*[Enwl-eng] [can-eecca] COP24 DAY 6 | Media Digest
ENWLine
COP24 Overnight Briefing: Talks grind on (Business Green)
“Draft texts have been produced for rules governing national climate pledges, carbon trading, climate finance and transparency rules for greenhouse gas reporting. However, there is slower progress on matters rules for reporting adaptation efforts, among other areas.”
“The Task Force on Displacement today released its recommendations to help countries cope with people moving across borders as a result of climate change. The recommendations were discussed by delegates yesterday, and are set to be agreed by countries next week at the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakesh. If adopted, it will be the first-ever UN global agreement on a common approach to international climate-related migration.”
Division continues
Divide Continues Between Nations and Companies at United Nations Climate Talks (TIME)
“The issue is central to the Paris rulebook, which countries have committed to finalizing this year. Environmental activists insist that countries such as Brazil, with its vast Amazon rainforest, and China, the world’s biggest polluter, should have to provide hard data on emissions and not be treated like poorer nations who don’t have the ability to do a precise greenhouse tally.”
2020 target: 13 rich nations slowing down climate fight (The Times of India)
“The gap in the pre-2020 actions is something which has been bothering all developing countries including India. The developing countries have long been asking the rich nations to fulfill what they had promised so that the burden of actions does not pass on to the poor and developing countries post-2020.”
Splits Deepen as UN Climate Talks Near Crunch Time (US News)
“Splits are deepening at the U.N. climate talks between rich and poor countries, oil exporters and vulnerable island nations, and those governments prepared for radical action on climate change versus those who want to wait and see. [...]
“Amjad Abdulla, chief negotiating chair for the Alliance of Small Island States, said it was "depressing" that some rich countries are seeking similar leeway as developing nations when it comes to reporting emissions and efforts to curb them.”
Matthew Hooton: Climate talkfest doomed to fail (NZ Herald)
“Despite some self-laudatory statements, Katowice will similarly fail. There is no prospect of the six biggest emitters — China, the US, the EU, India, Russia and Japan, together responsible for two-thirds of emissions — agreeing a meaningful "rulebook".”
Africa takes centre stage
A new climate action: Digital Decarbonization of the African continent (African Development Bank)
““Although Africa has been catching up with the digital revolution, this type of rapidly developing technology needs collaboration, in order for countries to catch up and use it to their advantage, no single one country can do so on its own,” Sei-Joong Kwon Director-General of the Climate Change Bureau in South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained.”
Interview with Seyni Nafo, African Ambassador to COP24 (African Development Bank)
“The support of the African Development Bank comes into play on three levels: firstly, the Bank is a learning and knowledge. It has proven expertise in many areas, including climate change and in all the areas concerned: adaptation, mitigation, finance, water, agriculture, and so on. This give us a partnership and support in terms of advice.”
African delegates swamp UN climate talks (The Australian)
“While some African countries give delegate tickets to non-governmental organisations, the make-up gives an indication of how important they consider the talks for securing development and mitigation funds.”
Energy transition
Investors worth $5tr in assets pledge back 'just transition' guidelines (Business Green)
“The aim is to prevent high levels of unemployment as carbon intensive industries are phased out in favour of clean technologies - a risk the statement warns "has been given insufficient attention".”
Taking fast road to ‘e-mobility’ central to a sustainable future: COP24 (UN News)
““The growing awareness for clean air and climate change means that many governments around the world have begun embracing e-mobility,” said the UN chief during an event dedicated to electric transportation at COP24.
““Many are putting in place the policy frameworks and infrastructure needed for sustainable transport. A growing number of countries and regions have announced plans to phase out fossil fuel vehicles and to shift to e-mobility,” he explained.”
Climate finance
UN climate finance rules ‘dragging’ amid fight over who reports what (Climate Home)
“Developing countries want firm reassurances on the sums they will receive, the type of development aid that is counted and where it is being funnelled. The more they know about future funding, they say, the easier it will be to fulfil their own pledges for tackling climate change, since many of them are conditional on support.”
Katowice climate talks: US, EU refuse disclosure on climate finance (Business Standard)
“Developed countries also refused to set a baseline year to which their future financial contributions under the Paris Agreement could be compared to see if they are contributing more to the funds than what they do pre-2020. The Paris Agreement, which is to be implemented from 2021, requires the developed countries to enhance their contributions.”
Interactive: How climate finance ‘flows’ around the world (Carbon Brief)
“This major report found that climate finance either directly given by governments to poorer countries, or raised by them from the private sector, stood at $75bn in 2016, which some analysts said put the world on track to achieving the $100bn goal in 2020. Of this, $57bn was public finance (directly from governments) and the rest private finance.”
Developing nations say swifter climate action depends on cash to pay for it (Reuters)
“More than 190 countries are meeting in the coal-mining town of Katowice through Dec. 14 to hammer out rules that will enable the Paris accord to be put into practice from 2020, and spur countries to strengthen their current climate action plans.”
Pre 2020 being treated like a "side event" at climate meet (The Times of India)
“While the World Bank has promised 200 billion and Germany doubled its climate finance promise, developing nations maintain that there is “not enough money” on the table.”
Katowice brief: What does Japan’s money buy? (Climate Home)
US
Trump's EPA proposes looser carbon limits on new coal plants (Reuters)
““This proposal is another illegal attempt by the Trump administration to prop up an industry already buckling under the powerful force of the free market,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat on the Senate Environment Committee.”
How the U.S. Became the Top Climate Leader — Despite Trump’s Denialism (TIME)
“The big question Europeans must now ask is: Why aren’t we doing the same? What is preventing Germany, for instance, the world’s former leader on renewable power, from shuttering more coal facilities? Lost jobs (and the subsequent political consequences) are one reason. Just look at the violent “yellow vest” protests engulfing France, where President Emmanuel Macron was forced to back down this week on a proposed fuel tax to combat climate change. When it comes to reducing fossil fuel use, the public appears to prefer the economic carrot over the regulatory stick.”
Indonesia
Change for climate (The Jakarta Post)
“For its part, Indonesia should take blame for putting the global emissions reduction target in jeopardy. While setting its own target at an ambitious 29 percent, the country is expanding national palm oil production at the expense of its forests. It also plans to build 100 coal-fired power plants and is promoting the primary use of fossil fuel vehicles in its infrastructure development to increase fuel consumption, when coal and oil are among the greatest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Insight: Indonesia can and should boost its climate ambitions (The Jakarta Post)
“President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's pledge to restore more than 2 million hectares of peat land at climate talks in Paris three years ago is more relevant than ever. To move forward with this ambitious goal, the President established the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) in early 2016. The BRG's mandate of restoring peat land across seven peat-rich provinces in Indonesia covers an area of more than 12 million ha - about the same size as the entire territory of North Korea.”
Brazil
Brazil’s new far-right president Bolsonaro risks turning environmental champions into ‘climate rogues’, experts say (Independent)
“Mr Bolsonaro repeatedly said during his campaign he wanted to follow Donald Trump’s example and also pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement – he has since backtracked on the statements, but his criticism has prompted a fringe event at the climate summit to address the implications if he went ahead.”
Other articles
The 'great dying': rapid warming caused largest extinction event ever, report says (The Guardian)
‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Shook France. Here’s the Lesson for Climate Change (The New York Times)
Senate narrowly confirms climate-denying nominee to federal energy regulator (Thinkprogress)
Paris riots over fuel taxes dim hopes for climate fight (The Washington Post)
The EPA plans to lift greenhouse gas limits on coal power plants (VOX)
'Green is Great': Coal, Oil, and Greenwash at the UN Climate Talks (Desmog)
Japan's climate change policies tripping over coal-burning plant export strategy (The Mainichi)
Sri Lanka ranks 2nd in climate risk index (Adaderana)
Paris riots over fuel taxes dim hopes for climate fight (The Washington Post)
World Bank launches global analysis of climate-smart agriculture in 33 countries (KBC)
Poll: Two-thirds of voters concerned about Trump administration climate change report (The Hill)
Climate summit hears people in rich countries must eat less meat (The Irish Times)
This media brief is compiled by GSCC from major international English-language news sources. It's designed to provide a snapshot of the major themes in coverage of the Katowice COP24, and is not comprehensive.
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MEDIA ADVISORY DEC 7
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-- Dharini Parthasarathy Senior Communications Coordinator, Policy Climate Action Network-International (CAN) Skype: dharinip15 Email: dpartha...@climatenetwork.org (Based in India, UTC+4:30) www.climatenetwork.org www.facebook.com/CANInternational Twitter: @CANIntl Subscribe to the ECO newsletter: http://climatenetwork.org/eco-newsletters
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