people and adults need to reflect on our environment and we must ask ourselves why it is hotter than before, why it rains in months when it didn’t used to rain.”

People like Alicia and Valentin share successful experiences in using adaptation measures such as crop diversification; traditional knowledge regarding indigenous plants and crops that are more resistant to the changing climate and

Radio and climate change in the Andes: Empowering indigenous voicesUnited Nations Environment Programme

higher temperatures; shifting planting to match changing rain patterns; and growing crops in different ecological niches to test their resistance. Thanks to the radio show, farmers are now using these methods to ensure improved crops and yields.

“Through the radio, we discover that in other communities our campesino [farmer] brothers are planting trees as a live fence to prevent the frost from damaging the crops and to prevent soil erosion. If they can do it, so can we,” said Emerpatriz Monje, from the Ccochapata-Cusco area.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the convenor for the Environment and Climate Change window under the MDG-F initiative and has worked with all UN agencies on 17 UN Joint Progammes that tackle climate change impacts in Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Colombia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Jordan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Senegal and Turkey.

The outcomes of the MDG-F initiative can be now be found in Seeds of Knowledge, a booklet that compiles 24 solutions, or lessons learned, from the Joint Programmes, which was launched at COP18, Doha on Saturday 1 December .

MORE INFOwww.unep.orgRadio broadcasts of the Joint Programmes: Comprehensive and Adaptive Management of Environmental Resources to Minimize Vulnerabilities to Climate Change in the High-Andean Micro Basin, Peru (MDG- F): http://bit.ly/YEIWSo The World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference: http://bit.ly/VpfcRD

Many Strong Voices: http://bit.ly/QJY0JN

pic: by Flor de Maria Villa Quispe

12

COP 18 | DAY 11

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To say there is a lot riding on disaster

management is an understatement. The

lives and livelihoods lost, as well as

extensive damage, underscore the human,

environmental, social and economic cost

of extreme events that affect

millions every year.

Consider just a few: the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and famine in the Horn of Africa in 2011.

Though these events differ (for example, some strike rapidly while others develop slowly), they all highlight the vulnerability of poor communities around the world — and variable success for science and technology (S&T) in disaster planning and response.

Thousands of lives were lost in the 2004 tsunami, exposing the need for a coordinated early-warning system in the region. In Africa, while scientists warned of a serious drought, failure to heed these predictions revealed the gap in communication about the risk with decision-makers.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as social media and mapping, used after the Haiti earthquake, did help aid workers quickly assess damage and people's needs. Even here, the benefit of technology is limited without integration with existing response systems.

There is a range of preparedness and response activities that can help reduce risk from natural hazards. But the space between early warning and action is a narrow window of opportunity where more effective use of scientific tools for alerting communities can make a difference.

S&T is only a part

Cuba shows that early warning can be successful even without sophisticated technology. But coordination and political will are elusive goals, and are much easier to achieve where governance is sound and where people are at the centre of a country's priorities.

Using disaster warning tools to their best potentialAnita MakriSciDev.Net

Just as problematic is the fact that S&T rarely offer a solution alone, not least because alerts need to be translated for action.

Meanwhile, the increasing number and sophistication of early warning systems — and the 'better safe than sorry' approach to using them — means that false alarms are rising. The recent conviction of Italian scientists for not issuing a warning about the L'Aquila earthquake can only add to an over-cautious approach.

The fact remains that early warning is one of the most powerful tools for reducing disaster risk. The use of S&T has become more organised. Digital tools, such as social media and mapping, are now seen by some as the future for organising humanitarian work.

And while better remote sensing, forecasts and mobile communications are essential, so are developments in the socioeconomic frameworks that shape our ideas of how early warning can become more effective.

Poverty and development links

For instance, the concept of risk reduction shows that exposure to natural hazards is not all that matters. Vulnerability — and conversely, resilience — can make all the difference. The risk is highest where people are least able to protect themselves. Disaster risk and poverty are locked in a cycle where natural hazards undermine economic development in the countries least well prepared to cope.

Risk reduction must include factors linked to poverty reduction, such as ecological and social stability. And to be more effective, new tools need reinforcement from old processes including traditional knowledge, dialogue and coordination.

Progress in science is incremental, and there is a sense of urgency about disaster risk. The threats to poor countries will only grow and become more complex as climate change takes hold and resources are depleted.This article is adapted from one that was previously published on SciDev.Net: http://bit.ly/Xv63gy

COP 18 | DAY 11

13

The Regional Environmental Center

for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)

organised a side event in the EU

Pavilion on 5th December 2012, at

COP18 in Doha. The event focused on

adaptation in an enlarging Europe.

The goal of the event was to disseminate information about recently achieved outputs within international projects that can assist in: generating, collating and sharing information and knowledge; regional and local approaches to adaptation; ecosystem-based approaches; financing adaptation strategies; and advancing discussion about existing gaps and capacity-building needs.

During the event, REC experts and representatives from the European Investment Bank and the European Federation of Regional Energy and Environment Agencies (FEDARENE) outlined current efforts to meet capacity-building needs for adaptation in new EU Member States and accession countries.

Information and knowledge barriers were also analysed, as well as cultural, historical, legal, political, institutional, administrative, financial and technical obstacles. These concerns were framed within a regionally specific context.

The efforts of the research, financial, and think-tank communities to provide policy makers with adaptation-oriented decision-making instruments and tools were underlined. Narrowing the gap between science and policy was introduced as a means of assistance for adaptation efforts. Special attention was given to the effectiveness of cooperative action at the regional, local and ecosystem levels and to the countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe with the best prospects to disseminate these tools to other regions of the world.

Nancy Saich, a senior expert with the European Investment Bank (EIB), emphasised that the Bank has a 25% funding target for climate-resilient projects. She also said that it is

A local focus on EU climate policy: Adaptation in an enlarging EuropeZsuzsa IvanyiRegional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe

vital assess the vulnerability of projects related to urban development, transport, water, agriculture and resource management. The EIB is encouraging communication and empowerment on issues across sectors and for all stakeholders, Shaich concluded.

Narrowing gaps

A roundtable at the side event explored how best to address gaps and close them, via the participation of national UNFCCC focal points for the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and the EIB.

One EIB representative emphasised the importance of using terminology that is specific to the stakeholder involved, as gaps and needs are expressed in different ways. The representative stressed that the increased frequency of extreme events has forced insurance companies to change their strategies. Panellists agreed that social, cultural and historical aspects of adaptation are vital considerations, and that the world’s poor are suffering most from the harmful impacts of climate change.

One of the main gaps identified during the discussion is a current lack of proper cooperation between different bodies, institutions and local governments. A panellist from the Czech Republic opined that awareness raising campaigns are needed to combat climate scepticism. A Romanian panellist stressed the importance of scientific knowledge and its proper communication to politicians. Another panellist from Slovakia brought up the subject of limited knowledge on economic assessments and the need to educate local governments. An EIB representative highlighted the need for sharing experiences and networking amongst institutions.

As for financing, there is a need to develop strategies that will ensure multiannual funding at the national level. There are currently several channels supporting adaptation-related activities, but proposals need to be developed properly, including impact and vulnerability assessment and monitoring. To foster the increase of such knowledge, project developers will need to conduct training and effectively disseminate information.

FRID

AY 7t

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11:30—13:00 Side Event Room 6 Successfully curbing tropical forest loss in Brazil: emerging policy lessons for REDD+ Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon)

11:30—13:00 Side Event Room 7 Ethical and religious insights on the climate crisis World Council of Churches (WCC)

13:15—14:45 Side Event Room 8 Experiences of tropical agriculture facing climate change: The Costa Rican case

Costa Rica and Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE)

13:15—14:45 Side Event Room 7 Implications for Monitoring, Mitigation, and Management at the Air Quality-Climate Change Nexus Yale University

13:15—14:45 Side Event Room 10 Developing REDD+ Safeguard Systems: Lessons from Brazil, Indonesia, Cameroon and Mexico Center of Life Institute (ICV)

13:15—14:45 Side Event Room 6 The Chemical Industry's Contribution to Building Energy Efficiency and GHG Reduction

International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and European Business Council for Sustainable Energy

COP18 side event calendarDATE TIME VENUE TITLE ORGANISERS

COP 18 | DAY 11

Perhaps the most important issue that is not attracting as much attention as other items related to the Kyoto Protocol or finance at COP18 is “Loss and Damage” (L&D). It is one of the issues that is being hotly contested by both the developed and developing countries, with each trying to advance their own agendas. A decision on the subject is still pending at COP18 and is likely to continue through the high-level segment where ministers will take a final move on the issue.

So what is loss and damage?Past actions by nations have been inadequate in responding to climate change impacts such as extreme weather events (floods, storms) and slow onset conditions (sea-level rise, desertification). When emissions reduction efforts fail and responses to climate impacts reach their limits, the subsequent effects result in permanent loss and damage. In this case, the loss and damage mechanisms come into play and rehabilitate and/or compensate affected communities for permanent loss and damage incurred that cannot be reversed.

International Framework on Loss and DamageCurrently, efforts are being made to develop an international mechanism on compensation and rehabilitation. The developing countries and Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) are calling for an international insurance facility to protect them against the damage of climate impacts. This requires money from the developed countries, who as historic emitters, need to mobilise additional funding than just the $100 billion they are currently being asked for. Of course, this is met with a lot of friction from the developed nations who see the concept of loss and damage as having legal and moral consequences.

Last year in Durban, parties agreed to a work program on loss and damage, through which five expert meetings were held focusing on three thematic areas: assessing the risk of loss and damage, approaches and the role of the Convention (UNFCCC). As a next step, an international mechanism was to be agreed upon in Doha. However, developed nations oppose the idea and instead want to continue the work programme (organising five more workshops) for another year. But developing countries seem adamant about continuing with the idea of compensation due to loss and damage and want a separate track to be established dedicated to this issue, but there is no convergence on it so far.

This article was previously published by The Adopt a Negotiator Project www.adoptanegotiator.org

Outreach is made possible by the support of

Reflections from COP18, Thursday 6 DecemberFarrukh ZamanAdopt a Negotiator Fellow

When I first entered the COP18 Conference building I was both amazed and happy to see the excited faces of the diverse range of people from around the world. By contrast, today, the atmosphere among the participants was one of frustration, especially regarding the youth delegates. Maybe to our delegate peers – those which hold the power and the money – we, the youth, are in too much of a hurry. We may seem more emotional and impatient, but it is immensely frustrating that the pressure we are exerting is not having the desired impact on this really long bureaucratic process. All we can seem to wish for at this late stage is for the parties to come to an agreement, even if it is a weak one.

Nevertheless, it was positive to hear that my country Nepal will be taking over from the Gambia as the UNFCCC Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group chair for 2013-14. We are one of the 48 LDCs negotiating as this specific coordination group. Delegates have expressed that Nepal’s participation in COPs is increasingly focused and provides an important qualitative perspective, though – despite these strengths – is still far from being influential. Through the British Council, with the support of the Nepali Delegate team, we have organised a virtual climate conference with youth in Nepal whilst here at COP18.

Nepal’s country delegates have been playing their designated roles as official Party members, but have also been visible, heard and acknowledged across a range of forums and side events. The Government’s recent formation of a Core Negotiating Team, which includes non-government experts and practitioners, has been a positive step in increasing the effectiveness of the delegation, as has the allocation of responsibilities based on interests and expertise, which has added further vigor to the team performance.

Nepal is not alone in its stance on climate change, and shares key priorities with a number of delegations, especially within the LDC Group. Through this grouping we will continue to present and defend our views, and try to win support for them from other members.

During COP18 I have also enjoyed the activities we have undertaken in many schools and a university in Doha as a part of a British Council community engagement programme. I learnt that the youth of Doha are both aware of and active on climate change issues but nonetheless need to improve their practical understanding of them.

Saurav DhakalBritish Council Climate Champion, Nepal